Fantasy football advice, Week 7: Who to start/sit for Jets vs. Patriots

A couple weeks ago, the New England Patriots looked terrible. The offense couldn't score, the tricks weren't working and they got blown out on Monday Night Football. Since then, though, the Patriots have righted the ship, winning in Weeks 5 and 6 by a combined 41 points, and things are looking happy and bright again.

A couple weeks ago, the New York Jets looked terrible. Since then, they have ... continued to look terrible. Shucks.

The two teams face off Thursday night, and there will be plenty of injuries situations to monitor. For the Jets, tight end Jace Amaro and wide receiver Eric Decker are both expected to be fully active despite dealing with some nagging injuries this week. For the fantasy perspective of the Patriots, there's only one name to really note, but it's a biggie -- running back Stevan Ridley is done for the year after tearing his ACL and MCL in last Sunday's game.

Start 'em: If you ignore that Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears where he left early, Decker has put up 10 fantasy points per game when he's active, and he's been at less than full health for much of that time. He looks healthier now, gets plenty of targets a game and looks like a strong flex play at worst, even if he ends up on Revis Island.

Start 'em?: After a decent start to the season, Chris Ivory has fallen on hard times in recent weeks, but with few options on the team and the Patriots without linebacker Jerod Mayo, Ivory could be a reasonable flex play. ... The struggles of the Jets' offense have hurt Nick Folk's chances at kicking opportunities. It probably takes him out of starting consideration, but he's good enough in a vacuum that a case could still be made.

Sit 'em: OK, so Geno Smith rebounded fairly well Sunday after his Week 6 disaster; he still has an eight-pointer and a negative fantasy day inside his last three. ... Everything has been getting worse and worse for the stock of Chris Johnson, who hasn't even put up one fantasy point in the last two games. ... Amaro had his first good game Sunday, which could build to future value, but let's see another outing before we invest. ... The Jets' defense hasn't had any true disaster (read: negative score) outings, but the unit is still averaging fewer than four points a game, and the rejuvenated New England offense doesn't inspire.

Start in every league: Eric Decker
Start if you're desperate: Chris Ivory, Nick Folk
Bench: Geno Smith, Chris Johnson, Jace Amaro, Defense/special teams

Start 'em: I doubt there's a soul outside of Massachusetts who was still investing in Tom Brady two weeks ago, but the veteran has 50 combined fantasy points in the two games since; he's back in must-start territory. ... Julian Edelman had a couple bad games in Weeks 4 and 5, but he's still averaging more than nine targets a game, and those targets turn into points more often than not. ... Rob Gronkowski has had good-to-great games in five of six outings. Nothing's changed. ... Stephen Gostkowski is still fantasy's top kicker. Nothing's changed (deja vu). ... The Patriots' defense has had two really strong games in a row, and now gets turnover machine Smith on a short week at home. Ugliness could ensue.

Start 'em?: It's been up and down for Shane Vereen; theoretically, Ridley's absence could boost his value, but we've all been burned by him before. He's a mid-range flex play. ... That's two great games out of three for Brandon LaFell, who doesn't offer great consistency, but has big upside against a bad pass defense.

Sit 'em: Logic and history would probably say that Brandon Bolden will be the next man up in the New England running game, but predicting what the Patriots are going to do is a heck of a dicey proposition; James White could be just as relevant. Until we see something shake out, best to stay away (and with that team, you might want to stay away even after one game). ... Tim Wright is still a good stash at tight end with upside, but you can't use him unless you've lost Jimmy Graham and are desperate.

Start in every league: Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Stephen Gostkowski, Defense/special teams
Start if you're desperate: Shane Vereen, Brandon LaFell
Bench: Brandon Bolden, James White, Tim Wright