Week 7 of the 2026 NFL campaign kicks off with Thursday Night Football later this evening. This week’s highly anticipated matchup will feature the New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears, with MVP candidates Drake Maye and Caleb Williams set to square off as both teams look to build on Week 6 victories. This week’s TNF matchup boasts no shortage of storylines and key matchups, but also features several rookies that could offer sneaky fantasy upside for Week 7.
Here are three rookies who could make an impact during Week 7 of Thursday Night Football:
Eli Raridon, New England Patriots - TE
Season Stats: 9 Catches, 112 Yards, 1 TD
Patriots rookie tight end and former Notre Dame star Eli Raridon has been easily the most impactful player on our list to this point of the season, hauling in nine of his 12 targets for 112 yards and a touchdown in five games. Chicago’s defense will pose a favorable matchup for New England’s tight end group, which could help Raridon carve out significant fantasy production this week. If he could replicate his five-catch, 57-yard performance from Week 5, he could uplift DFS lineups as the Patriots’ TE2.
Zavion Thomas, Chicago Bears - WR
Season Stats: 5 Catches, 37 Yards, 1 Carry, 11 Rush Yards
Our final two picks don’t offer quite the ceiling to that of Raridon, but entering Week 7 as WR4, rookie wideout Zavion Thomas is in a position to produce in Ben Johnson’s elaborate offensive scheme. He’s got solid upside for DFS lineups at his cost, and could bolster the team’s D/ST unit in fantasy as the team’s primary kickoff returner. Thomas hauled in each of his three targets for 25 yards in Week 6, and could be in for a bigger workload on TNF.
Sam Roush, Chicago Bears - TE
Season Stats: 3 Catches, 33 Yards
Bears rookie tight end and Stanford product Sam Roush rounds out our list, but will have the longest odds at making substantial impact for Week 7 fantasy lineups. Entering the week as TE3 on Chicago’s depth chart, Roush has taken on just five targets in as many games, racking up 33 yards through the air. You can never rule out a member of Johnson’s offense from finding the end zone, but there’s little volume for Roush to make an impact this week.
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