Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Reviewing Fantasy Football's Top Fringe Starters

We're officially on the cusp of Week 7, which means many of you are at the halfway point in your fantasy regular seasons.

If you've managed to start off the year strong, then congratulations are in order. If your fantasy team has struggled, there's still time to right the ship. However, you're going to have to be on point with your decision-making from here on out.

The hardest decisions are likely to come from the waiver wire, your bench and the bottom end of your starting roster. Do you pick up or start a player coming off a strong performance, like Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi? Do you stick by a guy with recent struggles, like Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill?

We're here to help with a little advice about some of the fringe starters in the fantasy world. We're not here to tell you to start LeSean McCoy, Odell Beckham Jr. or Rob Gronkowski. If you have those guys, you start them unless they're injured or on bye. We're here to help make decisions on those players who have you riding the proverbial fence.

Our start 'em and sit 'em decisions will be based on factors like past performance, projected role and matchup. Injuries will also be considered where applicable.

Start 'Em: Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota may have had a rocky start to the season, but he's been a virtual fantasy stud over the past couple of weeks. He has racked up 447 yards passing, 124 yards rushing and seven total touchdowns over the past two weeks.

Mariota has also managed to throw for three touchdowns in each of the past two games. Fans waiting for Mariota to finally break out don't have to wait any longer.

This week, the Titans host the Indianapolis Colts, which provides a prime opportunity for another big Mariota outing. The Colts are giving up an average of 293.5 yards passing per game and are rated dead last in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.

The Colts also possess the league's seventh-ranked scoring defense, which averages 26.7 points per game. This makes it highly unlikely that the Titans will be able to grind out the game on the ground, even if they get an early lead.

Mariota is starting material this week.

Sit 'Em: Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz got his career off to an extremely hot start earlier this year, but he's come back down to earth in recent weeks. Sure, he's still passed for nearly 1,200 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception, but he hasn't been a sure fantasy star since Philadelphia's Week 4 bye.

Last week was particularly bad for Wentz. Against the Washington Redskins, he completed just 50 percent of his passes for 179 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also sacked five times for minus-34 yards.

This doesn't mean Wentz has hit that dreaded rookie wall or that he should be dumped onto the waiver pile. It just means that the kid isn't a matchup-proof quarterback (so few are). The problem is that this week's matchup is rough.

The Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings, the league's lone undefeated team. Why are the Vikings undefeated? Their defense is very, very good.

Minnesota is currently ranked first in scoring defense (12.6 points per game allowed), second in total defense (287.6 yards per game allowed), sixth in pass defense (209.9 yards per game allowed) and fourth in run defense (77.8 yards per game allowed).

This isn't a good week to start Wentz if you have other options.

Start 'Em: Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

With the Cleveland Browns coming to Cincinnati this week, you might be tempted to load up on Bengals players. When it comes to running backs, though, Giovani Bernard is really the only one you want right now.

For as bad as the Browns have been this season, the defense has actually been decent against the run—rated 14th in run defense by Pro Football Focus. Combine this with lingering shoulder and chest injuries for Jeremy Hill, and you should avoid the former LSU back.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bernard has seen 98 snaps, compared to 36 for Hill, over the past two weeks.

Bernard, on the other hand, is healthy and versatile. He can produce as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield, giving him obvious PPR allure. Last week, he caught four passes and totaled 99 rushing and receiving yards.

Bernard had six receptions and 96 combined yards the week before.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

We mentioned that this isn't the best week to start Wentz because of the challenge the Vikings defense provides. The same is true for Eagles running back Ryan Mathews, but that isn't the only reason to sit him this week.

Right now, Mathews just isn't the guy leading the Philadelphia backfield. He is the one getting the football the most—he has 25 touches over the past two weeks—but he is sharing so much backfield time that his fantasy production is suffering significantly.

As Scott Barrett of Pro Football Focus pointed out, Mathews was barely on the field in Week 6, comparatively speaking:

Darren Sproles saw the most offensive snaps in Week 6, according to Pro Football Focus, but he logged only four carries and one reception.

Realistically, it's looking like it's best to avoid the Eagles backfield entirely.

Start 'Em: Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

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Considering the disappearing act he has pulled in the Detroit Lions offense for much of this season, it's easy to forget that Golden Tate was a 1,300-yard receiver just two seasons ago. More than half of his 299 yards this season (165) came during last week's game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a ton of fantasy owners cashed in on his big performance.

Well, if you're a Tate owner, don't worry. This big outing was probably not a complete fluke. Tate is likely to have more big days this season, and he could have one coming up in Week 7.

The Lions host the Washington Redskins this week. Yes, the Redskins have Josh Norman in their secondary, but he's likely to focus on receiver Marvin Jones, as the Rams did last week. As a team, Washington is just average against the pass.

Pro Football Focus rated the Redskins 15th overall in pass coverage for the season so far.

Sit 'Em: Torrey Smith, WR, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wideout Torrey Smith is coming off a respectable 76-yard, one-touchdown fantasy performance. However, this doesn't mean you should rush out to grab the Maryland product.

Before Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills, Smith had produced just nine receptions, 106 yards and one touchdown—for the season. Of his 76 yards against Buffalo, 53 (and the touchdown) came on one reception.

The other problem with Smith is that he now has Colin Kaepernick at quarterback. Kaepernick seems to have a habit of missing open receivers, as he did with Smith early on Sunday.

"Saw the coverage and knew we had it. And just let it fly a little too long," Kaepernick told reporters regarding his inability to connect on the potential scoring strike.

If Kaepernick can figure out how to consistently get the ball to the speedy Smith, then perhaps the wideout would have consistent value. Kaepernick completed just 44.8 percent of his passes against Buffalo.

The 49ers have a decent matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but trusting Smith to score again is risky.