Week 7 Fantasy Matchups Preview

Thursday night starts the week, and 14 games follow. Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Chargers and Washington are on bye. Points below are our Week 7 half-PPR projections. The full boards are in the Week 7 rankings.

Thursday night: Patriots at Bears

Drake Maye projects at 22.9 points, fourth among quarterbacks, including about 31 rushing yards. Chicago is without Montez Sweat, who is serving the second game of a two-game suspension, and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is on injured reserve. Caleb Williams projects at 18.2, D'Andre Swift at 12.6 and Rome Odunze at 11.2.

On the Patriots' side, Romeo Doubs is out and A.J. Brown was limited Tuesday with an ankle injury. DeMario Douglas projects at 7.5 and Hunter Henry at 8.7. The Thursday inactive list will matter more than any projection.

The high-scoring games

Lions at Packers. Jahmyr Gibbs is the top projected player of the week at 26.4, and Jordan Love (23.0) and Jared Goff (21.3) both rank in the top six. Jayden Reed is out. Josh Jacobs is back from a personal absence and projects at 11.6.

Bengals at Ravens. Joe Burrow comes off the bye at 24.1, the top quarterback on the board. Tyler Huntley has started two straight for Baltimore and projects at 20.4, and Derrick Henry at 17.7. Lamar Jackson could practice this week, which would change the Ravens' numbers.

Rams at Raiders. Matthew Stafford (23.9), Puka Nacua (20.8) and Kyren Williams (19.9) all project in the top 12 on the board. Davante Adams is out, so Nacua's projected 12.7 targets are the number to watch. Ashton Jeanty projects at 17.4 for Las Vegas.

Cowboys at Eagles. CeeDee Lamb (19.8), Dak Prescott (21.5) and Javonte Williams (18.0) lead Dallas. Philadelphia has no Jalen Hurts and no Saquon Barkley, so Tanner McKee projects at 5.0 and Dameon Pierce at 12.9. DeVonta Smith projects at 15.0.

Games where injuries change the picture

49ers at Falcons. Brock Purdy projects at 21.2 and Christian McCaffrey at 20.6. Deebo Samuel and De'Zhaun Stribling are out and Mike Evans is doubtful, so Brandin Cooks projects at only 7.8. George Kittle projects at 13.7 and Drake London at 14.5 for Atlanta.

Panthers at Buccaneers. Tetairoa McMillan projects at 17.2 on about ten targets, and Bryce Young at 17.1. Tampa Bay's quarterback is unsettled: Baker Mayfield is set to practice Wednesday and Jalon Daniels is expected to start if he cannot go. Jalen McMillan is out for the Bucs.

Vikings at Colts. Kyler Murray (16.3, with about 31 rushing yards) and Aaron Jones (13.3) are the main Minnesota names, because Jordan Mason is out. Indianapolis is without Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren, which moves Mo Alie-Cox to 7.4.

Texans at Giants. Malik Nabers projects at 18.8, up 4.5 from last week. Jaxson Dart is out, so Jameis Winston projects at 14.8, and with David Montgomery out Woody Marks projects at 12.2 for Houston.

Chiefs at Seahawks. Kenneth Walker III projects at 18.4 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 16.9. Rashee Rice is out and Jadarian Price is out for Seattle, so Xavier Worthy projects at 12.5.

Saints at Steelers. Tyler Shough (18.0) and Aaron Rodgers (17.4) are close. Pittsburgh is without Michael Pittman, who is out, and New Orleans is without Travis Etienne, so Jaylen Warren projects at 14.5 and Alvin Kamara at 9.7.

Titans at Browns. Cleveland has no Quinshon Judkins and no Dylan Sampson, so Jaleel McLaughlin projects at 12.2. Cam Ward projects at 13.0, Deshaun Watson at 12.8 and Carnell Tate at 11.4.

Cardinals at Broncos. Jeremiyah Love is out, so Tyler Allgeier projects at 14.7 on about 21 carries. Jacoby Brissett projects at 17.3 and Trey McBride at 13.7.

Jets at Dolphins. Breece Hall and De'Von Achane are both out, so Braelon Allen (13.9) and Ollie Gordon II (11.2) carry their backfields. Achane's absence is a torn ACL. Hall could return to practice this week, and that would cut Allen's projection.

Who to watch

Check the Thursday inactive list for Brown and the Patriots' offensive line first. After that, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield are the two practice reports that will change the most rankings. Run your own roster through the Dynasty Start/Sit tool once Friday's final reports come in.