Fantasy Studs and Duds NFL Week 7: Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams Score Aplenty in London

The old-man bowl between Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers provided plenty of fantasy football points to kick off NFL Week 7.

However, not many fantasy managers benefited from the QB duel because only 25% of Sleeper users started Rodgers, and only 6% had Flacco active in lineups. Both middle-aged signal-callers produced more than 30 fantasy points.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth also benefited from the vintage performances from their respective quarterbacks. We’ll have a handful of names from Thursday night’s shootout mentioned in this week’s studs section. We’ll also mention another stellar performance from a grizzled veteran quarterback who put on a show in London to open Sunday’s slate of games.

This story will be updated throughout the day. Points from Sleeper PPR standard scoring format.

Here are the studs and duds from NFL Week 7.

Studs

Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Chargers

Fantasy points: 29.40

Stats: Nine targets, seven catches, 164 yards, TD

The rookie Gadsden will be a top waiver wire add after his breakout performance against the Colts. With Justin Herbert being forced to air it out, he often leaned on Gadsden to help the Chargers stay within striking distance. Los Angeles fell short, but it’s clear how much the team has trust in the fifth-round pick out of Syracuse.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys

Fantasy points: 25.00

Stats: Eight targets, five catches, 110 yards, TD

Fantasy managers were thrilled to see Lamb back on the field after a three-game absence. The star wide receiver had a dynamic 74-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter against the Commanders. He definitely regained his top spot as Dallas’s WR1.

Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals

Fantasy points: 29.40

Stats: 13 targets, 10 catches, 74 yards, 2 TDs

McBride has had no trouble finding the end zone this season. He’s clearly been Jacoby Brissett’s favorite target the past two weeks, and his two touchdowns allowed the banged-up Cardinals to keep pace with the Packers. McBride fantasy owners likely want Kyler Murray to take his time returning to the field.

Bo Nix, QB, Broncos

Fantasy points: 43.96

Stats: 27-of-50, 279 yards, 2 TDs; five carries, 48 yards, 2 TDs

Nix went off in his comeback win over the Giants. The second-year quarterback was a bit spotty throwing the football, but he often delivered the big plays downfield when Denver needed it most. Nix’s 18-yard rushing touchdown gave the Broncos a late go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Nix fantasy owners who didn’t lose faith in the young QB were repaid in a big way Sunday.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts

Fantasy points: 34.20

Stats: 16 carries, 94 yards, 3 TDs; three catches, 38 yards

Taylor was a touchdown machine against the Chargers, with two of his three touchdown runs going for at least 19 yards. It was the fifth time this season that the Colts’ workhorse back reached at least 19 points.

A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles

Fantasy points: 28.10

Stats: Six targets, four catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs

Brown couldn’t let DeVonta Smith get all the targets during a rare day in which the Eagles aired out the football. The physical wideout started the party and ended it by recording a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 26-yard score in the final quarter. It was the first time Brown cracked 20 points since Week 3 vs. the Rams.

Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles

Fantasy points: 30.04

Stats: 19-of-23, 326 yards, 3 TDs

The Hurts critics can take the week off. He didn’t lean on the tush push this time around, producing all three of his touchdowns through the air. Hurts has been great for fantasy owners, recording at least 23 points in five consecutive weeks.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns

Fantasy points: 26.40

Stats: 25 carries, 84 yards, 3 TDs

Judkins continued his impressive rookie season with a monster performance against the Dolphins. His first of three rushing touchdowns came on a 46-yard run. Judkins made life easier for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and gave Miami a day to forget.

Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 31–0 win over the Raiders. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs

Fantasy points: 32.24

Stats: 26-of-35, 286 yards, 3 TDs; four carries, 28 yards

Mahomes will start to gain more MVP chatter after his sensational outing against the Raiders. He’s been the best fantasy QB this season, with four consecutive performances of at least 29 points. Expect more dominance from Mahomes with Rashee Rice back on the field.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

Fantasy points: 33.30

Stats: 11 targets, nine catches, 183 yards, TD

Hurts got the deep ball going in Minnesota courtesy of Smith’s downfield plays. The two connected on a 79-yard touchdown to wake up the Eagles’ offense during the third quarter against the Vikings.

Davante Adams, WR, Rams

Fantasy points: 26.50

Stats: Eight targets, five catches, 35 yards, 3 TDs

Adams stepped up in a big way during Puka Nacua’s absence in London. Adams contributed two first-half touchdown catches to help the Rams jump to a 21–0 halftime lead over the Jaguars. The six-time Pro Bowler didn’t see a ton of targets with Matthew Stafford spreading the football around, but Adams delivered when it mattered the most in the red zone. None of Adams’s three touchdowns went further than two yards.

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Bengals

Fantasy points: 38.10

Stats: 23 targets, 16 catches, 161 yards, TD

Chase’s slow start to the season has become a distant memory. The star receiver has been on a heater, recording at least 25 points in three consecutive weeks. Chase saw a whopping 23 targets, which led to his season-high 38.10 points. It’s fair to expect this kind of production on a weekly basis, especially with how much chemistry Flacco and Chase have had the past two weeks.

Joe Flacco, QB, Bengals

Fantasy points: 31.98

Stats: 31-of-47, 342 yards, 3 TDs

Flacco’s dominant performance had many Browns fans questioning the team’s strange decision to trade the 40-year-old quarterback to an AFC North rival. The Bengals are thankful that the Browns don’t care about rivalries because Flacco’s presence has given Cincinnati new life. Expect Flacco to be a top waiver wire target this week.

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers

Fantasy points: 31.10

Stats: Six targets, five catches, 111 yards, 2 TDs

The “Muth” is no longer forgotten after his Week 7 eruption. His snap count fell under 40% the prior two weeks, and he appeared to be the No. 2 tight end behind Jonnu Smith. That might no longer be the case after his clutch go-ahead 68-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter in Cincinnati.

Aaron Rodgers & Co. narrowly fell to the Bengals 33–31. — Aaron Rodgers & Co. narrowly fell to the Bengals, 33–31. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers

Fantasy points: 31.56

Stats: 23-of-34, 249 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

Rodgers thought he had the game-winning touchdown pass when he connected with Freiermuth with less than three minutes left in regulation against the Bengals. That wasn’t the case because Flacco got the ball last, but Rodgers probably would have scored again if Tee Higgins had decided to score instead of sliding to run out the clock. Rodgers was that good Thursday night.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams

Fantasy points: 37.38

Stats: 21-of-33, 182 yards, 5 TDs

Stafford isn’t quite 40, but he had a better performance than Flacco and Rodgers. The 37-year-old QB racked up five touchdown passes against the Jaguars in London. He’s the first QB with at least five touchdown passes in an international game. Stafford definitely made up for last week’s 11-point stinker against the Ravens.

Duds

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Broncos

Fantasy points: 9.00

Stats: 14 carries, 81 yards; one catch, -1 yard

Dobbins had a decent outing running the ball against New York, but not finding the end zone landed him in the duds section. It’s the second consecutive week that Dobbins didn’t score a touchdown after scoring at least one in four of the first five games this season.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers

Fantasy points: 7.50

Stats: Nine carries, 20 yards; four catches, 15 yards

Vidal followed up his stellar Week 6 performance with a massive stinker against the Colts. The Chargers couldn’t get anything going on the ground, with Herbert being the team’s leading rusher with 31 yards. The second-year running back is no longer a must-start while filling in for the injured Omarion Hampton.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles

Fantasy points: 5.20

Stats: 18 carries, 44 yards; one catch, -2 yards

Barkley was left out of the Eagles’ passing party against the Vikings. As a team, Philadelphia only produced 45 rushing yards. It was by far Barkley’s worst fantasy performance of the season. It was also the second consecutive week that the star running back was held under 10 points.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders

Fantasy points: 4.40

Stats: Six carries, 21 yards; one catch, 13 yards

Jeanty had a dreadful outing during the Raiders’ blowout loss in Kansas City. With how poorly this offense has played, Jeanty can no longer be an automatic start every week. Jeanty was started by 98% of Sleeper users. That’s rough.

Breece Hall, RB, Jets

Fantasy points: 7.20

Stats: 11 carries, 38 yards; two catches, 14 yards

It might be time to bench every player associated with the Jets moving forward. Hall didn’t get anything going on a day his QBs Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor desperately needed help on the ground.

Tua Tagovailoa struggled in the Dolphins’ 31–6 loss to the Browns. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins

Fantasy points: 1.60

Stats: 12-of-23, 100 yards, 3 INTs

Tagovailoa had an atrocious game against the Browns. Fantasy managers were wise not to start the struggling Tagovailoa against a stout Cleveland defense, with only 9% of Sleeper users having him in the starting lineup. Somehow, Tagovailoa was worse than his 11-point performance vs. the Chargers last week.

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins

Fantasy points: 2.50

Stats: Four targets, one catch, 15 yards

It was easy to forget that Waddle was on the field for the Dolphins. Waddle did almost record a touchdown, but the play was broken up in the end zone by Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell, who also had a pick-six against Tagovailoa.

Caleb Williams, QB, Bears

Fantasy points: 5.68

Stats: 15-of-26, 172 yards, INT

The Bears may have gotten the win over the Saints, but it wasn’t a good fantasy performance from Williams. Chicago leaned heavily on its rushing attack, with D’Andre Swift getting the bulk of the work. This was the first time this season that Williams was held under 14 points.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars

Fantasy points: 6.10

Stats: Seven targets, three catches, 31 yards

Thomas’s 2025 woes continued against the Rams. He was a nonfactor and is now starting to become the third option for Trevor Lawrence, behind Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown. It was the fifth time this season that Thomas was held under 11 points.

Kyren Williams, RB, Rams

Fantasy points: 8.50

Stats: 12 carries, 54 yards; two catches, 11 yards

Williams had a quiet outing against the Jaguars. It was the second consecutive week that Williams was held under 60 rushing yards. He might no longer be a safe bet to at least produce one rushing score.

Studs

Duds

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