NFL

DRAFT Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 7

Just because the NFL season is underway doesn't mean you can't enjoy fantasy football drafts.

Over at DRAFT.com, you can get the experience of a fantasy draft while building your daily fantasy rosters, and the format is quite simple.

You roster one quarterback, two running backs, and two wide receiver/tight ends while drafting against opponents in real-time. That means the typical "value" aspect of daily fantasy is different, as you're not worrying about salary cap and instead just playing your opponents for your preferred picks of the week.

What stands out for Week 7's main slate?

Running Back

When considering running backs in the DRAFT format, you are required to draft two, but the difference between the top options and the next grouping can be a big drop-off.

Our projections have only two running backs projected for 21.0 points or more, while the third running back is projected for 18.8 fantasy points. This might not seem massive, but in fantasy football or DFS, every point matters. In your head-to-head matches, you will 100% be grabbing at least one of these top running backs, but as you move on to 4-Person, 6-Person, and 10-person DRAFTS, things can change dramatically.

Let's take a look at a few players by tiers, so you can get a clear picture of where you should be targeting each player.

Tier 1

1. Leonard Fournette (RB1) - Fournette is the clear number one option at running back this week, and it's for a few reasons. He comes in averaging 19.16 carries per game -- the fourth-most in the league -- and we have him projected for 22.25 rushing attempts this week. He has a consistent role within the offense and now has the ideal matchup to attack since he is up against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are allowing 32.0 FanDuel points per game to running backs, the most in the league.

2. Saquon Barkley (RB2) - Barkley is expected back this week, and if he is a full-go, he is right back near the top of the running back rankings. He is projected for over 23 total touches against the Arizona Cardinals in a game where the over/under is set at 50.5 -- the second-highest on the slate. Plenty of touches in a high-scoring game is always good.

Tier 2

3. Dalvin Cook (RB3) - Cook has scored a touchdown in five of his six games this season, along with posting 16 FanDuel points or more in five of six games. He has a chance to continue this strong start this week versus the Detroit Lions, who are allowing the third-most FanDuel points per game to running backs this season.

4. Chris Carson (RB4) - Carson is another running back who sees a ton of volume -- 19.66 carries per game to be exact -- pushing him toward the top on a weekly basis. He is up against the Baltimore Ravens, who are 13th in the league versus running backs when it comes to FanDuel points allowed per game.

Tier 3

5. Derrick Henry (RB5) - Even with a change at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, they still come in as slight two-point home favorites. This should only solidify his role within the offense even further, as we have him projected for the second-most carries this week. The over/under isn't too exciting, but the matchup versus a bottom-eight defense -- the Los Angeles Chargers -- is one worth attacking.

6. Tevin Coleman (RB7) - Coleman led the San Francisco 49ers in snaps last week and tied for the team lead in Week 5. This is an encouraging sign as he is returning from an injury and set to continue that this week against Washington, who is allowing the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to running backs.

7. Devonta Freeman (RB8) - The Los Angeles Rams are allowing 23.6 FanDuel points per game to running backs this season, and with this game against the Atlanta Falcons having an over/under set at 54.5, you want some exposure here. Freeman had a slow start to the season but has picked things up with three touchdowns in his last two games.

Receivers

Tier 1

1. Julio Jones (WR1) - The Falcons are struggling right now -- there is no way around it. They are set to play in another high-scoring game this week against the Rams, as the over/under is set at 54.5 points, the highest on the slate. Jones is facing a banged-up Rams' secondary -- who did just get Jalen Ramsey -- but he hasn't been "healthy" this season. Jones is our highest projected receiver on the slate.

2. DeAndre Hopkins (WR2) - Hopkins is actually only 0.1 points lower in our projections compared to Jones, so you could make the case they are equal, but something just seems off with Hopkins this season. He hasn't been his dominant self and hasn't posted over 100 yards or a touchdown since Week 1. He has all the talent in the world. It's just a matter of it showing up versus the Indianapolis Colts, who are allowing 28 FanDuel points per game to wide receivers.

3. Cooper Kupp (WR3) - Kupp is coming off a very rough game, where he only posted 17 yards on four receptions. Prior to that, he had over 100 yards in four straight games and touchdowns in three of those four games. The Falcons are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. It's going to be a field day for Kupp.

Tier 2

4. Keenan Allen (WR4) - What a weird season for Allen, as he started the year with three straight games of 99 yards or more. Since then, he has a total of 99 yards in three games. Nowhere near consistent, but you should still have some faith in Allen, as he is one of only two receivers who we have projected at 10 or more targets.

5. Tyler Lockett (WR5) - Lockett has 10 or more FanDuel points in five of his six games this season, four or more receptions in five straight, and three touchdowns on the year. He is consistent, has big down-field threat, but will never crack the top-tier of receivers due to the Seattle Seahawks' commitment to the rushing game.

6. Robert Woods (WR8) - Woods is averaging 8.5 targets per game this season, over five receptions per game, and has yet to find the end zone. Friends, that is going to change this week -- I'm calling it right now. Woods and his projection of 12.9 FanDuel points will be in the end zone this weekend.

Tier 3

7. Evan Engram (TE1) - If you are a believer in the "tight end flow chart" then this is the spot for you. That flow chart is to play tight ends against the Arizona Cardinals, since they are allowing 20.8 FanDuel points per game to the position, which is dead last in the league and a full 6 points worse than the next team.

8. Tyler Boyd (WR9) - Boyd's production is a bit of a roller coaster this season, but he just had a down game. Does that mean he is due for an upswing? We could be in for that since he is up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who just lost their best cornerback via trade and are already allowing 28.7 FanDuel points per game to opposing wide receivers.

9. D.J. Chark (WR11) - Chark has an aDOT (Average Depth of Target) sitting at 14.2, which is the third-highest on the team, along with leading the Jacksonville Jaguars in market share of air yards, and target share, according to AirYards.com. There's plenty of big-play potential for him against the Bengals.

Quarterback

We all know you should be prioritizing elite running backs and receivers overtaking a quarterback in season-long fantasy, and that should be the same here. This week, there are eight quarterbacks who we have projected to score from 20.1 to 21.4 FanDuel points, and another three projected at 17.1 to 19.0. At a certain point, it can be splitting hairs and essentially comes down to personal preference, but know that you will be in a good spot at quarterback this week.

Tier 1

1. Kyler Murray (QB1) - A battle of two rookie quarterbacks is highlighted by Murray, who has been super consistent to start the season, averaging 21.7 FanDuel points per game. He is up against the New York Giants, who are allowing the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks. This game has the highest over/under -- 54.5 points -- on the slate. We are in for some scoring here.

2. Matt Ryan (QB2) - Ryan is absolutely ballin' to start the season, posting 300 yards or more in each of his first six games. We are in for a barn-burner against the Rams, as the over/under is a slate-high 54.5 points. The Falcons are actually home underdogs, which should force them to pass the ball as the game goes on.

3. Josh Allen (QB3) - Allen comes in 0.1 lower compared to Lamar Jackson, which isn't a big deal, but Allen is in the top-tier simply due to his matchup versus the Miami Dolphins. The Buffalo Bills are massive -16.5-point home favorites and facing the defense that allows the most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks.

Tier 2

4. Russell Wilson (QB4) - Wilson versus Jackson this week is going to be amazing to watch, and we should see plenty of points, as the over/under is set at 49.0. Wilson has multiple passing touchdowns in five of his six games this season, which should continue with his projection being up at 20.6 points.

5. Lamar Jackson (QB5) - With his rushing floor of points, Jackson could be one of the more consistent options available on a weekly basis. The Seahawks are around league average against quarterbacks, and if we are pushing an over/under of 49 points, you can bet Jackson is a good bet to go for multiple touchdowns -- through the air and on the ground.

6. Aaron Rodgers (QB6) - Rodgers hasn't exactly been his full self this season, but he still has multiple passing touchdowns in three of his six games. Regardless of that, the Green Bay Packers come in as 5.5-point home favorites against the Oakland Raiders, who are allowing 19.5 FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks this season.

Tier 3

7. Jared Goff (QB7) - Goff looked bad last week, really bad. But he has a chance to get back on track this season versus the Falcons, who are allowing the second-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks. It's an over/under of 54.5 against a bad defense -- a pretty straight forward spot.

8. Deshaun Watson (QB8) - Watson is playing unbelievably well this season and is just a bit behind the other quarterbacks in our projections. I'm talking about less than 0.5 compared to Lamar Jackson this week. He is likely going to pass for multiple touchdowns, and you really can't go wrong with him. Quarterback is loaded this week.

9. Gardner Minshew (QB10) - Minshew is coming off a bad game with fewer than 10 FanDuel points, but he had posted two passing touchdowns in the three games prior to that one. Up against the Bengals, who are allowing the fourth-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks, sets this up to be a bounce-back game for Minshew.