Fantasy Football Week 7: DFS starts, fades and undervalued options

Whether you've played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are giving it a try for the first time, this weekly column will take a look at the DFS landscape, revealing whom I like building lineups around, stars to fade, undervalued plays and bargain bin options to help you construct a better team.

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Lineup building blocks

Kenneth Walker III ($29) vs. Arizona Cardinals

Walker is getting 5.4 YPC at home this season and leads the NFL with 12 carries inside the five-yard line. He has the third-most rushing touchdowns (six) despite Seattle already having a bye. The Seahawks have the second-highest implied team total on the DFS slate and are 7.5-point home favorites. The Cardinals have been gashed for the third-most fantasy points to running backs and the fourth-most EPA/rush. Walker is a strong DFS building block in a matchup that should be fast paced.

Cooper Kupp ($34) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Kupp accounted for 101 of the Rams’ 123 yards in the first half last week, when he finished with the second-most receiving yards (148) and as fantasy’s No. 3 wideout. He’s seen a whopping 39% target share since returning, while Matthew Stafford continues to play far better than his stats suggest. Kupp stands out in DFS this week with no Tyreek Hill on the main slate and Stefon Diggs/Keenan Allen in tougher matchups not indoors. The Steelers have yielded the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and have been worse when schedule adjusted. Fire up Kupp in DFS this week.

Travis Kelce ($32) vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Kelce’s ankle should be healthier with 10 days rest, and he’s coming off his most receiving yards in a game (124) since 2021. He racked up 110 yards and three touchdowns the last time these teams met. Kansas City has the highest implied team total on the slate and continues to struggle to get production out of its wide receivers. Kelce is a DFS building block in Week 7.

Star to Fade

Austin Ekeler ($36) @ Kansas City Chiefs

Ekeler had a tough matchup last week but looked healthy and saw a solid workload during his return from an ankle injury. He should be considered a top-three fantasy back moving forward, but is a DFS pass this week with the highest (non-QB) salary on the slate. Ekeler loses some value in 0.5 PPR leagues (although he admittedly counters that with 38 TDs over the last two seasons), and the Chiefs’ defense has played well. Kansas City has ceded the fifth-fewest fantasy points and receiving yards to running backs. No RB has reached 15.0 fantasy points against KC this season, including David Montgomery, Travis Etienne and Breece Hall.

Undervalued Options

Isiah Pacheco ($23) vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Pacheco’s RB rush share continues to increase and hit a season-high (89%) last week. He’s even top 10 among backs in receiving yards this year. Pacheco routinely benefits from positive game scripts and will be helped Sunday by a Kansas City offense with the highest implied team total on the slate. The Chargers are yielding the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs, so Pacheco is undervalued during a tricky week.

Geno Smith ($28) vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Seahawks have struggled in the red zone, but Smith’s volume has been there. He’s averaging the fourth-most red-zone passes and the second-most end-zone attempts per game. The Seahawks have one of the league’s highest pass rates over expectation, while Smith is sporting the league’s best completion percentage above expectation. Seattle’s offensive line is also getting healthier, and they get a fast-paced matchup this week against an Arizona defense that’s last in pressure rate. The Cardinals are also allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, so Smith looks like a strong QB option in a week with six byes (and numerous other teams with fantasy stars not on the slate).

Brian Robinson ($21) @ New York Giants

Robinson’s schedule finally eases up this week against a Giants defense allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (132.7) to running backs (New York is also the only team that ranks bottom-five in yards per play and yards per play allowed, so game script shouldn’t be an issue). Robinson continues to dominate Washington’s ground game (although Chris Rodriguez saw work last week), and he has the eighth-most carries inside the five-yard line (Robinson was tackled at the one last week). Terry McLaurin has zero red-zone targets this season, so touchdowns should be there for Robinson, especially when game scripts cooperate.

Bargain Bin

Michael Mayer ($12) @ Chicago Bears

Mayer’s snap rate has seen a big jump over the last two games, including a season high last week when he led the Raiders in receiving. The rookie tight end posted a 31.1% target share during his final season at Notre Dame and could suddenly be helpful at an ugly fantasy position. The Bears have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to tight ends, and Mayer is nearly the DFS minimum.