Top daily fantasy football wide receiver plays for Week 7

Welcome to Week 7 of the Daily Fantasy season. Pricing has stabilized as trends have emerged but there are still bargains to be found and even some higher-priced options that will go under-owned and can make a difference in your lineups. This article looks at some of the projected lesser-owned plays at wide receiver who could provide huge boosts to your tournament lineups, as well as some trap plays to avoid.

PLAY

Mike Evans $8,000 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers)

While the Buccaneers overall received bad news this week that Vincent Jackson is out with a torn ACL, the news for Evans owners in all fantasy formats is pretty tremendous. Evans was already a target beast when Jackson was on the field. Now, it staggers the mind to think how often Jameis Winston is going to look Evans’ way. And with the Bucs still having to rely on Jacquizz Rodgers as their main running back, Evans could easily be looking at 20 or more targets on Sunday. If he puts up a 10-80-1 line, Evans makes value. That feels like a pretty conservative stat line against the 49ers. He might be chalky, but you might need him to keep up with the field.

Jeremy Maclin $6,800 (Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints)

Maclin has been disturbingly ordinary this season, and was practically invisible last week against the Raiders, with just three targets. He’s frustrated all who have used him the past month and that will probably lead to a low ownership number this week against the Saints. That’s a good thing, because the Saints defense is a get-well machine for passing games. Maclin is simply too talented to not take advantage of the opportunity he has this week to reach double-digit fantasy points in a game that could be something of a shootout if Drew Brees can buck his trend of so-so performances on the road.

Jamison Crowder $6,200 (Washington at Detroit Lions)

Jordan Reed has been ruled out for Washington this week. DeSean Jackson should be active, but is dealing with a shoulder injury. Washington is taking on a Lions defense that is ranked 23^rd out of 32 teams in pass defense. This all adds up to a great spot for Crowder, who has found the end zone the past two weeks as a pass catcher and kick returner. Crowder has had 11 fantasy points each of the past two weeks, with just a combined seven pass targets. If the workload increases, he could be in for a big day.

Michael Thomas $5,700 (Saints at Chiefs)

Thomas has slowly been usurping Willie Snead’s role as the No. 2 wide receiver target in the Saints’ offense, posting 16 fantasy points in two of his past three games. Thomas has 25 targets over the past three games and should continue to be involved heavily in the offense with the Chiefs likely focusing most of their attention on Brandin Cooks. At some point, Thomas’ salary will catch up to his production. Get in on the bargain fun while you can.

Adam Thielen $5,400 (Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles)

The last time we saw Thielen, he torched Houston with a 7-127-1 line while filling in for the injured Stefon Diggs. Diggs is expected to return from his groin injury this week, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Thielen goes back into hibernation. Check the news on Diggs Sunday morning. If he’s out, or the impression is that he’ll be a decoy, get Thielen into your lineups and spend up elsewhere.

NAY

Larry Fitzgerald $7,100 (Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks)

His quarterback is dinged up and he’s facing a defense that will almost certainly be focused on stopping him. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, and since the game is the Sunday Night game, using any of the Arizona receivers could be problematic if the Cardinals decide to sit Palmer as a precaution.

Jordan Matthews $6,400 (Eagles vs. Vikings)

Taking on the dangerous Vikings defense with a rookie quarterback who looked like a rookie his last time out is probably too risky to be prudent. Using a wide receiver from that same offense would also not be the best choice, especially when Matthews hasn’t been in double-digit fantasy points since Weel 2 (and he had 10.1 that game).