Fantasy Football: 4 Trends to Know Heading Into Week 7

The seventh week of the 2024 NFL season is on the horizon, so we now have six weeks of stats and information to go off of when looking at teams around the league. Understanding trends can allow us to gain an advantage over our opponents in fantasy football, whether it be in season-long or DFS formats.

Player's usage, adjusted pace, team pass rates, defensive schemes, and other factors all fit the description of trends we should keep tabs on. Taking all of that into account, let's discuss a few trends to know entering Week 7.

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Fantasy Football Trends to Know for Week 7

Kenneth Walker Is Getting Elite Receiving Usage

Across the four games Kenneth Walker III has started in this season, he's registering a 65.4% snap rate, 82.9% red-zone snap rate, 0.56 rushing yards over expected per attempt, and a 43.1% rushing success rate, via NextGenStats. Besides being the lead back for the Seattle Seahawks over Zach Charbonnet, Walker is getting elite pass-game usage in the team's new-look offense.

Along with earning eight-plus targets in back-to-back games, Walker is averaging 24.8 adjusted opportunities per game (carries plus 2x targets), 5.3 receptions per game, and he's recording a stellar 53.1% route rate. In addition to that, Walker's 14.5% target share is the fifth-highest among running backs who have been active in four-plus games to begin the year.

Just a season ago, Walker set career-best marks in receptions (29) and receiving yards (259), and he's well on his way to cruising past those numbers with 21 catches for 136 receiving yards already in 2024. Walker's increased receiving usage makes him an enticing option in fantasy ahead of a matchup against an Atlanta Falcons team that has given up the seventh-most receptions (31) and fifth-highest target rate (22.5%) to running backs.

Kareem Hunt Is the Clear Featured Back for the Chiefs

While the Kansas City Chiefs had their bye week in Week 6, we got a preview of what their backfield could look like sans Isiah Pacheco in Weeks 4 and 5. After leading the Chiefs' running backs in snap rate (43.1%), total touches (16), and scrimmage yards (85) in Week 4, Kareem Hunt proved he's the clear featured back with a 62.5% snap rate, 28 total touches, and 117 scrimmage yards in Week 5.

At the same time, Samaje Perine and Carson Steele are essentially being phased out of the offense with both of them combining for 6 total touches and 21 scrimmage yards in their last game. Meanwhile, Steele also garnered the lowest red-zone snap rate (17.6%) of the bunch his last time out, so his short-yardage appeal once Pacheco went down is now nullified.

Being the lead back for the Chiefs in an offense with Patrick Mahomes and without many pass-catching weapons with Rashee Rice out for the season can be extremely valuable as Hunt finished as the RB4 in half-PPR formats in Week 5. As the Chiefs come out of their bye week to face the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch, they could lean even more into using Hunt as San Fran's defense is ranked 8th in schedule-adjusted pass defense and 18th in schedule-adjusted run defense.

Drake London's New Role Is Producing Fruitful Results

It was understandably a slow start to the season for Drake London as he caught just 2 passes for 15 yards in Week 1 to begin the Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta. Aside from catching a touchdown in four of his last five games, the way London is being deployed in the Falcons' new-look offense in recent weeks is paying dividends for the talented wideout.

During the team's Week 5 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, London logged a season-high 22 slot snaps (according to PFF) en route to him posting season-best marks in receptions (12), targets (13), and receiving yards (154). After the success offensive coordinator Zac Robinson saw with London in the slot in Week 5, he elected to give the former first-round pick a team-high 19 slot snaps and a season-high 61.3% slot rate in Week 6, resulting in 6 receptions, 74 receiving yards, and a touchdown on 10 targets.

London has now finished as the WR2 and WR15 in the last two weeks in half-PPR formats as the Falcons are noticeably altering aspects of their offense. If this sort of slot usage continues for London to generate mismatches at his size, he'll continue to be one of the best options at receiver the rest of the way.

Brock Bowers Is a TE1 With Davante Adams Gone

The tight end position is dire in fantasy this season, and finding someone who can provide consistent production seems nearly impossible. But if you're someone who has Brock Bowers, the rookie tight end is poised to be a TE1 the rest of the season with Davante Adams being traded to the New York Jets.

In the first three weeks of the season with Adams active for the Las Vegas Raiders, Bowers was logging a 67.4% snap rate, 57.8% route rate, 19.6% target share, and 17.3% air yards share. As for the last three weeks with Adams sidelined, Bowers has a 79.4% snap rate, 77.1% route rate, 25.8% target share, and 20.4% air yards share.

Earning a target share of 25% or higher is rare at the tight end position, and that sort of usage could help Bowers overcome the fact he's catching passes from Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew. Bowers has finished as the TE7 or better in four of his first six games in the NFL, and he's primed to be the lone skill player on the Raiders who is worth starting in fantasy every single 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.