The opening six weeks of the season are behind us and the pack has begun to separate across the NFL and in fantasy football leagues.
Heading into Week 7, only the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys will be on a bye week. Injuries have still popped up on injury reports across the league providing issues for NFL teams and fantasy football owners alike. This can lead to some difficult fantasy football decisions.
Heading into Week 7, here are five players in prime spots for breakout performances who could give your fantasy team the inside track to a victory. While you should consider your options on your team in each situation, these five names are expected to outperform their typical output.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (87.6% rostered)
Through the opening six weeks of the NFL season, Baker Mayfield ranks second among quarterbacks in total fantasy points, trailing only Lamar Jackson. Despite this, he still does not carry the reputation as an every-week starter.
Mayfield leads the NFL with 15 passing touchdowns while completing 70.9% of his passes, throwing for 1489 passing yards (eighth in the league), and leading the Buccaneers to a 4-2 record. He will now face off with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night.
While Baltimore’s defense is strong against the rush, allowing the fewest rushing yards and fewest rushing yards per attempt, opposing quarterbacks have had success against them. The Ravens rank 31st in passing yards allowed and 27th in passing touchdowns given up. They also have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks across the league. Just two weeks ago Joe Burrow produced a 371-yard passing performance with five touchdowns against the Ravens.
Mayfield has finished as a top-eight quarterback in five of the six weeks including three top-three finishes. He should be considered an every-week starting fantasy football quarterback and this is especially the case against the Ravens. Make sure Mayfield is in your lineups this week.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants (71.8% rostered)
The New York Giants offense will receive a notable boost this week as rookie Malik Nabers is set to make his return to the field from his Week 4 concussion. Nabers was leading the league in receiving before getting injured and still is ranked 14th in receiving yards and ninth in targets despite missing two weeks. While Nabers will make his impact felt, look toward Wan’Dale Robinson to have the inside track on a big week. Robinson ranks second in the NFL in targets on the season.
The Giants have a great chance to make an impact in the passing game as they face off with the Philadelphia Eagles. While Philadelphia ranks 14th in points allowed, they rank 21st in passing yards allowed and 22nd in net yards per pass attempt. The Eagles have bought into the bend-but-don’t-break strategy of defense which leaves plenty of opportunities for production over the middle.
Expect Nabers to see the majority of coverage attention with prized rookie Quinyon Mitchell tasked with the primary role. While Robinson’s targets have not equated to the desired production yet, he has had at least five receptions in all but one game. Expect Nabers and Darius Slayton to be targeted for the big plays and for Robinson to end up with the best production as he eats up yardage throughout the game.
Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (38.0% rostered)
The Patriots have been a team to avoid when building out your fantasy football rosters for most of the year. However, things have changed since Drake Maye stepped into the starting lineup. This has especially been the case with Demario Douglas.
The second-year pass-catcher is coming off his best performance in the NFL as he recorded six receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown last week. This also marked the first game in which Maye served as the starting quarterback. He has tallied double-digit fantasy points in three of their last four games. Expect this production to continue, especially as the Patriots face off with the porous Jaguars defense this week.
Jacksonville ranks 31st in the league in both points allowed and yardage given up. They also rank dead last in passing yards allowed and have given up more fantasy points to wide receivers than any other team. Maye is much more willing to throw the ball downfield and Douglas is the top option on this Patriots roster. Expect him to continue building his chemistry with the rookie quarterback and for Douglas to have another strong performance.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins (59.2% rostered)
The Miami Dolphins’s season went south quickly following the concussion sustained by Tua Tagovailoa in the second week. Miami entered the season with their reputation of a high-flying offense, but through six weeks rank dead last in points scored and 23rd in yards tallied. They have not tallied more than 15 points in a game since Tagovailoa got injured.
One potential bright spot moving forward is Raheem Mostert. Last season’s leading touchdown rusher suffered a chest injury which kept him out Week 2-4. Mostert made his return in Week 5 where he received 21 touches for 98 yards from scrimmage. The Dolphins are coming off of their bye week and will hopefully have a new game plan in place. While De’Von Achane is expected to return from his concussion, there will be plenty of opportunity for both running backs.
Miami is set to face off with the Indianapolis Colts this week who have struggled to stop the run this year. They rank 31st in rushing yards allowed and have given up 17+ fantasy points to Tank Bigsby and Tony Pollard over the last two weeks. The Dolphins’ best hope for a stable offense is to rely on the rushing attack, especially against a Colts’ defense which has struggled in this area. Expect Mostert to be a key part of this and have a strong showing in Week 7.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns (79.1% rostered)
The Cleveland Browns have been a disaster this season headlined by the dreadful quarterback play from Deshaun Watson and a 1-5 overall record. They also traded away their top wide receiver this week sending Amari Cooper to the Bills.
Enter David Njoku who has yet to break out in the 2024 season. The former Pro Bowl tight end has missed the majority of the season with an ankle injury. He finally seems to be getting healthy and played a season-high 74% of offensive snaps last week. He led the team with seven targets and five receptions, with Cooper being the only player to record more than three targets last week.
As the Browns prepare to face off with the Bengals, 8.8 targets per game will need to be made up for following Cooper’s absence. Buffalo has a soft secondary that ranks middle of the pack so far this year. Expect Njoku to be the beneficiary of additional targets and for his true breakout to begin from this point on.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
