Start Zay Flowers or DK Metcalf? Week 7

Updated Oct 19, 3:16 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 8 answer posts Tuesday.

Early kickoff: 9:30 AM ET, set your lineup before then.

Start Zay Flowers over DK Metcalf

Start

Zay Flowers

WR · BAL · vs CIN

Market projects: 16.7; recent weeks avg
CIN D vs WR: 29.5; 11th fewest to WRs (2026)
Snap share: 55%; Through Week 6
Target share: 31%; Through Week 6

Sit

DK Metcalf

WR · PIT · at NO

Market projects: 13.2; recent weeks avg
NO D vs WR: 29.9; 12th fewest to WRs (2026)
Snap share: 95%; Through Week 6
Target share: 24%; Through Week 6

Should I drop DK Metcalf for Zay Flowers?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Zay Flowers projects 148 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (14.8 a game over 10 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Zay Flowers over DK Metcalf.

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Our Week 7 call

Start Zay Flowers over DK Metcalf in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Zay Flowers at 16.7 points and DK Metcalf at 13.2, a gap of 3.6. No player market is posted for Zay Flowers this week yet, so his 16.7 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (18.8 and 14.6); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for DK Metcalf this week yet, so his 13.2 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (14.2 and 12.1); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Zay Flowers at ADP 24 and DK Metcalf at 66.

What the market projects

No Week 7 player market is posted for Zay Flowers yet. His market-based projections were 18.8 and 14.6 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 16.7, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

No Week 7 player market is posted for DK Metcalf yet. His market-based projections were 14.2 and 12.1 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 13.2, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

That puts Zay Flowers 3.6 points ahead of DK Metcalf on these projections.

Week 7 matchups

Zay Flowers and BAL host CIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CIN allowed 29.5 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 5 games, the 11th fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 123 yards and a touchdown a game against CIN.

DK Metcalf and PIT visit NO on Sunday at 9:30 AM ET.

NO allowed 29.9 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 5 games, the 12th fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 130 yards and 1.2 touchdowns a game against NO.

By points allowed to the position, DK Metcalf has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Zay Flowers is not on the injury report.

DK Metcalf is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 7

Through Week 6, Zay Flowers played 55 percent of BAL snaps, drew 31 percent of the targets, earned 35 percent of the air yards and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

Zay Flowers, Week 3 against DAL: 21 of 64 snaps, 1 carry for 20 yards, 6 targets and 5 catches for 84 yards.

Zay Flowers, Week 4 against TEN: 47 of 64 snaps, 10 targets and 8 catches for 118 yards, 1 touchdown.

Zay Flowers, Week 5 against ATL: 62 of 76 snaps, 1 carry for 13 yards, 9 targets and 8 catches for 53 yards.

Zay Flowers, Week 6 against CLE: 1 carry for 1 yards, 11 targets and 6 catches for 66 yards.

Through Week 6, DK Metcalf played 95 percent of PIT snaps, drew 24 percent of the targets, earned 35 percent of the air yards and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.

DK Metcalf, Week 3 against CIN: 59 of 62 snaps, 5 targets and 3 catches for 31 yards, 1 touchdown.

DK Metcalf, Week 4 against CLE: 70 of 72 snaps, 9 targets and 5 catches for 115 yards.

DK Metcalf, Week 5 against IND: 55 of 60 snaps, 1 carry for 11 yards, 4 targets and 3 catches for 12 yards.

DK Metcalf, Week 6 against TB: 15 targets and 11 catches for 93 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Zay Flowers played 17 games for BAL and scored 243.3 PPR points, 14.3 a game, finishing WR7.

He caught 86 of 118 targets for 1211 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 10 red zone targets and 753 air yards.

He was on the field for 86 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, DK Metcalf played 15 games for PIT and scored 187.2 PPR points, 12.5 a game, finishing WR26.

He caught 59 of 99 targets for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 13 red zone targets and 436 air yards.

He was on the field for 87 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 7 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 7, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop DK Metcalf for Zay Flowers?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Zay Flowers projects 148 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (14.8 a game over 10 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Zay Flowers over DK Metcalf.
Should I drop Zay Flowers for DK Metcalf?
No. Keep Zay Flowers: he projects 148 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (14.8 a game over 10 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Zay Flowers over DK Metcalf.