The New England Patriots will travel to face the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football to get Week 7 underway. There are a plethora of fantasy football-viable options playing on Thursday, including DeMario Douglas and Kalif Raymond.

Between Douglas and Raymond, which veteran wideout is the better play in fantasy football in Week 7?

All stats used in this article are from PFF or Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise. Fantasy rankings and fantasy point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.

DeMario Douglas

Over the last two weeks, Douglas is the WR6 in fantasy points per game (21.1). During those two weeks, Douglas has the 13th-most yards per reception (13.7) and 3rd-most yards per route run (3.21) among the 46 WRs with 10-plus targets in that span.

TOUCHDOWN POP‼️@DrakeMaye2 | @popshotta3

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/44jjc5GRBW

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 18, 2026

Even with A.J. Brown back in the fold for the Patriots, Douglas has become a go-to target for Drake Maye out of the slot. Douglas has earned five-plus targets in four of his first six outings in 2026.

Kalif Raymond

Raymond had a surprising start to the 2026 campaign, earning the status of WR14 in fantasy points per game (15.5) from Week 1 to Week 3. With Caleb Williams under center, Raymond has emerged as a short-yardage threat for Chicago, averaging just a 5.8-yard depth of target.

Highest catch pct when targeted this season among WR
(min 25 targets)

Kalif Raymond 92.9%
Chris Godwin 82.1%
Nico Collins 78.6%
Kendrick Bourne 78.6%
Zay Flowers 78.0% pic.twitter.com/dzKURY9FZ5

— PFF (@PFF) October 19, 2026

With the Patriots ranking 13th in dropback EPA allowed (0.02), it could be beneficial for the Bears to use the quick passing game to keep drives alive.

Final Verdict: Start DeMario Douglas

Douglas and Raymond have been on different trajectories in recent weeks, with Raymond seemingly getting phased out of the Bears’ aerial attack. Raymond has scored fewer than 4.0 fantasy points in three straight games after his blazing start this season.

As for Douglas, he’s become a solid option in back-to-back games, and his role could increase with Romeo Doubs placed on injured reserve. Doubs’ absence should help consolidate more targets to Brown and Douglas in the coming weeks.

With what we’ve seen from both wideouts recently, Douglas is the clear start over Raymond in fantasy football lineups ahead of Thursday’s showdown. At the same time, Raymond is not worth putting in lineups unless you’re absolutely desperate in a deeper league.