Four of the top 10 quarterbacks in Week 6 were rookies, and we're not sure that was a fluke at all. Obviously, we're all used to Jayden Daniels being there. He's QB4 on the season, and with a matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, Daniels actually ranks as my number one quarterback this week. Caleb Williams was the number one quarterback last week, and that should be a huge surprise, either. He's immensely talented, he has elite weapons, and he was playing the Jaguars. Williams is a must-hold on his bye week, and you should add him if you can. The other two were the surprised.

Well, maybe Bo Nix being a top-10 QB should be that big of a surprise. He's QB11 since Week 3. Nix ranks sixth amongst QBs with 180 rushing yards this season and is tied for third with Josh Allen with three rushing touchdowns. While the passing production hasn't been good, he's only thrown one interception since Week 2, and he's now thrown multiple touchdown passes in back-to-back weeks. 

The fourth rookie to crack the top 10 was Drake Maye. What a welcome change this was for the Patriots. Maye threw for 243 yards, which was a season-high for New England. He also threw three touchdown passes, and Jacoby Brissett had two TD passes in five starts. Don't overlook the fact that Maye ran five times for 38 yards.

For now, view Daniels and Williams as starters in one-QB leagues, while Maye and Nix are Superflex starters or matchup-dependent streamers. But if the latter two keep running like they have been, we may see four rookies in the top 10 more often.

Let's get to the rest of the preview:

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Week 7 QB Preview

Numbers to Know
Matchups That Matter
Waiver Wire Targets
DFS Plays
Projections
QB Preview
Numbers to know
  • 23 -- Patrick Mahomes is currently tied for QB23 with Daniel Jones. Neither one is a must-start QB in Week 7.
  • 32 -- Justin Fields' 32 designed rush attempts are the third-most amongst QBs. This offense could look plenty different with Russell Wilson starting.
  • 28.8 -- Joe Burrow is averaging 28.8 FPPG since Tee Higgins returned. That would make him QB1 for the full season.
  • 2.7% -- Jordan Love has been sacked on 2.7% of his dropbacks, the lowest mark in the league.
  • 9.8 -- Brock Purdy is averaging 9.8 air yards per attempt, the highest mark in the league and a big reason why the 49ers YAC has decreased.
QB Preview
Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
Brock Purdy QB
SF San Francisco • #13
Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs KC SF -1.5 O/U 47.5

OPP VS QB

16th

PROJ PTS

20

QB RNK

11th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1629

RUYDS

127

TD

9

INT

4

FPTS/G

19.9
Trevor Lawrence QB
JAC Jacksonville • #16
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs NE JAC -5.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

10th

PROJ PTS

17.9

QB RNK

16th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1334

RUYDS

82

TD

8

INT

3

FPTS/G

17.2
Drake Maye QB
NE New England • #10
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

@ JAC JAC -5.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

32nd

PROJ PTS

15.6

QB RNK

18th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

265

RUYDS

50

TD

3

INT

2

FPTS/G

13.8
Jared Goff QB
DET Detroit • #16
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ MIN MIN -2.5 O/U 50

OPP VS QB

14th

PROJ PTS

16

QB RNK

15th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1330

RUYDS

21

TD

9

INT

4

FPTS/G

20.6
Aaron Rodgers QB
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #8
Age: 40 • Experience: 20 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ PIT NYJ -1.5 O/U 38

OPP VS QB

5th

PROJ PTS

15

QB RNK

20th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1387

RUYDS

44

TD

9

INT

5

FPTS/G

17.3
QB Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
Aaron Rodgers QB
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #8
Age: 40 • Experience: 20 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ PIT NYJ -1.5 O/U 38

OPP VS QB

5th

QB RNK

20th

ROSTERED

55%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1387

RUYDS

44

TD

9

INT

5

FPTS/G

17.3
I don't love the matchup against the Steelers, but I do believe there is a legitimate chance that Rodgers is a top-12 QB rest of season now that Davante Adams is on the team. Rodgers has played a terribly difficult schedule that gets much easier in the second half, and he's still thrown multiple touchdown passes in four of his last five games.
Daniel Jones QB
NYG N.Y. Giants • #8
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs PHI PHI -3 O/U 43

OPP VS QB

17th

QB RNK

19th

ROSTERED

58%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1343

RUYDS

164

TD

6

INT

4

FPTS/G

16.3
Jones was a letdown last week, but this is a good matchup, and we expect him to have Malik Nabers back. Deshaun Watson and Derek Carr are the only QBs to fail to score 20 Fantasy points against this defense, and neither one threw more than 25 passes. Jones has at least 34 attempts in five of six games and double-digit rush attempts in his last two outings.
One To Stash (QB Preview)
Drake Maye QB
NE New England • #10
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

@ JAC JAC -5.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

32nd

QB RNK

18th

ROSTERED

19%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

265

RUYDS

50

TD

3

INT

2

FPTS/G

13.8
I'm holding back on the excitement because it's still the Patriots, and the environment around him isn't great. But you must roster a QB that throws three TDs and runs for 38 yards in the first start of his career, especially when that QB was a first-round pick. This is a fantastic matchup, but I don't like that Jacksonville has already been in London for a week.
QB Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Jayden Daniels QB
WAS Washington • #5
Age: 23 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

vs CAR WAS -7.5 O/U 51.5

OPP VS QB

24th

PROJ PTS

29.9

QB RNK

1st

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1404

RUYDS

322

TD

10

INT

2

FPTS/G

24.4
Daniels is a top-five QB playing against a top-six matchup, which should make him the chalk in cash games. He's scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five of his first six NFL games, and he's topped 25 in three of those. With Lamar Jackson in primetime, Daniels is the easy cash game choice.
Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Daniel Jones QB
NYG N.Y. Giants • #8
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
A mobile QB with his number one wide receiver back, chasing the score against a mediocre-at-best defense. If you just forget what his name is, Jones seems like a pretty easy tournament choice.
QB Preview
Heath's projections

My full set of Week 7 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 7. Projected stats for all starting running backs are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.