🏈 Week 7 Thursday Night Football Preview

Biggest Risers in our Rest of Season Rankings

• George Pickens (+20 spots)

• Josh Downs (+18 spots)

• Rico Dowdle (+16 spots)

• Ladd McConkey (+14 spots)

• A.J. Brown (+10 spots)

Biggest Fallers in our Rest of Season Rankings

• Calvin Ridley (-22 spots)

• Garrett Wilson (-20 spots)

• Troy Franklin (-13 spots)

• Terry McLaurin (-11 spots)

• Bo Nix (-11 spots)

To see the full rest of season rankings, click that link to direct you to the WalterPicks app. There are plenty of notable players trending up and down heading into Week 7.

Thursday Night Football Preview

Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Time: 8:15 PM ET

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Spread: PIT -5.5

Total: 43.5

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 7 Sleepers and Fades

We're focusing on the borderline players who could make or break your Week 7 lineup. Last week, we recommended starting Cam Skattebo and A.J. Brown. Skattebo scored three touchdowns, and Brown finished as the WR19 in PPR formats.

So, let’s look at some fringe players and decide whether they should be in fantasy lineups or not in Week 7.

START: RB Jaylen Warren

In his first game back from injury, Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren only played 53% of the team's offensive snaps — a significant decrease from his 80% snap share in Week 3. However, Warren will be a must-start RB2 this week against the Bengals.

He has seen at least 13 touches in every game this season, and his 3.3 red zone rush attempts per game rank eighth among all RBs. Given that the Bengals have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing RBs through six weeks, Warren is a fantastic start in Week 7. Cincinnati has allowed a top-12 RB finish in five of six games.

Walter's Rank: RB11

START: WR DK Metcalf

Things are certainly trending up for Pittsburgh Steelers WR DK Metcalf. After finishing outside the top-24 at the WR position in three straight games to begin the season, Metcalf has now finished as the overall WR7 (Week 4) and WR10 (Week 5) over his last two games.

As a result, he will be a strong start in Week 7 against a struggling Cincinnati secondary. The Bengals have allowed at least 75 receiving yards to a WR in five straight games while giving up the seventh-most receiving yards to the position. That's enough to start Metcalf as a WR2 in most formats.

Walter's Rank: WR19

SIT: RB Chase Brown

It's going to be hard to trust Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown in most leagues this week. Brown hasn't scored more than 13 PPR fantasy points in a game since Week 1, and his snap share has dropped to under 55% in back-to-back weeks. For that reason, Brown will be more of an RB3 this week.

The Steelers have allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs this year, and this defense just held Quinshon Judkins to 3.6 PPR fantasy points last week. So, Brown should be avoided in most cases.

Walter's Rank: RB25

SIT: TE Noah Fant

Despite inconsistent quarterback play, Cincinnati Bengals TE Noah Fant has been involved in this offense. He has caught at least four passes in three of his four games and has one top-10 TE finish this season. However, it's best to exercise caution with Fant this week.

He has yet to play over 50% of the team's offensive snaps or run more than 20 routes in any game this year. With an average of 12 routes run per game, Fant should not be in most lineups in Week 7.

Walter's Rank: TE13

Things to Watch Closely For Fantasy:

• Cincinnati WRs: Do things improve with Flacco under center?

• Joe Flacco’s Second Game: Can he support two WRs?

• Kenneth Gainwell’s Usage: Does he continue to eat into Warren’s workload?

Free TNF Prop Pick

Prop: Jaylen Warren OVER 48.5 rushing yards (-114 on FanDuel)

Reasoning: Warren just went over this line last week against an excellent Browns defense. Now, he gets a favorable matchup against a Bengals defense that ranks 30th in rush yards allowed per game. With a current 56.7% rush share, Warren should see enough opportunities on the ground to rush for over 48.5 yards in this game.

With a 10.4% EV Edge at FanDuel, Walter believes this is a bet worth taking on Thursday night. Warren is projected for 64.5 rushing yards in our Player Prop Evaulator.

My Final Score Prediction

Winner: Steelers

Spread Winner: Steelers

OVER/UNDER: Over

Prediction: Steelers 28-17

Last week’s recap: We went 1-2 last week by incorrectly guessing the Eagles would win and cover the spread. Fortunately, the over did hit.

Winner Record: 3-3

Spread Winner Record: 3-3

Over/Under Record: 3-3