Fantasy football managers hunting Week 7 buy-low trade targets should start with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, two projected fantasy starters whose prices fell after interceptions, a hamstring injury and matching 2-4 team starts.
Prescott has thrown four interceptions in two straight prime-time losses, while Barkley returned to a limited practice Thursday after missing two games. Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, A.J. Brown and Tucker Kraft also carry discounts their big roles don’t justify.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football PPR rankings: Josh Jacobs returns, Davante Adams in limbo
How did last week’s buy-low targets perform?
Titans receiver Carnell Tate gave last week’s buy-low targets their best immediate return, catching six of seven targets for 70 yards and Tennessee’s only offensive touchdown in a 26-20 win over the Colts. The loss cost Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard his job.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce played through an ankle injury and caught four of five targets for 53 yards in a 22-6 win over the Chargers. Bears receiver Rome Odunze caught three passes for 39 yards against Atlanta, then added four catches for 69 yards on five targets in Thursday’s 30-24 win over New England.
Browns running back Quinshon Judkins sat out Cleveland’s 13-10 win over Baltimore with an ankle injury, but he practiced Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Kyler Murray and Jordan Mason return from the bye when the Vikings host the Colts, and Tee Higgins and the Bengals visit Baltimore.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football QB start-sit: Stroud, Nix, Mahomes, Shough
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
- Last week: 34 of 54, 258 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT, 23-13 L Packers
- This week: at Eagles, Mon., Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m. ET
Prescott threw two interceptions in a 24-16 Thursday night home loss to Tampa Bay, and owner Jerry Jones said he was “extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed” afterward. He threw two more at Green Bay, where Dallas trailed 17-0 at halftime, and he has four touchdowns and four interceptions over his past four starts.
Some of the damage came from around him. CeeDee Lamb drew 18 targets at Lambeau but caught nine for 70 yards, and Lamb slipped on a route that turned into one of the picks. George Pickens was limited Thursday with a shoulder injury.
The 54 attempts show Dallas will keep throwing, and Philadelphia is 2-4 with Tanner McKee starting for Jalen Hurts. Prescott ranks eighth among quarterbacks in my Week 7 rankings, so offer a backup-quarterback price to a manager who has already benched him.
MORE: NFC power rankings for NFL Week 7: 49ers hold on, Packers climb again
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
- Last game: Week 4, left with a hamstring injury vs. Rams
- This week: vs. Cowboys, Mon., Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m. ET
Barkley ran 15 times in each of his two full games, finishing with 82 and 83 yards, but a stinger and then a hamstring injury wiped out most of his season. He hasn’t scored a touchdown, and the Eagles have lost four straight games without him at full strength.
Thursday’s limited session was his first practice since the Rams game, and PhillyVoice reported that “it is anticipated that he will play on Monday.” DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dallas Goedert (knee) didn’t practice Thursday.
Hurts is out with a blood clot, so Philadelphia’s offense now runs through the 29-year-old back. My Week 7 rankings leave him outside the top 70 at running back until his status clears, and that uncertainty is the buying window. Pay a flex price before he shows up healthy on Monday night.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football RB start-sit: Dowdle, Mason, Pollard, Wilson
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last week: 19 car., 46 yds; 2 rec., 3 yds, 26-19 OT L Steelers
- This week: at Panthers, Sun., Oct. 25, 1 p.m. ET (illness)
Irving fell short of 50 scrimmage yards for the first time this season against Pittsburgh, playing after an illness kept him out of Wednesday practice. Kenny Gainwell touched the ball only three times, so the workload stayed with the former Oregon back.
The quarterback situation explains the stalled run game. Tampa Bay is 1-5, and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels started the past three games while Baker Mayfield healed a dislocated thumb. Mayfield practiced fully Wednesday and Thursday and said the thumb is “strong enough to be able to play.”
A rising tide lifts all boats, and that’s what Mayfield will bring to this offense. Illness again cost Irving a Wednesday practice before he returned Thursday on a limited basis. He ranks 11th at running back in my Week 7 rankings, and a healthy Mayfield should pull defenders out of the box.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire FAAB: Germie Bernard, Omar Cooper Jr. top adds
A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots
- Last week: 3 rec., 48 yds on 6 tar., 30-24 L Bears
- Next game: Patriots at Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 1
Brown missed four games with a high ankle sprain from Week 1, then caught three of 10 targets against the Jets with three drops. “I just didn’t make the play,” Brown said, and Drake Maye responded, “I told him I’m gonna keep coming his way.”
Thursday at Chicago brought a modest step forward. Brown caught passes of 16 and 14 yards in the second half, though Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 12 targets.
New England’s receiver room should push more volume his way. Romeo Doubs is on injured reserve for at least three more games, leaving Brown with DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism and Kyle Williams as the only other receivers on the 53-man roster. Maye had 10 touchdown passes and one interception over his three games before Thursday, so buy Brown at a WR3 price.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football WR start-sit: Worthy, Wicks, Douglas, Allen
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last week: 7 rec., 48 yds, 1 TD on 16 tar., 26-19 OT L Steelers
- This week: at Panthers, Sun., Oct. 25, 1 p.m. ET
Egbuka drew 16 targets with Daniels at quarterback, more volume than any receiver can expect in a typical week. He turned it into 48 yards, which reflects the passing game around him more than his role.
Concussion and foot injuries kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday, according to Tampa Bay’s injury report. Chris Godwin Jr. also sat Thursday for rest.
Managers facing a possible zero this week have the most reason to sell. Mayfield’s return gives Egbuka a better quarterback for the second half, so offer a WR4 price to someone who needs a healthy starter now.
MORE: Week 7 fantasy football TE start-sit: Higbee, Freiermuth, Pitts, Mayer
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
- Last week: 5 rec., 37 yds on 8 tar., 23-13 W Cowboys
- This week: at Lions, Sun., Oct. 25, 4:25 p.m. ET
Kraft opened the season on a snap limit after last year’s torn ACL, and he hasn’t topped 65 receiving yards in a game. He has one touchdown and has been held under 45 yards four times.
He briefly left the Cowboys game after a hard hit near the sideline, then returned for the second half and called it “just something weird.” Matthew Golden drew 13 targets that night, and he and Christian Watson both have 500-plus receiving yards through six games. Josh Jacobs’s return will do wonders for this offense, which has been terribly one-sided in his absence.
Green Bay keeps Kraft on the field as its every-down tight end, and he ranks fourth at the position in my Week 7 rankings. The former South Dakota State star is another month removed from knee surgery, so pay a low-end TE1 price for a player who still has top-five weekly upside.
MORE: Jordyn Tyson return timeline: Saints GM reveals latest on rookie’s hamstring
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