Winners Club: Christian McCaffrey’s 49ers Debut Headlines NFL Week 7 Sunday Slate
The seventh Sunday of the NFL season is here and to put it bluntly: Some of the matchups are rather forgettable.
Only one game (Colts-Titans) will be played between two teams with winning records, but there’s still plenty of intrigue across the league, starting with Christian McCaffrey making his debut as a 49er against the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- NFL injury report
- Week 7 NFL schedule, spreads, totals
- Spread and prop bet picks
- Fantasy and DFS lineup assistance
- Yankees, Padres on brink of elimination
Who’s In, Out and Still Questionable
Thankfully, this week’s injury report is relatively short. Unfortunately, there are stars at each position who have already been ruled out or whose status is in doubt.
The most significant injury news is at the quarterback position, where Russell Wilson will miss this week—and possibly longer—with a hamstring injury while Tua Tagovailoa makes his return to the field on prime time. Coming back from the bye, D’Andre Swift is still not ready to make his return to the field and Keenan Allen might just end up returning from his nagging hamstring ailment after the Chargers’ Week 8 bye.
Keep reading for the latest injury updates and remember to monitor your players’ status in the leadup to kickoff.
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson, Broncos: OUT (hamstring)
Mac Jones, Patriots: QUESTIONABLE (ankle), expected to play
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: ACTIVE (concussion)
Carson Wentz, Commanders: INJURED RESERVE (finger)
Baker Mayfield, Panthers: DOUBTFUL (ankle)
Running backs
D’Andre Swift, Lions: QUESTIONABLE (shoulder), not expected to play
J.K. Dobbins, Ravens: INJURED RESERVE (knee)
Joshua Kelley, Chargers: INJURED RESERVE (knee)
Wide receivers
Keenan Allen, Chargers: QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), game-time decision
Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins: QUESTIONABLE (shoulder)
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks: QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), expected to play
Rashod Bateman, Ravens: QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Hunter Renfrow, Raiders: QUESTIONABLE (hip), expected to play
Josh Reynolds, Lions: QUESTIONABLE (knee)
Julio Jones, Buccaneers: OUT (knee)
Jahan Dotson, Commanders: QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), not expected to play
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Tight ends
Mark Andrews, Ravens: QUESTIONABLE (knee), expected to play
Darren Waller, Raiders: OUT (hamstring)
Week 7 NFL Game Lines
There aren’t many massive underdogs this week. Only three spreads are more than a touchdown and three are shorter than a field goal. So while the matchups might not be between heavyweights, the contests should be competitive.
Chiefs-49ers is probably the most enticing game of the day, even more so now that coach Kyle Shanahan has another multi-use weapon in his backfield in McCaffrey. I’m also looking at the two New York teams—the Jets and Giants—who are both trying to further legitimize their strong starts to the season.
Participate in SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 contest this week and every week for a shot at a $10,000 prize. To participate, just make 10 picks against the spread. And to help you sort through the slate, Frankie Taddeo broke down each contest and our writers each picked their best bet. I like the Ravens today.
If you’d rather invest in a handful of player pops this week, Jen Piacenti has five that she likes, and two of them are plus money!
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Falcons vs. Bengals (-6.5) | Total: 47.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Lions vs. Cowboys (-6.5) | Total: 49
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Colts vs. Titans (-2.5) | Total 41.5:
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Packers (-4.5) vs. Commanders | Total: 41.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Buccaneers (-11.5) vs. Panthers | Total: 39.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Giants vs. Jaguars (-3.5) | Total: 43.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Browns vs. Ravens (-6.5) | Total: 45.5
4:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Jets (-1.5) vs. Broncos | Total: 37
4:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Texans vs. Raiders (-6.5) | Total: 46
4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Seahawks vs. Chargers (-6.5) | Total: 50.5
4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Chiefs (-1.5) vs. 49ers | Total: 49
8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Steelers vs. Dolphins (-7.5) | Total: 44.5
8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN): Bears vs. Patriots (-7.5) | Total: 40*
*Monday
Fantasy Football Lineup Calls
As always, the SI Fantasy team has plenty of pieces in place to help you win the week.
You can consult Michael Fabiano’s player rankings or Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, Shawn Childs’ detailed stat projections, Matt De Lima’s cheat sheet or Piacenti’s DFS breakdown.
And this week, live at si.com/fantasy there are new tools in place that make it even easier for you to trot out the best possible lineup. Consult the player rankings, projections, defense vs. position and injuries tabs and see where McCaffrey is ranked this week in his first game on a new team.
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Kickers and defenses
(AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)
And if all that doesn’t answer your questions, we have even more methods in place to help you out. Look out for Twitter Spaces at @SINow and @SI_Fantasy at noon ET and be sure to tweet me @SI_Fantasy or @Kkylewood all of your most-pressing start/sit questions.
Phillies and Astros Both One Win Away From World Series
The World Series is almost set. By the end of the day, the matchup could be decided as the Yankees and Padres both look to stave off elimination in the championship series.
New York returned home Saturday night having dropped the first two games of the series in Houston and was unable to muster much at the plate in a 5-0 loss to the Astros. Nestor Cortes will be on the bump for the Yankees in the potential closeout game against Lance McCullers Jr.
Philadelphia overcame a four-run first inning by San Diego and scored a 10-6 victory to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Phillies will throw Zack Wheeler against Yu Darvish with a World Series trip on the line.
The Astros are now -175 favorites to win it all at SI Sportsbook. The Phillies naturally have the second-best odds at +160 while the Padres are at +1400 and the Yankees a distant +2200.
Matt Slocum/AP
Sunday
2:37 p.m. ET (FS1): Padres vs. Phillies (-143) | Philadelphia leads series, 3-1
7:07 p.m. ET (TBS): Astros vs. Yankees (-125) | Houston leads series, 3-0
Monday
4:07 p.m. ET (TBS): Astros vs. Yankees | ALCS Game 5 (if necessary)
8:03 p.m. ET (FS1): Phillies vs. Padres | NLCS Game 6 (if necessary)
In Other News
TCU on the Rise in SI Top 10: Tennessee holds onto the top spot in the rankings after it handled business against UT Martin, and a few teams behind the Volunteers made waves, like TCU, Clemson, Oregon and Oklahoma State, all of which downed top-25 teams.
CMC Trade Shifts 49ers Super Bowl Odds: One of the most dynamic offensive weapons in football was dealt to San Francisco earlier this week. The 49ers saw their title and conference odds shorten slightly after making the move, which cost them a haul of draft picks.
OBJ Return Could Come in December: The former Rams receiver has been mentioned plenty this season as a possible pickup for teams that need pass-catching help, but his return from a torn ACL reportedly could still be several weeks away.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy today’s games and best of luck in all your fantasy matchups. I’ll talk to you again Tuesday.
