• Kyler Murray is returning soon: Murray has consistently been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in his career when healthy.

• The NFC West has short-term running back options: James Conner and Kyren Williams are on injured reserve, and there are clear top options to replace them in the short term.

• Rookie receivers reach new career heights: Josh Downs, Rashee Rice and Dalton Kincaid all put up the best numbers of their careers, so some common names in this article might not be available much longer.

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season is just about in the books. Here are the players you should be targeting in your fantasy football leagues, including targets in smaller leagues and deeper leagues, as well as players to avoid.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (Rostered in 22.6% of leagues on ESPN)

Arizona opened Murray’s 21-day practice window last Wednesday.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Cardinals will take their time with Murray, so he very likely won’t be playing this upcoming week, but he should return in one of the two following games.
The Cardinals’ coaching staff will want to see if Murray is the team’s long-term quarterback or if they should draft a signal-caller, so we can expect Murray to be the starter for the rest of the season once healthy.
Murray has averaged at least 18.6 PPR points per game in all four of his seasons, but his fantasy production — including his rushing workload — was on the decline in 2022.
This is his first season with the new coaching staff, which adds uncertainty.
He might be the only quarterback available off the waiver wire the rest of the season who has several top-five finishes as realistic outcomes.

Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (36.1%)

Howell completed 22 of his 42 passes for 249 passing yards in the Commanders’ loss to the New York Giants.

This week was not Howell’s best game, but he is the only quarterback to handle more than 300 dropbacks this season.
That high volume gives him a decent floor for fantasy. His 1,749 passing yards are the seventh most among quarterbacks this season.
Howell in Week 8 faces the Philadelphia Eagles, who have allowed more than 18 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, making him the best streaming option this week.
He was QB13 in the teams’ previous meeting this season.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants (37.1%)

Jones has missed the past two weeks with a neck injury, leading many fantasy managers to drop him.

He has disappointed so far this season with just 12.2 PPR points per game. He ranked 22nd in fantasy points through the first five weeks of the season.
Jones put together a dominant performance in Week 2, scoring the most fantasy points for any quarterback after a 300-yard passing performance, two passing touchdowns and one rushing score. His other four games have been forgettable.
Fantasy managers shouldn’t give up on Jones. He remains one of the top rushing quarterbacks in the league. His 197 rushing yards was the third most for quarterbacks over the first five weeks of the season.
Jones needs to improve his accuracy, but even if he can be a slightly below-average passer, he is a potential fantasy starter.
There is a chance Jones will miss another game. And even if he plays, it’s a rough matchup against the New York Jets. Jones is strictly a long-term option.

Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (3.6%)

Minshew completed 15 of his 23 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns while running three times for 29 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7.

His fantasy football numbers were better than his real-life play, but it’s worth noting he was facing an excellent Cleveland Browns defense.
This was his second straight game with more than 300 passing yards. Only three quarterbacks have more passing yards than Minshew over the past two weeks.
The rushing production is key to his potential fantasy production. He and Jalen Hurts are the only quarterbacks with multiple rushing touchdowns over the past two weeks.
The Colts have another rough matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, but beyond that game, Indianapolis has one of the best schedules for fantasy quarterbacks over the rest of the season.