Week 7 presents another round of difficult decisions for Fantasy managers, with four teams on bye, injuries reshaping depth charts and several big-name players facing matchups that could limit their production. As we approach the halfway point of the Fantasy regular season, every lineup decision becomes increasingly important. Braelon Allen is among the players worth trusting this week, with Breece Hall's injury opening the door for another strong performance against a vulnerable Dolphins run defense.
Meanwhile, Woody Marks could benefit from an expanded workload in Houston, and Bryce Young continues to make a compelling case as a reliable Fantasy starter. On the other side, Patrick Mahomes faces a difficult matchup against Seattle, while Michael Wilson and Jameson Williams carry concerns despite their opportunities in their respective offenses. Even familiar names aren't automatic starts when defensive schemes, playing time and offensive tendencies work against them.
That's where Dave Richard's Week 7 matchup breakdown comes in. From defensive coverages and pass-rush pressure to backfield workloads and target distribution, we'll examine the factors that matter most to help you identify trustworthy starters, avoid potential disappointments and make the best possible lineup decisions. Dave Richard's Week 7 rankings: Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST Caleb Williams had two 2-yard runs, had a season low 3.23-second time to throw rate and a season low with Ben Johnson, 3.9-yard average depth of throw against the Falcons last week.
That tells me he's still not 100% recovered from his hamstring injury, but it didn't quite turn him into a game manager. Five of his six biggest gains involved him holding the ball for at least three seconds, be it because he moved out of the pocket or not, and that doesn't include his 14-yard touchdown to Colston Loveland, where he escaped pressure and did the whole hold-and-throw-cross-body thing that he seems to live and die by. Williams is dangerous if he's mobile, but his Fantasy upside is lowered if he won't run downfield.
The Patriots pass rush has been inconsistent all year but they tend to rack up sacks against statue QBs. Even with a couple of question marks along his O-line, Williams should be able to overcome their pressure and hit targets downfield. Last week, he completed all 26 of his throws for 255 yards when he wasn't pressured.
That's bad news for the Patriots and good news for Williams. Luther Burden III had a great stat line last week -- 8-95-0 on eight targets -- but he didn't start, and he played just 39% of the snaps and ran a route on just 44% of Williams' dropbacks, both season lows. This happened because the Bears played with two or more tight ends on 67% of their plays, their second-highest mark of the season.
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