Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Reviewing Fantasy Football's Top Fringe Starters
Fantasy football managers need (at least) two things to take home a league title: star power and winning on the margins.
It's not that much different from the NFL's formula for success, actually.
Stars are a must for winning anything of note, but they aren't hoisting trophies on their own. Barring injuries, every fantasy roster has some degree of star power, so that alone won't separate you from rival managers.
Where you could gain that ultimate edge, though, is in deftly managing your roster. Correctly solving the weekly start-or-sit puzzles is a big part of that, and we're here to help with a couple of our top start and sit recommendations for Week 7.
Start: Baker Mayfield vs. Baltimore Ravens
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Baker Mayfield might be prone to the occasional flop, but his good weeks are as great as any you'll find. And they come around more often than you might think.
On the season, only Lamar Jackson has topped Mayfield in fantasy points, per FantasyPros. Mayfield has a great chance to the close the gap against Jackson's own Ravens on Monday night.
Baltimore has allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position. Tampa Bay, by the way, has allowed the second-most, so this contest could be filled with fireworks. Mayfield, who has thrown for 852 yards and nine touchdowns over his last three outings, has a non-zero chance of leading the league in fantasy scoring in Week 7.
Sit: Patrick Mahomes vs. San Francisco 49ers
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If you drafted Patrick Mahomes this season, chances are you paid a high enough premium that you might feel compelled to play him every week. If you forget about the draft cost and took the name off the back of his jersey, though, you might not give it a second thought.
With an injury-plagued receiving core around him, his numbers are nothing like the ones you hoped you'd be getting. Through five starts, he's only topped 250 passing yards twice and thrown multiple touchdowns twice. He has yet to do both in the same contest.
By average scoring, he's just QB20 on the season. San Francisco's defense may not be as stingy as it has been in the past, but with the way Mahomes is playing, this is still a matchup worth avoiding.
Start: Tony Pollard at Buffalo Bills
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Tony Pollard has tallied the 20th-most fantasy points among running backs. And that's with Tennessee having already held its bye week.
He probably should be a starting lineup-lock in all but the shallowest of leagues. He's had 80-plus scrimmage yards in four of five outings, snared multiple receptions in every game and has a touchdown to show for each of his last two trips to the gridiron.
With Tyjae Spears battling a hamstring injury, Pollard could have complete control of this backfield. He also draws a juicy matchup against a Bills defense that has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to running backs.
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Sit: Josh Jacobs vs. Houston Texans
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Josh Jacobs has handled the third-most carries in the league. He's also tied for 41st in rushing touchdowns and averaging a forgettable 4.3 yards per carry.
Volume is essentially the only thing contributing to his fantasy value, in other words, and it's fair to wonder how long this will hold up. Green Bay has upped the usage of second-year back Emanuel Wilson lately (33 carries over the last four contests), and it might lean heavier on him if he remains this efficient (5.0 yards per attempt).
This also happens to be a tricky matchup, as the Texans have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs and the eighth-fewest rushing yards per game to the position. If you have any viable alternatives on the roster, this is a great week to trot them out.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
