Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 7 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that deserve consideration for your Week 7 lineup.

We are now six weeks through the 2020 NFL season, and things are finally starting to take shape. With rookies starting to step up and the fantasy football outlooks of different players becoming more clear with each passing week, these are the weeks that can make or break your fantasy season.

In Week 6, we saw rookie wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins and Chase Claypool all put up top-12 weeks while running back D’Andre Swift finished as the RB3. The Miami Dolphins, who are surprisingly a playoff contender, also announced Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback, which will be an interesting rookie storyline when they come back from their Week 7 bye.

With the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens on bye, you may be without some of your top fantasy football options. Here are five sleepers that can help you win your fantasy matchups in Week 7.

Note: All stats and info via Fantasy Pros. 

Fantasy football Week 7 sleeper No. 5: QB Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (vs. Jacksonville)

Justin Herbert has been arguably the most impressive rookie thus far and has put up some impressive fantasy numbers against legitimate defenses. Despite being 0-4 on the year, he has been playing in competitive games, with none of his losses being more than one score games.

Coming off the bye he gets a juicy matchup against Jacksonville, who has allowed the eighth-most points against opposing fantasy football quarterbacks. With Herbert having thrown seven touchdowns in his past two games, lock him in as a QB1 this week.

Fantasy football Week 7 sleeper No. 4: RB J.D. McKissic, Washington (vs. Dallas)

As sad as it is that J.D. McKissic is holding rookie running back Antonio Gibson from truly breaking out, the reality is something that fantasy managers have to face. McKissic is currently fourth in the NFL in targets at the running back position, ahead of players like Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon.

Though he lacks upside and is yet to find the end zone on the year, his receiving floor gives him a solid baseline in PPR formats if you are looking for a spot start.

Fantasy football Week 7 sleeper No. 3: WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati (vs. Cleveland)

Tee Higgins was a pleasant surprise in Week 6, catching six of eight targets for 125 yards. Better yet, he did this in a game where A.J. Green caught eight balls against a stout Indianapolis defense. Higgins clearly passes the eye test and now gets a matchup against a weak Cleveland defense allowing the second-most points to fantasy wideouts.

Considering he has seen at least seven targets in each game the past four weeks, lock him into your lineups as a solid floor play with a good chance at a big game.

Fantasy football Week 7 sleeper No. 2: WR Christian Kirk, Arizona (vs. Seattle)

Christian Kirk had a strange game in Week 6, turning three targets into a WR3 finish as he caught two passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Kirk showed his breakaway speed on an 80-yard bomb in the second quarter. While that volume is concerning and it was essentially Kirk’s first serviceable game of the year, it is important to note that Kyler Murray only completed nine passes and combined with Kenyan Drake for over 200 rushing yards.

Now he gets to play the league’s worst pass defense in what should be a division game shootout. Plug Kirk in as a boom-or-bust flex option against Seattle.

Fantasy football Week 7 sleeper No. 1: TE Anthony Firkser, Tennessee (vs. Pittsburgh)

In a week full of surprises, Anthony Firkser may take the cake. The TE2 on his own team, Firkser took over Jonnu Smith’s role after he exited the game with an injury and ended up as the top-scoring tight end on the week, catching eight of nine targets for 113 yards and a touchdown.

If Smith is to miss Week 7, Firkser becomes an interesting play with the current tight end landscape despite a tough Pittsburgh matchup. Nine targets in one of the best offenses in football is more than enough to warrant a spot in your lineup, so keep an eye out for Firkser this week.