NFL Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 7 – Running Backs

Week 7 brings yet another main Sunday slate in DFS with no Christian McCaffrey since the Panthers will be on a bye. We still have some excellent options to choose from, though, including some cheaper players with upside. Let’s discuss some of those appealing targets, as well as a couple of players to avoid. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our NFL Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

CASH TARGETS

Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. ARI
FanDuel = $8,600
DraftKings = $8,900

Barkley (ankle) seemed close to returning in Week 6 against the Patriots, but with the Giants playing that game on Thursday, it made sense for them to be cautious and hold him out another week. He should be back in action for this contest, just in time to take advantage of a favorable matchup against a Cardinals defense that has allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per game. With the Giants’ offense being more dangerous, in general, now that Daniel Jones is at quarterback, Barkley could find himself with added red zone attempts, as well.

Dalvin Cook, MIN at DET
FanDuel = $8,300
DraftKings = $8,000

The Vikings have finally decided to air out their passing attack the last two weeks and they’ve been successful in doing so. Cook had a poor performance last week, turning 16 carries into only 41 yards. He did somewhat salvage his stat line with a touchdown, but his struggles shouldn’t come as a major surprise considering the Eagles have been stout against the run all season. This is a great opportunity for him to have a bounce back performance considering the Lions have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game. Even with the Vikings throwing more, Cook should receive a significant workload.

Leonard Fournette, JAC at CIN
FanDuel = $7,900
DraftKings = $7,000

The bad news for Fournette is that he only has one rushing touchdown all season. The good news is that he already has 115 carries through six games. He’s also been much more involved in the passing attack, catching 26 of 36 targets for 189 yards. With that kind of volume, this has the makings of a monster performance against the Bengals. They’ve been torched on the ground, allowing the most rushing yards per game and the most rushing touchdowns in the league.

GPP TARGETS

David Johnson, ARI at NYG
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $7,800

Johnson should probably be in the cash section of this article, but I really like the trio I already discussed and didn’t want to not talk about Johnson. While he had a bit of an injury scare with his back that caused him to miss some practice time last week, it didn’t prevent him from playing against the Falcons. He wasn’t that efficient on the ground with only 34 yards on 12 carries, but he did find his way into the end zone. He also was effective in the passing game, catching six of eight targets for 68 yards and another score. The Giants have allowed the ninth-most rushing yards per game and have been even worse defending the pass, making Johnson a great player to pursue for your lineup.

Tevin Coleman, SF at WAS
FanDuel = $6,200
DraftKings = $5,600

Coleman immediately jumped into a prominent role upon his return from injury in Week 5, turning 16 carries into 97 yards and a touchdown. He was also heavily involved in Week 6 against the Rams, totaling 45 yards and another touchdown on 18 carries. The Rams have been middle-of-the-pack in terms of stopping the run, so his inefficiency shouldn’t be a major concern. This matchup against the Redskins is much more favorable with them allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game. At his reasonable price on both sites, Coleman is someone to strongly consider.

Devin Singletary, BUF vs. MIA
FanDuel = $5,800
DraftKings = $5,400

Singletary (hamstring) hasn’t been on the field since Week 2. However, with the Bills coming off of their bye, early indications are that he has a good chance of returning for this contest. The rookie has been impressive when on the field, turning 10 carries into 127 yards and a touchdown. He is in a time share with Frank Gore, but this is still a favorable spot for him to outproduce his price point since the Dolphins have allowed the second-most rushing yards per game. If he is unable to play, then make sure Gore is locked into your entry.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Melvin Gordon, LAC at TEN
FanDuel = $6,600
DraftKings = $5,900

After missing the start of the season due to a contract dispute, Gordon has not looked good across two games since returning. The Chargers have given him 20 total carries, but he only has 49 rushing yards. Although Austin Ekeler has seen his playing time decrease significantly, he is still going to take some snaps away from Gordon. With Gordon still shaking off some rust, it’s difficult to justify deploying him in DFS against a Titans team that has allowed only three rushing touchdowns all season.

Adrian Peterson, WAS vs. SF
FanDuel = $5,700
DraftKings = $4,100

New Redskins’ head coach Bill Callahan wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to run the ball more last week against the Dolphins. Peterson was the beneficiary of their renewed rushing attack, accumulating 118 yards on 23 carries. He entered that contest with a total of 108 rushing yards for the season. The Redskins will probably still want Peterson to see an increased workload in this game, but this is a terrible matchup with the 49ers allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game. Despite his cheap price, stay away from Peterson.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.