Fantasy football advice, Week 7: who to start/sit for Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos

Fantasy owners have much to consider after a week of carnage knocked out a few mainstays in leagues of all formats. Additionally, with the Panthers and Cowboys on byes, setting lineups for Week 7 gets even more tricky.

But before hitting the “submit lineup” button, there are fantasy implications in each game that have to be carefully considered. The Texans-Broncos matchup on Monday night is just one of 15 that do.

So Lamar Miller owners can exhale now, can’t they? After a dominant effort against the Colts where he scored his first two touchdowns in a Texans uniform, Miller finally had his huge workload translate into a dent into fantasy scoreboards. He will have a much rougher go of things against an elite Broncos front seven, but Melvin Gordon did tally 94 yards on them in Week 6. Of course, it took Gordon 27 carries to get there, but that workload could be in store for Miller as long as the game script doesn’t get too out of hand. He’s an RB1.

DeAndre Hopkins was supposed to be quarterback-proof after posting a 1,500-yard season in 2015 with four different starting quarterbacks. Somehow, Brock Osweiler is finding a way to make Hopkins unproductive, and he now has to do battle against three fabulous cornerbacks in Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, Jr. Hopkins has the talent to succeed in tough matchups, but it’s difficult to trust him as anything more than a low-ceiling WR2 for Week 7.

Though Will Fuller is on track to play on Monday, his effectiveness against the Broncos’ imposing secondary is fair to question. Both Fuller and Osweiler can be benched, and C.J. Fiedorowicz doesn’t need to be started with just two teams on byes.

The Texans haven’t been able to stop the run much this year, ranking 29th in the NFL in run defense and allowing the Colts to have their first 100-yard rusher since 2012. C.J. Anderson continues to garner the volume necessary to put up fantasy points even with Devontae Booker cutting into his workload in recent weeks, and he can be treated as a solid RB2 in a plus matchup.

Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 75 scoreless yards as Trevor Siemian struggled to make anything happen against the Chargers in Week 6. They have another tough matchup against the Texans on Monday night, who have capably stymied passing games of other teams despite hemorrhaging rushing yardage. Thomas and Sanders still have undeniable upside, but they are more in WR3 territory than WR2.

Booker, Siemian, and all of the Broncos’ complementary pass catchers can safely remain on the bench.