4 Fantasy Football Sleepers for NFL Week 7

The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, in my eyes, sleepers are players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular week.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a season-long fantasy football manager looking to roster a potential breakout player before your league-mates, someone playing NFL DFS on FanDuel who needs a spike week from a low-salaried player, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered.

Here are some fantasy sleepers who could have a big week this week.

We'll reference our NFL projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 7

Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks

FanDuel Salary: $7,300

At first glance, this could be a week where we'd want to avoid starting Sam Darnold, as he's set to take on the Houston Texans, who are third in schedule-adjusted pass defense entering Week 7. However, Darnold has been playing lights out to begin his first year with the Seattle Seahawks, producing the third-most expected points added per drop back (0.25) among quarterbacks with 150-plus drop backs, via Next Gen Stats.

From a fantasy football perspective, Darnold has tallied 20-plus points in back-to-back weeks, and he's been fairly consistent with 16-plus points in each of his last five starts. As our Riley Thomas points out while mentioning Darnold as a viable quarterback to stream in Week 7, the veteran signal-caller has already performed well against above-average defenses this season, so he's still capable of logging a noteworthy outing in an unfavorable matchup at home against the Texans.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts

FanDuel Salary: $5,700

Josh Downs got off to a slow start this season, but the third-year wideout has increased his production in recent weeks. After registering just the third-highest target share (16.0%), third-most receptions per game (3.5), and fifth-most receiving yards per game (30.3) on the Indianapolis Colts across the first four weeks, Downs has earned the highest target share (25.0%), second-highest air yards share (22.4%), most receptions per game (6.0), and second-most receiving yards per game (48.0) over the team's last two games.

On the surface, the Los Angeles Chargers are another team that we typically don't want to target via the air, as they are 10th in schedule-adjusted pass defense. That being said, the Colts are third in schedule-adjusted pass offense, and Downs could be involved in a dome matchup that features a narrow spread and a fairly high total.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $6,200

The idea of Kendrick Bourne being viable for another week is likely dependent on whether or not George Kittle and/or Ricky Pearsall remain sidelined for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. According to reports, Kittle is expected to play in Week 7 and Pearsall could return to practice soon, so we'll need to monitor their statuses before placing confidence in Bourne.

Amid a plethora of injuries on offense, Bourne has led the 49ers in route rate (82.3%), target share (23.5%), air yards share (35.8%), receptions per game (7.5), receiving yards per game (142.0), and yards per route run (3.59) over his last two appearances. Although the Atlanta Falcons are 4th in schedule-adjusted pass defense, they are 31st in target rate (22.3%) and 32nd in average depth of target allowed (13.7) to receivers, so Bourne could have boom-or-bust appeal -- depending on how San Fran's injury report shakes out.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns

FanDuel Salary: $5,500

Even as the No. 2 tight end alongside David Njoku in the Cleveland Browns' offense, Harold Fannin Jr. is the overall TE13 and is TE17 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats after logging a season-high 11.6 points in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Besides Njoku dealing with a knee injury -- which could sideline him on Sunday -- Fannin will get to take on an abysmal Miami Dolphins defense in Week 7.

No team has a worse schedule-adjusted pass defense than the Dolphins, and they are coughing up the third-most fantasy points per target (1.75), third-highest target rate (23.2%), and most yards per route run (2.16) to tight ends in 2025. If Njoku is ruled out or is limited for the Browns, then Fannin could emerge as a top-10 option at the position this week.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.