Week 7 is here and a clear playoff picture is starting to form in many fantasy leagues. The winless teams are likely done for, the undefeated teams are likely safe and the .500 teams are on the bubble. Every game from here on out counts, especially if your team is .500 or under and now that bye weeks are in the picture and injuries are starting to pile up, decisions are tougher to make.
Fantasy Football Week 7 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Chris Johnson Could Have a Breakout Game on Sunday
Having trouble decided who to start and sit on your fantasy football team in Week 7? Maybe this will help.
Here is some help if you’re having a hard time deciding who should start and who should sit on your team.
Quarterbacks:
| Ben Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh Steelers -- Start |
Remember when Big Ben threw five touchdown passes earlier this season? That was against the Tennessee Titans, who have the leagues No. 12 ranked pass defense. This week the Steelers are taking on the Arizona Cardinals and their 20th ranked pass defense.
Roethlisberger may not have a five-touchdown game but he’ll probably at least throw two. If you’re having a hard time figuring out with quarterback to start on your team and you have Big Ben, you should go with him.
| Philip Rivers QB San Diego Chargers -- Sit |
Rivers and the Chargers are taking the long trip east from California to New York to take on the Jets and their fifth-ranked pass defense, which means he'll be facing one of the best corners in the league -- Darrelle Revis.
Rivers isn’t as good on the East Coast as he is out west and the Jets, who are trying to work their way into making a second-half playoff run, could take advantage of that. If you have another quarterback with a better matchup, play him.
Running Backs:
| Chris Johnson RB Tennessee Titans -- Start |
This is the game, I can feel it. I hope you haven’t jumped the Johnson ship yet because I know that there have been a lot of fantasy owners who have packaged him up in trade deals because of his lack of production. If you have, you may regret it. Coming off a bye week, Johnson and his offensive line are fully rested and I fully expect him to have his 2011 breakout game on Sunday against the Titans.
| Steven Jackson RB St. Louis Rams -- Sit |
The Rams have already had a problem moving the ball down the field through the air but now that Sam Bradford has been ruled out this weekend, it's going to be even worse. This is especially bad news for running back Steven Jackson.
The Rams face the Cowboys this weekend and not only do the Cowboys have the best run defense in the league, but they can stack the box against Jackson because they won't need to be terribly concerned about getting beat by A.J. Feeley
Wide Receivers:
| Pierre Garcon WR Indianapolis Colts -- Start |
Curtis Painter has fallen in love with throwing the ball to Garcon, who has racked up 323 yards receiving and four touchdowns in the last three games. He had a slight tip against the Bengals last week against the Bengals, but the Bengals have the second best defense in the NFL and the Saints don't, so don't be too worried.
Also, it’s likely that the Saints will jump out to an early lead which will mean that the Colts will have to pass a lot to keep up. This is good news for Garcon owners.
| Brandon Lloyd WR St. Louis Rams -- Sit |
The Rams needed the help at wide receiver but that help won’t do too much good if the starting quarterback is laid up. Without Sam Bradford in the lineup, Lloyd shouldn’t make it into your fantasy lineup.
Wait until A.J. Feeley isn’t in the game to start playing Lloyd.
Tight Ends:
| Brandon Pettigrew TE Detroit Lions |
Pettigrew is still a matchup nightmare and the more attention that Calvin Johnson gets from the secondary (and he should be getting a ton of attention), the less attention Pettigrew will get.
The Lions play the Falcons this week and if the safeties and corners are all over Johnson, trust that Pettigrew can burn a few linebackers. Start him this week for sure.
| Dustin Keller TE New York Jets -- Sit |
The Jets offense is so bad, especially the passing offense. Keller should not only be on your bench this week against the Chargers, but you may want to find a new tight end, especially if Keller is your best option right now.
Defenses:
| Dallas Cowboys Defense -- Start |
Again, A.J. Feeley and an offense that has struggled with Sam Bradford at the helm. Add that to the fact that the Cowboys have the fifth-ranked defense in the league and the team is trying to bounce back from a loss to the Patriots and it makes this a matchup too good to pass up.
Start them and they’ll help you get a win this week.
| Houston Texans Defense -- Sit |
The Titans are a dangerous team, especially when Chris Johnson is playing well and since I already predicted him to have a breakout game this weekend, I can’t have you starting the Texans defense against him, can I?
But really, find a better matchup on defense this week.
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