Fantasy football projections, Week 7: Vikings-Bills featuring Jerick McKinnon, Sammy Watkins and Fred Jackson

The Week 7 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills features two teams in transition. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

While it looks like Jerick McKinnon is finally getting an opportunity to strut his stuff as the featured running back in the Vikings' ground game, coach Mike Zimmer still maintains that veteran Matt Asiata is better in pass protection and should see more of the ball than he did against the Detroit Lions last week. That said, McKinnon is far too talented not to own in fantasy leagues and will probably get more touches against Buffalo when the team needs to extend drives, meaning he'll definitely have a higher yardage total and probably a larger workload than Asiata.

When the Vikings do put the ball in the air, it will be rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater throwing it. Although he made his return to the lineup last week, Bridgewater threw for less than 200 yards in the game and threw three interceptions to go along with zero touchdowns. He will have to be better against the Buffalo Bills if the Vikings are to win on Sunday. The Bills have maintained a .500 record through the first six weeks of the season largely because of their defense.

C.J. Spiller was definitely the running back to own in the Bills' backfield coming into the season, but lately veteran Fred Jackson has proven to be more valuable, at least in terms of fantasy scoring, especially in leagues that reward receptions. Jackson managed only 14 touches last week, but did score his second touchdown of the season. He saw an uptick in touches when Spiller was told to step back by the coaching staff after fumbling the football in the second half. The Bills don't have a potent passing game to rely on, so Jackson could be busier than his counterpart on Sunday.

When Buffalo does have to pass the ball, wide receiver Sammy Watkins should be on the receiving end of a lot of those passes. Watkins could undoubtedly be a fantasy star in the making and he may already be realizing that potential if not for a mediocre quarterbacking situation in Buffalo. Watkins is going to look to bounce back against the Vikings after catching just two passes on three targets last week against the New England Patriots. Fantasy owners should go ahead and start him, albeit against a Vikings secondary that has done a decent job smothering star receivers so far this season.