Upgrades For Week 7 Quarterback Rankings: CJ Stroud, Jordan Love & More

Let's get into the Week 7 QB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of …

Favorable betting factors and situational spots
Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)

For process notes regarding this series, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my Week 7 favorites and fades.

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Week 7 Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player
1	Brock Purdy
2	Jordan Love
3	Drake Maye
4	Jared Goff
5	Caleb Williams
6	Matthew Stafford
7	Joe Burrow
8	C.J. Stroud
9	Dak Prescott
10	Bryce Young
11	Patrick Mahomes
12	Kyler Murray
13	Tyler Shough
14	Kirk Cousins
15	Geno Smith
16	Lamar Jackson
17	Baker Mayfield
18	Aaron Rodgers
19	Bo Nix
20	Deshaun Watson

Week 7 Matchup Upgrades: Jordan Love at Lions & Tanner McKee vs. Cowboys

There are a few "flow chart" defenses so bad that they provide automatic upgrades to whatever QBs they face. If a guy is playing one of them, I aggressively move him up my ranks. If not, I carry on.

Based on the numbers I see in our Fantasy Life DvP (Defense vs. Position) Matrix as well as RBs Don't Matter and FTN, the Lions and Cowboys are two of the biggest flow chart defenses for QBs.

Lions: No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (27.4)
Cowboys: No. 32 in defensive dropback EPA (0.327)

Bang a gong.

Jordan Love (Packers) at Lions: For the season, Love has been notably unexceptional (59.7% completion rate, 7.6 AY/A), but over the past two games he has gotten right (23.2 fantasy points per game, 643 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT with 5-18-1 rushing). Last year, he was lethal in his two games against the Lions (20.8 fantasy points per game, 422 yards passing, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 10.4 AY/A). The Lions are off the bye, they've had the No. 2 home-field advantage over the past five years (+7.69, per NFElo) and Love tends to underwhelm on the road (12-18-1 ATS, -23.0% ROI), but divisional road dogs tend to be sharp (749-641-37 ATS, 4.6% ROI), and HC Matt LaFleur has outperformed as a dog of at least a field goal (18-6-2 ATS, 39.8% ROI, per Action Network). Additionally, the Lions are dealing with injuries to SS Brian Branch (Achilles, PUP), FS Kerby Joseph (knee, PUP), No. 3 S Avonte Maddox (foot, IR) and No. 4 S Thomas Harper (ankle, IR).

Tanner McKee (Eagles) vs. Cowboys: Starter Jalen Hurts (calf, IR) is out, and in his absence last week McKee was serviceable (12.6 fantasy points, 215 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INTs with 1-0-0 rushing). That might not sound great, but against the Cowboys, a serviceable QB can approach near-elite production. I don't love that HC Nick Sirianni has been hilariously incompetent as a home dog (1-7 ATS, -76.1% ROI): I expect the Philly faithful to boo the team by halftime. But the Cowboys are on their fifth away game in seven weeks, whereas the Eagles are on their third home game in four weeks. In the back seven, the Cowboys are without SS Jalen Thompson (hamstring, IR) and No. 3 S P.J. Locke (foot, IR) and could also be without LBs Dee Winters (ankle) and DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring). This might be the most disgusting thing I ever say: I'd consider starting McKee in Guillotine Leagues^TM this week.

Week 7 Scoring Upgrades: Brock Purdy at Falcons & C.J. Stroud vs. Giants

Sometimes upgrades are as simple as: "This team is going to score a lot of points, so I need to bump up the QB."

This week, the 49ers are No. 4 in implied team total (26.5 points); the Texans, No. 5 (26.0).

Upgrades warranted.

Brock Purdy (49ers) at Falcons: The setup isn't great. The 49ers are on a one-day deficit off Monday Night Football. They're traveling across the country for an early 1 pm ET kickoff. And the Falcons are on their third straight game at home, where they have a boosted edge because they're outside division, on turf (vs. grass) and indoors (vs. outdoors). For the season, Purdy has played at an MVP level in terms of both pure production (22.6 fantasy points per game, 1,460 yards passing, 14 TDs, 2 INTs with 30-156-1 rushing) and elite efficiency (69.6% completion rate, 9.6 AY/A). I expect that to continue now against the Falcons, who could be without four defensive starters in LBs Divine Deablo (arm) and Kendal Daniels (neck), and CBs C.J. Henderson (groin) and Billy Bowman (hamstring).

C.J. Stroud (Texans) vs. Giants: Stroud's first few games were rather mellow (15.1 fantasy points per game), but overall he's enjoying a bounceback season (65.3% completion rate, 8.4 AY/A), and his past three games have been legitimately great (22.7 fantasy points per game, 920 yards passing, 6 TDs, 1 INT with 9-22-1 rushing). Although the Texans are coming off the London game and have traveled more than any other team over the past month (10,609 miles), they're at least at home. The Giants are No. 5 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+2.9), they're without EDGE Brian Burns (knee, IR) and CB Paulson Adebo (knee, IR), and they could be down four more defensive starters in LB Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder), CBs Greg Newsome (concussion) and Colton Hood (concussion), and SS Tyler Nubin (neck).

Week 7 Indoors Upgrades: Matthew Stafford at Raiders & Bo Nix at Cardinals

In general, I want to be heavy on QBs playing indoors, where they don't need to worry about wind, temperature and precipitation. Here are two such QBs who stand out.

Matthew Stafford (Rams) at Raiders: On the one hand, the Rams have lost their past two games despite being at home, and now they're on the road, where the Raiders have a boosted home-field advantage because they're outside division and conference. Both teams play on turf. On the other hand, Stafford has still been productive in that timeframe (22.1 fantasy points per game, 605 yards passing, 5 TDs, 0 INTs), HC Sean McVay has traditionally been strong off a loss (33-19-3 ATS, 21.4% ROI), and the Raiders are No. 5 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (20.4).

Bo Nix (Broncos) at Cardinals: If you've read this series even a little bit, you know that Nix was maybe the most ardent of my 2026 fantasy fades entering the season, and frankly I feel vindicated. Nix has been neither productive (12.1 fantasy points per game, 1,049 yards passing, 6 TDs, 3 INTs) nor efficient (60.3% completion rate, 5.5 AY/A). The one good thing he has going for him is that he's the No. 5 QB in designed rush share (9%, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report), but even then, he's not doing much of anything on the ground (22-37-1 rushing). So the fact that I'm actually highlighting him now as a fantasy favorite should mean something. Coming off Thursday Night Football, the Broncos have a three-day edge, which I believe HC Sean Payton will utilize as he continues to reestablish himself as the playcaller after OC Davis Webb's rough audition. Additionally, the Cardinals are No. 30 in defensive dropback EPA (0.283), they're without No. 1 CB Will Johnson (neck, IR), and they might not have FS Andrew Wingard (knee).

Week 7 Cluster Injury Upgrades: Geno Smith vs. Dolphins & Aaron Rodgers vs. Saints

Here are a couple QBs who get upgrades because of defensive cluster injuries.

Geno Smith (Jets) vs. Dolphins: I'm not quite sure how to say this … Smith hasn't been terrible this year (68.9% completion rate, 8.1 AY/A). He hasn't been prolific (13.8 fantasy points per game, 1,336 yards passing, 7 TDs, 1 INT with 20-42-0 rushing), but he has been better than competent, and against the Dolphins, who are No. 31 in defensive dropback EPA (0.284), defensive dropback SR (53.6%), and defensive pass DVOA (34.5%), that could translate into meaningful production. The Dolphins are coming off the bye, but they could be missing four defensive starters in EDGE Robert Beal (hamstring), CBs Julius Brents (neck) and Reese Taylor (quadriceps), and SS Michael Taaffe (chest).

Aaron Rodgers (Steelers) vs. Saints (in Paris): Despite struggling with his efficiency (61.4% completion rate, 6.4 AY/A), contributing almost nothing as a runner (9-17-0 rushing on 0% designed rush share, 1% scramble rate, 0% goal-line rush share), and losing WRs Michael Pittman (foot, IR) and Roman Wilson (finger, IR), Rodgers has been usable this year (17.4 fantasy points per game, 1,487 yards passing, 12 TDs, 5 INTs), especially over the past month (21.7 fantasy points per game, 1,079 yards passing, 11 TDs, 4 INTs). At Stade de France, the Steelers have more of an edge because they play on a similar grass surface in a similar outdoor stadium. The Saints are No. 28 in defensive dropback SR (50.8%), and they're injured at all levels of the defense: DT Bryan Bresee (knee, IR) is out, and DT Nathan Shepherd (illness), LB Kaden Elliss (calf), and CBs Kool-Aid McKinstry (migraine) and Quincy Riley (neck) might sit.

Notes

Week 7 Favorites & Fades: Here's the full series.

Introduction
QB Favorites
QB Fades
RB Favorites
RB Fades
WR Favorites
WR Fades
TE Favorites
TE Fades

Byes: This week, the Bills, Jaguars, Commanders, and Chargers are off.

Market Odds: As of Tuesday morning.

Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Monday and Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings schedule.