Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Much like the actual NFL, fantasy football is all about matchups.

It is important for you to study those matchups heading into a critical Week 7, where the playoff contenders will likely begin to separate themselves from the rest of the field in your league. Sure, some decisions are easy regardless of the matchup (like starting Peyton Manning), but fantasy football games are often won and lost with the fringe choices.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest start ’em, sit ’em for Week 7’s most difficult decisions.

Start ’Em: QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

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Derek Carr made patient fantasy owners very happy in Week 6 when he went off for 282 passing yards and four touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers. Pat yourself on the back if you were one of the few that had him in your lineup.

Now Carr will face an Arizona Cardinals squad that is an abysmal 32nd out of 32 teams in opposing passing yards allowed per game (309.0). Yes, the 4-1 record is impressive and actually leads the daunting NFC West, but opposing quarterbacks have found holes in the secondary all season.

It will be Carr’s turn on Sunday.

Oakland will likely fall behind like it has all season, which means Carr will need to throw the ball in a comeback effort. It doesn’t matter for your fantasy team whether he actually completes the comeback or not, only that he racks up some impressive numbers in the process. 

Carr has momentum on his side after his breakout game and a potential newfound connection with Andre Holmes. Make sure the rookie is on your team heading into a very favorable matchup in Week 7.

Sit ’Em: QB Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

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Sometimes the matchup is the most important thing in fantasy football, and it will be for Alex Smith in Week 7.

The Kansas City Chiefs face the San Diego Chargers and their fourth-ranked pass defense (209.3 passing yards allowed per game), which spells trouble for Smith owners. He has been incredibly up and down production-wise all season and is simply not worth the risk against the stout Chargers.

Smith threw a combined six touchdown passes and zero interceptions against the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, but he finished with two touchdowns and four interceptions in his other three games. 

The Chargers defense has also been excellent at home this year, where it shut out the New York Jets, beat the Seattle Seahawks and crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars. Smith and the Chiefs will be the next victim.

Start ’Em: RB Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens

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Justin Forsett dominated in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished with 111 rushing yards on just 14 carries. However, the biggest reason you should trust him in Week 7 is his opponent, the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta is 28th in the league against the run (141.3 rushing yards per game) and fantasy football gold for opposing running backs. In fact, in the last three games alone against the Falcons, Chicago's Matt Forte tallied 80 rushing yards, 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns; New York's Andre Williams scored a touchdown; and Minnesota's Jerick McKinnon totaled 135 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Now it is time for the NFL’s leader in yards per carry (6.4) to take a shot at the Falcons defense.

Head coach John Harbaugh discussed Forsett after the impressive showing against Tampa Bay, via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com:

"

It did set the pace. It was a statement – no question – about the running game, because I know it was important for [Tampa] to stop the run. Justin reads so well. He reads the scheme really well. He’s got great vision, is very elusive and hard to tackle. Nobody works harder. He’s one heck of a football player. 

"

That great vision will spot plenty of open lanes against Atlanta in Week 7.

Sit ’Em: RB Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

It wasn’t that long ago that Matt Asiata looked like the man in Minnesota, but McKinnon out-touched him to the tune of 17-3 in the Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions, which is cause for concern for Asiata owners.

What’s more, McKinnon played 48 offensive snaps compared to Asiata’s 15. However, head coach Mike Zimmer said that won't be the norm going forward, according to Joe Buscaglia of WGR Radio: 

Despite that, Asiata's a risky play.

McKinnon is the athletic speedster of the two and better in the passing game. He seems to have caught the eye of Vikings coaches, while Asiata may be more of a short-yardage option moving forward. If that’s the case, Asiata’s entire fantasy value could be dependent on touchdowns, which is a risky proposal.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

To make matters worse, Minnesota faces Buffalo in Week 7. 

The Bills are the top-ranked run defense in the league (67.5 rushing yards a game) and already contained the likes of Forte, Arian Foster and Lamar Miller. Asiata shouldn’t be a problem for Buffalo after those opponents.

Start ’Em: WR Mohamed Sanu, WR, Cincinnati Bengals 

Mohamed Sanu handled his role as the Cincinnati Bengals' go-to option in the passing game Sunday exceptionally.

He finished with 10 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, which marked the third time in four games that he found the end zone. Sanu can even throw the ball on occasion when the Bengals dial up a trick play.

Even if A.J. Green returns, there is no guarantee he will be anywhere near 100 percent or even on the field the entire game against the Indianapolis Colts. If nothing else, Green’s presence could open Sanu up even more if the former draws extra defensive attention, much in the same way Calvin Johnson helped get Golden Tate open earlier in the season.

Sanu has certainly impressed the likes of Marc Sessler and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com this year:

The Bengals could be in store for a shootout against Andrew Luck and the mighty Colts offense, so there should be plenty of chances for Bengals receivers. Sanu will deliver once again.

Sit ’Em: WR Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

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Fantasy owners are likely growing frustrated with Marques Colston’s inconsistency this season.

Yes, he had 110 receiving yards against Atlanta, scored a touchdown against the Vikings and saw an impressive 11 targets against Dallas, but he also sports 138 combined receiving yards in the last three games.

Now he has to go up against arguably the league’s stingiest defense in Detroit.

The Lions are first in the league against the pass (197.2 yards per game through the air) and will likely focus much of their attention on Colston if Jimmy Graham can’t go due to injury.

What’s more, it is difficult to trust any New Orleans Saints wide receiver at this point because Drew Brees spreads the ball around so much. Colston is one of eight pass-catchers with double-digit targets this season and also has fewer catches than Pierre Thomas and trails Brandin Cooks 32-15 in catches and 42-30 in targets. 

Colston is a boom-or-bust type of fantasy option. Those are not the guys to play when they face shutdown defenses.

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