Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for Week 7

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you only play 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you four bold predictions to watch for each week of the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 7

Josh Dobbs Will Snag a Top-12 Finish at Quarterback

The Arizona Cardinals might be only 1-5 heading into Week 7, but you absolutely have to hand it to them for their performances so far this year.

Despite entering the season as a favorite to "earn" the first overall pick, they've nabbed a win over the Dallas Cowboys and played competitive games against much better overall teams. A lot of the credit has to go to quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who only joined the team via trade just days before their third and final preseason game. He has wildly exceeded any preseason expectations even the most optimistic Cardinals fan could have had entering the year.

Dobbs sits as the fantasy QB18 overall on the season despite playing only one defense that ranks outside the top half of numberFire's schedule-adjusted passing defenses. He's shown a surprising willingness to scramble when his receivers can't get open with over 40 rushing yards in four of six games, keeping his fantasy numbers afloat despite averaging just one passing touchdown per game.

The Cardinals' passing game is still figuring things out as a unit, but Dobbs has managed to carve out some nice fantasy production for himself in the meantime.

This week, he and his Cardinals will take on the Seattle Seahawks and their 24th-ranked passing defense -- their first decent matchup since Week 1. Outside of one ridiculous game against the New York Giants during which they compiled 11 sacks, the Seahawks' defense has left much to be desired. They had given up over 300 passing yards in each of their first three games until that lucky one, meaning Dobbs could be in his best spot yet to put up passing production.

With running back James Conner on the injured reserve, the Cardinals will be leaning on Dobbs to move the ball more than ever, and the first-time starter will reward his team with a top-12 finish at the position this week.

James Cook Will Be a Top-6 Fantasy Back

As a New England Patriots fan, it brings me no joy to tell you all that when you have a player going against the Pats in fantasy this year, you're probably going to want to start them. This isn't just the worst team the Pats have fielded in recent history -- it's one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Their rushing defense, which has kept opposing rushers to just 3.4 yards per carry this season (third-best) has been the only part of their game to not completely collapse this season -- but that will change against the Buffalo Bills and running back James Cook.

The Pats have been treading water without defensive star Matthew Judon over the past two weeks but have quietly allowed the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders to put up their best and second-best rushing performances of the season, respectively, in Judon's two missed games. It's only a matter of time before the wheels completely fall off for New England.

With a huge portion of the Pats' starters either on the injury report or on the injured reserve, the Bills should have no problem dispatching their former rivals. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds have them as 8.5-point favorites over the Patriots, and with Josh Allen nursing a bit of a shoulder injury, it wouldn't be shocking to see Buffalo lean heavily on their running game as early as possible. The team should be playing with a positive game script, meaning both Cook and Latavius Murray are queued for strong workloads.

Cook's workload has taken a positive step since his mildly disappointing rookie campaign. The second-year back has handled 12 or more carries in all but one game so far this year and has flashed explosive playmaking ability in the passing game. Despite ranking fifth on the team in targets (19), Cook has put up the third-most receiving yards (140) on the team. When things are going favorably for the Bills, Cook has been putting up numbers on the ground and through the air.

The lack of touchdown production has held Cook back from becoming a fantasy stud -- the Bills have preferred to use their bigger backs closer to the end zone as complements to Allen -- but it's not hard to see him scoring in Week 7. Even if the Bills like their bigger backs at the goal line, Cook is still a threat to score from outside the red zone. His 4.42-second 40-yard dash time should help him break off a couple of explosive plays against the Patriots' slow and banged-up defense.

Cook is in a prime spot to finish as a top-6 back in fantasy football this week.

The Detroit Lions Will Upset the Baltimore Ravens

According to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, the Baltimore Ravens are 3.0-point home favorites over the Detroit Lions. No disrespect to Baltimore, who have fought their way to a 4-2 start to the season, but they're going to be chasing points against the 5-1 Lions this Sunday.

Per numberFire's schedule-adjusted power rankings, the Lions look like the better team than the Ravens straight up so far this season. In fact, only two other teams are higher than Detroit's impressive third-place ranking, putting the Lions as one of the favorites to win the NFC outright this season. The Ravens aren't too far behind and rank eighth, but anyone who has watched them play this year could tell you they've been playing some sloppy football, committing multiple turnovers in half of their games so far.

We know both offenses work great when things are going right. With banged-up running backs on each side, it's fair to assume we see these squads air it out. If this does come down to a quarterback duel, that's where the Lions might have the edge, not because Jared Goff is necessarily a better quarterback than Lamar Jackson, but because the Ravens' pass defense has been overperforming while the Lions' could be due for some friendly regression.

The Ravens are tied with the Bills for the most sacks so far this season with 24. The raw production has been strong, but the way they've been achieving it has been fluky, as they rank seventh-worst with a 19.3% pressure rate. They're converting pressures into sacks at an unsustainable rate, meaning we should expect their sack production to taper off before too long.

Looking at their schedule, they've already played some of the most sackable quarterbacks this year (Gardner Minshew, Ryan Tannehill, Deshaun Watson, etc.), so it's not too surprising that they've racked up sacks. Against the Lions, though, those numbers could come back down to earth -- Goff has taken sacks at the fifth-lowest rate in 2023.

On the flip side, the Lions are dealing with the exact opposite issue. Despite pressuring opposing quarterbacks at the eighth-highest rate (25.5%), the Lions have tallied just 15 sacks, which ties for 15th-most. They might hit some nice regression against Jackson in Week 7, considering that Jackson has been taking sacks at an 8.5% clip behind his banged-up offensive line.

On some level, football is a game won in the trenches. The Lions' offensive line should be able to hold the Ravens' pass rush at bay, and Detroit's defensive front should be able to get home enough to keep Baltimore's offense on the back foot. The Ravens are slight home favorites, but the Lions look like a team that can win outright this week.

The Top 2 Fantasy Wide Receivers Will Play in the Same Game

Get your popcorn ready for Sunday Night Football this week -- the white-hot Miami Dolphins are traveling to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a game whose 51.5-point total is the highest of any game on the week. The Dolphins lead the league in points scored on the season while the Eagles rank not far behind in fifth place. This game should have some fireworks in store for its viewers.

The high expected pace and points should turn this game into a cornucopia of fantasy points for all of your favorite Eagles and Dolphins players, too. But two such players stand above the rest -- Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown.

Hill and Brown have been on fire this season and rank first (814 yards) and second (672 yards) in receiving yards on the season. Defenses haven't really figured out a way to contain either of these two superstars, and we're not expecting that to change this week when they square off against each other.

It's no easy task to finish as the WR1 or the WR2 in any given week -- it's extremely unlikely that any one single NFL game can produce both at the same time. But this game looks special, and that's exactly what we're predicting for Week 7.

There's a bit of a hedge here, though -- we're not predicting the exact combination of Hill and Brown will finish as the week's top two fantasy wideouts. We're predicting this game to produce the WR1 and WR2. That leaves the door open for former Alabama Crimson Tide teammates Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith to hit pay dirt, as well.

Both Waddle and Smith have seen their own receiving numbers take a hit this season due to the dominance of their teammates but are each capable of operating as a team's top receiver if given the opportunity. We're expecting these teams to combine for potentially over 50 points, which means we're relying on all of these teams' studs to put up strong numbers.

numberFire has each of these wide receivers well inside of the top 24 this week -- Hill tops the projections (WR1), followed by Brown (WR4), Waddle (WR8), and Smith (WR17). Few setups this year could end up being more conducive for fantasy production, and we can't wait to see which of these star receivers lives up to expectations.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.