4 NFL FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 7

Spending your available salary in any DFS lineup on a stud can make or break your lineup. These high-salaried players will take up the majority of your budget, so it’s critical to carefully consider which ones you’ll want for each slate. Whether it’s trying to capture a safe floor in a cash game or chasing a huge game to help you win a tournament, nailing the expensive players is one of the keys to making winning NFL lineups on FanDuel.

Week 7 has some of the elite studs we normally love to roster on bye, but we still have some options who should be great in our lineups on Sunday.

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $8,100
Projected Points 22.4

We all saw Justin Herbert on Monday night, and it wasn't a pretty sight. It was just the second time in 38 career starts that he didn't throw a touchdown. He also threw 57 times but only for 238 yards.

This week, he should bounce back with a good performance.

Herbert hasn't hit the heights of last season when he was fantasy's QB2 overall. He still ranks eighth but has only hit a season high of 24.46 FanDuel points.

He has missed Keenan Allen at wide receiver since Week 1, but Allen is expected to practice this week. Getting back an intermediate target like Allen is what this offense needs, especially with the offensive line struggling as it has. Luckily, he'll get one of the best matchups possible this week.

The Los Angeles Chargers will play the Seattle Seahawks in the main slate's highest total game of the week (51.5). The Seahawks' pass defense hasn't been able to stop many opponents this season. They rank 31st in schedule-adjusted pass defense, per numberFire's metrics, and 28th in adjusted fantasy points allowed per drop back.

This could be the Herbert eruption game that fantasy players have been waiting for, and his outlook would improve if Allen is back. The Chargers have the highest implied team total on the slate (29.0), which further suggests that Herbert will be able to produce a top fantasy score.

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

FanDuel Salary: $9,200
Projected Points: 19.5

Derrick Henry got off to a rough start this season. He couldn't clear 8.5 fantasy points in either of the first two games, which had many people writing him off. But he's now exceeded 22 FanDuel points in each of the last three games, and he has a chance to have another big game this week.

What's made Henry a fantasy monster in recent years has been a ton of rushing attempts, along with big-play ability and a near monopoly of red zone touches. That has been the blueprint for his recent stretch of solid performances. He has over 20 carries in each game and has totaled four touchdowns. The only fair criticism of Henry in fantasy has been his lack of targets in the passing game, but he has 13 targets in the last three games, too.

Henry and the Tennessee Titans are going up against the Indianapolis Colts for already the second time this season. In their first meeting, Henry had 114 yards and a touchdown on the ground to go with 3 catches for 33 yards. The Colts are allowing 21.6 FanDuel points per game to opposing backs, ranking as the 10th-worst team in that category.

Tennessee is a 2.5-point favorite in this game, which could lead to a nice game script for Henry. The big dog is our highest projected running back on the slate and has the upside needed to be rostered in tournaments.

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Projected Points: 15.6

After a rookie season for the ages, Ja'Marr Chase is following it up with a very good sophomore campaign. He is the WR5 by half-PPR scoring and is coming off a big Week 6. He'll look to continue that momentum over to Week 7.

Chase lit up the New Orleans Saints for 132 yards and 2 scores last week. He saw 10 targets, making this the fifth time in six games that he's seen at least 9 targets. He's being utilized even more this season than last, seeing both a higher target share and air yards share. Chase is also leading the league in red zone targets for wideouts.

He took advantage of an injured Saints secondary and could do the same against a banged-up defense this week.

The Cincinnati Bengals are at home against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons rank 19th in adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to receivers this season and now are dealing with injuries on defense. Casey Hayward was placed on IR, and A.J. Terrell left last week's game early. If they are down both of these cornerbacks, it will be tough to slow down a receiver like Chase.

Cincinnati's implied team total ranks third on the slate. We know that Chase has slate-breaking upside as we saw a few times last season. Against an Atlanta team that really struggles to rush the passer, Joe Burrow and Chase might be able to connect like they are back in college.

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Projected Points: 14.8

This season at tight end, there are only two true studs. We talked about Travis Kelce last week, so we'll have to talk about Mark Andrews this week. He had two fewer yards than Kelce in Week 6 but was the only one of the two who found the end zone.

Andrews' usage numbers are ridiculous for a tight end. He has an absurd 33.1% of the team's targets and 39.3% of their air yards. He is also fourth in the league in red zone targets and second in red zone touchdowns. Andrews has seen double-digit targets in four of six games, which should continue if his competition for targets remains in flux.

The Baltimore Ravens are playing a Cleveland Browns team that has been struggling of late. They are 17th in adjusted fantasy points per target to tight ends and have struggled in general against the pass, ranking 28th by our numbers. They haven't faced the toughest tight ends in the league but allowed a touchdown to Hunter Henry from Bailey Zappe last week.

Baltimore will look to get back on track after a rough loss last week, and this is the perfect spot to do it. They have a 26.0-point team total, and Andrews should be heavily involved in getting them toward that total. If you can fit him into lineups, he's a great tournament play this week.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.