Welcome back! The sky isn’t quite falling in Kansas City, and while they’ll be without Patrick Mahomes for a few games, it looks like he will be back. Don’t panic and trade him unless someone is going to give up a top-three player in another position. Kamara isn’t going to play this week, so Latavius Murray will have an increased role, but going against the Chicago defense I don’t see him being fantasy relevant. With those tidbits out of the way, let’s get into the rest of my players you should Start/Sit Week 7.
Start Them
Quarterbacks: Jared Goff, Gardner Minshew, Daniel Jones
Jared Goff is a real conundrum for fantasy owners so far this season. There have been times where he’s looked brilliant this year, but also times where you can tell that Sean McVay is literally reading the defense for him. He’s got a great opportunity to win some fantasy matchups in Week 7 going up against an absolutely awful Atlanta team. The Falcons have failed to stop anybody this year, and the Rams should have no problems throwing the ball all over the field. Gardner Minshew against the Bengals isn’t that shocking of a selection, but what I can see happening is him having a top-three fantasy performance this week. Cincinnati is already terrible, but they’re now going to be missing their two best cornerbacks due to injury. The trading of Jalen Ramsey may result in the defense being slightly worse against the Bengals, but if anything it’ll allow Minshew to throw the ball more. Daniel Jones is going up against another horrible defense in Arizona and is getting the added benefit of having Saquon Barkley return. Assuming that the Cardinals would gameplan against the Giants best offensive weapon and stack the box, I think that will allow Jones to rack up the yards and throw a few touchdown passes this week.
Running Backs: Jamaal Williams, Devin Singletary, Devonta Freeman
After Aaron Jones fumbling and dropping a wide-open touchdown pass last week, Jamaal Williams took full advantage. He racked up over 100 yards of total offense and scored. He’s going up against a bad Oakland defense in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field, and with the Packers wide receiver corps really beat up (Valdes-Scantling and Devonte Adams are both expected to miss the game) expect Green Bay to utilize Williams often. Devin Singletary has been in a similar situation as David Montgomery in Chicago. He’s a talented rookie that hasn’t been given enough carries to showcase just how good he is. Week 7 looks like the perfect time to have a career day against the pitiful Miami Tanks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went over the century mark in yards and scored twice. Devonta Freeman is finally getting consistent touches and doing something with them. It should be a scoring festival when they take on the Rams this week, and if he continues to be involved (he’s touched the ball 15+ times over the last 4 games) it’s not hard to see him cross the twenty point fantasy mark.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: Dede Westbrook, Will Fuller, Michael Gallup, Evan Engram (TE)
Dede Westbrook is going to enjoy incredibly favorable matchups Week 7, as DJ Chark is going to be the main focus and guarded by whoever is left in the Bengals secondary. The underneath routes should be easy pickings for the Jaguars offense, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets double-digit targets and could be in line for an 8+ catch performance. Will Fuller had a less than ideal game last week against Kansas City, dropping multiple passes and not running crisp routes. However, that didn’t stop DeShaun Watson from continuing to target him deep down the field and in the red zone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he spent some extra time working with his quarterback this week and is looking to rebound in Week 7. If you’re not on the Gallup train yet, you should strongly consider hopping on. He’s been targeted at least 7 times in each game he’s played in and is just under 400 yards on the season. He’s going up against a struggling Philadelphia pass defense, and in a must-win division rivalry game, I can see him being a big part of the offense and being a huge factor in daily fantasy and season-long leagues. Evan Engram is the easy call this week for tight end, as the Cardinals seem to be allergic to covering anyone lined up at that position. They got torched by Austin Hooper last week, and it should be more of the same this week. Barkley is back, and Engram is going to be the security blanket for Daniel Jones.
Sit Them
Quarterbacks: Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Stafford
Tennessee is good at one thing, and it’s making games have a 1970s feel to them. They lean heavily on their defense to keep them in games, and their pass rush isn’t bad. Rivers isn’t mobile enough to escape sacks, and if he’s unable to get the ball out of his hands quickly (which seems to be an issue in the Chargers offense lately) or continue to have miscommunication with receivers on routes (which seems like a more alarming issue recently) he’s not going to have a positive impact on your fantasy teams for Week 7. Every time I mention Tom Brady in this category, you have to remember (I can hear you all grumbling New England fans) this is about winning a fantasy matchup, not winning the game against the Jets this week. They’ll beat the Jets, but it may be in a similar fashion to how they beat Buffalo earlier this season. It won’t be pretty, and Brady just isn’t going to be putting up sexy fantasy numbers. Matt Stafford isn’t getting any favors against a tough Minnesota defense this week. His offensive line has struggled all season long, and the Vikings can put the clamps down on Kenny Golladay. Kerryon Johnson may see an uptick in carries, especially if Detroit wants to shorten the game, which means fewer points available for Stafford to pick up. Look elsewhere for a Week 7 streamer.
Running Backs: Le’Veon Bell, Melvin Gordon, Carlos Hyde
The Patriots defense has been absolutely dominant so far this season, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change this week. The Jets only hope to win this game will be homerun plays, special teams, and a little bit of luck. What’s more likely to happen, is New York force-feeds Bell and he runs into a brick wall 15+ times for 50ish yards. Bill Belichick will turn Bell into a non-factor. Speaking of non-factors, that is exactly what Melvin Gordon has been so far this season. Gordon hasn’t gained 50 total yards in any game he’s played in this season, and Austin Ekeler will continue to siphon off touches from him as well. The only touchdown-dependent position in fantasy should be your tight end slot (if you have one) it definitely shouldn’t be your RB2/Flex spot. Gordon isn’t worth the price tag for Week 7. Carlos Hyde may see a bump in his price this week after his performance against Kansas City last week, but don’t fall for it. Every running back that has played the Chiefs so far (except for Denver, which was surprising, but I’m not mad about it at all) has looked like a world-beater. Don’t expect that kind of performance on the road against Indianapolis. It’s another divisional rivalry game, and the passing game of both teams will be showcased. Hyde will have an average week at best.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: Allen Robinson, Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, Jimmy Graham
There aren’t going to be many points scored in this Chicago/New Orleans game this week, and the return of Mitch Trubisky has more of a “who cares” feeling more than a relief. Robinson is also going to have Marshon Lattimore covering him for the majority of the game. Just avoid everything about this matchup in general. Terry McLaurin has been the only source of offense for the Redskins so far this season, but they are running into a damn near immovable object in the 49ers defense this week. Washington is going to struggling to get the ball into the endzone at all in Week 7, and if they somehow manage to threaten to score, San Francisco isn’t going to let McLaurin beat them. DK Metcalf has been circulating as a sexy sleeper pick this week, but I’m not seeing him putting up anything special in terms of numbers. He’s got a tough matchup against the Ravens this week, and they just acquired Marcus Peters. Baltimore is going to focus on shutting down Russell Wilson (or at least hinder him, I’ve yet to see any evidence of Wilson being stopped yet this year) and not allow big plays. Jimmy Graham may look like a sneaky play this week, considering how beat up the Packers are. However, if Jon Gruden is worth anything as a head coach, he will cover Green Bay’s top red zone receiving threat. I think the Packers will be comfortably ahead for the majority of the game, so there won’t be much need for throwing the ball.
Alrighty, that about wraps it up for Week 7! I really hope everyone has enjoyed another weekly edition of Start Them/Sit Them. If you have any other questions or last-minute decisions, please don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@Rellihan51). Let’s bring home another win this week, don’t forget that fantasy playoffs are just around the corner!
Until next week!
