Week 7 fantasy football takeaways: Rashee Rice has arrived

After an entertaining Week 7 in the NFL, let's check in on a few fantasy football storylines and highlight some risers and fallers in the rest-of-season rankings. 

Rashee Rice is a top-five fantasy WR 

Fantasy managers who exercised patience with Rice have to be feeling great about the rest of the season. After serving his six-game suspension, Rice made his 2025 debut on Sunday and put up seven catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns (23.2 PPR points) against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The Kansas City Chiefs drew up multiple plays for Rice near the goal line, which should be a theme all year. Patrick Mahomes will continue to target Rice in third-down and red-zone situations, making the star wide receiver an elite fantasy option going forward. 

Travis Etienne is a matchup-dependent RB2

Etienne averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game through four weeks, but he's managed only 8.3 points per game in the three weeks since. That's because the Jacksonville Jaguars have played three stellar defenses in a row: the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. 

Etienne is a solid fantasy option when the Jags can play from ahead, but he doesn't get as many opportunities in a trailing game script. When Jacksonville goes up against a strong defense, you might want to think about benching Etienne for another RB option. 

Buy all the Travis Hunter stock you can

Before Jacksonville's Week 7 matchup against the Rams, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said he needs to get Hunter more involved in the passing offense. Well, he wasn't lying about that. Hunter notched season-high marks in offensive snaps (67), targets (14), catches (eight) and receiving yards (101). He also scored his first touchdown of the season with a 34-yard catch in the fourth quarter. 

Hunter clearly has the talent to be a star WR in the NFL. He just needs the opportunity to prove it. With Brian Thomas Jr. likely to miss time with a shoulder injury, the sky is the limit for Hunter the rest of the way.

Time to reset expectations for Saquon Barkley

We keep waiting for the Barkley breakout week, but the reality is his 35-point days with the Philadelphia Eagles might be behind him. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season, and his 5.2 fantasy points against the Minnesota Vikings was his lowest mark as a member of the Eagles.