Upsets? Check
Blowouts? Double check
Heart-pounding come-from-behind victories? You bet
Another overseas game that was difficult to watch? Absolutely.
Gotta love the NFL. Week 7 managed to sprinkle a little of everything on our plates, including exceptional performances by players who have been relatively quiet to start the 2025 season. Rookies finished as top-five performers at nearly every position this week, providing much-needed return on investment for their managers.
Injuries that occurred this weekend, thankfully, appear to be minor in nature (at least with initial reporting). I was holding my breath that nothing significant would occur directly before “bye-mageddon” in Week 8 with six teams shelved.
Here is a glance at this week’s top performers and biggest disappointments.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 7
Quarterbacks
Stud: Bo Nix (QB – DEN)
Pegged by many analysts as one of the top breakout candidates for 2025, Bo Nix had a rather ho-hum start to the season, eclipsing 300 passing yards just once in his first six games, with just two performances of multiple touchdowns during that stretch. Through the first three quarters of Sunday’s game against the Giants, it appeared Nix was going to deliver another mediocre performance. Then the light finally came on.
In a heroic effort, Nix finished with four total touchdowns (two passing and two on the ground), 279 passing yards and 48 rushing yards. It was far from pretty to watch, but Nix was able to find Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. when it mattered most in the comeback effort. Perhaps this was just the jump-start he needed to fulfill his lofty expectations of being a weekly QB1. Denver welcomes Dallas in Week 8, which boasts the league’s worst passing defense.
Stud: Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)
Traveling overseas to London typically produces diminished offensive results, with teams adjusting to the time shift, different climate conditions and recovering from lengthy travel durations. Apparently, the Rams missed that memo. In a contest against Jacksonville, where Los Angeles cut through their defense like a knife through butter, Matthew Stafford completed 21-of-33 pass attempts for 182 yards and (a new NFL International Series record) five passing touchdowns.
Stafford has been brilliant to start 2025, and currently ranks as the overall QB5 with 1,886 passing yards and a sparkling 17:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Los Angeles will strongly benefit from a Week 8 bye, allowing standout receiver Puka Nacua additional time to recover from his ankle injury before returning to action against New Orleans at home in Week 9.
Dud: Caleb Williams (QB – CHI)
Caleb Williams has scuffled during his sophomore season, but the hope was that a matchup at home against the woefully inept New Orleans Saints would right the ship. Not so much, it turns out. Rather than taking advantage of an easy opponent, Williams turned in his worst game of the season, completing just 15-of-26 pass attempts for 172 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception.
This marks the third consecutive contest that Williams has failed to record a 60% completion rate, and he hasn’t thrown multiple touchdowns in a game since Week 3 against Dallas. Given the upgrades that Chicago invested in along the offensive line and the additional weapons that they drafted, Bears ownership is clearly hoping for better results moving forward. Chicago’s ground game still led them to a 26-14 victory (the Bears’ third straight), but Williams will need to improve his play moving forward.
Dud: Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
Rumors were already swirling before Week 7 that Miami was considering becoming a seller at the trade deadline, and a horrific 31-6 loss to Cleveland won’t help matters. Tua Tagovailoa failed to get anything going in this game, passing for just 100 yards on 12 completions, throwing three interceptions in the process.
This now brings his total to a Jameis Winston-esque 11:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and his string of poor play is clearly hampering the team. Tagovailoa should have enough offensive weapons at his disposal with Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Malik Washington and Darren Waller to at least keep this team competitive, but he has made several puzzling mental mistakes and poor decisions with throwing into coverage. Should Tagovailoa be replaced in favor of Quinn Ewers, all of Miami’s receiving options would take a dip in value.
Running Backs
Stud: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
The overall RB1 on the season, Christian McCaffrey has single-handedly kept San Francisco’s offense afloat, despite a multitude of injuries under center and elsewhere. During Sunday Night Football against Atlanta, McCaffrey rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, while also adding seven receptions for 72 yards as the main outlet for Mac Jones in the passing game.
McCaffrey has already surpassed 900 yards from scrimmage this season, and barring injury, appears to be on his way towards regaining fantasy MVP honors. San Francisco should strongly benefit from the return of Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk in the coming weeks, and their presence should ease away defensive attention on McCaffrey. The 49ers face the stingy Houston Texans defense in Week 8 — a unit that surrenders fewer than 100 rushing yards per contest.
Stud: Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE)
As mentioned before, Cleveland trounced Miami on Sunday, largely on the back of their strong running game and outstanding defense. Quinshon Judkins led the way with 25 carries for 84 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Despite not being particularly efficient with his touches, volume ultimately prevailed.
The clear-cut alpha option on the depth chart ahead of Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, Judkins has now rushed for over 80 yards in four of his last five starts. Cleveland goes on the road to square off against the AFC East-leading New England Patriots in Week 8, in what promises to be a difficult contest. The Pats rank second in the league with their rushing defense unit, allowing a scant 77.1 yards per game on the ground. Dillon Gabriel hasn’t forced the opposition to respect Cleveland’s passing attack yet, so Judkins will be facing loaded boxes all afternoon.
Dud: Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
It is difficult to get too upset with Ashton Jeanty specifically, since the entirety of the Las Vegas offense (especially their offensive line) decided not to show up against Kansas City. In a game where the Raiders were behind 21-0 before anyone could blink, Jeanty finished with just six carries on the afternoon for 21 rushing yards. This was on the heels of head coach Pete Carroll making it a point during his press conferences to state that Jeanty needed more touches.
As an entire offensive unit, the Raiders ran just 30 plays for 95 net yards — to say that his opportunities were capped is an understatement. Mercifully, Las Vegas has a bye in Week 8, which will allow the team to reassess how it functions. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Carroll is true to his word and allows Jeanty to be the focal point, rather than a struggling Geno Smith.
Dud: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
Perhaps the Madden curse is real after all? Coming off a frustrating loss against his former team in New York, where Saquon Barkley was bottled up for just 58 rushing yards on 12 carries, expectations were that Philadelphia would ground-and-pound its way to a victory on the road against Minnesota.
At least half of that assumption was correct. The Eagles made it a point to get Barkley involved with 19 touches (his highest volume since Week 4), but he responded with a paltry 2.4 yards per carry (YPC) on the ground. Even more concerning was his lack of touches in the passing game, where he drew just one target. Barkley’s inefficiency has been notable — he still hasn’t recorded a game with more than 90 rushing yards this season, and has just three touchdowns on the ground through seven weeks.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
After a disappointing stretch from Weeks 3-4, Ja’Marr Chase has caught fire of late, thanks in part to veteran Joe Flacco understanding that he needs to be fed looks early and often. It turns out that it is a good idea… who knew? Chase drew an absurd 23 targets on Thursday Night Football and was the focal point for Cincinnati’s offense in a surprising 33-31 upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chase’s 16/161/1 line was his best output this season, and further cements the fact that he is matchup-proof with semi-competent quarterback play behind him. The 3-4 Bengals will host the winless New York Jets in Week 8, and there is a chance that cornerback Sauce Gardner will miss this game after he was removed early in Week 7 with a concussion. Should he fail to clear the league’s concussion protocol measures, Chase would be in line for another monster outing.
Stud: DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI)
It was nice of quarterback Jalen Hurts to remember that DeVonta Smith played for the Eagles this week, after his 4/49 disappearing act against the New York Giants in Week 6. Smith routinely torched the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary for 183 yards and a touchdown, finding holes in their coverage to sit in at a whim. Smith led Philadelphia with 11 targets. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for this offense.
Fantasy managers are crossing their fingers that the Eagles realize we have known all along — though this offense is predicated upon the running game, it is okay to air things out to dominate defenses as well. It is perfectly acceptable to still use A.J. Brown as the big-play threat, with Smith being the wideout to move this offense. The Eagles are at home against divisional rival New York in Week 8. After their embarrassing loss in Week 6 to the Giants, it wouldn’t surprise me to see head coach Nick Sirianni run up the score in this one.
Dud: Drake London (WR – ATL)
The silver lining for Drake London in Week 7 is that he still saw double-digit targets from quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and tied for the team-high in looks. The bad news is that Penix was inefficient on the road (yet again), and London’s 10 targets resulted in just a 4/42 split.
The healthy return of Darnell Mooney further eats into London’s upside, forcing his managers to deal with unpredictable results, even though he has arguably one of the league’s highest ceilings at the position. Atlanta finds itself fighting for control in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and Carolina. They will need to regain balance on offense in the upcoming weeks against Miami and New England to place themselves firmly in the playoff race.
Dud: DK Metcalf (WR – PIT)
Coming into Week 7, Cincinnati ranked as a bottom-five team in the NFL against the pass, surrendering yards in droves in the absence of a viable pass rush. Despite their continued lack of pressure (the Bengals failed to generate one sack on Thursday Night Football), quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unable to find DK Metcalf as expected and instead opted for alternative options to move the ball downfield, such as tight ends Pat Freiermuth (5/111/2) and Jonnu Smith (3/28/1).
Metcalf’s 3/50 finish was his worst stat line of the year, and taking a step backward, there are certainly some red flags. Metcalf has caught four or fewer passes in five of the six games that he has played, has yet to see double-digit targets in any contest this season and has become (even more) reliant upon touchdowns to buoy his final numbers. Currently ranked as the WR24 on the season, Rodgers and Metcalf will look to get back on track with a matchup at home against Green Bay in Week 8.
Tight Ends
Stud: Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)
Something is stirring in the waters of Los Angeles lately with Oronde Gadsden II. Fresh off his best game of the season in Week 6 against Miami, I was curious if this momentum would continue, or if his breakout game was a one-and-done effort against a porous defense. It turns out that it was the former.
With the Chargers forced to play catch-up for most of the game against Indianapolis, Gadsden exploded for a 7/164/1 line on nine targets, becoming the favorite for quarterback Justin Herbert to turn towards once Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey drew away coverage downfield. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been effusive in his praise for Gadsden all season, and he will certainly be one of this week’s top waiver wire pickups.
Dud: George Kittle (TE – SF)
George Kittle’s managers have been waiting patiently for his return since Week 2, and had to be stoked to finally place him back into their lineups. He managed to reward their patience with a donut performance, failing to catch either of his two targets on Sunday Night Football.
Though Kittle appeared to be fully recovered from his hamstring injury, he was asked to block all evening, opening up holes for Christian McCaffrey against Atlanta’s defensive front. He will certainly be more involved moving forward. Hopefully, this bump in the road was nothing more than San Francisco easing him into action after his absence, rather than a signal of what to expect moving forward in 2025.
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