DraftKings.com NFL DFS Week 7 Picks and Plays for Cash Game and GPP Lineups
Week 7 of NFL DFS is upon us, and everyone is looking to cash in on the big daily fantasy football money at DraftKings. Every week, we’ll bring you our top NFL DFS picks at each position, separating them into Cash Game and GPP plays. And to keep up with all things PlayPicks, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
As with any daily fantasy sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, gameflow, and more. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for a new way to play DFS, be sure and give DRAFT Fantasy a try with our exclusive promo code.
In DFS NFL, predicting gameflow can be vital. For example, teams winning comfortably are far more likely to lean on their running games, while two teams with poor defenses and high-powered offenses could pay off by getting into a shootout. Later in the season, weather will play a key factor in NFL games, so make sure to check the forecast for each Sunday.
In general, GPP plays are high-risk, high-reward prospects, which can fizzle out and leave you empty-handed. That said, if you want to win the big money, you have to take big chances. Sometimes that means fading a safer choice for a risky play with more upside.
Best Week 7 NFL DFS Quarterback Plays
C.J. Beathard vs. DAL ($4.9K DraftKings) – GPP
I don’t think C.J. Beathard is even close to becoming a legit NFL quarterback, but Kyle Shanahan has named him the starter moving forward. Beathard threw for 245 yards, a touchdown, and an interception after replacing Brian Hoyer against Washington in Week 6.
This week, he gets the ghost of the Cowboys defense, one tied for fifth in the league in passing touchdowns allowed. They also have just two interceptions on the season, tied for fourth-worst, and rank 26th in DVOA against the pass.
While Beathard will likely be heavily owned this week, it’s warranted. The San Francisco 49ers have an implied total of 21, and those points need to come from somewhere. Given that the Dallas Cowboys have allowed just two rushing scores this week and that the Niners will likely be playing from behind, I’m counting on Beathard to deliver on his measly $4.9K price with upside for more thanks to gameflow.
Dak Prescott @ SF ($7.3K) – GPP/Cash
I was initially very much off Dak Prescott this week, with his high price point and the blowout potential, but Vegas thinks this 49ers matchup will be decided by fewer than seven points. Looking at the Cowboys’ last three games, I believe it.
In the last three weeks, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents by two points, and they lost to both the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams (though they did limit a bad Arizona offense). But this is what really got me: five of the six 49ers losses this year have been decided by three points or fewer.
With decent chances of this game staying close, I expect Prescott’s services to be required later in the game than many will believe. There’s opportunity here, as Prescott’s fantasy output this season has largely been contingent on the competitiveness of the game. His top score on the year (30.7, two weeks ago vs. Green Bay) came in a game decided by four points. His second-highest score occurred in a game decided by five. His lowest two scores came in games decided by 16 or more. Get on Prescott in tournaments, as he carries elite upside thanks to the 49ers’ 26th-ranked defense (DVOA vs. pass).
Tom Brady vs. ATL ($8.3K DraftKings) – GPP/Cash
Consider this a preview into my contrarian plays this week. The masses are going to flock to Matt Ryan in the Sunday night slot against the worst defense in the NFL in DVOA and DVOA against the pass. I fully expect Ryan to at least return value on his salary.
But the New England Patriots are at home against a Falcons team that crumbled on the biggest stage last time they met. The Pats also boast an implied total higher than any other team’s this week (29.3).
I shouldn’t need to sell you on Tom Brady. He’s the greatest quarterback of all time in a good matchup with a gameflow that should be very beneficial to his stat line. Yet I expect he won’t be as heavily owned as he should be. I’m rolling him out in GPP and Cash lineups with confidence this week.
Cam Newton @ CHI ($7.0K DraftKings) – GPP
Cam Newton appears to be completely back, with scores of 37.0, 29.2, and 23.7 in his past three games. This week, he gets a Bears team which Vegas has at +3.5. That’s good, as Newton is better when games are competitive (like in the Panthers’ 33-30 win over New England in which Newton racked up four total touchdowns, three hundred yards in the air, and 71 yards on the ground).
However, I am concerned about some level of regression, as the Panthers have been in three consecutive high-scoring games, but this week, Carolina and Chicago have the fourth-lowest over/under (40.5). Newton is also still missing his go-to option, Greg Olsen, and the run game is truly struggling.
Newton always boasts immense upside thanks to his athleticism and overall talent. While I am concerned about gameflow (removing Newton from my Cash shortlist), Chicago put up 27 against a good Baltimore defense last week. I think these two teams hit the over, and that means big upside for Newton.
Secondary Options: Drew Brees, Marcus Mariota, Matt Ryan, Tyrod Taylor
Best Week 7 NFL DFS Running Back Plays
Alvin Kamara @ GB ($5.6K DraftKings) – GPP
I didn’t roster Alvin Kamara much last week. I’m much more interested in finding a spot for him this week, especially in GPPs. The Saints are up against a Packers team without their best player, and they’re -6 favorites with the second-highest implied total on the slate (26.5).
The Saints are also fresh off a shootout against the Detroit Lions, one of the weirder games I’ve seen. And Kamara didn’t see much action, with just 14 touches and 12.7 fantasy points.
However, fellow back Mark Ingram saw 30 touches and tallied 34.0 DK points. I fully expect Sean Payton to pull back on Ingram’s work this week, as you’d have to go all the way back to 2014 to find consecutive games where Ingram had 20+ carries. Furthermore, I think they’re still ironing out the backfield sans Adrian Peterson, and I expect Kamara to see an extra carry or two this week, as well as his customary pass-catching work.
Oh, and no team has allowed more receiving touchdowns to opposing backs than the Green Bay Packers this season. Fire away with Kamara in GPPs.
Ty Montgomery vs. NO ($5.5K DraftKings) – GPP
All of a sudden, Ty Montgomery has arguably become the most important facet of the Green Bay Packers offense. Without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers must develop the run if they want to remain remotely competitive.
This week, they get a (sometimes) potent New Orleans offense but also a defense that ranks 30th in DVOA against the run. The Saints have allowed the fifth-most receptions and the third-most yards to opposing backs.
With Rodgers out, and with Brett Hundley turning the ball over like crazy, Green Bay will likely look to run their offense through Montgomery. Many will be off him due to his continued recovery from broken ribs, which is all the better, as he’s a GPP-only play for me.
Adrian Peterson @ LAR ($5.8K DraftKings) – Cash
Welcome to the Week 7 chalk, everyone. Adrian Peterson absolutely exploded last week with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his Cardinals debut. The vast majority was off him last week; this week is a completely different story.
Peterson gets a great matchup against a Los Angeles Rams team allowing the second-most DK points to opposing running backs. They’ve also given up a whopping seven rushing touchdowns. Peterson is safe, since he has no competition in the backfield, but he’s going to be way too chalky to roster in GPP for me, and, as such, I’ll look to pivot there.
Leonard Fournette @ IND ($8.6K DraftKings) – GPP/Cash
I’m about six weeks late on Leonard Fournette. Actually, I’m exactly six weeks late.
Heading into Week 7, there’s no more denying it: Fournette is the real deal, with 310 rushing yards in the last two weeks and an average DK score of 23.2.
This week, the LSU product gets an Indianapolis defense that allowed Carlos Hyde to score 24.5 DK points last week. Fournette has the ability to break off a major gain and/or score against the 28th worst defense (DK scoring vs. RBs), and he has the workload too, with four 20+ carry games so far this season. Fire him up in GPPs and Cash.
Mark Ingram @ GB ($6.7K DraftKings) – Cash
While I’m looking for Kamara in GPPs, Ingram definitely carries a higher floor and could benefit most from gameflow if this game isn’t close. And honestly, I think you could consider firing up both backs in GPPs as a contrarian stack, considering the Saints’ high implied total.
All that said, Ingram is the better Cash option. He benefited most from Peterson’s departure with 25 carries last week. He’s getting used in the passing game (five catches last week). And the Packers are bad at defending opposing backs on the ground (20th in DVOA against the run) and even worse to pass-catching backs.
Kamara limits Ingram’s upside, but his usage will remain heavy enough for him to deliver. If you think Kamara will go off, stay away, but a strong performance out of Ingram is definitively more likely than a strong one out of Kamara.
Secondary Options: Mike Gillislee, DeMarco Murray, Jerick McKinnon, Carlos Hyde
Best Week 7 NFL DFS Wide Receiver Plays
Antonio Brown vs. CIN ($8.9K DraftKings) – GPP
There seems to be genuine concern around Pittsburgh’s offense given Ben Roethlisberger’s early-season struggles. That should set up another week where Antonio Brown isn’t as chalky as he probably should be.
Now, I’m not extremely excited about this matchup. The Bengals are an elite defense against WR1 in terms of DVOA, and Adam Jones still can play. But the Steelers are at home, and the Bengals will likely focus on stopping Le’Veon Bell first and foremost. And even with Big Ben’s apparent downturn, Brown is averaging 23.7 DK PPG this season, and he has the upside to win you a GPP.
The price tag will scare some away, and Roethlisberger will scare away some more. But you should consider jumping on Brown, who should be a bit contrarian this week.
Demaryius Thomas @ LAC ($5.8K DraftKings) – GPP/Cash
The Denver Broncos are without Emmanuel Sanders this week in a matchup against the defense allowing the second-most touchdowns to opposing wideouts this season. That should add up nicely for Demaryius Thomas, who absolutely dominated the New York Giants’ defense with 10 receptions and 133 yards on 14 targets.
He didn’t find the end zone last week, but, again, the Chargers have allowed the second-most touchdowns to opposing wideouts. Can you name a wideout on the Broncos not named Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders? With Sanders ruled out, look for Thomas to deliver thanks to heavy volume.
Kelvin Benjamin @ CHI ($6.9K DraftKings) – GPP
The Carolina Panthers have proven themselves unafraid to air the ball out, even without Greg Olsen. That has allowed Cam Newton to absolutely explode the past few weeks, which conveniently led to Kelvin Benjamin scoring 15 DK points or more in each of the last three weeks.
This week, the Panthers top (healthy) pass-catcher gets a Chicago Bears defense ranked third-to-last in DVOA vs. WR1. He’s also coming off a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in which he saw a season-high 13 targets. Benjamin is going to get his looks against this unimpressive Bears defense, and he has the upside you want in GPPs.
Robby Anderson @ MIA ($4.2K DraftKings) – GPP
Miami really struggles against wide receivers based on DVOA (29th vs. WR1, dead last vs. WR2), which once again puts Robby Anderson on the shortlist of salary relief options.
Last week, Anderson was targeted by Josh McCown a whopping 12 times. He caught just four of them. There are two ways the Jets go from here: divert targets elsewhere or continue focusing on getting Anderson the ball.
I’m being an optimist here and believe the latter will occur, since Jermaine Kearse and Jeremy Kerley’s roles in the offense seem pretty minimal. Anderson is probably the Jets’ biggest big-play threat, and he was able to convert four catches into 76 yards last week.
The Jets see the upside in targeting Anderson. You should too, but in GPPs only. The low over/under against Miami makes Anderson’s floor very fragile, but he has upside, albeit only as a boom-bust option.
Secondary Options: Dez Bryant, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams, Marqise Lee, Ricardo Louis, Rishard Matthews, Pierre Garcon, Eric Decker
Best Week 7 DFS NFL Tight End Plays
Evan Engram vs. SEA ($4.3K DraftKings) – Cash/GPP
The Giants’ Evan Engram is averaging more than six targets per game this season, and he got seven last week — his first week without Odell Beckam Jr. as the featured pass-catcher. The rookie TE is breaking with tradition, as he appears to be an actual rookie TE success story. And he’ll need to be, as the Giants are very short on playmakers with all their devastating injuries. Seattle is tough against tight ends, but I think volume trumps defense here.
Jimmy Graham @ NYG ($4.9K DraftKings) – Cash
The Giants are allowing the second-most DK points to opposing tight ends this season, and now they get Jimmy Graham. The Seahawks TE got off to a rough start this season, but has come around the past three games, having scored over 10 DK points in each of them. With the Giants in shambles, I am concerned about blowout potential. That makes me like Graham more in Cash, as his floor is so stable. I do not know, however, if he’ll get enough looks to win you a GPP, given the likely gameflow.
Alternative Slate Studs, Rob Gronkowski and Zach Ertz
I don’t love to include plays from the alt slates, as fewer players actually compete in those. But I just have to mention the insane Rob Gronkowski/Zach Ertz Primetime slate. I haven’t built a lineup for this slate yet, but I just can’t imagine how you don’t force these two into your lineup. It’s honestly such a shame that neither of these elite tight ends will decide the outcome in this week’s Milly Maker over at DraftKings.
Secondary Options: Delanie Walker, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Kyle Rudolph, George Kittle
Best Week 7 DFS NFL DST Plays
Carolina Panthers @ CHI ($3.6K DraftKings) – GPP/Cash
The Bears are not a good team, let alone offense. They’re allowing the sixth-most DK points to opposing defenses this year, and the Panthers are coming off a tough three-game stretch against the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and New England Patriots. Expect Carolina to dominate this game; Chicago has an implied total of just 18.5 points.
Seattle Seahawks @ NYG ($4.0K DraftKings) – GPP
Despite handling the Broncos with ease last week, Eli Manning is still basically without weapons. I just don’t see how this Giants team can compete week in and week out with the pieces it has. If the Seahawks, unlike Denver, can simply lock down on the Giants’ patchwork ground game, where does Manning have to go with the ball against a still-elite secondary?
Secondary Options: Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins
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