This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 7 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and features 12 games, while the Giants and Eagles kick off the week Thursday at 8:20 p.m. EDT, the Bears-Rams game concludes the week Monday at 8:15 p.m. EDT, and the Colts, Dolphins, Ravens and Vikings are on bye. With some stars benefiting from highly favorable matchups this week, the key to building a successful lineup will be picking which pricey options to pay up for and which value plays to supplement them with. Some of the standout Week 7 players include a quarterback who's leading the league in yards per carry, two rookie skill position players who were drafted two picks apart, and a tight end who's rounding into form after a slow start.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
QB: Deshaun Watson, HOU vs. GB ($33): Watson has been elite over the past three weeks, passing for at least 300 yards in every game while totaling 994 passing yards and a 9:2 TD:INT. He has only 109 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground this season, but Watson's always capable of a breakout rushing performance considering he racked up 964 yards and 12 touchdowns with his legs over the previous two seasons. The Packers have struggled more against the run than the pass, but with Green Bay averaging 32.4 points per game and Houston allowing 30.3, there's a good chance the Texans fall behind and leave it up to Watson to play catch-up.
RB: Derrick Henry, TEN vs. PIT ($33): This is the cheapest that Henry has been all season, even though he's coming off a 264 scrimmage-yard performance in which he scored multiple rushing touchdowns for a third consecutive week. Most lineups will shy away from Henry against a Steelers defense that's allowing just 66.2 rushing yards per game (second fewest behind the Buccaneers), but if anyone's capable of thriving despite the difficult matchup, it's Henry. His 588 rushing yards through five games have him on pace to finish with 1,882 this season after he led the league with 1,540 in 2019.
WR: Christian Kirk, ARI vs. SEA ($17): Kirk scored two touchdowns in last week's win over the Cowboys and has racked up at least 78 yards in each of the past two games. While DeAndre Hopkins should remain Arizona's go-to option against Seattle's league-worst secondary, Kirk has vastly outperformed Andy Isabella ($15) recently, and there should be room for more than one Cardinals wide receiver to find success considering Seattle's allowing 370.4 passing yards per game. Kirk's big-play ability and the favorable matchup outweigh his pedestrian target share (4.8 per game).
Other Against-the-Grainers
QB: Matthew Stafford (DET, $35), Ryan Tannehill (TEN, $33), Andy Dalton (DAL, $28)
RB: Jerick McKinnon (SF, $16), Boston Scott (PHI, $13), J.D. McKissic (WAS, $11)
WR: John Brown (BUF, $19), JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT, $19), Tim Patrick (DEN, $16)
TE: Chris Herndon (NYJ, $12), Anthony Firkser (TEN, $15)
DST: San Francisco 49ers (at NE, $15), Chicago Bears (at LAR, $14)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
QUARTERBACK
Kyler Murray, ARI vs. SEA ($40): Murray won't come cheap, but he should be worth his lofty valuation at home against a Seahawks defense that's allowing a league-high 370.4 passing yards per game. He boasts a 10:6 TD:INT through the air, and Murray's rushing production is enough to make even elite running backs jealous, as he has rushed for 370 yards and six touchdowns while leading the league with 7.3 yards per carry. His upside for elite production as both a runner and a passer make Murray worth locking in, as only Russell Wilson and the injured Dak Prescott are averaging more fantasy points than Murray's 27.4.
RUNNING BACK
Justin Jackson, LAC vs. JAX ($16): In order to clear cap space for the likes of Murray, you'll need to go bargain hunting at some other positions, and Jackson provides a great opportunity to do just that. He took over as the Chargers' lead back with 15 carries for 71 yards and five catches on six targets for 23 yards in the Week 5 loss to the Saints, easily outproducing Joshua Kelley ($16) with Austin Ekeler (hamstring) out. Jackson has a career average of 4.8 yards per carry to Kelley's 3.2 and is the better pass-catcher out of the backfield, so he should lead the way coming out of the team's bye against a Jaguars defense that's allowing 143.8 rushing yards per game. Game script should also play into Jackson's favor, as Jacksonville comes in having dropped five games in a row while getting outscored by 60 total points over the last four.
D'Andre Swift, DET at ATL ($20): The rookie turned four carries and four catches into 52 scrimmage yards and a touchdown before the Lions' Week 5 bye, and the team clearly spent its week off preparing the 35th overall pick to take the reins as the lead back. Swift exploded for 123 scrimmage yards and two scores in Week 6's 34-16 win over Jacksonville. He was already the best receiving option in Detroit's crowded backfield (16 catches on 20 targets), and Swift has now established himself as the team's most productive rusher as well, averaging 6.1 yards per carry heading into a juicy matchup against a Falcons defense that has been torched for 30.7 points per game.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tee Higgins, CIN vs. CLE ($19): Higgins is growing into the top wide receiver for the Bengals. The rookie led the team's receiving corps with 81 percent of offensive snaps in last week's loss to the Colts -- topping 80 percent for the second consecutive week -- and finished with a team-high 125 receiving yards. That performance gave 33rd overall pick 19 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns on 32 targets over the past four weeks, and Higgins should continue to produce against a Browns defense that ranks among the four most generous in receptions (89), yards (1,164) and touchdowns (nine) allowed to wide receivers.
Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. DAL ($22): McLaurin is easily the most dangerous weapon in Washington's offense, and he should see plenty of attention from quarterback Kyle Allen against a hapless Dallas defense that's giving up 36.3 points per game. The second-year wide receiver's 58 targets are good for fifth in the league, and he's likely to finish closer to his season high total of 14 than his season low of seven in this game, as the 1-5 Washington team can remarkably insert itself right into the thick of the NFC East race with a win.
Davante Adams, GB at HOU ($35): Adams has played two full games this season and has 20 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 27 targets in those games. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be eager to bounce back from last week's clunker against the Buccaneers, and Adams will be Rodgers' primary target against a Texans defense that has allowed nine touchdowns to wide receivers this season -- tied with the Browns for third-most in the league, behind only the Vikings and Cowboys.
TIGHT END
Rob Gronkowski, TB at LV ($15): The Raiders have been pretty stingy against tight ends this season, but that trend could come to an end against Gronkowski, who appears to have shaken off the rust following a year away from football. Gronk has set new season highs in yardage in back-to-back weeks, catching eight of 14 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown over the past two games. He and Tom Brady still aren't connecting on all cylinders, but the volume is there, and given the slim pickings outside the elite rung at the tight end position, Gronkowski's increasing volume and nose for the end zone are enough to make him stand out from the pack as this week's 15th-most expensive tight end.
DEFENSE
Buffalo Bills, BUF at NYJ ($18): This is a great opportunity for the Bills to get right after back-to-back losses to the Titans and Chiefs. Buffalo recorded three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in a Week 1 win over the Jets, and that was with starting quarterback Sam Darnold under center for New York. The Jets have scored only 10 points in two games since Darnold went down with a shoulder injury, so Buffalo would be the clear-cut top choice among defenses if he sits again and Joe Flacco is in the lineup. Even when Darnold was in, New York wasn't exactly lighting it up, scoring just 16.3 points per game.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Matt Ryan (ATL, $28), Josh Allen (BUF, $37), Justin Herbert (LAC, $32)
RB: Alvin Kamara (NO, $43), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $34), Ronald Jones (TB, $23)
WR: DeAndre Hopkins (ARI, $37), Julio Jones (ATL, $32), Brandin Cooks (HOU, $19)
TE: T.J. Hockenson (DET, $21), Dalton Schultz (DAL, $17)
DST: Los Angeles Chargers (vs. JAX, $13), New England Patriots (vs. SF, $19)
