Back to the tape. Last week Jonathan Taylor smashed Arizona, which was a clean hit. Puka Nacua didn’t do anything vs. Baltimore, and then went down injured. Drake Maye delivered but it was mostly to Kayshon Boutte, not Stefon Diggs. Miami didn’t slow Justin Herbert. Baker Mayfield showed out while Mac Jones lagged.
We are on to the next.
Five new tales on deck: Dallas pass catchers can eat together. A rookie Jag’s usage keeps climbing. Miami’s run defense is leaking and a hammer is rolling in. Mahomes gets his guy back in Kansas City. Saquon is the spark Philadelphia needs.
Let’s get to the takes.
Chiefs get their WR1 back
The Tale: Rashee Rice comes back to an offense that’s humming again with Patrick Mahomes playing at that alien level where windows look bigger and timing looks earlier.
Kansas City still doesn’t have a traditional alpha wideout. That’s fine. Rice was their chain‑moving, YAC‑hunting answer last season before the knee shut it down. He works the slants, glance routes, whip routes, quick ins, then turns a short throw into a chunk. That’s exactly where this matchup lives.
The Raiders invite underneath completions, then miss tackles when you make them work in space. They’ve been leaking points, and when teams punch first, the Raiders rarely counter. If you want a high‑confidence runway for a returning receiver, give me a fragile secondary paired with Mahomes’ best yards‑per‑attempt clip since his breakout. That’s jet fuel.
Kansas City can’t lean on a dominant run game right now. When Andy Reid wants efficiency on early downs he uses the quick game as his rushes. That funnels touches to Rice. Short aDOT doesn’t mean low ceiling in this spot. It means 8-10 high‑percentage targets with room to build bonus yards after the catch. Xavier Worthy’s speed stresses the corners vertically, Travis Kelce draws safety attention and Rice feasts on the space those two create.
Reports say Rice is in line for a heavy workload right away. The six‑week ramp-up buys us confidence in the knee and in the conditioning. We’re betting on role over rust, synergy over speculation.
You want bold. Here it is: The Raiders have been tagged by good passing offenses, and Mahomes is dealing. Rice slides right back into the money area of the field, catches rhythm throws, then punishes pursuit angles. If Kansas City lives in the red area, Rice is the first read on the quick hitters we love.
The Take: Top‑10 WR this week with nine-plus targets and a touchdown against Las Vegas.
Quinshon Judkins finally has his day
The Tale: Quinshon Judkins looks like the kind of back who breaks a defense’s will, and Miami has been volunteering. Through six weeks, the Dolphins have coughed up 1,076 rushing yards to running backs, an outrageous 179.3 per game. Over the last four games, they have yielded 6.28 yards per carry to the position. This front seven is losing at first contact and the second level is arriving late. For the season, they have allowed 3.72 yards before contact. Now they get a fresh tank in Judkins.
This is the runway you draw up for a blow‑up.
Cleveland’s identity tilts toward its rookie star. With the passing game still searching for itself under Dillon Gabriel, the cleanest path to victory is to hand it to the best player and live in favorable down and distance. Judkins has eight runs of 10-plus yards already and he sits seventh in rushing yards over expectation at 144. The film matches the data. He strings together tackle attempts and converts glancing blows into forward grind. No wasted motion. No dancing. Just downhill intent.
We do not need trickery here. We need a heavy dose of inside zone, duo, counter, toss crack to stress perimeter force, then back between the tackles. If Cleveland builds a lead, Judkins can stack volume late against a defense that has bled explosive plays all month.
Miami has been a trampoline for running back ceilings. Judkins is next up.
The Take: Judkins smashes Miami for a top‑five RB finish in Week 7.
Jaguars make Travis Hunter the read
The Tale: Week 6 gave us the first real signal that Travis Hunter’s role is settling in on offense. He hit a season‑high in offensive snaps at 78% and a season‑high route rate at 88%. He finished second on the team with seven targets behind Brian Thomas Jr. and still played roughly 40% of the snaps on defense. That two‑way usage is wild, but the offensive arrow is pointing up. The Jaguars' head coach, Liam Coen, has talked about getting Hunter involved early as the primary read and using his speed to threaten downfield. That’s the plan we want heading into a neutral‑site game where Jacksonville is comfortable operating its scripted offense.
The production hasn’t matched the talent yet, which is why the market is restless; I get it. Still, the usage is exactly what you bank on when you’re looking for a startable WR. More routes, more snaps, more designed touches. Hunter is 57th among wideouts with 50-plus routes in target rate, but volume trends first, efficiency and fantasy scoring follow. If the Jaguars lean into tempo and let Coen dial up early down shots, Hunter’s target quality jumps along with the count.
I’m not trying to sell a 150‑yard eruption. I’m betting on a clean, bankable role with a path to spike plays. The kid’s a playmaker. Stop playing around with the other guys and make sure Hunter is peppered with targets along with one or two schemed shots, then let his after‑catch juice do the rest.
The Take: Top‑36 WR for Week 7, back in fantasy relevance.
Room for two in Big D
The Tale: Everyone wants to make this an either‑or, but with the Cowboys offense, the answer can be both. George Pickens has been on a heater with CeeDee Lamb sidelined, and the best part is, it did not look forced. Over the last three weeks, Pickens has 26 targets, 16 first downs, 359 yards, four touchdowns, 125 yards after the catch and a 154.6 rating when targeted. In four games without Lamb, he owned a 34.1% first‑read share and averaged 24.2 fantasy points per game, the most in that span. That is big-dog work. Still, Lamb remains the No. 1 in this offense, but his impending return does not slam a door on Pickens.
It widens the hallway.
Dak Prescott is playing at an elite level. The ball is coming out on time, the pocket movement is clean and the route menu that clicked without Lamb still translates with his expected return. Pickens has been cashing on outs and in‑breakers and he has shown he can win on slants and go balls when Dak gives him a chance outside the numbers. Lamb is the better crosser and screen player. Those skill sets complement each other, not overlap. You can live in two‑receiver sets that stress different parts of the field, then layer play‑action and motion to create free access. The first two games together looked like two stars feeling out the call sheet.
Lamb's injury accelerated the learning curve. Now, they plug it all back in with answers.
Matchup helps, too. The Washington Commanders' defense is 10th-worst against the pass and allows the sixth-most yards per attempt. That is a green light for Dak to keep ripping. If Dallas sustains drives there is enough volume for double‑digit targets to be shared across its top two options. The Cowboys are incentivized to make this partnership sing. The tape says they already found the notes.
The Take: Both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb (if active) finish as top‑20 WRs in Week 7.
Back to Saquon ball
The Tale: It has not been the start we expected after Saquon Barkley’s magical 2024, but this is the week Philadelphia resets its identity. The Vikings are allowing 132 rushing yards per game, ninth most in the league. That is a defense you test early and often with gap schemes and duo, then punish with mid‑zone when linebackers overplay. Getting Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson back at practice matters. If he goes, the run fits look cleaner and the doubles move people at the point of attack.
The last two weeks snitched on the Eagles. Those were Saquon’s lowest rushing attempt totals of the season and the only two losses on the schedule. Against Denver, they flipped the script to 38 throws and only 11 team rushes. That is not how this offense wants to live.
Philadelphia averages the third-fewest passing yards per game this year. When they win, they control tempo and lean into their bell cow. Barkley’s vision and acceleration through second‑level creases are still there. What has been missing is commitment. Once the ground game lands, Jalen Hurts can build play‑action off it, which makes the boxes even lighter for Barkley. If the Eagles grab an early lead, the fourth quarter belongs to No. 26 — and that is where the explosive runs stack in a hurry.
We are not chasing hope. We are reading the tea leaves. Give Saquon 20-plus touches, mix in a couple screens to keep the front honest and let him set the tone.
Philly needs a get‑right game. It starts with their All‑Pro back.
The Take: Top‑10 RB for Week 7. Saquon day.
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