Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings Early Look: Josh Jacobs Returns

It's time to either prepare for your playoff push or hit the panic button. Week 7 is here, and the margin for error is getting smaller as the fantasy season forges along. Let's dive into the first run of Week 7 fantasy football rankings to highlight a handful of standouts—sorted by position—to prep us for the week.

Teams on bye: Bills, Chargers, Commanders, Jaguars

Early Standouts In The Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings

Tanner McKee | Eagles | QB11

I never imagined I'd be writing about Tanner McKee, let alone in Week 7, but here we are. With Jalen Hurts sidelined for the season, McKee is set to start from here on out and finds himself as a back-end QB1 in his second game as a starter.

McKee wasn't anything special in Week 6, but did get off 45 pass attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown. He's basically a zero in the rushing department, logging only one attempt for zero yards, but it might not matter against the Cowboys in Week 7. Their +2.4-point fantasy boost to QBs ranks as the 7th-highest mark in the league, and he may once again be operating with a less-than-100% backfield.

If desperate due to byes, you could do worse than McKee on the Week 7 waiver wire.

Josh Jacobs | Packers | RB18

It was reported last week that Josh Jacobs was being removed from the Commissioner's Exempt List on Monday (October 19th, 2026), and, while we don't have direct confirmation that he's playing, HC Matt LaFleur said, "We feel like he's in a pretty good spot. He's been training, but he's missed exposure to football".

If there's a backfield that needs help, it's the Packers'. MarShawn Lloyd has averaged only 2.54 yards per carry this season and was most recently unseated by *checks notes* Pierre Strong. Kaleb Johnson hasn't been able to expand his role, and Chris Brooks finds himself on IR.

While Jacobs himself showed signs of regression last season, he's not even in the same realm as the aforementioned trio and gets to potentially make his debut in a divisional game versus the Lions' porous defense with a projected 53.5-point game total. If he's active, he's a lineup lock.

Matthew Golden | Packers | WR8

Sticking with the Packers, no wide receiver has climbed the ranks in 2026 more than Matthew Golden. His target share is up to 26% on the season after a 33% share in Week 6, and he's running 86% of the routes with a 14.9-yard aDOT.

He's posted a trio of WR1 (top-12) finishes over the last four weeks (WR7, WR37, WR11, WR5), and now gets to tee off against a Lions secondary allowing the second-biggest fantasy boost (+6.4 points) to the WR position.

Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff.

Carnell Tate | Titans | WR22

I'll admit I've been almost too bearish on Carnell Tate this season due to the offensive environment in Tennessee, but his utilization has been too good to ignore.

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Over his last three games, he's ranked as the WR20 in half-PPR scoring, posting a 77 Utilization score with a gaudy 29% target share and 0.27 targets per route run. The only week he struggled was against a stout Texans defense and Derek Stingley Jr.

While it's still hard to trust Cam Ward, Tate should see strong utilization in a slightly advantageous matchup against a Browns secondary allowing a 0.5-point fantasy boost to opposing wideouts, making him a strong low-end WR2 with four teams on a bye.

George Kittle | 49ers | TE2

Finding Kittle among the top three or four tight ends is no surprise, but it is a bit surprising to see him ranked above Trey McBride in Week 7; the logic is sound.

First, his matchup is better, as the Falcons have been a pass funnel this season, giving up a +0.3-point fantasy boost to tight ends. Second, he's the only starting pass catcher in San Francisco still standing ... seriously. With Mike Evans going down and expected to miss time with Achilles tendinitis, the pass catchers are led by Brandin Cooks and Jacob Cowing.

Week 6 gave us a glimpse of what to expect, as Kittle posted season highs in target share (29%), targets per route run (0.29), air yards (36%), and Utilization Score (96). With a trio of top-5 TE finishes in the last four weeks, Kittle has overall TE1 upside as long as Evans remains sidelined.