FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Early-Slate Helper: Week 7

The Week 7 NFL DFS early slate on FanDuel has eight games, all kicking off at 1 p.m. EST. All matchups have a total over 40.0, with two topping 50.0, so we could be in for a high-scoring slate.

The numberFire NFL DFS Matchup Heat Map will be referenced for all implied totals and spreads throughout this article, so be sure to check it out.

Let’s look at the best plays at every price point on the slate.

High Priced Studs

Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings ($8,300)

Dalvin Cook predictably struggled against the defenses of the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles over the last three weeks, but in Week 7, he has a solid matchup with a Detroit Lions front that ranks 16th in Adjusted Defensive Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play. Detroit also ranks 26th in adjusted line yards on Football Outsiders, meaning Cook will have an easy time getting to the second level and busting some long runs. He is an easy start against a team that gives up the third-most FanDuel fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars ($7,900)

With no Christian McCaffrey on the slate, our projections have Leonard Fournette with the most touches, fantasy points, and the best value per dollar at his position. If that isn't enough, the Cincinnati Bengals are ceding the second-most fantasy points to running backs. The Jacksonville Jaguars are also 3.5-point road favorites, so he should be highly involved throughout the contest.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals ($7,400)

Despite getting spelled by Chase Edmonds often, David Johnson continues to be one of the most consistent fantasy players. He has now scored at least 15 fantasy points in five of his six games this season, thanks to his receiving work and his nose for the end zone. He has also hit 100 total scrimmage yards in four straight games and has a chance to do it again.

The New York Giants have been respectable against the run, ranking 12th in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play, but the Arizona Cardinals play at the fastest pace, inflating their offensive snaps and allowing for more fantasy points. Our projections have DJ as the second-best point-per-dollar value among running backs.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams ($7,800)

Cooper Kupp was a dud last week against San Francisco's second-ranked pass defense, but that was on just six targets. Kupp is averaging 11.5 per game on the season and had posted four straight 100-yard games prior to Week 6. We should expect a bounce back against an Atlanta Falcons defense that ranks 31st in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play.

This game has shootout potential with the highest total on the slate. Stacking this game might be the way to victory this week.

Mid-Priced Upside Plays

Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers ($6,200)

The San Francisco 49ers are sticking with the committee approach, but that changes when they get in scoring position. In games in which both Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida are active, Coleman has seen 10 red zone touches to Breida's one. His touchdown equity is extremely high in this matchup, as Washington ranks 29th in defense, per our schedule-adjusted numbers. The 49ers should be able to move the ball well, giving Coleman a strong workload with touchdown upside.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams ($6,700)

The forgotten man in the Los Angeles Rams' offense has been Brandin Cooks. The speedster has seen just 15.1 percent of Jared Goff's attempts and has connected on only 280 of a possible 562 air yards, per PlayerProfiler. The good news is that he's taking on a brutal Falcons defense that can't rush the passer and can't cover. Atlanta ranks dead-last in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders, so Goff should have plenty of time to find Cooks deep.

Cooks' ownership should be lower considering how poorly he's been playing lately, so you should be able to leverage the field with a boom-or-bust receiver. We also just saw Will Fuller have a monster game against Atlanta, so expect a strong outing from a similarly built receiver.

D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,600)

The Bengals will be down their best cornerbacks in William Jackson III and Dre Kirkpatrick, who led their secondary to a 27th-ranked passing defense. Even if they were healthy, D.J. Chark would exploit this matchup. Now he'll be running routes against Torry McTyer and Tony McRae, both of whom were signed for less than $700,000.

Chark has continued to be one of the most impressive pass-catchers on the season, ranking third in Reception Net Expected Points (NEP) per target among receivers. Expect Gardner Minshew to look for his second-year breakout receiver often in this game.

Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants ($6,800)

The key to navigating tight ends in DFS is paying up for a stud or finding the one playing Arizona. Evan Engram happens to be both this week, as he ranks top five at the position in target share, red zone catches, receptions, yards, and fantasy points. For whatever reason, the Cardinals refuse to cover tight ends, allowing 6.0 more FanDuel fantasy points per game to the position than the next closest team. Pay up for Engram in this ideal matchup.

Bargain Bin Prospects

Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams ($5,200)

With Todd Gurley struggling with a quad injury and Malcolm Brown unlikely to suit up with an ankle injury, it might finally be time for the Rams to fire up their second-round running back. Darrell Henderson flashed explosiveness last week, putting up 48 total yards on seven touches against the 49ers. If Brown and Gurley can't make the trip to Atlanta, Henderson would be an instant lock as the starting running back on an explosive offense in the highest-scoring game on the slate.

Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers ($4,500)

The Green Bay Packers could be without Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison, and Jimmy Graham in Week 7, making Allen Lazard one of their few healthy bodies. Lazard posted a strong 1.36 Reception NEP per target in his limited action, and Aaron Rodgers also sang his praise after the game.

Having a Hall of Fame quarterback in your corner does wonders for your playing time, meaning Lazard could be the best value play on the slate if things break right.

Jonathan Taylor Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice Jonathan Taylor Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jtsmittyyy. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.