Our Week 7 crystal ball: Five analysts make predictions, from upsets to TD scorers

Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season is underway after the Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 on Thursday night. But what will happen in the remaining 13 games? We have 15 predictions from our NFL experts. First, betting analyst Pamela Maldonado picks two underdogs who could win outright. Then, analytics writer Seth Walder projects stat lines for three players. Fantasy football writer Eric Moody suggests three sleepers, and analyst Matt Bowen predicts three players who will find the end zone. Finally, analyst Ben Solak lays out four wild-card predictions. Can the Cardinals pull off an upset for the second straight week? What could Packers tight end Tucker Kraft's stat line look like against the Lions? Is Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee a sneaky play in fantasy? And how many sacks will Ravens edge rusher Trey Hendrickson have against his former team? Let's make 15 big predictions for the Sunday and Monday action. Jump to: Upset picks | Projected stat lines Fantasy sleepers, surprises TD scorers | Other predictions Maldonado predicts two upsets Arizona Cardinals +4.5 (+195 moneyline) vs. Denver Broncos The Broncos haven't shown they can pull away when ahead this season. Denver is averaging only 3.4 yards per carry (third lowest in the league), and quarterback Bo Nix has thrown for just 230 yards over the past two games combined. Despite a strong showing against the Rams, Arizona's pass defense has given up plenty of explosive plays in 2026. But Denver rarely throws downfield to take advantage. The Broncos' defense should be a tough matchup for Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett, so I'm not expecting a big offensive day from the Cardinals. But this matchup looks like it will be decided by a field goal, and Arizona could come out on top. Kansas City Chiefs +2.5 (+120 moneyline) at Seattle Seahawks Kansas City has the defense to keep this close even if Seattle slows down QB Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs create pressure on nearly 39% of dropbacks, and QB Sam Darnold has completed only 38% of his throws under pressure this season. Seattle's struggles with run blocking could leave him handling too many difficult passing downs. Offensively, running back Kenneth Walker III faces a tough rushing matchup against his former team, but Seattle has had issues covering RBs as receivers. That gives Kansas City another way to move the ball and win this outright. Walder predicts three stat lines Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 87 receiving yards, 1 TD Kraft has the benefit of going against a Lions defense that has allowed 27% of its targets to opposing tight ends, the second-highest rate in the league. But it gets better. Based on player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats, Detroit linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell all bite on play-action more than average. The Packers haven't used play-action a ton this season, but Kraft could be the beneficiary whenever they do Sunday. Ted Hurst III, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD I've had my eye on predicting a breakout game by Hurst for a few weeks now, and I think it will finally happen against the Panthers. Hurst has a vertical route profile, running either a go route or deep fade on 21% of his routes -- 11th-highest rate among wide receivers with at least 60 routes this season. That means high variance and high upside in any given week. So why a big game this Sunday? Well for starters, there seems to be a good chance quarterback Baker Mayfield will be back from his thumb injury. Emeka Egbuka is also out, which should lead to even more targets for Hurst. The Panthers also have backup cornerbacks in both outside spots. And on top of all that, Carolina plays an above-average amount of single-high coverage, which helps with deep outside shots. Zach Allen, DL, Denver Broncos: 2.0 sacks, 7 pressures, 25% pass rush win rate Allen is off to a hot start this season with 4.5 sacks and a 19.6% pass rush win rate that's tied for sixth best among interior rushers. Now, he gets a perfect matchup against the Cardinals' interior offensive line. Allen figures to face right guard Jon Gaines II more than anyone else, and Gaines ranks last in pass block win rate out of 71 qualifying guards. The rest of the interior isn't much better: Left guard Isaac Seumalo and center Hjalte Froholdt have 12th-percentile and sixth-percentile pass block win rates, respectively, at their positions. Moody predicts three fantasy sleepers Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis Colts (rostered in 42.4% of ESPN leagues) Allen is worth considering for fantasy managers navigating bye weeks. He has averaged 9.6 targets and 14.7 fantasy points over the past three games, becoming one of Daniel Jones' most reliable targets with Alec Pierce on IR (heel). The Vikings are a tough matchup, but their aggressive blitzing could lead to more quick throws, which suits Allen's game. His touchdown upside is limited, though the consistent targets make him a viable flex option. Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins (36.6%) Washington has seen at least five targets in every game this season, including eight or more in three contests. He has also scored at least 11 fantasy points in three straight games. Miami hasn't been able to do much downfield, but Washington showcases reliability on shorter throws. That should help him against a Jets defense that plays a lot of Cover 2 to limit big plays. Washington should see enough targets to provide a decent fantasy floor, with more upside if he scores his first touchdown of the season. Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (4.6%) McKee is an intriguing sleeper with quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the season (blood clots). He threw for 215 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers last week and now faces a Cowboys defense that has allowed 21.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (fifth most in the league). Dallas has also given up 11 passing touchdowns this season. McKee attempted 45 passes last week, and he has the targets to reach the end zone with DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert (both questionable to play). He's worth considering in deeper single-QB leagues and as a QB2 in superflex formats. Bowen predicts three touchdown scorers Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions After scoring at least one touchdown in his first three games, St. Brown hasn't reached the end zone in his past two. However, he is still averaging 11.4 targets per game. And some of those looks are in scoring position, with at least one end zone target in both Week 4 and Week 5. Let's take St. Brown to score at Lambeau Field. Germie Bernard, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers Bernard, who scored his first touchdown as a pro in the Steelers' Week 6 win over the Bucs, has seen a recent bump in volume. Over the past two games, he has caught 17 of 21 targets. Bernard can get loose from slot alignments or uncover as the underneath outlet for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And I like this Week 7 matchup versus a Saints defense that has given up 10 touchdown passes on the season (tied for 10th most in the NFL). Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings Murray hasn't rushed for a touchdown with the Vikings, but he has had 16 attempts over the past two weeks for 67 yards. I'm looking at a second-reaction play to score Sunday, when he can get outside of the pocket as a runner in the red zone. And the Colts have allowed six rushing scores this season, tied for seventh most in the NFL. Solak makes four more predictions Ravens edge rusher Trey Hendrickson will get two sacks Hendrickson faces his old team for the first time this season, and he has never had a chance to sack Bengals QB Joe Burrow in his career -- you can bet this means something extra to him, even if he won't admit it. Hendrickson will also have a lot of inside knowledge on Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr., who is struggling this season. Hendrickson's 27% pressure rate, per NFL Next Gen Stats, is second among all edge rushers. It's comeuppance day for him. The Vikings will lead all teams in scoring Minnesota's offense had an entire bye week to get healthy and review film from the early Kyler Murray starts. Now he finally gets to play a game with all his pass catchers healthy -- Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Plus, RB Jordan Mason and OT Christian Darrisaw are expected back in the lineup. Against a Colts defense that is bleeding big plays, expect the Vikings to look for a confidence-boosting offensive explosion before their critical Week 8 game at Detroit. The entire NFC North will be in the current playoff field by Monday morning All it takes is a Seahawks loss to the Chiefs and a Lions victory over the Packers for the entire NFC North to have winning records and the current second-place teams in the other three NFC divisions to not have a winning record. Despite six years with a 14-team playoff, we've never seen all four teams in a division make it. The NFC North could do it. The Jets will win by 24 New York is a 4.5-point favorite at home against the Dolphins, and the team has finally mustered to full power on offense with Adonai Mitchell, Breece Hall and Dylan Parham all returning to practice. I really like what I've seen from this group through six weeks. QB Geno Smith is throwing it well, the team is well-coached and detailed, and the Jets can win on the ground and through the air. I think the Jets will blow the Dolphins out of the water for their biggest win of 2026.