Fantasy Football Rankings Risers & Fallers For Week 7: Woody Marks, Omar Cooper & More

There’s a saying in poker: it’s better to win late than win early. The same can be said in fantasy football. From a weekly standpoint, the rankings leading into kickoff are far more important than the rankings early in the week. We get more information as the week progresses, with the final piece of news dropping when inactives are officially announced.

We got our first big wave of news with the Friday injury reports. A handful of big-name players were ruled out, while others appear poised for returns. This results in a definite shake-up in the Week 7 fantasy football rankings.

Let’s dive into some of the biggest movers.

Risers In The Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings

Woody Marks, RB, HOU

The pickings are slim at running back in Houston. David Montgomery is expected to miss his second straight game with a groin injury. Additionally, Jawhar Jordan was placed on IR after last week’s contest vs. the Jaguars. Jordan looked good in his limited action, averaging 7.2 yards per carry on a 26% carry share, so his absence is not insignificant.

It leaves just Marks and Dare Ogunbowale to handle the RB responsibilities vs. the Giants. That could result in Marks being an extremely busy man. Ogunbowale has played primarily on special teams this season, posting just a 2% snap share for the year.

Marks has been the Texans’ clear lead back over the past two weeks following the injury to Montgomery, but his carry share was capped at 61% in both contests. He could see a bigger step forward in that department in Week 7, to go with his pass-catching potential out of the backfield.

The game script also figures to be favorable for Marks. The Texans are listed as 10.5-point favorites, with the Giants set to start J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. Houston is still hungry for wins, so expect them to take New York seriously. They should build a lead as long as that’s the case, and Marks is the most likely candidate to chew the clock in the second half. He’s ultimately an RB2 with RB1 upside.

Konata Mumpfield, WR, LAR

We knew the Rams were going to be thin at receiver this week. Davante Adams suffered a hamstring injury vs. the Cardinals and is expected to miss the next 6-10 weeks. Add in the injury to Terrance Ferguson, and it left the Rams without two of their top three pass-catchers.

That said, things are poised to go from bad to worse. Puka Nacua suffered a calf injury on Thursday and was unable to practice on Friday. The team is still listing him as questionable, and they reportedly won't make a final decision on him until after pre-game warmups. But players who sit on Friday very rarely suit up on Sunday. Maybe the Rams make an exception for their star receiver, but I’m prepping for him to be unavailable.

It makes Mumpfield an interesting “break glass in case of emergency” WR3 or flex. Mumpfield posted a 75% route participation in his last game without Nacua, and that was with Adams still available. That number could get up closer to 100% if Nacua is unable to go vs. the Raiders. Mumpfield also finished with 17.3 fantasy points in Week 3, good for a WR11 finish.

Mumpfield’s final viability won’t be determined until Nacua is officially ruled out. At a minimum, he’s the perfect bench stash for those who are already rostering the Rams’ top receiver. It allows you to keep the door open for Nacua, and you can pivot to Mumpfield if he’s ultimately inactive.

Cade Otton, TE, TB

The Buccaneers are another team with some targets up for grabs this week. Emeka Egbuka leads the team with a 27% target share, and he has ultimately been ruled out vs. the Panthers.

While guys like Chris Godwin and Ted Hurst are becoming interesting targets at receiver, Otton might get the biggest bump. He’s second on the team with a 14% target share this season, and we’ve seen Baker Mayfield lean on him with receivers unavailable in the past.

Speaking of Mayfield, he’ll officially be back under center in Week 7. Mayfield has not been at his best to start the year, but it’s still a clear upgrade for all of the Bucs’ pass catchers.

Fallers In The Fantasy Football Rankings For Week 7

MarShawn Lloyd, RB, GB

Lloyd was someone who shot up draft boards once Josh Jacobs landed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. While he’d never been able to stay healthy in the past, Lloyd was still one of the first RBs taken in the 2024 draft class. He’d finally get his opportunity to shine in a good Packers’ offense, and it was possible that Jacobs missed the entire year.

Things didn’t exactly turn out that way. Lloyd has been mostly disappointing as the team’s lead back, and Jacobs is poised to return to the lineup vs. the Lions. He should immediately step back into a bell-cow role to potentially revitalize a dismal Packers’ ground game: they’re dead last in EPA per rush so far this season.

It leaves Lloyd where he’s spent most of the past few seasons: on the sidelines. He’s merely a handcuff to Jacobs at this point, and given how he performed to start the year, he probably doesn’t even warrant a bench spot moving forward.

Aaron Jones, RB, MIN

Jones stepped into the top RB spot in Minnesota following the injury to Jordan Mason, and he performed admirably in that role. He handled a whopping 86% of the team’s rushing attempts over their past four games, combined with a 15% target share. It was enough to average 13.6 fantasy points per game.

Unfortunately, Jones’ run as the Vikings’ unquestioned top back appears to be coming to an end. Mason has practiced in full this week, and while he’s officially questionable, he should be back in the lineup vs. the Colts.

How much Mason will actually handle in his first game back remains to be seen. However, he had more snaps and rushing attempts than Jones did in Week 1. Jones is on the backside of his career, so the Vikings probably don’t want to overload him with carries.

It’s enough to drop Jones to RB19 in our consensus rankings. That still makes him a potential RB2 in a strong matchup vs. the Colts, but expectations should be tempered. He dips to RB22 in our projections, and that’s closer to where I’d have him ranked personally.

Omar Cooper, WR, NYJ

Cooper has done nothing but succeed since landing in the NFL. He had a 30-yard reception on his first drive as a professional, but an injury caused him to miss the remainder of that game and four additional games. He returned to the lineup last week and quickly notched his first receiving touchdown and first 100-yard game. Cooper finished as the WR6 in terms of fantasy scoring, so he has some upside moving forward.

Unfortunately, Cooper is going to have to share the ball a bit more vs. the Dolphins. Adonai Mitchell will suit up for the first time since Week 3, while Breece Hall is officially listed as questionable. Those are two additional mouths to feed in the offense, while Garrett Wilson remains entrenched as the team’s WR1.

It’s possible that Cooper is still able to provide some value vs. the Dolphins. After all, their defense is 31st in EPA per pass so far this season. Still, the increased competition for touches is a clear concern. I’d personally prefer to wait and see with him before locking him in as a starter moving forward.