Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Highlighting Matchups to Exploit and Avoid

Another week, more key decisions to make. Amazingly the fantasy football regular season is about past the halfway point in many leagues, which means the importance of each matchup is on the rise with an eye toward the playoffs.

Tom Brady and Shane Vereen provided their fantasy owners with a boost thanks to their strong performances on Thursday night. But even for those lucky enough to start either of those New England Patriots stars, there are still several lineup choices to make before Sunday.

With that in mind, let's check out some options on the fringe and analyze whether they belong in the starting lineup or on the bench for Week 7. As a reminder, the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneer are on a bye this week.

Start 'Em

Position	Player	Team
QB	Russell Wilson	SEA
RB	Fred Jackson	BUF
WR	Cecil Shorts III	JAX
TE	Jordan Reed	WSH
D/ST	Browns	CLE
K	Matt Prater	DET

Russell Wilson threw for just 126 yards and no touchdowns last week against Dallas. He prevented the game from becoming a total loss by scoring on the ground, though. That dual-threat ability limits the risk. Expect him to get back on track in all phases thanks to a St. Louis Rams squad giving up 30 points per game.

Fred Jackson continues to carve out a larger role for himself due to his reliability. Backfield mate C.J. Spiller hasn't showcased the same explosiveness as years past and has struggled in pass protection. That points toward more touches against the 19th-ranked Minnesota Vikings run defense.

Jackson is also one of the team's leaders, and the onus is on him to help turn things around. The team passed along his comments about elevating the level of play after three losses in the last four games:

Those who drafted Cecil Shorts III finally got what they were expecting last week: a high number of targets that he turned into 10 catches for over 100 yards. He should be in line for another highly productive game as he faces off with an underperforming Cleveland Browns secondary.

The StatMilk chart highlights the team's defensive struggles.

Jordan Reed returned to the lineup after overcoming a hamstring injury and put up 92 yards on eight catches last week. He emerged from the Arizona game no worse for wear, making him a terrific option if he's still on the waiver wire. His outlook is bright, including this week against the middling Tennessee Titans.

The Browns are nothing more than a plug-and-play option for Week 7. The unit hasn't been forcing enough turnovers to warrant weekly consideration. That said, any defense that gets to face the Jacksonville Jaguars is worth starting right now.

Though Matt Prater made only one of his three field-goal attempts in his Detroit Lions debut, he remains a strong option. He was one of the best kickers in football last season. Expect him to return to that level once he shakes off the rust, which could very well happen this week against the New Orleans Saints.

Sit 'Em

Position	Player	Team
QB	Eli Manning	NYG
RB	Zac Stacy	STL
WR	Michael Crabtree	SF
TE	Jason Witten	DAL
D/ST	Chiefs	KC
K	Shaun Suisham	PIT

Eli Manning's streak of at least two touchdown passes ended at four games last week at Philadelphia. He still possesses reserve appeal, but don't expect an immediate bounceback. The Dallas Cowboys control the pace of the game with their rushing attack and rank 12th against the pass.

In five games, Zac Stacy has carried the ball more than 12 times just once. His high value coming into the season was tied to a heavy workload. He should be left on the bench until the backfield rotation starts falling more in his favor. That's especially true with the stout Seattle Seahawks run defense looming.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports notes the trend of fantasy owners moving on to other options:

Colin Kaepernick likes to spread the ball around in the passing game. That's even more prevalent now as he builds a rapport with Stevie Johnson. It's caused Michael Crabtree's stock to slide considerably. Leave him on the bench until a more favorable matchup comes along or his role expands.

Jason Witten set a new high score for the season last week. The bad news is that it was just eight points and he still caught just two passes at Seattle. With the Cowboys' renewed focus on the running game this year, there just isn't enough upside to warrant starting Witten at this stage.

The Kansas City Chiefs had an outstanding 18-point outing three weeks ago against New England. They haven't scored more than five points in any other contest. And just like any defense can be started against the Jags, none should be deployed against the San Diego Chargers with the way Philip Rivers is playing.

Shaun Suisham came out of the gates on fire. He made eight field goals over the first three weeks to become a popular free-agent target. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has cooled off in recent games, however, meaning it's time to search for other options at the position.