EARLY RANKS

Week 7 fantasy football rankings

Watson has been fantastic. Tim Warner/Getty Images

These are my very early ranks, so keep in mind I post these on Thursday. I will update them on Friday. Make sure you check the injury report on Sunday for players that have missed practice. If it doesn't look like a player will play this week, I typically won't rank him. Keep in mind, these are PPR rankings, and don't forget to set your lineup for Thursday Night Football.

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

QB

1Deshaun Watson

2Russell Wilson

3Lamar Jackson

4Patrick Mahomes

5Matt Ryan

6Jared Goff

7Dak Prescott

8Kyler Murray

9Josh Allen

10Tom Brady

11Carson Wentz

12Jacoby Brissett

13Aaron Rodgers

14Kirk Cousins

15Jimmy Garoppolo

16Daniel Jones

17Gardner Minshew

18Matthew Stafford

19Philip Rivers

20Derek Carr

RB

1Dalvin Cook

2Leonard Fournette

3Saquon Barkley

4Ezekiel Elliott

5Phillip Lindsay

6Alvin Kamara

7Josh Jacobs

8David Johnson

9Mark Ingram

10Chris Carson

11Marlon Mack

12Le'Veon Bell

13Aaron Jones

14Devonta Freeman

15Kerryon Johnson

16Derrick Henry

17Tevin Coleman

18Austin Ekeler

19Royce Freeman

20James White

21Devin Singletary

22Sony Michel

23Jamaal Williams

24Melvin Gordon

25Carlos Hyde

26Joe Mixon

27Matt Breida

28Miles Sanders

29Latavius Murray

30David Montgomery

31Jordan Howard

32LeSean McCoy

33Darrell Henderson

34Damien Williams

35Tarik Cohen

36Malcolm Brown

WR

1Cooper Kupp

2T.Y. Hilton

3Michael Thomas

4Tyreek Hill

5DeAndre Hopkins

6Julio Jones

7D.J. Chark

8Julian Edelman

9Larry Fitzgerald

10Adam Thielen

11Robert Woods

12Keenan Allen

13Tyler Lockett

14Brandin Cooks

15Tyler Boyd

16Courtland Sutton

17Stefon Diggs

18Michael Gallup

19John Brown

20Alshon Jeffery

21Will Fuller

22Calvin Ridley

23Terry McLaurin

24 Kenny Golladay

25Golden Tate

26Auden Tate

27Allen Robinson

28Phillip Dorsett

29Mike Williams

30Mohamed Sanu

31Dede Westbrook

32Emmanuel Sanders

33Marvin Jones

34Allen Lazard

35D.K. Metcalf

36Robby Anderson

37Jamison Crowder

38Cole Beasley

39Marquez Valdes-Scantling

40Marquis Goodwin

TE

1George Kittle

2Evan Engram

3Travis Kelce

4Austin Hooper

5Zach Ertz

6Hunter Henry

7Mark Andrews

8Darren Waller

9T.J. Hockenson

10Gerald Everett

11Jason Witten

12Jared Cook

13Eric Ebron

14Jimmy Graham

15Delanie Walker

Defense/Special Teams

1Buffalo Bills

2New England Patriots

3San Francisco 49ers

4Chicago Bears

5Jacksonville Jaguars

6Green Bay Packers

7New Orleans Saints

8Minnesota Vikings

9Los Angeles Chargers

10Tennessee Titans

11Detroit Lions

12Philadelphia Eagles

Kicker

1Justin Tucker

2Harrison Butker

3Robbie Gould

4Greg Zuerlein

5Will Lutz

6Zane Gonzalez

7Jason Myers

8Jake Elliott

9Mason Crosby

10Mike Nugent

11Matt Prater

12Josh Lambo

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The Astros are heading to the Rockies! Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros closed out a powerful homestand with a statement series win over the Cubs, led by the continued emergence of Cam Smith and the lockdown stuff of Bryan Abreu. Smith, who seems to live for high-leverage moments, went toe-to-toe with Kyle Tucker and delivered again and again, further cementing his place in Houston’s growing offensive core. Meanwhile, Abreu was simply untouchable—striking out all four batters he faced in a lights-out appearance on Thursday and returning Sunday to toss two scoreless innings in front of Josh Hader’s 23rd straight save. The bullpen continues to impress.

As Houston heads west for a six-game road trip, starting with the Rockies and ending with the Dodgers, the rotation will remain under the microscope. On paper, the Rockies series should be a tune-up—Colorado owns the worst record in baseball. But even in a small three-game set, anything can happen. The Dodgers are a different animal entirely. They’ve been the class of the National League and pose a challenge that may mirror what the Astros saw from the Phillies and Cubs—but this time, Houston won’t have the advantage of home field. Considering the team’s elite pitching and recent play, the Astros should still feel confident, but they’ll need to prove they can sustain this level on the road.

Trade speculation is beginning to swirl, particularly around Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins. Mullins hasn’t lit it up this season—he’s hitting just .213—but his 12 home runs suggest some underlying pop. Houston may believe there's untapped potential in his swing that can be unlocked. It's a move that would fit the Astros’ track record: buying low on a talented player and letting their system do the rest.

Speaking of roster decisions, Christian Walker's bat is officially on watch. Despite showing flashes of life earlier this season, Walker hit just .221 in June and has been dropped to seventh in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jon Singleton has been crushing home runs in Sugar Land and waiting patiently for another big-league shot. The organization has to be thinking about giving Singleton a chance if Walker’s struggles continue.

But not every question has an immediate answer. Lance McCullers Jr.’s return from the injured list was rocky at best, surrendering eight runs in a short outing. Still, the reaction from fans calling for his release is premature at best and delusional at worst. Joe Espada left him in too long, and everyone knew it. It's still June, and McCullers is a proven postseason arm. He’s not going anywhere, not with that contract—and frankly, not with the upside he still offers.

More to the story

Then there's Jeremy Peña. The hope was that his sore ribs were nothing serious. That changed after the homestand, when further imaging revealed a small fracture and landed Peña on the 10-day IL. It’s a frustrating development, but credit the Astros’ medical staff for pushing for clarity—learning from the Yordan Alvarez situation this year. With superagent Scott Boras now representing him, it appeared negotiations were over. But Astros GM Dana Brown revealed on the pregame show this weekend that he’s already reached back out to Boras to reopen the conversation. Whether both sides can agree to new terms is a different story.

So while the Astros leave home riding a wave of momentum, the road ahead holds tougher matchups, key roster questions, and new injury concerns. They’ve shown they’re built to weather all of it. Now they’ll have to prove it.

There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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