Fantasy Football Week 7 Running Back Preview: Waiver adds, deep stashes, starts, sits, and more

We say this every year, but it's true again in 2024: It's been a really strange year. One of the things I've noticed the past couple of weeks is the number of players we think are going to play but don't. Or vice versa. It happened again with James Cook on Monday night. There have been far more instances of us adding or removing players from the rankings on Friday or Saturday than we're accustomed to. That was fresh on my mind when doing running back rankings this week. The reason why is Javonte Williams.

Williams' Broncos play the Saints on Thursday night football, and he serves as an inflection point in the rankings. That's because guys like Austin Ekeler, Ray Davis, Antonio Gibson, Alexander Mattison, and Tyrone Tracy all project for more Fantasy points than Williams. But they could all be negatively impacted by a player returning from injury this week, and we won't know that by Thursday night, most likely. 

What this means is that you will see a big difference between my projections, which assume certain players are out for this week, and my rankings, which are more of a reflection of who I would start in a certain situation. Of course, who you should start should ultimately be determined by you, your risk tolerance, and what your backup options are should an injury change. As always, the rankings and projections get updated throughout the week, so don't make any final decisions based on what you see Tuesday afternoon.

As for Williams himself, this should be a great place to get going. The Saints are banged up on a short week and just made Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving look like Jim Brown and Nick Chubb, giving up 297 yards and three touchdowns to the duo. Speaking of Chubb, we're expecting him back this week, but he'll also rank behind Williams until he's officially activated.

Now, let's get to the rest of the Week 7 RB Preview:

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Week 7 RB Preview

The following players are not being projected to play Week 7 at this time. Here's what it means:

Travis Etienne RB JAC Jacksonville • #1 Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs. Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson could both be flexes without Etienne.

Jerome Ford RB CLE Cleveland • #34 Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs. We're expecting Nick Chubb back as the lead back for the Browns.

Tyjae Spears RB TEN Tennessee • #2 Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs. Tony Pollard is a must-start running back.

• 136 -- Sean Tucker ran for 136 yards on 14 carries in Week 6. Rachaad White ran for 187 yards on 51 carries the first five weeks of the season. 
• 15.6% -- Breece Hall ranks third amongst all running backs with a 15.6% target share. That may decrease with the addition of Davante Adams.
• 1 -- Tank Bigsby only has one target on the season. Even with Travis Etienne likely out, it's hard to get too excited about Bigsby in full PPR. D'Ernest Johnson will have a role.
• 11 -- J.K. Dobbins has 11 rushes of 12 yards or more, only Derrick Henry and Jordan Mason have more.
• 4.04 -- Tony Pollard is averaging 4.04 yards after contact per rush, the second-highest mark in the league. With Tyjae Spears out, Pollard is ranked in the top 12 again.
• 2 -- Jeremy McNichols only had two touches in Week 6. If Brian Robinson is out again, we're going right back to Austin Ekeler.
• 57.5% -- Ray Davis had a 57.5% opportunity share in Week 6. He's a must-start if James Cook is out.
• 3.0 -- The Ravens are allowing a league-low 3.0 yards per carry. It will be tough sledding for the Tampa Bay backs this week.

Matchups that Matter

Projections powered by Sportsline

Bucky Irving RB TB Tampa Bay • #7 Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs BAL BAL -3.5 O/U 48.5 OPP VS RB 4th PROJ PTS 10.7 RB RNK 25th YTD Stats RUYDS 328 REC 10 REYDS 70 TD 2 FPTS/G 10

Javonte Williams RB DEN Denver • #33 Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ NO DEN -2 O/U 37 OPP VS RB 24th PROJ PTS 12 RB RNK 24th YTD Stats RUYDS 213 REC 20 REYDS 143 TD 0 FPTS/G 8.6

Tony Pollard RB TEN Tennessee • #20 Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ BUF BUF -8.5 O/U 41.5 OPP VS RB 31st PROJ PTS 14 RB RNK 10th YTD Stats RUYDS 339 REC 16 REYDS 82 TD 3 FPTS/G 15.3

Austin Ekeler RB WAS Washington • #30 Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs CAR WAS -7.5 O/U 51.5 OPP VS RB 32nd PROJ PTS 12.1 RB RNK 21st YTD Stats RUYDS 171 REC 15 REYDS 198 TD 1 FPTS/G 11.6

Week 7 Adds (RB Preview)

Ray Davis RB BUF Buffalo • #22 Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs TEN BUF -8.5 O/U 41.5 OPP VS RB 9th RB RNK 20th ROSTERED 36% YTD Stats RUYDS 172 REC 7 REYDS 73 TD 1 FPTS/G 6.3 It's a week of maybes on the waiver wire, but Davis has the highest upside if James Cook remains out. It's also possible that Davis looked so good in Week 6 against the Jets that he has a bigger role even when Cook is healthy, though it is fair to wonder if the Bills acquisition of Amari Cooper means they won't be quite as run-heavy as they have been early this season.

Ty Chandler RB MIN Minnesota • #32 Age: 26 • Experience: 3 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs DET MIN -2.5 O/U 49.5 OPP VS RB 3rd RB RNK 28th ROSTERED 51% YTD Stats RUYDS 147 REC 6 REYDS 42 TD 0 FPTS/G 5 As of now, we aren't expecting Aaron Jones is Week 7, which makes Ty Chandler a flex at worst in the running back rankings. Chandler was impressive in Week 5, but he had a five-game stretch at the end of 2023, where he averaged 11.7 PPR Fantasy points per game on 15.2 touches per game. The Lions defense is beat up, and this game has one of the highest totals of the week. Just know it's a possibility Jones does return.

Isaac Guerendo RB SF San Francisco • #49 Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs KC SF -1.5 O/U 47.5 OPP VS RB 1st RB RNK 31st ROSTERED 9% YTD Stats RUYDS 140 REC 0 REYDS 0 TD 0 FPTS/G 2 Jordan Mason has a shoulder injury, and Guerendo just ran for 99 yards on 10 carries against Seattle. He could have, should have, had a touchdown as well if he had chosen to score late like his coach wanted him to. The Chiefs present a terribly difficult matchup, and Guerendo doesn't have a target this season, so view him as a flex if Mason misses time.

Sean Tucker RB TB Tampa Bay • #44 Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs BAL BAL -3.5 O/U 48.5 OPP VS RB 4th RB RNK 32nd ROSTERED 2% YTD Stats RUYDS 143 REC 4 REYDS 70 TD 2 FPTS/G 6.2 The Buccaneers are talking about a three-headed committee, but it's hard to imagine they'll give Rachaad White many more carries when Tucker and Irving have looked so much better. It's also possible White isn't ready to return in Week 7, leaving this as a two-man committee. While it is a bad matchup, it's worth noting that Tucker was more involved as a pass catcher than Irving in Week 6, so a pass-heavy script might work in his favor.

Stashes (RB Preview)

Kimani Vidal RB LAC L.A. Chargers • #30 Age: 23 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ ARI LAC -2.5 O/U 43.5 OPP VS RB 23rd RB RNK 48th ROSTERED 15% YTD Stats RUYDS 11 REC 2 REYDS 40 TD 1 FPTS/G 13.1 Gus Edwards is on Injured Reserve, and J.K. Dobbins has an extensive injury history. Vidal just scored his first career touchdown, and the Chargers seem to like him as a passing down back. Stash him; if Dobbins misses time, the rookie could turn into a must-start option.

Top DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

Saquon Barkley RB PHI Philadelphia • #26 Age: 27 • Experience: 7 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ NYG PHI -3.5 O/U 43.5 OPP VS RB 12th PROJ PTS 20.1 RB RNK 1st YTD Stats RUYDS 482 REC 14 REYDS 92 TD 5 FPTS/G 21.1 The main slate is missing both Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry, which means Barkley is projected for two more Fantasy points than any other running back on the slate. Add in the fact that it's a revenge game against the Giants, and he looks like the clear chalk on the slate, even if he's been disappointing two weeks in a row. I won't be fading this chalk in cash games, and I expect the Eagles to make every effort to give Barkley a huge game in his return to New York against their division rivals.

Contrarian DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

Tony Pollard RB TEN Tennessee • #20 Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ BUF BUF -8.5 O/U 41.5 OPP VS RB 31st PROJ PTS 14 RB RNK 10th YTD Stats RUYDS 339 REC 16 REYDS 82 TD 3 FPTS/G 15.3 A top-12 running back at Pollard's price should never be contrarian. But a road running back whose team is an 8.5-point underdog with an implied total of 16.75 should never be chalk. Pollard has been the lone bright spot in this Titans offense, and the Bills defense has been a run funnel, allowing the second-most Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Expect 20-plus touches and 100-plus yards. Hope for a touchdown, too.

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.