NFL Week 7 DFS Contrarian Picks: Amari Cooper, George Kittle & More
Your odds of winning a GPP tournament like the Milly Maker on DraftKings or the Sunday Million on FanDuel are pretty steep. Even in a single-entry contest where everyone has just one shot at the top prize, the fields are large enough that your odds are pretty close to what they are if you walked into your local deli and bought a lottery scratcher or a Powerball ticket.
But those odds can be reduced if you have strong DFS contrarian picks to differentiate yourself from the rest of the herd. Last week, with the help of our NFL DFS Ownership projections, we were able to identify some fantastic contrarian picks. How in the world people keep letting us have David Montgomery at less than 6-percent ownership is baffling, but there it was again, ripe for the pickings.
We were able to use him and Stefon Diggs in our lineups, both of whom not only returned strong value for their price but went against everyone else’s use of Jahmyr Gibbs and Tank Dell. We’ll dive into the data and see what looks good as we wait for Jon Impemba, who is killing it with the DFS Playbook, offers up a narrowed-down view of the player pool.
If you’re ready to dominate your GPP tournaments, let’s get to our favorite NFL Week 7 DFS contrarian picks:
NFL Week 7 DFS Contrarian Picks
- Andy Dalton, QB Carolina Panthers ($5,200 DK; $7,300 FD)
- Kareem Hunt, RB Kansas City Chiefs ($6,000 DK; $7,700 FD)
- Amari Cooper, WR Buffalo Bills ($5,800 DK; $6,100 FD)
- George Kittle, TE San Francisco 49ers ($6,000 DK; $7,500 FD)
Player News
49ers signed Brock Purdy to a five-year, $265 million contract extension.
Jets released K Greg Zuerlein.
Defensive end Michael Fletcher was signed in a corresponding move. Zuerlein has kicked for the Jets since 2022. He suffered a knee injury last year and briefly returned before being placed back on injured reserve. Zuerlein appeared in eight games and went a dreadful 9-of-15 on his field goal tries. The 60 percent hit rate was by far the worst of his career. Now 37 years old, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Legatron hang up the cleats for good after being released. If he wants to keep kicking, another team will be more than willing to at least give him a camp battle to win.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said his guess is that the NFL will ban the tush push during next week’s owners’ meeting.
Schefter didn’t cite any sources directly but reiterated the point later in the latest episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast, saying he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the owners voted to outlaw the play. Losing the free touchdown play would undoubtedly hurt Philly’s offense and Jalen Hurts’ fantasy outlook, but it’s hard to imagine a team with Hurts, an elite offensive line, and Saquon Barkley not finding other ways to get in the end zone from a yard out. If the tush push is banned, it would likely just shuffle some of Hurts’ touchdowns to Barkley. Other teams including the Bills have experimented with similar plays, but no one has found as much success as the Eagles. The owners will also be voting on a change to the playoff seeding rules. The proposed change would seed teams based purely on their record instead of each division winner earning a top-four seed. While that may be a more logical way to do things, it’s certainly less fun.
Steelers beat writer Nick Farabaugh reports the team has called the Saints about a possible trade for Chris Olave.
According to Farabaugh, one source described the Steelers’ inquiry as “a due diligence call” while adding that a trade “doesn’t seem likely to happen” at this time. The Steelers trade George Pickens to the Cowboys just over a week ago, and are now looking at DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson, and Calvin Austin as their top options in three receiver sets. Of those three, Metcalf is the only receiver with notable NFL success, while Wilson effectively redshirted his rookie season due to injuries. Olave caught 32 passes for 400 yards and one touchdown for the Saints last season, but missed nine games due to multiple concussions he suffered. The four-year receiver posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons during his first two years in the league, and would provide an immediate upgrade to an underwhelming Steelers receiving corps. Farabaugh reports that in addition to a trade being unlikely, that the Saints do “not seem interested in trading Olave” at this time. The Saints picked up Olave’s fifth-year option last month, and will likely look to extend him in the not too distant future.
Browns signed No. 67 overall pick TE Harold Fannin to a four-year contract.
According to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Fannin’s deal is worth a total of $6.7 million. The Browns selected Fannin with the No. 67 overall pick in this year’s draft, and while he may not earn a significant role in his rookie season, he could be in line to make more of an impact in 2026 if David Njoku walks after his contract expires at the end of the 2025 season. Fannin caught 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final season at Bowling Green. Known more for his pass-catching prowess than his abilities as a blocker, Fannin could prove to be a sneaky fantasy value this season if Njoku were to ever miss time.
ESPN reports “a Derek Carr representative spoke with at least two teams in the market for a quarterback” this offseason.
This news comes from an article published by Jeremy Fowler and ESPN’s Saints writer, Katherine Terrell. According to the article, folks around the league do believe Carr is injured, but “not everyone believes it’s the full story” of why Carr opted for retirement. While Carr did not have permission to speak to teams, it’s reported that the team “didn’t consider it a major issue” due to his 11-year tenure in the league, and the fact that 2025 was the last year he would be receiving guaranteed money on his deal. In short, the Saints were likely headed for a split one way or another after the 2025 season. There are also some who believe that Carr and the Saints were not on good terms, in part due to his lack of a relationship with newly minted head coach Kellen Moore, who never officially committed to Carr as a starter. The two never even had a meeting in person. It’s been reported by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio that it’s “extremely unlikely” Carr will return to play in 2026 — or ever again. That said, if his injured shoulder isn’t the sole reason for his departure, we can’t rule out a potential return if Carr, 34, gets the itch to play again.