Early Week 7 takeaways: Rice jumps right into the fray, looks like Chiefs’ WR1
Oct. 18: Evans, Egbuka game-time decisions, but Bucs optimistic
How will gusty weather affect Dolphins, Browns on offense?
Injury updates: McLaurin ramping up activity, practice window opens for Kittle
Everything that happens in the NFL has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.
Our Fantasy Football Buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league.
Rashee Rice showed no semblance of rust in his 2025 debut, effectively scoffing at the idea that he might need to work back to full speed after missing the season’s first six games while serving a suspension. He scored 23.2 PPR fantasy points, his fourth most in a single game, catching a pair of short touchdowns as his Kansas City Chiefs rolled to a 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Consider Rice’s chances of a top-10 fantasy point total among wide receivers from this point forward excellent, and another big day might well be in store for him in a favorable Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Big games from Stafford, Adams and Hunter in London: Another week, another poor performance from a team in a London game. Coming off a Week 6 that saw the New York Jets score 11 points while totaling 82 yards of offense, the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday were dominated by the Los Angeles Rams 35-7. The Jaguars began the game with a trio of punts and a missed field goal, totaling 58 yards over their first four possessions, and were down by three scores 19 minutes into the game.
Unlike last week’s game, however, this London contest had more fantasy goodness in it than the final score indicated:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly have their hands full with the injury report, most notably at the wide receiver position, but there is some positive news on the horizon.
Mike Evans, who has been out since Week 3 with a left hamstring injury, returned to practice this week and appears likely to play Monday night. Evans suffered what ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported to be a “mild to moderate” hamstring strain, also known as a Grade 1-2 injury. Given that he suffered a similar injury last year (albeit to the opposite side) and was sidelined for three games, Evans is familiar with the recovery pathway and the challenges in returning to full speed.
After putting in a limited practice Thursday (the team’s first session of the week because the Bucs play Monday night), Evans was held out Friday in a planned absence, as the team carefully structures his return to play. He was back at practice Saturday and is considered a game-time decision, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
With Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula) already ruled out for a second consecutive week, the Buccaneers would be happy to get Evans back in the mix.
With the weather forecast in Cleveland calling for wind gusts of up to 40-60 mph, which has dropped the betting total in the Miami Dolphins-Cleveland Browns matchup from 40.5 to 36.5, we need to look at the fantasy football impact.
From a coaching perspective, severe weather, especially wind, impacts the call sheet. With quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Dillon Gabriel getting the start in this one — two rhythm and timing throwers who lack the arm strength to drive (or cut) the ball through the wind — the vertical pass game on Sunday will be unpredictable at best.
Yes, both the Dolphins and Browns can still scheme for verticals with max protection, but I would anticipate a game plan that focuses more on three-step concepts, screens and higher-percentage throws to the middle of the field while the rushing attacks take center stage.
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane remains a top-five play at the position this week due to his anticipated rushing volume plus the screens and swings that should rise on the call sheet. For Cleveland, Quinshon Judkins is built to handle a heavy workload as he has seen at least 18 carries in three of five games played. So let’s bump him to the lower-tier RB1 range for Sunday.
As I suggested above, with the expected passing structure, tight ends will carry more value. Browns rookie Harold Fannin Jr., who has posted back-to-back games of double-digit points, moves into the mid-tier TE1 range (as David Njoku is out with a knee injury), and Miami’s Darren Waller can be started in deeper leagues.
At wide receiver, the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle can still produce here due to his catch-and-run traits on quick tosses and screens, but I would bump him down to the WR2/flex line. Jerry Jeudy, who hasn’t produced double-digit points since Week 1, remains a wild card. The numbers are lacking, and the weather pushes him down the WR3 ranks. I’d find a better option for the lineup. Isaiah Bond remains a deeper league flier for Week 7.
With Tagovailoa and Gabriel, neither was expected to see fantasy lineups in shallow leagues, but for those who play in 2QB superflex formats, I would opt for better options.
Remember, rain and snow impact football games. We know that. But big-time wind gusts? That’s a game changer for all three phases. So plan accordingly when setting your lineups if you roster players on the Dolphins or Browns.
Tee Higgins finished second in snaps played, routes run and targets (10) among Bengals receivers. He set season highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards and fantasy points (21.6). Higgins’ and Chase’s fantasy outlooks have improved significantly with Flacco under center. Higgins is firmly back on the WR2 radar.
The Steelers’ backfield split between Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell was similar to what it has been in previous weeks. Warren finished with 20 touches and 19.8 fantasy points, leading the backfield in both snaps and routes run. Gainwell managed just five touches. Warren remains a low-end RB2 but faces a tough matchup in Week 8 against a Packers defense that allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs.
Deebo Samuel, WR, Commanders (heel): Samuel has been on the injury report since Week 4 with a bruised heel. He and the team have managed the condition by limiting his practice sessions during the week and he has been playing through it since. This week Samuel followed a familiar pattern by not practicing Wednesday and Thursday and returning to some level of participation on Friday.
Emeka Egbuka suffered a hamstring strain of his own in Week 6, and, after sitting out Thursday and Friday practices, made a bit of a surprising return to action Saturday. One limited session in advance of a game isn’t much of a test, and though Egbuka is also expected to be a game-time decision, it seems he is less likely than Evans to go. Consider that just last year, Evans had a mild hamstring strain, attempted to play through it and suffered a setback that cost him three games. Different athletes, different ages, different injury histories between the two … but still a reminder that hamstring strains have a higher rate of recurrence than any other soft tissue injury, all of which makes it feel more likely that Egbuka is out another week.
Ja’Marr Chase’s 38.1 fantasy points positioned the 99.9% of managers who started him in an excellent spot to win their Week 7 matchups. It also gave managers a sigh of relief that the elite fantasy performances they’ve come to expect from Chase could materialize with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco under center. Chase led the Bengals’ receiver room in snaps played, routes run and targets. His 23 targets were tied for the most in a game by any player since 2010, and his 16 receptions set a Bengals franchise record. Chase also became the fifth-fastest player in NFL history to reach 6,000 career receiving yards. He and the Bengals will face the Jets in Week 8, and Cincinnati’s rest-of-season schedule is the sixth easiest for wide receivers, according to Mike Clay’s strength of schedule data.
The Bengals’ running game came alive, as Chase Brown finished with a season-high 108 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Cincinnati’s running back rotation prior to Week 7 revolved around Brown dominating early downs and Samaje Perine handling third downs and the two-minute drill. However, there was a small adjustment on Thursday night, as Perine played more snaps on second-and-long. It’s something to monitor, but Brown’s strong showing against the Steelers reinforces his status as the Bengals’ lead back.
This downturn in status after attempting to ramp up the intensity of his work serves to underscore how the rehab trajectory often has speed bumps along the way that limit progression. While not always indicative of a setback, it can simply reinforce that a player may require more time in a particular phase of recovery before returning to play. Certain elements of playing at full speed are more demanding than others (as I noted in this space Thursday) and the team is wise to avoid risking further injury by holding McLaurin back, frustrating as that may be for all involved.
His comments to ESPN reporter John Keim Friday however suggest the heel remains a source of discomfort. There is a balance between trying to accommodate a painful heel with additional cushioning and making it feel unnatural for athletes who need speed and sharp directional movement. Samuel described the heel as “aggravating for sure,” noting it remained to be seen whether he could suit up Sunday or not. With no bye until Week 12, there is no rest forthcoming short of Samuel sitting out. He has certainly played through painful conditions in the past but there may come a point of diminishing return where he is unable to perform at the level his position demands.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers (knee): While several of his injured teammates returned to practice Wednesday, Pearsall remained out, a less-than-encouraging sign as the team prepares to host the Falcons in Week 7. Shanahan told reporters that the team “hoped it would go faster,” but the coach added that Pearsall is “better this week than last week.” Pearsall originally started out with knee “soreness” in the lead-up to Week 4, played in that game and ended up leaving early with what was later revealed to be a mild posterior cruciate ligament injury. Even a mild PCL sprain can cause instability, apprehension, soreness and functional limitations, making it difficult for a receiver to accelerate, decelerate, cut, pivot and jump in the ways necessary to play without guarding. The range of recovery time is typically from two to six weeks, but it is highly dependent on the individual and the position he plays. Pearsall’s absence from practice Wednesday, coupled with Shanahan’s remarks, is not a great sign for Pearsall’s availability this Sunday. With still more than half the season to go, the 49ers — who have lost so many players to injury already — are not looking to rush Pearsall to return. It is worth monitoring whether he is able to even return to the practice field this week as a gauge of his progression.