Week 7 leaves us with 6 teams on bye, mounting injuries

We have six teams on bye in Week 7 and various new injuries to panic about, so you are definitely gonna need to work the wire in the days ahead. Nobody ever promised that your path to a fantasy title would be painless, but we’re here to help. Each week, we identify a collection of widely available fantasy options approved for immediate use. Let’s get to work …

Running backs

Christian McCaffrey exited with an oblique/rib injury in the second half against Cleveland, leaving Mason as the lead runner for one of the NFL’s elite teams if CMC misses time. This situation basically spins itself; no expertise required. Mason is clearly a player to prioritize ahead of Week 7’s Monday night matchup with the Vikings. He’s a bruising runner who lacks CMC’s sizzle and receiving talent, but he’s been extremely efficient on limited touches this season (5.7 YPC).

When Mason gets moving, he’s definitely not an easy man to arm-tackle:

Mason has made house calls in consecutive games and he could find himself with a beefy workload in Week 7. Elijah Mitchell returned from his knee issue on Sunday, but he carried only two times for -3 yards. Mason is pretty clearly the preferred option right now. He out-snapped Mitchell on Sunday, 15 to 7, and he was the back on the field during the potential game-winning drive.

Recommended FAB, assuming $100 budget: $21

Hunt saw a greater-than-expected workload in Sunday’s home win against the Niners, carrying a dozen times for 47 yards and one score, adding three catches for another 24 yards. Jerome Ford got plenty of run as well (19 touches), so no worries there. The Browns clearly intend to lean heavily on their backs for however long Deshaun Watson is sidelined (which seems like a solid plan, because P.J. Walker was a rough watch). Ford and Hunt each have plenty of appeal at Indianapolis in Week 7.

FAB: $12

Hill may not be the lead back for Baltimore, but he’s plenty fun when he gets the ball in space. He’s seen 11 touches in each of the past two weeks, resulting in a few thoroughly juked would-be tacklers:

Hil was out-snapped and out-touched by Gus Edwards in the London win, although both backs saw flex-worthy workloads. The Ravens might very well enhance their backfield ahead of the trade deadline, which could put Hill’s playing time at risk. At the moment, however, he’s a playable option entering a messy bye week.

FAB: $6

Additional RBs on the wire

Craig Reynolds delivered the block of the year Sunday afternoon and his rushing services are probably going to be needed at Baltimore in Week 7. David Montgomery is dealing with a rib injury that led to an early exit against the Bucs and Jahmyr Gibbs has missed back-to-back games with hamstring issues.

Elijah Mitchell ran behind Jordan Mason on Sunday, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the Niners used some sort of committee to cover a potential CMC absence.

Latavius Murray split snaps evenly with James Cook on Sunday night (each played 30) and he saw only two fewer carries. The vet is a full member of Buffalo’s backfield committee, and trusted near the goal-line.

Ezekiel Elliott reached the end zone for his first time as a member of the Patriots on Sunday, continuing to see a healthy workload alongside Rhamondre Stevenson (who also spiked against the Raiders). The team context in New England is, um … well, it’s not great. No need to get too aggressive about investing in this offense. That’s why Zeke is buried down here in the bullets.

Tyjae Spears is headed into his bye, so he can’t help you in Week 7, but he produced another promising stat line Sunday in London. Spears gained 63 yards on five touches, most of it on a late reception on which he made pretty much every Ravens defensive player whiff.

Devin Singletary was curiously busy on Sunday, gaining 62 yards on 13 touches. His team is headed into its bye, however, and Dameon Pierce is still around, so let’s not spend foolishly.

Keaontay Ingram rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries in Sunday’s loss to the Rams, but he finished with only two more carries and four more yards than Damien Williams, who is apparently still an active NFL player. Emari Demercado, last week’s preferred Arizona add, actually led this nightmarish backfield in snaps and routes-run, but all that playing time amounted to very little in the box score. This is a stay-away situation unless you’re truly desperate.

Zach Evans, a sixth-round rookie from Ole Miss, could get interesting this week, depending on the condition of Kyren Williams’ tweaked ankle. The Rams host Pittsburgh (and presumably thousands of Steelers fans) this week, which means a visit from a defense that’s allowing 4.8 YPC and 143.8 rushing YPG.

Wide receivers and tight ends

This will serve as last call on Rice, a day-two rookie from SMU who’s currently second on the Chiefs in total targets this season (28), behind only Travis Kelce. Rice caught all four of his chances against the Broncos on Thursday night, finishing with 72 yards and showcasing his after-the-catch ability:

He played 49% of the offensive snaps in the Week 6 win, the third time in the past four games that he’s topped 40%. Rice and Kelce entered the week tied for the team lead in red-zone targets (eight), too.

Basically, everything is trending in the right direction for the rookie, his usage is extremely promising and he’s tied to the game’s best quarterback. He really shouldn’t be available on the wire in any league with 12 or more teams. Rice has been used primarily from the slot in KC, an unexpected development for a player with his athletic profile (6-foot-2, 41-inch vertical). A breakout game is coming soon. He’ll see favorable matchups in each of the next three weeks ahead of KC’s bye (LAC, at Den, Mia).

FAB: $11

We are pleading with you once again to take an interest in Downs, one of the more talented receivers in the 2023 rookie class. He’s caught 11 balls for 118 yards and one score on 14 targets over the past two weeks and he’s been a near every-snap player since the opener, operating primarily from the slot. Downs made his first NFL house call on Sunday, uncovering quickly on this two-yard score:

He’s been a featured member of Indy’s receiving corps all season, ranking second on the team in targets through six weeks (41). The Colts are a month away from their bye, so Downs will be plenty useful during a messy stretch on the fantasy calendar.

FAB: $10

Mims just played a season-low 12 snaps on Thursday night, failing to draw a target or gain a yard. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t recommend a player coming off a do-nothing week. But Denver has reportedly been shopping Jerry Jeudy via trade, and, if the team manages to find a taker, Mims is a lock to see additional opportunities. The rookie has been a big-play machine in limited usage so far this season:

Mims has caught 10 of his 12 targets so far this year, which is no small feat for a player with an average depth of target of 20.5. He gained 19.5 yards per reception over his three collegiate seasons at Oklahoma and he’s averaging 24.6 per catch as a pro, so his field-flipping ability is fully confirmed. Add him now, ahead of the rush that would ensue following a potential Jeudy deal.

FAB: $7

Other priority WRs and TEs

Curtis Samuel has hauled in 17 of 19 targets over Washington’s past three games, crossing the goal-line three times. He’s basically getting all the numbers we’d expected from Jahan Dotson.

Jameson Williams’ fifth career catch in the NFL was also his second TD of 40-plus yards. He’s not going to be a volume receiver any time soon, but the big plays will keep him relevant for our purposes.

Rashid Shaheed is kinda like Williams, but with a bit more volume and not as many truthers competing for his services. He has a series of appealing matchups over the next month, too.

Wan’Dale Robinson entered Week 6 with an ADOT of 3.0, so it’s not as if his opportunities are unusually exciting. But he’s been peppered when targets (by Giants standards) and certainly…

Reference