Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was held in check by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, recording three catches for 15 yards on three targets in his team's 24-9 win. LaPorta had recorded back-to-back games with five catches, 50-plus receiving yards, and a touchdown leading into Week 7, so his showing against Tampa Bay is a letdown for fantasy managers. LaPorta has recorded 29 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns on 36 targets across seven games so far this season. With an average of just over five targets per game, LaPorta will likely remain heavily reliant on touchdowns for fantasy production. Detroit has its bye in Week 8 before hosting the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

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Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter took over RB1 duties in the backfield in Week 5 in the first game without Trey Benson (knee), but since then, it's been Bam Knight leading the way. For a second straight contest in the Week 7 loss to the visiting Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Knight was the Cardinals' clear backfield leader, handling 14 carries for 57 yards while also catching three of his four targets for seven yards. Carter, meanwhile, had seven carries for only 11 yards and caught caught both of his targets for 25 yards through the air. The 24-year-old Knight now has 25 rushing attempts for 91 yards and a touchdown while adding four catches (six targets) for 27 yards as a pass-catcher the last two weeks as the team's preferred choice out of the backield. Arizona has a bye in Week 8, but Knight should be the Cardinals' RB1 for at least another game in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys with Benson on Injured Reserve.

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San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. had his most productive game since Week 1 on Sunday night. San Francisco leaned heavily on their rushing attack in their Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons, allowing Robinson nine carries, tying his season high. Robinson also hit new highs in rushing yards (36) and snap share (26%). His on-field involvement in Week 7 is significant. In Weeks 1 and 2, he had shares of 24% and 23%, respectively, but his rate fluctuated between 7% and 15% in the games since then. Robinson's rebound in usage in Week 7 might be an indicator that the team is realizing they need to do better at divying up the backfield workload to take pressure off Christian McCaffrey. Robinson is not producing enough in his change-of-pace role to start in fantasy football, but he is one of the more valuable handcuffs in the league.

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San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges saw just seven snaps in the team's 20-10 win on Sunday Night Football in Week 7. With George Kittle (hamstring) back from injured reserve, the former All-Pro reclaimed his spot at the top of the depth chart, and Tonges fell to third in the pecking order behind Luke Farrell as well. Tonges operated as San Francisco's top tight end while Kittle was on injured reserve after injuring his hamstring in Week 1. Injuries to wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) over the subsequent weeks turned Tonges into a streaming candidate. During Kittle's absence, Tonges had three top-12 finishes at his position. Kittle's return tanks Tonges' fantasy value for San Francisco's Week 8 matchup against Houston and beyond. He can be dropped in all leagues.

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New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis is the clear RB2 behind starter Breece Hall, with Braelon Allen (knee) injured, but he wasn't able to get anything going on just four carries in Sunday's ugly 13-6 loss to the visiting Carolina Panthers in Week 7. Davis had only two rushing attempts for 10 yards and caught two of his four targets for 22 yards on a day when starting quarterback Justin Fields was benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor in the second half. The 23-year-old is the fantasy handcuff to Hall as long as Allen remains out, but Davis has seen more than two carries in a game just once this year and has yet to rush for over 18 yards in a bad Jets offense. Davis is averaging 4.4 yards per carry on his 10 rushing attempts through seven games. Perhaps the Jets' offense can improve if Fields is benched permanently, but Davis won't have any standalone fantasy value behind Hall. Davis is rostered in only 4% of Yahoo leagues.

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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (hamstring) returned from injured reserve in time for the team's 20-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. To the dismay of fantasy football managers awaiting his return, Kittle finished the game with zero receptions and saw only two targets. If there is a silver lining, it is that the 49ers did not hold back on getting Kittle on the field. The tight end saw an 81% snap share, which was the second-highest rate among the team's offensive skill position players. Rather than rely on Kittle as a pass-catcher, San Francisco utilized him primarily as an extra blocker in the run game. A healthy Kittle usually operates as one of the 49ers' primary targets, and with wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's (knee) status for Week 8 up in the air, a rebound to TE1 territory against the Houston Texans is within reach.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (shoulder), who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, is scheduled to work back into practice this week, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. The head coach said he's "optimistic" for Austin potentially returning on Sunday night to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 8, but as always, his participation in practice will be the guide for whether he plays on Sunday. The 26-year-old wideout might need a full practice at some point this week to be cleared to play this weekend. If he does make his return, he should slot back in as Pittsburgh's WR2 behind DK Metcalf. In his four games this year before his shoulder injury, Austin had 10 catches on 17 targets for 139 yards and two touchdowns. With six teams on bye in Week 8, Austin would be in play as at least a WR4/flex in fantasy football if he's able to make his return against the Packers.

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In his first game action since Week 4 due to injury, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney was the team's leading receiver in Sunday night's 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, catching three of his five targets for 68 yards. While his 68 yards led the team on a night where Atlanta's offense was stuck in the mud, Mooney's targets were third behind receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. Most of the 27-year-old's production came on a 38-yard hookup with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. late in the second quarter. Mooney and the Falcons' passing game have a get-right matchup upcoming this Sunday against the 1-6 Miami Dolphins, but he figures to continue to be an inconsistent boom/bust WR4/flex for fantasy football managers. Mooney has caught only 10 of his 21 targets through four games this year for 147 yards, and he has yet to find the end zone. He's currently rostered in just 29% of Yahoo leagues. Don't rule him out as a decent flex streamer this week with six teams on bye.

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Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram got off to an inauspicious start to his Broncos tenure this year with four catches for only 33 yards in the first two weeks, and then he missed the Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with a back injury. Head coach Sean Payton kept talking up Engram in the offseason as a key weapon in the offense, but there was no evidence to back that up early on. The 31-year-old might be starting to come around for fantasy managers, though, as he has back-to-back five-catch, 42-yard performances in Weeks 6 and 7, and he also scored for the first time in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Right now, Engram is only rostered in 57% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. With six teams on bye in Week 8, he should be on your radar this week if you're in need of a TE, especially in a matchup this Sunday against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has been friendly to opposing passing attacks this year.

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Washington Commanders veteran backup quarterback Marcus Mariota may be forced to make his third start of the season if Jayden Daniels (hamstring) is unable to play on Monday Night Football in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs. It makes the 31-year-old signal-caller worth a look on the waiver wire in two-QB superflex leagues heading into Week 8 action. Daniels tweaked his hamstring in the Week 7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and although his injury isn't considered a long-term one, his status is up in the air to play this week. Mariota replaced the injured Daniels on Sunday in the third quarter and finished 4-for-10 for 63 yards and an interception while also carrying the ball twice for 34 yards. In his two starts earlier this year when Daniels was out with a knee sprain, Mariota went 31-for-48 passing for 363 yards, three TDs, and one pick while rushing for 60 yards and another score. Mariota is still mobile at his age, but it will be a bad matchup on the road against a strong KC defense if he's forced to make his third start of 2025.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing at an extremely high level so far in 2025. Across seven games, the 37-year-old has completed 66.1% of his pass attempts for 1,866 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Stafford's average of 7.7 yards per pass attempt is his best since the 2021 season, when he finished the year with 4,886 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. The Rams have their bye in Week 8, so fantasy managers won't be able to deploy Stafford this week. Still, given how he has played this season, fantasy managers may be wise to stash Stafford through the bye, even in single-quarterback formats. For fantasy managers looking to beat the waiver wire in shallow leagues where Stafford might not already be rostered, the Rams have a favorable matchup in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is having an excellent first season in Dallas, and the Cowboys could be considering an extension for him. "Any and everything about George Pickens has crossed our minds. ... Certainly he's a topic of interest and discussions because of the success he's having," owner Jerry Jones said on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. The 24-year-old currently has 36 receptions on 54 targets for 607 yards and a career-high six touchdowns through the first seven weeks of the 2025 campaign. Those numbers have been good enough to place Pickens as the No. 4 fantasy wideout in half-PPR scoring. It helped that fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb missed three games due to a high-ankle sprain, but Pickens was still productive with four catches and 82 yards in Week 7 after Lamb returned. He should continue to remain heavily involved in Dallas' pass-heavy attack along Lamb, making him a weekly must-start in fantasy.

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Jacksonville Jaguars beat writer Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union speculates that the team's view of how to use rookie wide receiver Travis Hunter is "ever-evolving" heading into their Week 8 bye. Hunter had by far the most productive game of his career as a wide receiver in Week 7, recording eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets against the Los Angeles Rams. Through seven games this season, Hunter has hauled in 28 receptions for 298 yards and a score on 45 targets. Jacksonville continues to split Hunter's workload between offense and defense, which limits his fantasy upside. However, Hunter has now played at least 78% of the team's offensive snaps in each of the past two weeks after failing to eclipse 67% in any of the first five weeks. Coming out of the bye, the Jaguars may place an even greater emphasis on getting Hunter involved in the offense.

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With Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) suffering a broken clavicle in Week 7, which will likely land him on Injured Reserve, Bucs wideout Sterling Shepard appears to be in line for a significant long-term role in the team's offense. With Chris Godwin (leg) also currently sidelined, Shepard looks like Tampa Bay's WR2 alongside Emeka Egbuka. The 32-year-old Shepard hauled in seven catches for 25 yards on seven targets in Tampa Bay's Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions, giving him 26 catches for 267 yards and a touchdown on 34 targets so far this season. Shepard is not an explosive downfield player, which limits his ceiling. Still, he's proven to be a trusted target of Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and should be rostered in fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton set season-highs in both targets and catches in Week 7, hauling in seven catches for 65 yards on nine targets in his team's 24-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. The 26-year-old has now hauled in 16 receptions for 197 yards on 20 targets over the last three weeks. With star Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) now set to miss significant time after breaking his clavicle in Week 7, Otton could continue to see consistent usage in his team's passing game. Tampa Bay could be without wide receiver Chris Godwin (leg) in Week 8 as well, which would likely leave either Otton or veteran wideout Sterling Shepard as the number two target behind wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. Otton should be rostered in all fantasy leagues with 14 or more teams heading into a Week 8 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

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Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden exploded in Week 7 against the Colts with seven catches (nine targets) for 164 yards and a touchdown. Gadsden had been working his way into a full-time role at tight end in Los Angeles, and it's all come together over the past two weeks. He's logged a route on 77% of dropbacks in each of those games and should maintain a consistent role in the offense moving forward after a performance like this. The 2025 fifth-round pick was winning at all levels of the field and had an unreal catch and run for 53 yards early in the third quarter. His 164 yards were the most in a game by a rookie tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021. Gadsden should be the priority waiver add in all formats this week.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had one of the least efficient games of his career in his team's 27-19 Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Stroud completed just 23 of 49 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Across six games this season, the 24-year-old has completed 64.8% of his pass attempts for 1,305 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions. Houston struggled mightily to run the ball in Week 7, as Stroud was the team's leading rusher with just 25 yards. The Texans' overall offensive inefficiency makes Stroud tough for fantasy managers in single-QB formats to trust. Stroud will likely profile as a mid-tier fantasy QB2 in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers.

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Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz had his best game of the season so far in Week 7, recording nine catches for 98 yards on 10 targets in his team's 27-19 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Schultz has now recorded 30 catches for 284 yards on 37 targets across six games played. The 29-year-old is not an explosive player, and he's yet to find the end zone this season. Still, Schultz has now earned at least six targets in each of his last four games. For fantasy managers looking for a tight end option who can provide a safe floor, Schultz could be a decent streamer off the waiver wire. He and the Texans will host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8.

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Dynasty | Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans broke his collarbone in Monday night's loss to the Lions. Dynasty Analysis: Oh boy. Evans will be placed on injured reserve and miss most if not all of the rest of the regular season. His streak of 1,000-yard seasons to begin a career will undoubtedly end at 11 as Evans has just 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown in parts of four games played this season. At 32, dynasty managers have wondered when the bottom would fall out of his value and it seems this injury will likely be the trigger for that happening.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet recorded 12 carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 27-19 Week 7 win over the Houston Texans on Monday night. Seattle heavily features both Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III out of the backfield, but Charbonnet has carved out a consistent role as the team's preferred back at the goal line. The 24-year-old has now recorded 72 carries for 205 yards and five touchdowns across six games played so far this season. In games where both Charbonnet and Walker III are healthy, both backs have limited upside. Still, Charbonnet provides a safe floor as a good bet for double-digit touches and a feature back at the goal line. Charbonnet profiles as a low-end flex option for fantasy managers heading into a Week 8 matchup with the Washington Commanders.

From RotoBaller