Welcome to the Week 7 Dynasty Risers & Fallers. I highlight which players have had a huge rise or fall in their fantasy value this week.
Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers is one of the biggest topics in dynasty every season. It’s quick & easy to understand, translates to several different league formats beyond dynasty, and, most of all, it’s SEO-friendly. This season, Fantasy Sports Advice Network has allowed me to cover the biggest movers of our beloved fantasy football space each week! So without further ado, why don’t we talk about the players that made a splash (both good and bad) in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL Season!
Week 7 Dynasty Risers
Patrick Mahomes, QB (Kansas City Chiefs)
After two relatively underwhelming fantasy seasons by his elite standards, Patrick Mahomes is officially back in top form and reclaiming his place atop the fantasy quarterback throne. In 2023 and 2024, he finished as the QB8 and QB11, respectively, averaging just 18.4 points per game — solid, but disappointing given his high ADP and prior dominance. From 2018 to 2022, Mahomes was a perennial Top 5 fantasy QB, averaging over 20 PPG and regularly justifying an early-round investment. This year, however, he’s silenced the doubters and surged to QB1 overall through six weeks, looking every bit like the fantasy superstar managers were hoping for.
Mahomes put the league on notice in Week 6, finishing as the highest overall scorer with 31.5 points on the back of 257 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and an additional 32 rushing yards with a rushing score. His efficiency and volume are back to elite levels — he ranks Top 5 in pass attempts, air yards, money throws, passing TDs, QBR, and fantasy PPG. Despite a preseason ADP of QB6 and slipping as far as QB9 on KeepTradeCut, he’s massively outproducing both marks and looking like the ultimate draft-day value. With Rashee Rice returning to the lineup, Mahomes’ ceiling only gets higher. Fantasy managers can rest easy — the Mahomes we know and love is back, and he’s carrying teams once again.
Rico Dowdle, RB (Carolina Panthers)
Rico Dowdle has quickly emerged as a major fantasy football riser, stringing together back-to-back explosive performances in Weeks 5 and 6. In Week 6, he finished as the RB1 in Standard and RB2 in PPR formats, racking up 239 total yards and a touchdown on 30 carries and 4 receptions. This followed a Week 5 breakout where he posted 234 yards and another touchdown. In just two starts, Dowdle has rocketed up the rushing leaderboard to #5 in the NFL with 472 rushing yards, thanks to an elite 5.8 yards per carry. His efficiency is reflected in his advanced metrics as well — he’s currently #2 in EPA and #7 in Breakaway Runs, proving he’s not just a volume back, but a playmaker.
Despite the expected return of Chuba Hubbard and a potential timeshare ahead, Dowdle has made a strong case to maintain a valuable role in the offense, particularly in high-leverage situations. His physical running style and success in short-yardage scenarios make him the favorite for goal-line work and early downs. At 14.6 fantasy points per game — good for RB15 overall — he’s already returned RB2 value with a limited sample size. If his current usage holds or even slightly dips with Hubbard’s return, Dowdle still profiles as a weekly flex option with RB1 upside in the right matchups. Fantasy managers should prioritize holding or acquiring him before his role solidifies further.
Cam Skattebo, RB (New York Giants)
Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo is turning heads as one of the most impactful breakouts in fantasy football. In Week 6, he exploded for 110 total yards and a jaw-dropping three touchdowns, finishing as the RB3 in Standard and RB4 in PPR formats. Since taking over as the starter, Skattebo has delivered consistently, not dipping below 13 PPR points in any game. His usage has been elite, especially in a Giants offense that ranks #9 in run plays per game, and he’s making the most of every touch. With 19 carries and 2 receptions in his latest outing, he’s proving he can handle a full workload while delivering explosive fantasy results.
What makes Skattebo even more valuable is his all-around role in the offense. He ranks in the top 10 among running backs in targets, receptions, receiving yards, red-zone touches, and total touchdowns — a rare combination of volume and scoring opportunity that signals long-term sustainability. Currently sitting at RB11 in points per game (16.6), he’s vastly outproducing his preseason RB32 ADP and rapidly becoming one of the top waiver-wire steals of the year. If he maintains this pace, Skattebo has true league-winner potential for managers who were savvy enough to grab him early or lucky enough to scoop him off waivers.
Week 7 Dynasty Risers- Honorable Mentions
Jordan Whittington, WR (Los Angeles Rams)
Taysom Hill, TE (New Orleans Saints)
Tetairoa McMillan (Carolina Panthers)
Kimani Vidal, RB (Los Angeles Chargers)
Week 7 Dynasty Fallers
Chase Brown, RB (Cincinnati Bengals)
Chase Brown has been one of the most disappointing fantasy football fallers of the 2025 season. Once viewed as a breakout candidate and a Top 10 dynasty RB on KeepTradeCut, he’s now plummeted to RB22 in dynasty rankings and is currently the RB35 in Standard and RB30 in PPR formats. Despite hopes that Joe Flacco’s arrival would revitalize his role, Brown managed just 49 total yards on 11 touches in Week 6 and saw only 2 targets — a concerning number for a back whose value is largely tied to his receiving work. Through six weeks, he’s totaled just 202 rushing yards, 101 receiving yards, and one touchdown. While his 20 receptions rank sixth among RBs, he hasn’t turned that volume into meaningful fantasy production, averaging only 9.7 PPR points per game (RB33), with even worse returns in standard formats.
The underlying metrics paint an equally bleak picture. Brown is outside the Top 20 in nearly every key rushing and efficiency stat: carries, red-zone touches, yards per touch, breakaway runs, evaded tackles, and EPA. Most damning of all, the Bengals rank dead last — 32nd — in run plays per game, limiting their already narrow path to consistent value. The explosiveness that made Brown such a compelling 2024 stash has been completely absent this season. Unless the offense makes a significant shift or Flacco begins heavily targeting him in the passing game, Brown’s current trajectory suggests he’s closer to a flex gamble than the RB2 many hoped he would become.
DeVonta Smith, WR (Philadelphia Eagles)
Devonta Smith has been one of the more frustrating fantasy fallers of the 2025 season, underperforming despite being part of a high-profile Eagles offense. With a WR30 ADP, expectations were that he’d provide steady WR2 value, but instead, he’s sitting at WR40 in points per game (11.2 PPR), delivering more busts than booms. Smith has just two games over 20 points, but in four of six weeks, he’s failed to reach even 10. In Week 6, despite a pass-friendly game script while trailing the Giants, he managed only 4 receptions for 49 yards, finishing third on the team in targets behind both A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert. It was yet another reminder that Smith has become the odd man out in an offense that’s struggling to find rhythm through the air.
The numbers paint a grim picture. The Eagles are 28th in pass plays per game, and Smith is just 31st in targets and 29th in target share — far from the volume needed to support weekly fantasy relevance. Even worse, his opportunities have lacked value: he’s 45th in air yards, 62nd in average depth of target (aDOT), 40th in deep targets, and has only 1 touchdown on the year. He’s also just 28th in red zone looks, indicating he’s not a priority when it matters most. While the Eagles’ new OC may still be working out the kinks, fantasy managers are left with a wide receiver who’s tough to start and even harder to trade at full value. Unless you can sell based on name recognition, Smith is likely a “hold and hope” — and that’s not where you want to be six weeks into the season.
Pat Freiermuth, TE (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pat Freiermuth has seen one of the sharpest declines in fantasy value among tight ends over the past year. This time last season, he was still considered a promising young asset, ranked TE14 on KeepTradeCut, but fast forward to now, and he’s plummeted to TE33. While some regression was expected following the Steelers’ signing of Jonnu Smith to a one-year, $12 million deal, no one anticipated Freiermuth being outproduced by Darnell Washington — the team’s third-string tight end. Despite having more targets and receptions, Freiermuth has totaled just 76 receiving yards on 8 catches, while Washington has 82 yards on only 6 receptions. Week 6 highlighted the growing concern: Washington logged 3 catches for 62 yards, while Freiermuth managed just 1 for 11.
What makes this even more troubling is that Jonnu Smith isn’t exactly thriving either — sitting at TE28 on the season — meaning Freiermuth isn’t being edged out by high-end production, but simply by poor usage and a messy TE committee. The Steelers’ offense continues to struggle through the air, and it’s clear that Freiermuth is no longer a priority in the passing game. With little volume, no touchdowns, and diminishing snap share, he’s become unstartable in all formats. Unless you’re stashing him in the faint hope he gets traded to a more TE-friendly team, Freiermuth is a drop candidate in most leagues — a far cry from the fringe TE1 value he once held.
Week 7 Dynasty Fallers- Honorable Mentions
Isiah Pacheco, RB (Kansas City Chiefs)
Hassan Haskins, RB (Los Angeles Chargers)
TreVeyon Henderson, RB (New England Patriots)
Justin Fields, QB (New York Jets)
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You can also check out Corey Dozier & Kyle Dozier‘s Buys & Sells on this week’s episode of Fantasy Wall Street, available on the FSAN YouTube Channel.
