Loveland found himself dancing in the end zone for the second consecutive week when he muscled his way in for a score from 12 yards out in the third quarter. The team-leading 12 targets also came on only 33 Caleb Williams pass attempts, with no other player on the team recording more than five targets to their ledger. Furthermore, backup tight end Cole Kmet departed in the fourth quarter with an apparently serious knee injury as he had to be carted off the field, potentially setting Loveland up for more consistent volume moving forward. Loveland finally appears to be making good on his lofty draft capital from the summer after returning fantasy TE1 weeks in two straight games, something managers hope will continue in another difficult matchup on paper against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

Burden erupted on the scene with a 58-yard, catch-and-run reception on a crosser in the first quarter to set up a four-yard score for D’Andre Swift. He would tack on another 24 yards and his touchdown late in the second quarter to push him over the century mark in yards on an improbable touchdown reception, taking a quick screen to the house on third-and-17 with only 14 seconds remaining before the break. Burden would largely fall victim to a more reserved offensive stance after the Bears pushed their lead to 13 points on their first possession of the second half, adding just one additional reception in the final 30 minutes of play. That matters not to fantasy managers that had been waiting for a marquee performance from a player they chased up draft boards this summer. Burden appears to be heating up now further removed from the offseason injury he carried into the start of the regular season and can continue to be started as an upside WR2 ahead of a difficult matchup against the Seahawks in Week 8.

Swift shook off an early injury scare when he took a helmet directly to his knee to earn a season-high 26 opportunities in the absence of Kyle Monangai. This game had an entirely different feel than the previous game played without Monangai, during which Roschon Johnson was much more involved in a game the Bears held at 31-7 lead in the fourth quarter. The back-and-forth nature of Week 7 kept Swift on the field for more of the game, allowing him to return a legitimate RB1 performance on the backs of elite volume. Monangai could return as early as Week 8 considering the Bears now have 10 days until they play the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, potentially sending Swift back into the RB2 range in fantasy circles.

The enigmatic signal caller also took three sacks, the last of which almost placed the Bears in position to hand the keys to victory to the Patriots. Ben Johnson called a pass play on third-and-five with under two minutes to play in Patriots territory, placing another nod of support toward his franchise quarterback. Things turned dire when Williams took a sack that appeared to take the Bears out of field goal range in a six-point game, with veteran kicker Cairo Santos hitting a career-long 58-yard field goal to dispel the worries. That sequence of two plays displayed Johnson’s unrelenting trust in his players considering the 58-yard field goal was not only the longest of Santos’ 12-year career, but the third longest field goal in Soldier Field history. Either way, Williams and the Bears escaped with the victory and move to 5-2, now 1.5-games behind the Vikings for the division lead in the most competitive division in football. The Bears get a mini-bye ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, where Williams will remain a back-end QB1 in fantasy.

Brown has not yet clicked with his new team after going down with injury in Week 1 and spending the subsequent four games on injured reserve. He committed yet another drop against the Bears after three drops the week prior, this time on what would have been a long gain down the left sideline. Brown’s burst off the line and at the top of routes appears to remain hampered, something the both the Patriots and Brown’s fantasy managers hope will remedy in short order. You can’t really sit Brown at this point, but fantasy managers have to be growing impatient of their first or second-round selection. Brown remains a teeth-gritting start ahead of a Week 8 matchup with the Dolphins.

Maye and the Patriots struggled to tame an unrelenting Chicago pass rush and were unable to move the football on the ground effectively, two cariables that led to an early deficit against the Bears. Their first half possessions went turnover on downs, three-and-out, three-and-out, touchdown, interception before a wild series to end the second quarter. Caleb Williams led a touchdown drive that left only 14 seconds on the clock. After an 18-yard completion to A.J. Brown, just three seconds remained with the ball near midfield. That’s when Maye dumped the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson in the flat underneath deep prevent coverage, and Stevenson did the rest on a touchdown that never should have happened to bring the game to a one-possession game. Maye’s other touchdown toss was a beautiful bread-basket throw to rookie tight end Eli Raridon up the seam, adding a score on a grit-play rushing touchdown early in the second quarter. It goes down as Maye’s fourth consecutive QB1 fantasy performance after starting the season leading the league in turnovers through three weeks. The 4-3 Patriots get a mini-bye ahead of a divisional meeting against the Dolphins in Week 8, where Maye will remain an upside QB1.

Kmet was sandwiched by two defenders on a hit in the fourth quarter and remained down on the field. He immediately grabbed at his knee as he remained on the turf. The cart was summoned and he was taken to the locker room, giving a thumbs up to the crowd as he went. Fantasy managers in deep leagues will want to track his status in the coming days, but it did not look good. Kmet managed to catch all three targets for 28 yards prior to departing.

Gonzalez is active, but it sounds like he is not feeling great. ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes that Gonzalez “will attempt to play through” his illness. The Patriots declared DT Joshua Farmer, QB Behren Morton, G/C Ben Brown (knee), CB Karon Prunty (hamstring), CB Channing Canada (hamstring) and CB Carlton Davis III (neck) inactive for Week 7 against the Bears. Davis serves as the team’s No. 2 perimeter cornerback. Prunty and Canada are Gonzalez and Davis’ primary backups. The Bears’ passing game should play productively tonight.

According to Holder, multiple teams would be open to trading for Taylor, but it remains unclear whether the Colts are ready to be sellers before the trade deadline. Colts GM Chris Ballard was recently fired, and “it is widely expected that significant organizational changes might be coming” after the eventual hiring of a new general manager.
Seth McGowan

should be stashed on benches at this time.

Brutal. The Rams lost Davante Adams to a hamstring tendon rupture in Week 6 against the Cardinals, and now they could be without Nacua in Week 7 against the Raiders. The Rams have handled star-player injuries smartly this season. Consider Nacua highly questionable to play, and seek out a backup plan. Konata Mumpfield would serve as the de facto No. 1 wide receiver if Nacua is unable to play.