Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Identifying Top Fantasy Football Studs and Duds

For fantasy football owners, Thursdays mean the start of Week 7 and the need to get their lineups set before the action kicks off.

If you have players in the New England Patriots vs. New York Jets game Thursday night, or if you’re looking for lineup help due to injuries taking their toll, identifying the top fantasy football studs and duds is crucial to your success.

Here are the top fantasy starts and sits for Week 7.

Start ‘Em

Position	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
QB	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	Green Bay Packers
RB	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens	Atlanta Falcons
WR	Mohamed Sanu	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts
TE	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	Miami Dolphins
D/ST	Cleveland Browns	--	Jacksonville Jaguars
K	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals	Oakland

While everyone was talking about Joe Flacco’s five-touchdown performance in Week 6, the real winners in fantasy football were owners with Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett on their rosters.

Forsett is a journeyman, but he's found a spot with the Ravens. He has not been given the workload fantasy owners would hope for, but he has made the most out of every opportunity.

After running the ball 14 times against Tampa Bay and racking up 111 yards, Forsett is proving he is the No. 1 running back on the roster over Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro.

The NFL on ESPN’s Twitter account showed the company Forsett is keeping this season:

Baltimore’s Week 7 matchup against Atlanta is what owners dream about. The Falcons have given up 140.2 yards per game (28th in the NFL), and fantasy owners should expect 110 all-purpose yards and one touchdown from Forsett.

Normally, the focus is on running backs and wide receivers, but this week’s second stud is Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro. Yes, you heard me correctly. One of the biggest sleepers in Week 7 is a kicker.

Catanzaro is flying under everyone’s radar, but he has been lights out for Arizona. In an offense that has a tendency to stall before getting to the end zone, Catanzaro has hit all 14 of his field-goal attempts and all eight of his extra points.

The Cardinals have a favorable matchup against the Raiders Sunday, and Catanzaro should be expected to notch at least three field goals and several extra points against a lackluster Oakland defense.

Sit ‘Em

Position	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
QB	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	Baltimore Ravens
RB	Zac Stacy	St. Louis Rams	Seattle Seahawks
WR	Eric Decker	New York Jets	New England Patriots
TE	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants
D/ST	San Francisco 49ers	--	Denver Broncos
K	Matt Bryant	Atlanta Falcons	Baltimore Ravens

The most important sit of the week is St. Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy. If you own Stacy in your fantasy league, you likely spent a high-round draft pick on him. Do not be stubborn. Sit him on the bench in Week 7.

Not only is Stacy dealing with an ankle injury, but he is also giving up carries to backup running backs Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham. In Week 6 against San Francisco, Stacy only managed to add 17 yards on eight carries and two receptions for 17 yards.

In Week 7, St. Louis hosts the Seattle Seahawks. After Seattle lost to Dallas in the previous week, any hope owners had that Stacy would bounce back from his poor performance is misguided. He would be lucky to get five fantasy points in Week 7, and owners should avoid any and all Rams running backs this Sunday.

Another potential dud is Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. His first touchdown of the season was reason to celebrate for many fantasy owners, but it was just a temporary fix for a major problem.

Witten has not caught more than five passes in a game this season and has only eclipsed 60 yards once. Dallas has focused more on running the ball and finding Dez Bryant on the outside, and Witten has become more focused on blocking than receiving.

Fantasy owners who picked Witten as a viable starter have been utterly disappointed by his offensive output, and that likely won’t be any different against the New York Giants.

Expect the Cowboys to feed DeMarco Murray early and often and Witten to finish with four receptions for 40 yards and no touchdowns.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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