Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Debating Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

The fantasy football season is zooming by before our eyes. Week 7 marks many leagues' halfway mark to the postseason, so now is no time for complacency.

This is when the bottom-dwellers start to feel the pressure as they nervously gander at their 2-4 record and pinch their neck peering up at everyone above them in the standings. Sure, even an 0-6 squad still has a shot at seizing a playoff bid, but any ensuing loss will prove disastrous.

Many managers will cringe at the microscopic differences separating their middling club from the squad in first. A lucky matchup here, an injury there and optimal roster construction everywhere can make all the difference in this silly, often maddening game of ours.

There's no way of erasing luck in head-to-head formats, but the best we can all do is assemble the best lineup possible heading into Sunday. With that, let's take a look at a few players bewildering owners across the globe right now.

Start 'Em: Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks (at St. Louis Rams)

Certain elements to this matchup foreshadow danger for Russell Wilson. In his NFL career, he has struggled against the St. Louis Rams, tallying a combined 721 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in four games.

He's also coming off a stinker against the Dallas Cowboys, who limited Wilson to 126 passing yards and a pick in a shocking upset. According to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner, his offensive line isn't doing the third-year pro any favors either.

Did you just leave to bench Wilson? Come back. Now is where I tell you the good stuff. He entered Week 6 with two passing touchdowns amassed in each game, and he's coughed up just two interceptions with a 66.2 completion percentage. Despite last Sunday's hiccup, the 25-year-old is having a fine season.

The Rams, meanwhile, have given up 7.9 passing yards per attempt with a 68.8 opposing completion percentage. Even with Robert Quinn leading the way, the defense has collected one lone sack this season, by far the NFL's worst total. 

Seattle still hasn't formulated a deep aerial assault—a problem that won't get better with Percy Harvin traded to the New York Jets—so Wilson is unlikely to match Colin Kaepernick's 343 yards and three touchdowns against St. Louis on Monday night. He won't need to one-up his rival to have a worthwhile fantasy outing, though, as his owners would gladly take 250 yards, two scores and maybe a little more help on the ground.

Sit 'Em: Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants (at Dallas Cowboys)

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Well that didn't last long.

After over a year of suffering, Eli Manning and the anemic New York Giants finally turned a corner. He entered last Sunday night's NFC clash against the Philadelphia Eagles with nine touchdowns and an interception during a hot three-game stretch. An afterthought in most drafts, Manning resurfaced as a Week 6 must-start.

You know how this goes. He finished with 151 passing yards and no scores. He can't shoulder all the blame for New York's 27-0 loss, as a shattered offensive line allowed eight sacks. Things are bad when the reserved Manning tells his teammates to "grow up," per Newsday's Tom Rock.

In a cruel twist of events, Victor Cruz tore his patellar tendon trying to reel in a touchdown grab. Now Manning is without his top target for the rest of the season, a dagger to Big Blue's improving passing attack.

Cruz fared among the league's bet at turning short passes into big plays, per ESPN Stats & Info.

When the season started, the Cowboys looked like a matchup to circle on the calendar and exploit. Instead, last year's worst defense ranks 12th against the pass with the fourth-least fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks in ESPN leagues. Scroll back up to recall how they shut down Wilson in Seattle.

Following a brief return to glory, Manning promptly returns to No. 2 fantasy quarterback status.

Start 'Em: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers (at Green Bay Packers)

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Justin Forsett against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has already surrendered 12 rushing touchdowns? Of course. Ben Tate versus the dreadful Jacksonville Jaguars? Duh doy. Let's instead focus on a returning back who has logged just 29 carries through three games this season.

Not the best sales pitch, but Jonathan Stewart will not only play, but start against the Green Bay Packers, as announced on the team's Twitter page.

The news comes days after Panthers coach Ron Rivera complimented the rusher's play in Wednesday's practice to the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones.

"

Jonathan looked good. He had a good day. We’ll see how he is (Thursday), but he took the majority of the reps. He took all the reps that were slated for him as well. I’m excited to see him on the football field and hopefully there’s no residual (Thursday) and he’ll be ready to roll again at practice.

"

While he averaged a meager 3.0 yards per carry this season, he has fought valiantly to make the most of nothing. Pro Football Focus shows his success evading defenders in a limited sample size.

"

#Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart has forced 17 missed tackles this year (T1st with DeMarco Murray). On just 28 total touches

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 16, 2014"

Now he'll face the Packers, who have allowed a league-high 154.5 rushing yards per contest at an average clip of 4.6 yards per carry. It's not so easy to find a primary back slated for plenty of carries in a good matchup, so ride with Stewart in the flex spot.

Sit 'Em: Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

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Drafters who scooped up Zac Stacy in Rounds 2 or 3 harbored grandiose expectations of him getting 250-300 carries. Now they're stuck with a space-eater they can't possibly entrust with a starting spot.

Through five games, he has accumulated 355 total yards. He received a season-low 10 touches last week, gaining 34 yards compared with Benjamin Cunningham's 33 on nine touches.

There's some egg on everyone's face, as Stacy's 3.9 yards per carry currently mimics last year's mark. This time, however, Jeff Fisher isn't feeding him the ball 20 times a game to endure mediocre production.

Cunningham has secured 34 carries this season, snatching away two touchdowns in the past two games. Rookie Tre Mason even joined the party, gaining 40 yards on five handoffs against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.

Some frustrated owners have taken a drastic step to drop him altogether, as noted by Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans.

Now that's drastic, but he can't sniff any starting lineups against a Seattle defense allowing 3.1 yards per carry. FantasyPros' consensus rankings tabs him as the No. 34 running back, making him a borderline flex option in some leagues, but I'd rather take my chances on Isaiah Crowell, Storm Johnson, Bernard Pierce or James Starks this Sunday.

Start 'Em: Cecil Shorts, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Cleveland Browns)

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

As a general rule of thumb, I target wide receivers who get targeted. I'd rather settle for a humdrum five-catch day from a steady performer than roll the dice on someone dependent on making one massive play.

So after debating Justin Hunter, I'm instead rolling with Cecil Shorts, who was awarded 16 targets against the Tennessee Titans last week. 

The 26-year-old now has 30 targets and a pair of touchdowns through three games. If he played all six games sustaining that pace, he'd tie Vincent Jackson and Jeremy Maclin for the NFL's fifth-most looks at wideout.

His two-catch, 25-yard stinker came against the San Diego Chargers' No. 4 passing defense. The Cleveland Browns sit much lower on the ledger at No. 23, but their offense has improved enough under Brian Hoyer that this game shouldn't go down to the wire.

That means plenty of garbage-time looks in prevent defense for Shorts, who makes a solid No. 3 wideout in points-per-reception leagues. He loses some value in standard formats, but he's still worth utilizing when the right matchup strikes.

Sit 'Em: Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (at Denver Broncos)

Michael Thomas/Getty Images

Despite delivering some value, Michael Crabtree has not contributed consistently the way fantasy gamers expect from a No. 2 wideout. He's still searching for his first 100-yard game, and despite scoring a touchdown last week, he recorded just three catches against the same struggling St. Louis defense discussed above.

If not for his three touchdowns, his 28 catches and 295 yards look eerily identical to Keenan Allen's letdown campaign. His 10.5 yards per catch is tied with Jason Avant for 83rd in the NFL. Not a great season.

This Sunday he'll encounter the Denver Broncos, who have allowed just 13.8 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, the third-lowest mark in ESPN formats. Running backs do more damage against Denver's passing defense, gaining 321 yards through the air.

Granted, not every team is rich enough in fantasy assets to readily replace a wideout of Crabtree's caliber. Don't bench him for the next Joe Schmo in line, but Shorts, Rueben Randle and Andre Holmes are preferable Week 7 choices.

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