Fantasy football advice, Week 7: who to start/sit for Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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 Eagles-Vikings matchup on Sunday is just one of 15 that do.

Stefon Diggs returned to practice and should once again reclaim his role as the Vikings’ No. 1 receiver. He resumes his duties against a capable Eagles defense, but a defense that got gashed by Washington and is banged-up in the secondary. Expect Sam Bradford to look toward his top target in an exploitable matchup. Diggs has WR2 upside after practicing in all three sessions during the week, and tight end Kyle Rudolph figures to be involved enough to warrant low-end TE1 consideration.

The Eagles’ defense may have been exposed after allowing a whopping 230 rushing yards to a Washington team that struggled to run the ball in the early goings of the season. With 21 touches in back-to-back games, Jerick McKinnon has a chance to capitalize on more volume, especially since the Vikings have a defense that can keep them in games and won’t force the offense to resort to abandoning the run. McKinnon can be considered a low-end RB2, but could far exceed that designation if the Eagles haven’t corrected their Week 6 issues.

Touchdown vulture Matt Asiata is difficult to trust despite finding the end zone against the Texans and having eight or fewer touches in each of his prior three games. He, and Week 5’s sleeper Adam Thielen, can remain on benches.

Jordan Matthews remains Carson Wentz’s top target despite being held in check by the Josh Norman-led Washington secondary in Week 6. Aside from a 54-yard catch, Matthews was mostly a non-factor and will have another tough test against a dominant Vikings defense. Matthews is a capable option in the passing game, but can be considered a low-ceiling WR2 for Week 7.

Zach Ertz’s owners should consider streaming other tight ends since the Vikings have allowed just 5.4 fantasy points per game to that position. The backfield has also turned into an unpredictable committee with Wendell Smallwood, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles. It’s a situation for fantasy owners to avoid until more clarity in the Eagles’ backfield emerges. Wentz also doesn’t garner any streaming appeal with such a tough matchup at hand.