By Dennis Michelsen https://www.scienceoffantasyfootball.com/leaders-of-the-pack-after-week-seven

Fantasy Football experts sometimes get too attached to what happened last week. In the early part of the season, it’s essential to factor in more than just a few weeks in determining who the leader is at each position. My unique ratings system uses four statistical tools to produce a consensus rating for each player. It uses data from the current season plus the last two seasons, but each week is weighted heavily for the current season. Let’s see who the leaders of the pack are after week seven.  

MVP Index Explained

Every week in Fantasy Football, there are three possible outcomes for a player’s statistics. They can help your team win by having a huge points week. They can cause your team to lose by having a very low points week. They can keep your team in contention by having a performance above the historic median of output expected. Combining these three outcomes into a single, easy-to-understand number was the goal of the MVP Index. While the Fantasy Football points median varies by position, using the same level of expected performance for RB, WR, and TE gives us a standard metric to compare when making Flex starting decisions all season.  

MVP25 Index

Now that we are four weeks into the season, we can start looking at the MVP Index for this season. The only difference in how we use the MVP25 Index versus the regular MVP Index is simple. In MVP25, we count every game played, whereas in the regular MVP Index, we only count full games. This is because in Fantasy Football, we must decide whether a player is a good start each week without knowing whether they will play a complete game. This is an accurate gauge of the value of each player in Fantasy Football for the current season. 

Upside Index 

While the MVP Index considers consistency, the Upside Index looks at a player’s best ten games over the past two seasons plus the current season. There is a special formula to handle outlier data that minimizes its impact on the overall score. There is also a special technique to allow rookies to be graded on the same percentage of games as a cagey veteran who has played more full games. Each week, the current season is weighted more to keep the data up to date for this season’s performances. 

Spike Weeks in Last 10 Games

A spike week is defined as a game in which a player scored around 25% more than the weekly median in Fantasy Football. This equates to around 15 points for RB, WR, and TE positions and 20 points for QB. While the median is lower for TE than for RB and WR, the same value is used to judge a player for Flex starter decisions. While the 20 points for QBs is slightly lower than the median for that position, judging each QB against the others with the same point value is what matters most. The last ten games played are used for this measurement and provide a current form in Fantasy Football. 

Top 15 at QB

  1. Lamar Jackson- Lots of Fantasy Football managers and Ravens fans hope he comes back soon   
  2. Josh Allen- Doing amazing things considering his pass catchers are average at best   
  3. Patrick Mahomes (+2) Hard to call a guy with a 4-3 record an MVP candidate, but it fits here.
  4. Jalen Hurts (+2) Yes; he can throw the ball a long way with accuracy when called on.
  5. Baker Mayfield (-2) saved his worst game of the season for prime time
  6. Jayden Daniels (-2) Another injury might put him on the shelf again
  7.  Dak Prescott (+1) is Second behind Mahomes in total fantasy points scored 
  8. Brock Purdy (-1). After a lousy week by Mac Jones, they need Purdy back fast
  9. Bo Nix (+5) Three quarters it was BOO, and in the fourth quarter it was BO
  10. Jaxson Dart (NEW) Could the Giants finally have their franchise QB? 
  11. Jared Goff (-2). It must be the conductor, not an elite performer, with this offense.
  12. Drake Maye (-1) Another team that knows they have their franchise QB for a long time
  13. Sam Darnold (-3) has proven last year wasn’t a fluke, but still second-tier
  14. Justin Herbert (+1) They wanted to be a run-first team before the O-line injuries.
  15. Matthew Stafford (NEW) might be rising to the top ten when he gets Nacua back.

Top 30 at RB

  1. Christian McCaffrey- The last player with a perfect MVP Index score after seven games 
  2. Bijan Robinson- The Only one he plays second fiddle to is CMC  
  3. De’Von Achane- Team and offense are a train wreck except for Achane
  4. Jonathon Taylor- On pace for a career high in TDs after 11 in first seven games  
  5. Jahmyr Gibbs- A betting expert said one of his best bets was Gibbs under 65 last week 
  6. Josh Jacobs (+1) leads the second tier of top RBs, but is no threat to the Top 5     
  7. Kyren Williams (-1) Not spectacular like the guys above him, but finds the endzone regularly
  8. Bucky Irving- Bucs need him back soon and so do my Fantasy Football teams 
  9. Saquon Barkley- 18th best according to this year’s MVP index alone 
  10. James Cook- Needed the Bye week after two subpar games in a row 
  11. Cam Skattebo- Not even an excellent rush defense can slow him down much 
  12. David Montgomery- Fourth game of 8 PPR points or less, and volume is dropping
  13. Derrick Henry- Comes back from Bye week hoping for better health for his QB
  14. Alvin Kamara- Squashed the trade rumors last week, which means he should be gone soon   
  15. Breece Hall- Offense has serious issues right now, could fall out of the top 20 soon
  16. Javonte Williams (+2). Only one game under 12 points all season 
  17. Quinshon Judkins (+7) had a three-TD game on an awful day for playing football
  18. Chuba Hubbard (-1) Caught in an RBBC situation, which is bad news for Fantasy value
  19. D’Andre Swift (+4) Back-to-back games over 20 PPR points since his Bye week
  20. Travis Etienne (-1) After four straight games over 10 PPR points, has four straight under 10 points 
  21. JK Dobbins (-1) losing more volume to the rookie every week
  22. Rachad White (-1) could keep getting enough volume to be relevant when Bucky returns
  23. Chase Brown (-1) Flacco at QB has energized this offense
  24. Rico Dowdle (+1). With Chuba back, the value for both will go down 
  25. Ken Walker (+1) Losing goal line and passing down work to Charbonnet 
  26. Jordan Mason (+1), Aaron Jones, designated to return from IR soon 
  27. Ashton Jeanty (-11), the Raiders only had 95 yards of total offense
  28. Jaylen Warren (+1). Four of his five games played finished with 13 or more PPR points
  29. Rhamondre Stevenson (NEW) Lead RB job is still his after seven games
  30. Tony Pollard- If the Titans’ offense improves, he could rise tothe Top 20

Top 35 at WR

  1. Amon Ra St Brown- And to think some fantasy analysts said he wouldn’t be WR1 on his own team
  2. Puka Nacua- Should come back from his bye week healthy 
  3. Cee Dee Lamb (+2). Addition of Pickens keeps defenses honest
  4. Ja’Marr Chase- Flacco is on his Christmas Card list for life 
  5. Justin Jefferson (-2). Who would have believed he would miss Sam Darnold? 
  6. Davante Adams (+1). With Nacua sideline, he saw a nice surge in value
  7. Keenan Allen (+3). If the defense continues to give up points, he could hold on to the top 10 level
  8. Deebo Samuel- Only injuries have been able to slow down Deebo this season 
  9. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+3) should be headed to the Top 5 to replace Darnold’s former WR  
  10. Emeka Egbuka (-1) Didn’t even miss a single game after a hamstring injury
  11. Jordan Addison (+4) When teams key on Jefferson he will benefit 
  12. Rashee Rice (NEW) Didn’t even play 50% of offensive snaps and still was over 20 PPR points
  13. George Pickens (+3) If there were bonus points for spectacular catches, he would be Top 3
  14. Nico Collins (-8) Concussion could make him miss time
  15. Brian Thomas Jr (-4) has his QB lost faith in him after a few drops? 
  16. AJ Brown (+5) So the Eagles still have a passing game 
  17. Garret Wilson (-3) QB woes could keep him out of the Top 12  
  18. Drake London (-5) Switch to Cousins at QB could help his fantasy value 
  19. DeVonta Smith (+5) With Halloween coming soon, no surprise The Slim Reaper is back  
  20. Courtland Sutton (-2) Five games of 16+ PPR points and two games of two or less 
  21. Stefon Diggs (-4) should be the steadiest WR for the Patriots the rest of the season   
  22. Ladd McConkey (-3). The best game of the season came without QJ in the lineup
  23. Chris Olave (+3) is on pace for a career best in targets after seven games
  24. Michael Pittman (+4) Colts’ offense is one of the best surprises of the 2025 season  
  25. DK Metcalf (-5) had his first poor game of the season last week 
  26. Quentin Johnson (-4). Five of his six games have been over 11 PPR points 
  27. Zay Flowers- Four of six games with 12+ PPR points is a solid start to the year 
  28. Tee Higgins (+6). With a competent QB, he is a Top 20 WR in Fantasy Football 
  29. Jaylen Waddle (-6). Dolphins offensive woes and now an injury will slow him down
  30. Terry McLaurin- Offense needs him and Jayden Daniels back healthy 
  31. DJ Moore (-6) Might be too many mouths to feed for any WR to be consistently Top 20 
  32. Chris Godwin (-1) Injury to Evans opens the door to the Top 15 level for Godwin
  33. Jakobi Meyers- Best WR on a bad offense  
  34. Rome Odunze (-5) has Top 15 capability 
  35. Marvin Harrison Jr (NEW) Finally cracks the Top 35 in my rankings  

Top 15 at TE

  1. Trey McBride- This year, the TE1 race isn’t even close   
  2. Tyler Warren (+3) Leads a crowded second tier from TE2-8
  3. Travis Kelce- Only one game under 8 PPR points all season   
  4. Brock Bowers (-2) could be a long season for those who drafted him in the first round
  5. Jake Ferguson (+2) might be the best value at TE in Fantasy Football this season  
  6. George Kittle (NEW) How did he not score a single point on his return? 
  7. Dallas Goedert (-1) As teams try to take away the longer passes, he will shine again
  8. Sam LaPorta (-4) becoming the third-best option behind Gibbs and ARSB
  9. Johnu Smith- Leads the third tier that goes from TE9-18
  10. David Njoku (-2) Injury could put him on the shelf for a while 
  11. Mark Andrews (-1) Two acceptable games out of six, but three awful games
  12. Zach Ertz has benefited from injuries at WR this year    
  13. Tucker Kraft (+1) Five games over 9 PPR points in six starts 
  14. Darren Waller (-4) Injury could drop him off this list next week 
  15. TJ Hockenson- Engram, Fannin, and Gadsden are closing in on the last position