So here we are, Week 7, or as it has now been dubbed... "Bye-mageddon". With so many top fantasy assets on their bye week this week, it's going to be a headache to set your lineups and decide who to start or sit. So @K_H_Ray, @ZTwiceFF, & @MattFFDynasty are here to help you with their weekly Start/Sits and hopefully help guide you to a Week 7 victory.
Teams on their Bye Week:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Buffalo Bills
LA Chargers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Starts
Start Of The Week
Sam Darnold @ NYG (@K_H_Ray)
The former Trojan is coming off two lack-luster weeks after a hot start to the season. Everyone knew the rushing touchdowns would level off (5 through 4 weeks), but his efficiency was quite low against the Eagles (57%) and the Vikings (42%). But don't let that get you down! He's still slinging the rock on average 37 times per game and has two great matchups coming up. This week it's the Giants who rank 27th against QBs this year and give up over 2 touchdowns per game. This is a great week for Darnold to get back on track. He's an easy top 12 play during Byemageddon.
Matt Ryan @ MIA (@MattFFDynasty)
Matt Ryan was my waiver selection this week in 1QB leagues and I think he is a great start this week against the Dolphins. They have struggled on defense for most of the season and are coming off a tough defeat in London against the Jags. With Ryan likely having his star WR Calvin Ridley back this week and also refreshed after their bye week, I expect Ryan to carry on the form he showed in London in Week 5 where he threw for 342 yards and 2 TDs.
Derek Carr Vs PHI (@ZTwiceFF)
After the Gruden debacle, Las Vegas came out firing with a big win in Denver. They rediscovered the big play and Carr played well, throwing for 341 yards with 2 TDs. With a home game against Philly this week I expect fireworks and another solid outing for Carr. Fire him up as a safe fringe QB1 with upside.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Zach Wilson @ NE (@ZTwiceFF)
Coming off the bye there is a chance Wilson plays well. I'm not banking on it considering his season worst performance last time he faced NE. Belicheck thrives against young QBs and it showed with Wilson throwing 4 interceptions in week 2. With this week being in Foxborough, I wouldn't expect much better from Wilson and the Jets.
Mac Jones Vs NYJ (@MattFFDynasty)
Following on nicely from our QB 'Sit of The Week', Wilson's opposing QB Mac Jones is also a sit this week. While Jones has shown promise in his rookie season, he has yet to break 18 points in fantasy football. Now he's up against a NYJ defense that has been strong for the most part this season and rank as the 4th strongest defense Vs opposing QBs in fantasy points allowed this year. This is the 2nd time Jones will face NYJ this season and in Week 2 against them, he scored 6.4 fantasy points. I don't see his fortunes changing this time around either.
Teddy Bridgewater @ CLE (@K_H_Ray)
Is it a bold call to say Bridgewater will have a bad game? He's been completely servicable this season when called upon (as he's not an every week starter). But this game has the makings of a defensive slug-fest. Denver's going on the road, on a short week, with a good matchup on paper. The Browns rank 30th against opposing QBs, but that group includes Murray, Herbert, and Mahomes. With Cleveland essentially playing their second string Offense, the Defense knows that they only win if they shut down the Broncos. I expect low QB numbers across the board in the game with the lowest over under of the week.
Running Back
Starts
Start Of The Week
Darrell Henderson Vs DET (@MattFFDynasty)
Henderson has been awesome this season since filling in for Cam Akers after his season ending injury during the offseason, and this week could easily be his best performance to date. He faces DET who are the WORST run defense and are allowing an average of 29.6 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs this season. He should dominate the LAR RB touches again this week as HC Sean McVay hasn't been afraid to use Henderson as the workhorse back this season. Start him with confidence.
Leonard Fournette Vs CHI (@K_H_Ray)
Fournette has been on fire in recent weeks. He continues to have great volume in the running and passing game (54 carries and 13 receptions in the last 3 games), and is finding his way into the end zone with 3 TDs in the last two games. Ronald Jones has also become a non-factor in fantasy and even less of a threat to taking away snaps from Lenny. Ride the wave and enjoy!
Cordarrelle Patterson @ MIA (@ZTwiceFF)
Coming off of a bye week Atlanta will head down to Miami to face the Dolphins. Patterson has been the surprise of the fantasy season and there's no reason to doubt his workload will change this week. The matchup with Miami is great, he has a safe floor due to volume, and his upside is clearly high. Start Patterson with confidence as a high upside RB2 (or WR2 if you're on Sleeper).
Sits
Sit of the Week
Alex Collins Vs NO (@ZTwiceFF)
Anyone in the Seattle backfield cannot be relied upon this week. With Collins banged up, Penny likely coming off IR, along with Dallas and Homer in the mix, it's a mess. They have a tough matchup on Monday night and managers should pivot off of Collins to not take the risk of him being out.
Denver RBs Vs CLE (@MattFFDynasty)
This backfield has been pretty much a 50/50 split between Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams so far this season so I have to bundle them together in this one. It's hard enough to trust or favor either of them for that reason alone most weeks, but this week they are also up against a very strong CLE run defense who are the 2nd strongest against opposing RBs in FPPG. I'd avoid either one of them if you can this week.
Antonio Gibson @ GB (@K_H_Ray)
I'll admit, this week it is hard to find relevant running backs to sit considering how many bye weeks there are and injuries to big name players. So if Gibson is able to play for the Football Team this Sunday, he should probably start for you as well. But it's important to understand he'd be continuing to play through shin/calf injuries, which forced him out of last weeks game early. By all accounts it seems like what AG needs is rest. Monitor his status throughout the week, and lower expectations if he's able to give it a go against the Packers.
Wide Receiver
Starts
Start Of The Week
Calvin Ridley @ MIA (@K_H_Ray)
Ridley returns this week after missing just one game (and a bye) to provide some much needed help for Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. Now healthy, he faces a Miami defense that ranks 30th against opposing WRs so far this season. Ridley is averaging 7 receptions and 10 targets when he's played, and I expect those numbers to be even higher this week.
Sterling Shepard Vs CAR (@ZTwiceFF)
Coming back from injury last week Shepard returned right where he left off, pacing the Giants in targets and producing - even against the Rams secondary. With Golladay and Toney both likely not playing I expect a lot of the same for Shepard at home against Carolina. Double digit targets are on its way and that is gold, especially this week with all the byes.
Courtland Sutton Vs CLE (@MattFFDynasty)
Sutton is coming off back-to-back strong performances where he's had a total of 15 receptions for 214 yards and 2 TDs. As mentioned earlier, the Browns have been strong against the run, but they've actually struggled against the pass allowing an average of 34.3 to opposing WRs (5th most in the NFL). There's an outside chance fellow WR Jerry Jeudy returns this week, if he does, then the hope is he helps open up this offense even more, but if not, Sutton will still continue to be the top pass-catching option in this offense.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Odell Beckham Jr Vs DEN (@K_H_Ray)
Where do I start with Odell? Production from OBJ has been non-existant all season. Now, on a short week and offensive injuries piling up (both starting RBs, both starting Tackles, Mayfield, and possibly Landry) this game could be down right ugly. And oh-by-the-way, Beckham himself is dealing with a shoulder injury. There are red flags all over the place in this one. If OBJ shakes his questionable status and plays, he would be super hard to trust in any fantasy lineup.
Corey Davis @ NE (@MattFFDynasty)
We've already highlighted his QB as a sit this week, so with that it comes as no surprise that Corey Davis is a sit for me this week. It's going to be a tough matchup for Davis, just like it was Week 2 when they played the Patriots the first time round, when he scored just 2.8 fantasy points after just 2 receptions for 8 yards. While he may outperform that terrible performance this week, I doubt it will be by much in what will likely be a low scoring affair.
Tyler Lockett Vs NO (@ZTwiceFF)
After exploding the first two weeks, Lockett has cooled off substantially with no weeks above 10 PPR points. With Geno Smith starting in place of the injured Russell Wilson, the Seattle offense has sputtered. With there being so many byes one can play Lockett but his ceiling is low.
Tight End
Starts
Start Of The Week
Dallas Goedert @ LV (@MattFFDynasty)
It's finally happened! Zach Ertz has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals and with that, Dallas Goedert has finally been unleashed. I liked Ertz last week for the Eagles with Goedert out, and now with Ertz gone, its hard not to get excited by Goedert. His QB Jalen Hurts has heavily favored his TEs when throwing the ball this season (50 targets to the position) and Goedert was already his favorite RZ target with 8 targets, 6 receptions and 3 TDs so far this year. That, coupled with the fact that the matchup is favorable (LV allow an average of 14.2 FPPG to the position) means Goedert is an exciting start this week.
Mike Gesicki Vs ATL (@K_H_Ray)
The Dolphins are having a ton of trouble running the ball. And that's fine by us Gesicki owners! He has scored over 16 points in 3 of the last 4 weeks, is seeing good volume, and is averaging over 10 yards per reception. Managers should feel confident using Gesicki moving forward, particularly this week vs Atlanta, in what should be a competitive game.
Zach Ertz Vs HOU (@ZTwiceFF)
With Max Williams going down with a season ending injury, Arizona traded for Zach Ertz to step in at TE. With his first week being against the lowly Texans, Id expect the Cardinals to look to get him involved. He's TD dependent but what TE isn't at this point.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Tyler Higbee Vs DET (@K_H_Ray)
Going into Week 7, Higbee has scored over 10 fantasy points on just two occasions and has eclipsed 50 recieving yards only once. HIgbee wasn't drafted high, but in one of the better offenses in the NFL the expectation was much higher. The Rams play Detroit this week, who have been above average against TEs this season, mostly because teams run up the score and don't need to throw as often. I think Stafford hits his primary recievers first, scores a bunch, and then it's the Henderson show. Higbee is touchdown dependent.
Evan Engram Vs CAR (@ZTwiceFF)
Sitting Evan Engram likely doesn't need much explanation at this point. With such a banged up receiving core in NY, there's no reason he shouldn't be producing, yet he isn't. He hasn't scored this year and Engram cannot be relied upon going forward.
OJ Howard Vs CHI (@MattFFDynasty)
Last week Howard had his best fantasy performance since Week 9 in 2018! 6 receptions for 49 yards and a TD. However, I don't think that level of performance will repeat itself this week Vs CHI. There are reports that fellow TE Rob Gronkowski could make his return this week and we know the connection Tom Brady has with Gronk and the strong start to the season they made together before the injury. If he does return, it's hard to trust Howard, and even if not, the Bears are Top 6 against opposing TEs.
Waiver Recap
Thanks for reading. Be sure to keep an eye out for both our weekly articles, Tuesday Waiver Targets & Thursday Start/Sit and Waiver Recap with the @FF_Astronauts. Follow @K_H_Ray, @ZTwiceFF, & @MattFFDynasty on Twitter for more Fantasy Football content throughout the season, and hit us up with any of your Start/Sit or Waiver questions.
