It’s time for Start Sit Week 7 in Fantasy Football! Which players should you be starting this week, and which players should you consider benching? We will cover it all in this weekly article!
Every week of the NFL season, fantasy gamers juggle players to insert into lineups at each position. Are you questioning which players face easy matchups and which players face tougher paths to production? You are in the right place! For seasonal leagues, DFS, and more, this week’s must-start and must-sit picks can give you some guidance on setting your lineups.
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Quarterback Start Sit Week 7
Start: Baker Mayfield
Everyone is passing on the Baltimore Ravens. Their pass funnel defense is allowing 37 pass attempts per game (fourth-most), 7.5 yards per passing attempt (seventh-most), and 68-percent of their touchdowns through the air (seventh-most). They also have the stiffest run defense in the league right now. This is the perfect recipe for a Baker Mayfield explosion game. Mayfield has produced over 20 fantasy points in four of his sixt starts this season and needs to be considered as a weekly top-eight option. Yet, his start percentage is just over 50-percent on Sleeper.
The Bucs will likely struggle with the run more than their past contests and will look to exploit Baltimore’s biggest weakness. The Ravens are always expected to score points, making a Tampa blowout unlikely. This makes Mayfield a top-five QB in my eyes for Week 7.
Honorable Mentions (Starts): Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Drake Maye
Sit: Patrick Mahomes
I don’t care about the names, you can’t be starting Mahomes over guys like Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith. Mahomes has only finished inside of the top-12 quarterbacks once this season (with Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco active) and has yet to have a 25-point fantasy week. The 49ers love to play slow and control the pace, with a 32nd-ranked Pace of Play. Mahomes and company aren’t much better, ranking 20th. This isn’t going to be a fast-paced game.
Further, with Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster being the Chiefs’ primary weapons, San Francisco has a major edge defensively. They’re very good at limiting explosive plays and keeping the easy stuff out of the middle of the field. I think we get another dud from Mahomes in a game that ends up being slow, low-scoring, and pretty boring.
Honorable Mentions (Sits): Justin Fields/Russell Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, Andy Dalton
Running Back Start Sit Week 7
Start: Antonio Gibson
I know Rhamondre Stevenson‘s status for Sunday isn’t confirmed just yet, but this is easily the deep-dive play of the week if Stevenson misses time again. The Jaguars’ defense has been getting diced up and down this season and has given up big games to running backs. Over the last three games, the Jags have allowed 4.7 yards per rush attempt, which is great news for an explosive runner like Gibson. Further, the Jags cede a ton of work in the passing game to running backs. They’re allowing 7.7 targets per game (third-most) and 27 PPR fantasy points per game (eighth-most) to the position.
Gibson had 17 opportunities last week in a very negative game script with Stevenson active. Not only will pass protection backs be needed less for the Patriots this week, but the game script should be much more favorable for increased high-value touches. If Stevenson misses, Gibson will be my start of the week. If Stevenson is back, Tank Bigsby will get a promotion to this spot.
Honorable Mentions (Starts): Tank Bigsby, Najee Harris, Ty Chandler
Sit: Bucky Irving
For the same reasons that Mayfield is a start, I’m sitting Bucky Irving. After last week, Sean Tucker is going to command touches. He already played 40-percent of the snaps, equaled Bucky’s carry total, and earned one more target last week. The Rachaad White/Bucky Irving split is going to turn into the Bucky Irving/Sean Tucker split, and it’s going to happen against the stiffest run defense in the league.
Bucky has been phenomenal on the ground to start his career, but sometimes, the matchup just doesn’t work on paper. While Irving is a good receiver, he has not been particularly involved in the passing game so far. The face that Tucker out-targeted him may be a bad sign for his usage this week. I think there are a few low-owned, high-upside backs that I’d rather start.
Honorable Mentions (Sits): Zack Moss, Kareem Hunt, Trey Sermon
Wide Receiver Start Sit Week 7
Start: Tank Dell
Tank Dell is back. With Nico Collins out, Dell drew nine targets and turned them into a seven-catch, 57-yard, one-touchdown receiving line and 18.7 PPR fantasy points. It was a slow start to the season for Dell, but that can be explained by the lengthy recovery from his leg injury and missing valuable recovery time dealing with an additional health issue. What’s great is that he’s still ascending. He’s beginning to feel like himself again and now finds himself against a Packers’ defense that has struggled mightily to defend high-octane pass defenses.
Green Bay has allowed at least one receiver to clear 15 fantasy points in almost every week, and over two-thirds of their touchdowns allowed have come through the air. This is the perfect matchup for Dell to return to big-play form and put up over 100 yards and a score.
Honorable Mentions (Starts): Ladd McConkey, Tank Dell, Christian Kirk
Sit: Michael Pittman Jr.
He got lucky with a Joe Flacco fade-away touchdown, but Michael Pittman was a fade last week, and he’s a fade again this week. The sluggish Colts’ passing attack just isn’t one we want to be highly exposed to, except for maybe Josh Downs. Pittman has only cleared 15 fantasy points once, and has fallen below 10 fantasy points in three of six games. What do those three games have in common? Anthony Richardson was the starting quarterback. Richardson will likely return to action this week, making life tougher for Pittman.
There’s really not much to this. Pittman is still getting by on name value and is torching people’s lineups. Enough is enough. Bench him.
Honorable Mentions (Sits): Brian Thomas Jr., Wan’Dale Robinson, Khalil Shakir
Tight End Start Sit Week 7
Tight ends are perhaps the most disgusting they’ve ever been for fantasy football. If you have one of these guys, you’re probably looking to just start them every week and hope for the best:
If not, consider these options:
Start: Evan Engram
Evan Engram returned from injury with a bang. The 2023 positional target leader drew 10 targets in Sunday’s contest and was undoubtedly the number-one option in the Jaguars’ passing game. From what we saw last season and last week, we should expect that to continue. The Jaguars’ passing game is much more productive when Engram is involved, and last week reminded them of that. They’ll now look to continue to build momentum and shake off last week’s loss with a good matchup against the sorry Patriots secondary. The major benefit for Engram is that Christian Gonzalez will be lined up against Brian Thomas Jr. for a majority of the game, and Engram will be a massive mismatch wherever he lines up.
Honorable Mentions (Starts): Zach Ertz, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft
Sit: Dalton Schultz
Even with Nico Collins out and facing a poor secondary, Dalton Schultz did basically nothing for fantasy managers in Week 6. He turned eight targets into just four receptions and 27 yards. That’s been the theme for Schultz this season, struggling to connect or find his role in this Texans offense. The matchup against the Packers is good on paper, but they also wield a very bad rush defense that Joe Mixon will likely expose. This game could shoot out, but I think it absolutely has to for Schultz to be valuable for fantasy managers. He’s not being looked at in the red zone, either, so it’s an uphill battle for him to get a touchdown.
Honorable Mentions (Sits): Tyler Conklin, Colby Parkinson, Pat Freiermuth
Set Your Lineups!
It is time to set lineups! Fire up those fingers and plug in your productive players (and bench the sits!). Check back for weekly must-starts and must-sits based on the action that unfolds this season. Need some more options? Check out PlayerProfiler’s Upside Finder or DM me on Twitter! It’s time again for a season full of ups and downs. Buckle up!
