Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

The only way to win in fantasy football is to stay active with your lineup, which sometimes requires difficult decisions about who to start and who to sit.

Key injuries to players like Victor Cruz and Knowshon Moreno have certainly caused problems for many teams. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will be on bye in Week 7, removing those players from availability (although Doug Martin owners might be happy to see him on the bench). 

The good news is there are still some quality sleeper candidates capable of a breakout week. If you put these players in your lineup in favor of some stars facing a tough matchup, you should be just fine. 

Here is a breakdown of the top players to start and sit for Week 7.

Start 'Em

Player	Pos.	Team	Opponent
Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots	New York Jets
Carson Palmer	QB	Arizona Cardinals	Oakland Raiders
Justin Forsett	RB	Baltimore Ravens	Atlanta Falcons
Mohamed Sanu	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts
Jordan Reed	TE	Washington Redskins	Tennessee Titans

A pair of aging quarterbacks have a chance to get back into the QB1 conversation after starting the year slowly.

Tom Brady struggled mightily in his first four games, averaging fewer than 200 passing yards and never having more than one touchdown. However, he has broken out in the past two weeks, totaling 653 passing yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.

While fans might want to see a little bit more before proclaiming he is "back," there is no reason to expect the team to struggle against the New York Jets. The defense has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, including at least two touchdown passes allowed in each game.

With cornerback Dee Milliner out for the year with a torn Achilles, the secondary is only going to get worse. Meanwhile, Brady has been almost unstoppable at home against conference foes, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

You can trust Brady to come through with another big performance against a defense that has no way of stopping him.

Carson Palmer was in a different situation where he just could not get onto the field due to a shoulder/neck injury. He came back in Week 6 with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, which is amazing because he did not know if he would be able to play all week.

The quarterback explained he is only going to get better with more practice time, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com:

"

It's going to take a while. It's going to take at least a week of throwing, I would think. It's kind of what I'm expecting to really get it back. It just needs to get back in shape. It's just out of shape. It's like sitting on the couch after training camp -- you have a knee issue or high ankle sprain, you just get out of shape, you get out of the football shape. My arm's out of throwing shape, and that'll come back.

"

Now that he is healthy, he has the talent and the weapons around him to be a legitimate QB1 for the rest of the year.

Another player improving his stock going forward is Justin Forsett, who has clearly taken over the starting job at running back for the Baltimore Ravens. He might not get 30 touches a game, but he is the go-to option in the ground game and is averaging a league-leading 6.4 yards per carry.

Going up against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs could lead to a big day for Forsett.

Mohamed Sanu remains a valuable option with A.J. Green likely to remain on the sidelines, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Although Sanu did very little for three quarters, he still found a way to be productive against the Carolina Panthers and should be able to continue this as one of the few options against the Indianapolis Colts.

At tight end, Jordan Reed finally showed the ability fans have been waiting for all season while he dealt with a hamstring injury. He totaled 92 yards on eight catches and clearly has the trust of quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

In a weak year at the position, Reed has a chance to become one of the better tight ends in the NFL going forward.

Sit 'Em

Player	Pos.	Team	Opponent
Eli Manning	QB	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys
Jerick McKinnon	RB	Minnesota Vikings	Buffalo Bills
Zac Stacy	RB	St. Louis Rams	Seattle Seahawks
Keenan Allen	WR	San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs
Eric Decker	WR	New York Jets	New England Patriots

After a few impressive performances, Eli Manning completely fell apart against the Philadelphia Eagles, which came into the game with one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

To make matters worse, the New York Giants will be without Victor Cruz for the rest of the year. People were quick to say rookie Odell Beckham Jr. will replace the veteran receiver, like ESPN.com's Eric Karabell:

However, rookie receivers often take time to get fully involved with the offense. Even with his explosiveness, Beckham will not give Manning what Cruz did. Against the Dallas Cowboys, who love to hold onto the ball as much as possible, the chance for big plays could be limited.

Another young player that people are getting overexcited about is Jerick McKinnon, who finally got his chance as a starting running back in Week 6, out-touching Matt Asiata 17-3 against the Detroit Lions. However, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer noted this could change in Week 7, via Joe Buscaglia of WGR:

Without definitive knowledge of how the running backs will be used, it might be smart to avoid putting either of them in your lineup. This is especially true against the Buffalo Bills, a squad that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Rams are also dealing with a committee of sorts with Zac Stacy losing carries to Benny Cunningham as well as rookie Tre Mason, who looked good in a short stint in Week 6. This does not look good for Stacy's prospects going forward.

Against the Seattle Seahawks, it might be best to sit the running back until he has a better opportunity to succeed.

The committee problems have become a concern for some receivers as well, namely Keenan Allen, who has struggled to get looks after a fantastic rookie season in 2013. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports joked about seeing his fantasy player outperformed by a teammate.

Between Eddie Royal, Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates and more, the targets are being spread around too much to let anyone become a quality fantasy option. As good as the San Diego Chargers have been, Allen simply isn't used enough to be valuable at the moment.

Finally, we have Eric Decker coming off one of his best games of the year, totaling 54 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches. However, he has been dealing with a nagging hamstring issue all year and now has to compete against the Patriots on a short week.

If he is limited at all, he will not be able to be too productive against cornerback Darrelle Revis. Add this to the overall struggles with the Jets offense, and this could be a long week for Decker.

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