Another week in the books FootClan, and we’re back to take a look at what we learned from Week 7’s slate of games.
Whether it was the rise of promising young rookies, the return of key players, or hope being squashed, the weekend was filled with new information to carry through for the rest of the season.
Here is what we learned in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season:
Travis Hunter Turnaround Incoming?
The breakout game we’ve been waiting for finally arrived in Week 7, ironically in a game where the Jaguars scored only seven points. But it was rookie WR Travis Hunter who got those points, plus 101 receiving yards on a team-high 14 targets. Hunter’s 29% target share was the highest of the season and his snap count on offense has gone up every week since Week 4, with an 87% mark on Sunday. Also, Brian Thomas Jr. got banged up in the game and it’s worth monitoring his status as the Jaguars head into the bye week. There is a chance Hunter was dropped in leagues, so check your waivers, because he is trending in the right direction.
TreVeyon’s Tumble Continues
TreVeyon Henderson truthers, shield your eyes, you don’t want to see this. After New England’s 31-13 win over Tennessee, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said the team found its “five-minute” back in undrafted free agent Terrell Jennings. Rhamondre Stevenson is the clear bell cow in New England, but Henderson couldn’t even get more opportunities than Jennings in the second half of a blowout — Jennings got five touches compared to Henderson’s two. Henderson’s snap counts have gone down the last two weeks, culminating with just nine snaps on Sunday. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a path of fantasy relevance for Henderson this year, barring injury.
Sounds like RB Terrell Jennings made an impression, as Mike Vrabel says the team has found its “five-minute” back. pic.twitter.com/gWyHE21bUh
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 19, 2025
Rice Returns
Patrick Mahomes has been putting together an MVP-caliber season this year, and that’s been without his No. 1 target in Rashee Rice. Well, Rice made his 2025 debut on Sunday and immediately made his presence felt to the tune of seven catches for 42 yards and two TDs. His 10 targets more than doubled the next pass-catcher’s targets (five for Brashard Smith). Rice is obviously plugged in as a weekly WR1 for the rest of the season, and Mahomes’ numbers should rise even higher, but Rice’s return affects Travis Kelce‘s fantasy impact. The veteran TE had been a viable, albeit unexciting option so far this season. He is the current TE6, but saw just three targets on Sunday (he caught all three for 54 yards). Kelce’s value takes the biggest dip with Rice returning, so be wary of him the rest of the way.
Disaster for the Dolphins
Even in a loss, teams can look for positives coming out of a game, learning and improving despite the end result. When it comes to the Dolphins embarrassing 31-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday, there really is nothing positive to come out of the contest. Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions, the passing game was non-existent and the defense couldn’t stop Cleveland’s rushing attack. For fantasy purposes, one thing to note is rookie QB Quinn Ewers entered the game in the fourth quarter (ahead of Zach Wilson) and immediately started hyper-targeting Malik Washington. It’s something to keep track of at the very least if the Dolphins decide to throw in the towel for the season.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Gadsden Gaining Steam
Chargers rookie TE Oronde Gadsden has steadily been getting more work as the season has progressed and had his coming out party on Sunday with seven catches for 172 receiving yards and a TD. It’s the most yards by a Chargers rookie TE ever and the most by a rookie TE since Mark Bavaro recorded 176 yards in 1985. With the running game struggling on Sunday, Justin Herbert threw the ball 55 times, a welcome sign for the pass-catchers. In the TE economy we’re living in, a player like Gadsden who offers week-winning upside should be monitored closely to see if this is a trend or an outlier.
JCM Struggling to Capitalize on Opportunity
The FootClan was hoping for some more Jacory Croskey-Merritt jokes, but Jason said he’d only have them prepared if JCM had a good game. As the unquestioned lead back the last two games, Bill has failed to meet that standard, so the only joke is on fantasy managers who have been starting him. JCM has 30 rushing attempts over the last two weeks, which we love to see, but it’s only translated to 94 total rushing yards. And he’s only been targeted there times in that span. He also didn’t see any opportuntiues at the goal line. Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw in increase in snaps on Sunday and Jeremy McNichols is the RB who has been flashing big plays. Three out of the next five games come against top-1o rush defenses in the league, and Jayden Daniels got hurt, so in the short-term JCM might fit into lineups only in a positive matchup.
Kittle Blanks in Comeback
If you are a George Kittle manager like myself, you were ecstatic to see the elite TE back on the field Sunday night. But that 0 for 0 stat line on two targets left more to be desired, to say the least. Don’t fret. Kittle still took over the main TE spot, garnering 81% of the snaps and relegating Jake Tonges McBasketball back to a reserve role. Kittle’s presence alone opened up the run game for the 49ers, who went over 100 yards rushing for just the second time this season and first time since Week 1. San Francisco will need to rely on Kittle’s play-making ability as the season progresses, and he will get another significant bump when starting QB Brock Purdy returns. If you stood pat with Kittle through the injury, don’t jump ship after one bad game.
Panthers RB Split = Fantasy Headache
There may not have been a bigger question heading into the Week 7 weekend than how the Carolina Panthers would split the RB workload between Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. Dowdle had a historic two-game run with Hubbard out, and fans were calling for him to take the starting job. But the Panthers went right back to Hubbard in his return from injury, giving him the start and more snaps. Still, it was Dowdle who had the better game, and it was closer to a 50-50 split than we had seen all season when both RBs were healthy. Unfortunately for fantasy, this is shaping up to be a classic split. Even with Dowdle running better, the Panthers are going to keep giving the ball to Hubbard, much like the RB scenario in Seattle.
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Brissett > Murray (For McBride)
You might be thinking that there is no way Jacoby Brissett is better for fantasy than Kyler Murray. When it comes to the QB position, that’s true, but when it comes to one of the best TEs in the game, Trey McBride has been better for fantasy with Brissett under center. In two games with Brissett as the starter, McBride is averaging more than double the amount of fantasy points per game than in Murray’s five starts. McBride has been viable with Murray, but really exploded these last two weeks and is the TE1 in that timeframe. The Cardinals are heading to into a bye but come back with a delectable matchup against the Cowboys in Week 9. McBride never comes out of fantasy lineups, but he has a higher ceiling if Brissett remains the starter.
Cowboys Roll with Lamb Back
It’s a thing of beauty watching Dak Prescott throw the ball to CeeDee Lamb. The veteran QB got his WR1 back and there was zero dropoff, as Lamb saw a team-high eight targets and caught a TD pass to go along with 110 receiving yards. George Pickens went back to his big-play role, making a handful of spectacular catches and drawing penalties on the opposing defense. Jake Ferguson continued his dominance, catching two TD passes to maintain his overall TE1 season. From Dak to Lamb to Ferguson and Javonte Williams, every piece of this Dallas offense is primed to dominate in fantasy for the rest of the season.