NFL Week 7 Predictions | 2021

NFL DFS predictions post here every week, including projected outcomes and players to watch for every matchup. (We respond to all reader comments so jot them below.)

Sunday, Oct. 24th (Early Slate)


WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (2-4) AT PACKERS (5-1) — 1:00pm ET FOX

Favorite: Green Bay (-8.5) O/U: 49

This is the first real lopsided matchup of the week as it features one of the league’s most potent offenses going up against one of the league’s worst defenses. The Washington Football Team’s perceived strength at the start of the season was their defense, specifically their defensive line. To say that their defense has been a complete letdown through six weeks would be an understatement. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers should have no challenge scoring on Washington. Moreover, the Packers defense could have a banner day against a Washington offense whose best asset may be its pass blocking.

DFS Player to Watch: Taylor Heinicke | QB | $5,200 DraftKings | $6,900 FanDuel

Taylor Heinicke dominates the Washington offense at this point, particularly with RB Gibson’s bum shin. If you need a low-risk, high-reward QB who will be forced to throw early and often, he’s your man. Without him throwing for 300+, it’s hard to imagine Washington having much chance. And he knows it.


CHIEFS (3-3) AT TITANS (4-2) — 1:00pm ET CBS

Favorite: Kansas City (-5.5) O/U: 57

This matchup has turned into a quiet rivalry in the AFC during the last few seasons. Fun fact: The Chiefs have beaten the Titans only once in their last five meetings and it was the 2019 AFC Championship game that advanced them to Super Bowl LIV. Vrabel’s Titans are coming off of a monster win against the seemingly unstoppable Buffalo Bills on Monday night. They’ll look to stun the league again by beating a Chiefs team that, despite a convincing road win against the Washington Football Team, has looked vulnerable in all three phases of the game. Mahomes and the Chiefs offense are turning the ball over at an alarming rate. Even if Julio Jones can’t return from his injury in time to play, it’s still a very close matchup. Key to victory for the Chiefs? Stopping the human wrecking ball known as Derrick Henry. Whether they can remains to be seen. The best defense in the NFL couldn’t do it last week and allowed the Henry express 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Henry has the 9th most rush yards by any player through his team’s first six games in NFL history.

DFS Player to Watch: Derrick Henry | RB | $9,200 DraftKings | $11,000 FanDuel

We’re not in love with his price so feel free to ignore this play unless you’ve made room in your salary cap with other bargains. Salary aside, he meets all other criteria for an elite DFS running back play. He’s the undisputed RB1 with 32% more points than the next closest RB. Opposing teams rarely have an answer for him and KC is no exception. The Chiefs run defense is the most suspect in the NFL so you can bet Vrabel will get Henry as many touches as possible to keep Mahomes off the field.


FALCONS (2-3) AT DOLPHINS (1-5) — 1:00pm ET FOX

Favorite: Atlanta (-2.5) O/U: 47.5

While the Falcons are 2-3 and not a legitimate threat in the NFC, they do have pockets of talent, at least offensively. The Dolphins? Many, including yours truly, pegged them for a playoff berth this year after barely missing the playoffs last year at 10-6. The fins now find themselves 1-5 on the season and running out of excuses. The reality is, the Dolphins are a broken football team on both sides of the ball. They’ll have their hands full against a visiting Falcons who’s coming off a bye and itching to go 0.500.

DFS Player to Watch: Matt Ryan | QB | $5,700 DraftKings | $7,300 FanDuel

Matt Ryan may not be the hot ticket QB from years past but he can still chuck it (342 yards last game) and is getting into a groove. He’s got his top two receivers back this week and faces a Dolphins secondary that allows the 3rd most FPs to receivers.


JETS (1-4) AT PATRIOTS (2-4) — 1:00pm ET CBS

Favorite: New England (-7) O/U: 42.5

The Jets are coming off a much needed bye and the Pats are coming off of a brutal, hard-fought loss against the Cowboys. While we’ve repeatedly said that division games are tougher to predict, there’s no question here that the Patriots are the better coached and more talented team. This Pats team has shown incredible fight and tenacity behind the growth of Mac Jones. With home field advantage, he presents a tough matchup for one of the worst defenses in football.

DFS Player to Watch: Kendrick Bourne | WR | $4,400 DraftKings | $5,300 FanDuel

Kendrick Bourne ripped off one of the more electrifying plays of week 6 with his 75-yard touchdown against the Cowboys. He’s still one of the NFL’s more underrated receivers, but make no mistake, he has some of the most reliable hands in the game. Bourne has the speed to rack up serious yards after the catch, and the Pats will likely try to keep him engaged this week.


PANTHERS (3-3) AT GIANTS (1-5) — 1:00pm ET FOX

Favorite: Carolina (-3) O/U: 43

The Panthers and Giants have been struggling defensively in the worst way as of late. Their offenses haven’t been the talk of the league either. Unfortunately for Carolina, Christian McCaffrey won’t return from injury until November 7 most likely. The Panthers are the healthier team overall, however. They’ll have the upper hand against a struggling Giants defense and a QB who threw 3 INTs and mustered just 7.1 FPs last week.

DFS Player to Watch: Sam Darnold | QB | $5,900 DraftKings | $7,700 FanDuel

Sam Darnold’s yardage this season has been solid but his touchdown to INT ratio (6/6) leave a lot to be desired. Still, he should be able to pick apart one of the worst secondaries in the league—with the aid of WRs D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson.


BENGALS (4-2) AT RAVENS (5-1) — 1:00pm ET CBS

Favorite: Baltimore (-6) O/U: 47

This is the first of two matchups between the leaders of the AFC north. It’s a key test of how legitimate the Bengals really are. The Ravens dismantled the (formerly?) AFC elite Chargers. They’ll keep riding the wave of momentum following a thrilling 19-point comeback from the week before. Meanwhile, the Bengals look to be ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Joe Burrow (2.5 TDs per game) and Ja’Marr Chase (WR5) continue to build confidence with every passing week.

DFS Player to Watch: Tee Higgins | WR | $4,900 DraftKings | $6,100 FanDuel

Tee Higgins is not a name brand to most, but he’s averaging almost 15 yards per reception this year. Higgins has proven he’s a reliable receiver and at $4,900 he presents good value, playing 70% of snaps and drawing 1 in 5 targets. His numbers on the season are nothing to write home about (194 yards, 2 TDs), but this week he could be a legit red zone threat.



Sunday, Oct. 24th (Afternoon Slate)


EAGLES (2-4) AT RAIDERS (4-2) — 4:05pm ET FOX

Favorite: Oakland (-3) O/U: 49.

The Eagles continue to fight tooth and nail against every opponent but it still isn’t enough. Jalen Hurts looks the part of an NFL QB with a median of 25 FPs per in his last four games, but he lacks a consistent supporting cast. The Eagles defense has coughed up an average of 25 points through six weeks and the Eagles have prevailed in only two of those contests. The Raiders, on the other hand, are coming of a major rally against the Broncos, logging their first win in the post-Gruden era. And they won in convincing fashion behind a defense that picked off Bridgewater three times. If the Raiders can duplicate their offensive output week in and week out, they’re playoff bound. The Eagles are not.

DFS Player to Watch: Josh Jacobs | RB | $6,200 DraftKings | $6,900 FanDuel

Philly’s biggest weakness is its run-D, offering up over 28 points a game to RBs. Jacobs gets two-thirds of the snaps, should be good for 3+ catches and is becoming more consistent. At $5,500, he should at least 3x his salary.

LIONS (0-6) AT RAMS (5-1) — 4:05pm ET FOX

Favorite: Los Angeles (-15) O/U: 50.5

This one could get ugly for the Motor City cats. The Rams thoroughly dismantled the Giants last week and they’ll continue their hot streak against the only winless team left, the hapless Lions. This is one of those mismatches where the mission of the Lions should be to escape LA with as few injuries as possible. The elephant in the room of course is Matt Stafford. He faces off against his former team of thirteen years. Stafford will no doubt look to put on a show against the organization that drafted him 1st overall back in 2008. His opponent, former Rams QB Jared Goff, could also rise to the occasion, however, in what could be an emotional revenge battle.

DFS Player to Watch: Darrell Henderson | RB | $6,600 DraftKings | $8,000 FanDuel

Darrell Henderson (RB13) has been fairly consistent with 372 rushing yards on the season and four touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.6 yards a carry and, if the Rams pull out to a big lead, should get a bunch of junk yards in the fourth quarter.



TEXANS (1-5) AT CARDINALS (6-0) — 4:25pm ET CBS

Favorite: Arizona (-17.5) O/U: 47.5

The Texans continue to race to the bottom of the league in pursuit of the first overall pick. The Cardinals, on the other hand, look virtually unbeatable. There are few locks in the NFL week to week, but this is about as locked up as a blown piston. WR Brandin Cooks aside, the Texans simply don’t have the players or coaching to counter the rain of offense the Cardinals will shower them in.

DFS Player to Watch: Christian Kirk | WR | $5,300 DraftKings | $6,200 FanDuel

Christian Kirk is out there for almost 3 in 4 snaps, amid a crowded Arizona Cardinals offense featuring DeAndre Hopkins, AJ Green and now Zach Ertz. His value isn’t as high as Hopkins, but Kirk (with 8 targets last week) has ample opportunity against Houston’s subpar coverage unit.


BEARS (3-3) AT BUCCANEERS (5-1) — 4:25pm ET CBS

Favorite: Tampa Bay (-12.5) O/U: 47

The Bears suffered yet another loss at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at home. Outside of a few splash plays here and there, Justin Fields and the Bears offense looked out of their depth against a banged up Packers defense. Now they get the brutal task of facing off against the red hot Buccaneers down in the relentless heat and humidity of Tampa. For any chance at an upset, the Bears 11th ranked pass rush must fluster Brady and QB Fields must take advantage of the Buccaneers’ banged up secondary (don’t hold your breath). Brady and the Buccaneers are playing at a supremely high level, however, so don’t pound the Bears moneyline this week. Stat fact: Brady completed 81% of his 40 pass attempts last week against the Eagles. Impressive.

DFS Player to Watch: Chris Godwin | WR | $5,900 DraftKings | $6,700 FanDuel

Chris Godwin is an NFL talent who’s long overdue for a big game. He was held under 50 yards last week for the first time this season. That shouldn’t happen this week against the 3rd worst coverage unit in the NFL, as graded by PFF. While his numbers in the last five games haven’t been impressive (304 yards and one touchdown), he’s still getting enough receptions to be relevant. Patience with him will pay off.

Sunday, Oct. 24th (Late Slate)

COLTS (2-4) AT 49ERS (2-3) — 8:20pm ET NBC

Favorite: San Francisco (-4) O/U: 43

The 49ers are coming back from their bye week with urgency to get back in the win column. They’ve suffered three straight losses while the Colts put on a show last week against the Texans. Carson Wentz (223 yards and two touchdowns last week) will look to build on this momentum against a battered and bruised 49ers team. The question is, can QB Jimmy Garoppolo exploit the Colts shaky secondary in his first game back since a week 5 calf injury, with TE Kittle out this week?

DFS Player to Watch: Deebo Samuel | WR | $7,300 DraftKings | $8.000 FanDuel

Deebo Samuel (WR8) has been nothing short of electric all year. With his body getting two weeks of rest and less competition for targets, he could light up the Colt’s bottom-5 coverage unit.

Monday, Oct. 25th

SAINTS (3-2) AT SEAHAWKS (2-4) — 8:15pm ET ESPN

Favorite: New Orleans (-5) O/U: 43

The Seahawks put up a valiant effort last week against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Alas, they still fell short of the victory due to sloppy play early and a fumble in OT by Geno Smith. The Saints are coming off a bye and will look to attack Seattle’s porous secondary, one that’s allowed over 400 yards of offense, not including the game against the Steelers. The Saints have played inconsistently throughout the year, but this is a matchup where they can prove their worth. On offense the Saints should readily move the ball down field behind the arm of Jameis Winston and the legs of Alvin Kamara, and defensively the Saints pass rush and secondary should be able to keep Geno Smith and the receiver tandem of Metcalf and Lockett in relative check as well.

DFS Player to Watch: Jameis Winston | QB | $5,900 DraftKings | $7,500 FanDuel

Jameis Winston threw for 4 TDs in his last game but, much like the Saints, has proven to be quite inconsistent. But for those in need of a QB with a favorable matchup, look no further than Winston. Sean Payton will have plenty of big-time plays ready for Winston against an underperforming secondary that coughs up the 4th most fantasy points to WRs.


About the Author: Steven A. Cravens has been a professional sports better and analyst for over a decade. As a former Fox Sports NFL researcher and data logger, he specialized in player profiling and performance statistics.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all fantasy stats are based on point per reception (PPR) scoring.

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