With Week 7 arriving, it’s time for our weekly start/sit advice for the toughest calls facing your fantasy football lineups. This week we only have a couple teams on bye. The Houston Texans and Detroit Lions have the week off, removing two notable quarterback options. It’s a shame the Texans are on bye given how well Deshaun Watson has been playing.
Fantasy football, Week 7: Who to start and sit across the NFL
Check out our weekly starts/sits advice for help setting your fantasy lineups in Week 7.
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START
Seattle’s offense has come alive in recent weeks, in large part due to Russell Wilson stepping up his game. After accounting for just one touchdown in his first two games, Wilson has racked up eight scores over his last three games (7 passing, 1 rushing). Next up, he’ll get to face a Giants team that, while it has some big names on defense, is allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Though the game is in New York, Wilson is still a worthy starter this week.
The Bengals have been relying heavily on Joe Mixon as of late, and the rookie runner has impressed with his vision, patience, and burst to daylight. Mixon is now set to face a Steelers defense that has proven vulnerable in recent weeks. Last week, they did hold Kareem Hunt to just 21 yards on nine runs, but he did add five catches for 89 yards. Mixon has also been a great pass-catcher, and it’s those dual-threat backs that have done the most damage vs. Pittsburgh, Keep Mixon in your starting lineup in Week 7.
Adrian Peterson is officially back. After being traded from the Saints to the Cardinals, it took all of one game for Peterson to show he’s still got it. In Week 6, Peterson rushed for 134 yards on 26 carries in the team’s 38-33 victory over the Buccaneers. He looked like the old AP that was an RB1 every week, no matter the matchup. Was Peterson’s breakout game just a fluke, or was it a sign of things to come the rest of the season? The good news is, regardless of the answer, he’s still a very tantalizing starter this week against a Rams defense allowing the most fantasy points to running backs. Start Peterson in Week 7.
Green Bay Packers WR Jordy Nelson vs. New Orleans Saints
Normally, Jordy Nelson is a 100-percent must-start for your fantasy team, but that went out the window when Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone. It was painfully evident in Minnesota that Brett Hundley was going to be a massive downgrade for this entire offense, making even Nelson a questionable starter each week. Thankfully, Nelson and Hundley get a bit of a softball this week as Green Bay hosts a Saints team allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Keep Nelson in your starting lineup for at least this week.
Kyle Rudolph got off to a slow start this season between the quarterback shuffle with Sam Bradford and Case Keenum. Now that Keenum is entrenched as the starter for at least one more week, Rudolph is becoming a favorite target of his, as the veteran tight end has been targeted 18 times over the last two games. They’ll now face a Ravens defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Get Rudolph into your starting lineup for Week 7.
SIT
The Raiders have fallen hard after being expected to be a Super Bowl contender this year, which was going to come on the strength of Derek Carr and this high-powered offense. However, injuries and inconsistent play have led to Carr being arguably the biggest fantasy disappointment at quarterback this season. Even so, Carr is a very tempting play in Week 7, as Oakland hosts a Chiefs defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last three weeks. Even so, keep Carr benched until he can show more consistency.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston vs. Buffalo Bills
The Buccaneers were effectively without Jameis Winston in Week 6 after he suffered a shoulder injury early on that knocked him out of the loss in Arizona. However, the injury wasn’t serious, and Winston is already back practicing. That’s the good news, but the bad news is he’s about to face a stingy Bills defense that rarely surrenders good games to quarterbacks. They enter Week 7 allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Keep Winston benched this Sunday.
Baltimore Ravens RB Buck Allen vs. Minnesota Vikings
While Buck Allen and Alex Collins have been splitting carries in recent weeks, Allen has been more consistent with his fantasy production thanks to his pass-catching (ranks 10th among running backs in receptions). Even with that added dimension, it’s hard to see Allen doing much of anything against the Vikings, who are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. They’re also tied for the fourth-fewest receptions allowed to running backs this year, making it an easy call to bench Allen in Week 7.
Oakland Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch vs. Kansas City Chiefs
As mentioned above, Oakland’s offense has struggled mightily this season, and Marshawn Lynch has paid dearly for it. Lynch is actually averaging a respectable 4.3 yards per carry over his last two games, but he’s gotten just 25 carries during that span. He’s shown he can still do damage if given enough touches, but even if Lynch gets a big workload in Week 7, it’s hard to see him doing enough damage to be worth starting against the Chiefs. Until Lynch and the Raiders can find some rhythm, keep Beast Mode benched.
Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Cardinals and fantasy owners of Larry Fitzgerald continue to get great production out of the 34-year-old wide receiver. However, one team Fitzgerald has struggled against within the AFC West are the Rams. In two games last year, Fitzgerald caught a combined 10 passes for 105 yards and one score. Not bad, but not great either, and the Rams are a better team now. They’re also allowing the ninth-fewest fantasy points to receivers this season. Keep Fitz benched this week.
