Best NFL DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for Sunday’s Week 7 Slate

Week 7 brings a 10-game Sunday main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, with the Packers and Lions carrying the highest total on the board at 53.5 points. Four teams are on bye, the Steelers and Saints are already done in Paris, and the early window locks at 1:00 PM ET with two more games on the late swap schedule at 4:05 and 4:25 PM ET. That mix of a shootout, a handful of heavy favorites and several banged-up offenses makes for one of the more interesting Sunday NFL DFS slates of the season.

My approach is simple: lean into the passing games in the top-total game, take the running back who is underpriced after a monster Monday night, and find salary relief at quarterback and tight end so there is room to pay up elsewhere. Below are five NFL DFS picks that fit both cash game and GPP builds, with salaries from DraftKings unless noted. Always double-check inactives about 90 minutes before each kickoff.

Jordan Love, QB — Green Bay Packers ($6,000 DK)

Love has the best setup of any quarterback on the slate. The Packers visit Ford Field for the 53.5-point game, and Detroit has allowed the most DraftKings points to quarterbacks this season at 29.8 per game while also giving up the most yards in the league at 404.4 per game. Love has already cleared 21 DraftKings points in four of his first six games, and he did it last week despite three dropped touchdowns in a 23-13 win over Dallas.

He was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a back issue but returned to full participation Thursday and carries no injury designation. At $6,000 he is priced below Joe Burrow ($6,900), Jared Goff ($6,800) and Lamar Jackson ($6,700), which makes him a strong cash game pick and a natural anchor for a Packers stack. Matthew Golden ($6,000) has topped 100 receiving yards and scored in three of the last four games, and Tucker Kraft ($4,700) draws a Lions defense that has surrendered 32.5 DraftKings points per game to tight ends.

Christian McCaffrey, RB — San Francisco 49ers ($7,600 DK / $8,700 FD)

McCaffrey is coming off a 31.7-point DraftKings performance on Monday night against Washington, finishing with 64 rushing yards, two touchdowns and nine catches on 10 targets. Because that game was played after Week 7 salaries were set, his price has not caught up, and he projects as one of the best points-per-dollar plays on the slate. He has scored at least 13.8 DraftKings points in every game this season, and his 26 touches on Monday were a season high.

The matchup is better than it looks on paper. Atlanta allows only 83.2 rushing yards per game, but the Ravens ran for 208 yards against the Falcons in Week 5 and Chicago’s backs scored three rushing touchdowns last week. Atlanta also surrenders 5.3 running back receptions per game. With Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel ruled out, San Francisco’s pass-catching options are thin, so expect McCaffrey to stay heavily involved as a receiver. The Niners are 2.5-point favorites with an implied total around 26 points. He will be popular, but he is a strong cash game anchor.

Puka Nacua, WR — Los Angeles Rams ($8,400 DK)

Nacua is the premium bounce-back play. He managed 14.0 points last week against Arizona after scoring 30.7 and 40.7 in the two games before that, and his role only grows with Davante Adams on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The Raiders have allowed 27.0 points per game, and the Rams still carry an implied total of roughly 25.75 even after the spread shrank from a touchdown to three points.

The catch is health. Nacua is questionable with a calf injury after sitting out Friday’s practice, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that the Rams are optimistic he will play. Because the Rams kick off at 4:25 PM ET, you can use late swap to pivot to Konata Mumpfield ($3,200) or Tyler Higbee ($3,500) if Nacua is ruled out. Mumpfield saw eight targets and a 73.3 percent snap share in Week 3 when Nacua missed the game against Denver.

C.J. Stroud, QB — Houston Texans ($5,700 DK / $7,500 FD)

If you want to pay up elsewhere, Stroud is the cheap quarterback to target. He enters Week 7 second in the league in passing yards (1,714) and second in average depth of target (10.4 yards), with three 300-yard games already and more than 20 DraftKings points in four of his last five starts. Houston is a 10.5-point favorite at home against the Giants, who own the lowest implied team total on the board at 16.0, and the Texans’ 26.5-point implied total is second-highest on the slate.

The Giants’ run defense is worse than their pass defense, but New York just gave up 29.0 DraftKings points to Tyler Shough last Sunday, so the matchup is fine. Houston’s offense is playing in a dome with a big game script lead expected, which keeps Stroud’s floor reasonable for FanDuel picks and DraftKings lineups alike. The Texans defense ($3,400) is also a popular salary-saver in this spot.

George Kittle, TE — San Francisco 49ers ($5,700 DK)

With Evans and Deebo Samuel out and Christian Kirk questionable, Kittle is set up for a heavy target share. He scored 17.9 DraftKings points Monday night with a touchdown on eight targets, and he faces an Atlanta defense that has allowed the 10th-most DraftKings points to tight ends at 15.8 per game. Sunday is also National Tight End Day, which is a fun bonus if you needed one more reason.

Kittle pairs naturally with McCaffrey in a 49ers mini-stack, though both will draw high ownership. If you want a cheaper way to differentiate, Tucker Kraft at $4,700 offers a similar ceiling in the highest-total game on the board, and his matchup against a Lions defense that has given up 32.5 points per game to tight ends is the best of any tight end on the slate.

Building Your Lineup

The cleanest structure for Sunday NFL DFS is a Packers stack paired with the 49ers backfield. Love, Golden and Kraft cost a combined $16,700 and give you three players in the 53.5-point game, and adding a Lions pass catcher as a bring-back hedges against a shootout. McCaffrey and Nacua then form the premium core, with Stroud as a pivot if you want to spend the savings at running back or wide receiver. Check the latest prices and live NFL odds before lock.

For GPP picks, consider fading the chalk at running back and tight end by pairing Love with Kraft instead of Kittle, or by playing a lower-owned quarterback like Burrow in a Bengals-Ravens game that has seen the line swing all week. In cash games, McCaffrey and Love are hard to leave out. If you are new to DFS apps, take a look at a DraftKings promo code before you deposit, and remember that late swap on the 4:05 and 4:25 games gives you flexibility to react to inactives. Play responsibly and good luck.