Fantasy Football Week 7 wide receiver rankings: DeAndre Hopkins moving down, A.J. Brown moving up

Wide receiver is probably in the best shape of any position for Week 7, though we are obviously missing several must-start options here as well. Given the relative depth of the position, your flex options should probably come from this list this week, and if you don’t absolutely need a running back for Week 7, Sterling Shepard, Rashod Bateman, and T.Y. Hilton (if his quad injury isn’t serious) would probably be my top targets on waivers.   

As for the rankings, A.J. Brown has moved up from 15th in Week 5 to 11th in Week 6. That might not seem like an obvious move after he finished 20th in Week 6, his best showing of the season, but it makes sense to me. He was a top-eight WR coming into the season, and I think his slow start can be almost entirely attributed to the injuries he’s been dealing with dating back to the preseason. Obviously, those injuries create some long-term question marks, but in a matchup against what has been a pretty bad Chiefs defense, Brown should be in line for a huge performance this week. No. 10 might be too low.

Similarly, it might be confusing to see DeAndre Hopkins down to 22 at WR coming off a two-TD game, but I just continue to be mostly discouraged by his usage this season. He leads the team in targets, but his edge on A.J. Green is only six, as he sits with a 19.5% target share — he was at 28.6% last season. I still think at some point the Cardinals are going to hit a rough patch and they’ll find themselves leaning on Hopkins more, but I don’t think a matchup against the Texans is going to be where they feel that squeeze. They’ve been mostly content to spread the ball around all season, and so while you should still start Hopkins, I just don’t view him as an elite option right now. 

Here’s my first run at ranking the top 48 wide receivers for Week 7. To see the rankings from Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings, make sure you head here. We’ll be updating this throughout the week with new notes and rankings as we get news and the rankings get tweaked, so make sure you bookmark the page.

Week 7 WR Rankings

1. Davante Adams vs. WAS — Adams might be the top player in Fantasy for Week 7 against Washington. It’s a great matchup, and I’ll have him in all of my DFS lineups. 
2. Tyreek Hill @ TEN
3. Calvin Ridley @ MIA — I am incredibly confident Ridley is going to go on a huge tear soon. He’s too good and his target volume is too healthy for it not to happen. Why not in this matchup?
4. Cooper Kupp vs. DET
   
   
5. Deebo Samuel vs. IND — It feels a little weird to rank Samuel this high, but with Jimmy Garoppolo set to return for the 49ers, it’s hard to come up with a reason not to. He’s been incredible this season, the 49ers routinely scheme up ways to get the ball in his hands in space — helping provide a high floor — and he’s showed more big-play potential than most gave him credit for. 
6. D.J. Moore @ NYG — It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Moore, who didn’t help himself in Week 6 with a bad drop late in the game on what would have been a pretty big game. Still, despite Sam Darnold having a disastrous game, Moore had five for 73 and has been involved in the running game all season, providing another avenue for him to produce value. He’s getting so many opportunities, and there’s no reason for the Panthers to give him less, given how bad Robby Anderson especially has been. 
7. Ja’Marr Chase @ BAL — The Ravens might be a tough matchup for Chase, but that didn’t seem to matter against the Bears, Steelers, or Packers, either. He’s been held without a touchdown in two of the last three games and still has at least 13.7 in each with a high of 27.9. He’s off to a historic start and while I do expect him to slow down a bit, it’s hard to come up with a case for why he shouldn’t be a No. 1 Fantasy WR right now. 
8. Terry McLaurin @ GB — McLaurin played his normal role, so who knows how much we can pin his disappointing performance on the hamstring injury. He’s had two bad games in a row as the Taylor Heinicke experience has taken a turn for the worse, but Ryan Fitzpatrick may be back this week, and that would certainly be good news for McLaurin. 
9. A.J. Brown vs. KC
10. Robert Woods vs. DET — Woods’ Week 6 was a bit concerning after his massive Week 5, but I have no concerns about starting him against his upcoming stretch, which features the Lions, Texans, and Titans. Oh my. 
11. Marquise Brown vs. CIN 
12. Sterling Shepard vs. CAR — Shepard has at least nine targets in each game he has played in full so far, and with the Giants injuries at the skill positions, he figures to remain the focal point of the offense moving forward. He’s been excellent working primarily out of the slot, and I see no reason that shouldn’t continue. It might seem weird to see him this high, but he’s averaging 19.8 PPR points per game. He seems locked into a very valuable role. 
13. Mike Evans vs. CHI — I think you just have to accept that the Buccaneers wide receivers might be inconsistent on a weekly basis. The trio collectively should be good for 225 yards or so every week and probably a couple of touchdowns, but the distribution of those points will probably shift every week. Antonio Brown has looked like the best of the bunch so far, but would it surprise anyone if Evans or Chris Godwin went off for 125 and two scores this week? Certainly not me. Just start all of them every week. 
14. Chris Godwin vs. CHI
15. Antonio Brown vs. CHI
16. Brandin Cooks @ ARI — It was nice to see a bounce back from Cooks after a couple of poor showings. He remains one of the highest target share and air yard share players in the league, and I’m still viewing him as pretty much a must-start player, even in a bad offense. If Tyrod Taylor is back, I’ll feel even better about him. 
17. Courtland Sutton @ CLE
18. DeAndre Hopkins vs. HOU — The thing that makes ranking Hopkins especially tough right now, is that there really isn’t any reason he couldn’t go off this week. He doesn’t have any quarterback questions, he’s not dealing with an injury, he doesn’t have a tough matchup, he’s not losing playing time … the Cardinals just aren’t forcing him the ball this season. He’s been a disappointment mostly by choice, not because he can’t be better. It probably isn’t a bad thing for their offense that they feel so confident in so many of their passing game options, but it’s definitely bad for his Fantasy value. Hopkins ranks 43rd in target share on the season, a stunningly low number. It’s also a number that could very quickly turn around if the Cardinals decide that’s what is best for their offense at any point. You could call this a FOMO ranking, because he came out a few spots lower when I did my projections for the week. 
19. Jaylen Waddle vs. ATL — The return of Tua Tagovailoa was good news for Waddle’s value, and should remain so. The Dolphins have been comfortable using Waddle heavily, and his average depth of target has been 9.1 yards down the field with Tagovailoa, vs. just 3.8 with Jacoby Brissett. You’d like to see him turn more of his targets into big plays — Waddle has just two catches for more than 20 yards — but I think you can feel pretty good about him this week against a great matchup. 
20. D.K. Metcalf vs. NO — I’m never going to feel good about having Metcalf ranked this low, because he’s the kind of player who can turn one target into a top-15 finish at WR every week. However, you’ve gotta be a little discouraged by how Week 6 went, as Metcalf had an average depth of target of just 5.1 yards with Geno Smith, his lowest mark of the season. His margin for error is simply a lot smaller if Smith isn’t going to be willing to take many shots down the field. 
21. Tee Higgins @ BAL
22. Odell Beckham vs. DEN — I don’t feel confident having Beckham this high, but I also don’t feel great about moving him down. Baker Mayfield is dealing with a shoulder injury that has the Cleveland media questioning whether he is going to play, but Mayfield has remained steadfast that he will. Hopefully he can play well enough to get the ball to Beckham, something he hasn’t really done all that well even when healthy. It’s not a great spot for Beckham, but I think he’s actually looked really good this season, and with seven targets or more in three of four games, I think I have to start him in a thin week. 
23. DeVonta Smith @ LV — You certainly can’t trust Smith at this point in is career, with as many games with fewer than six PPR points as with 14-plus. However, I think he’s still a viable starter this week — in part due to byes, but in part because he’s always going to have a decent amount of upside as the No. 1 wide receiver on a team that tends to throw the ball a decent amount. 
24. Jakobi Meyers vs. NYJ
25. Michael Pittman @ SF — You don’t love to see Pittman getting just three targets in the first game T.Y. Hilton was able to play this season, but it’s worth acknowledging that the Colts threw the ball just 20 times in Week 6 and Hilton left that game with a quad injury. Pittman is less of a sure thing without Hilton, but he’s still worth trusting. 
26. Tyler Lockett vs. NO
27. Jamison Crowder @ NE — You’ve gotta hope Zach Wilson plays better than he did the last time he saw the Patriots, as they harassed him into four interceptions in Week 2. Crowder has had one excellent game and one bad one so far, so you can’t feel too confident in him even in a good matchup, but
28. Corey Davis @ NE
29. Rondale Moore vs. HOU — Moore is starting to play more snaps, which is a good sign. The Cardinals know what they have in him, and that’s a dynamic playmaker, one they’re looking to get involved in the offense every week. The concern for this week is that they may not need to throw the ball much against the Texans, however Moore has eight carries over the last three games, so he may still get some opportunities to make plays even if they don’t throw the ball much. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cardinals integrate Zach Ertz and what kind of impact that’s going to have on how they use their wide receivers. 
30. A.J. Green vs. HOU
31. Christian Kirk vs. HOU
32. Tyler Boyd @ BAL
33. Tim Patrick @ CLE — Moore has just two games with more than 42 yards, but he has at least 12.7 PPR points in all but one game, which is a pretty tough trick to pull off. He’s done it by scoring a touchdown in three of his low-yardage games and then with a pair of games where he had 89 and 98 yards. His Fantasy value is going to take a hit when Jerry Jeudy returns, possibly as soon as Week 8, but Patrick is a viable starter in Week 7 against the Browns. 
34. Hunter Renfrow vs. PHI — If you’re looking for upside, look elsewhere. Renfrow is strictly a PPR player where you’re hoping for five-plus catches and 60-plus yards. If he finds the end zone, that’s a bonus. 
35. Darnell Mooney @ TB
36. Allen Robinson @ TB — The situation in Chicago just hasn’t been conducive to Fantasy production from either of their wide receivers, but this game might represent a change to the typical formula. Most teams have simply abandoned the run against the Buccaneers, which could create the kind of volume these two need to have breakout games. They’re risky, but it’s not out of the question. 
37. Rashod Bateman vs. CIN
38. Mecole Hardman @ TEN
39. Henry Ruggs vs. PHI
40. T.Y. Hilton @ SF — We’ll see if Hilton’s quad injury keeps him out this week, because he actually looked pretty good in his return to the field, hitting on a couple of big plays — admittedly against a very bad defense. The 49ers defense is quite a bit better, though probably still a decent distance away from “good,” so if Hilton does play without limitations, he could be an interesting start.
41. Marquez Callaway @ SEA
42. Brandon Aiyuk vs. IND
43. Dante Pettis vs. CAR — Pettis got involved for the first time in Week 6 thanks to the Giants many WR injuries, and he was targeted a whopping 11 times. If he’s the No. 2 WR this week, he might actually be a viable start. 
44. Jalen Reagor @ LV
45. Elijah Moore @ NE
46. Robby Anderson @ NYG — Anderson has to play better than this, right? He’s down to a 37.5% catch rate and 4.8 yards per target, significantly worse than anything he ever managed in New York. He had three drops in Week 6 which helps explain how he was able to turn 11 targets into just 10.1 Fantasy points despite scoring a touchdown. He’s a viable buy-(very)-low target, but you’d have to be pretty desperate to actually start him. Maybe you are. 
47. Russell Gage @ MIA
48. Nelson Agholor vs. NYJ