Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Latest Fantasy Football Lineup Advice for Sunday
The NFL didn't exactly save its best for last this week when it comes to fantasy football.
It's hard to imagine many players top the 33-point outburst put up by Oakland Raiders wideout Amari Cooper during a Thursday Night Football win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
That doesn't mean the schedule won't entertain or the fantasy realm won't offer plenty of options for owners looking for some help at a key point in the middle of the season. If anything, it might be a great sign that this could be a high-scoring week, if not a little unpredictable.
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To help with the process as time runs out, let's compare some of the top positional matchups to come up with rankings before highlighting notable start-sit situations.
QB
| Matt Ryan (at NE) vs. Tyrod Taylor (vs. TB) | Matt Ryan |
| Andy Dalton (at PIT) vs. Dak Prescott (at SF) | Dak Prescott |
| Tom Brady (vs. ATL) vs. Jared Goff (vs. ARI) | Tom Brady |
| Carson Wentz (vs. WAS) vs. Russell Wilson (at NYG) | Carson Wentz |
| Ben Roethlisberger (vs. CIN) vs. Kirk Cousins (at PHI) | Kirk Cousins |
Start: Kirk Cousins, at PHI
Don't sleep on Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins this week.
Cousins' offense has mostly looked sloppy while he tries to get used to the new weapons around him, but that doesn't change the fact he's posted three games with 20 or more fantasy points and has seven touchdowns over this last three appearances.
Not strictly a matchup-based play, that doesn't stop us from pointing out that his opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles, the team permitting the 10th most points to opposing quarterbacks on average.
Granted, Cousins only scored 11.6 points against the Eagles in Week 1. But he's rolling now and has better chemistry with his guys than before, and the Eagles have coughed up 347- and 366-yard games already.
Sit: Carson Palmer, at LAR
One line of thinking might suggest Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer should keep having great games as long as running back Adrian Peterson continues to put on a show.
But there's another side to the coin. Palmer hit a season-high 21.92 points last week while AP went off, but he did it against a defense allowing a top-five average to the position.
The same doesn't apply to the Los Angeles Rams.
Palmer has to hit the road in Week 7 for a date against a Rams defense allowing the 17th-most points to quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks have thrown multiple touchdowns against the unit, and Palmer doesn't figure to be the third given the way he can lean on his running game now.
RB
| Adrian Peterson (LAR) vs. Devonta Freeman (at NE) | Adrian Peterson |
| Ezekiel Elliott (at SF) vs. Le'Veon Bell (vs. CIN) | Le'Veon Bell |
| LeSean McCoy (vs. TB) vs. Chris Thompson (at PHI) | LeSean McCoy |
| Jay Ajayi (vs. NYJ) vs. Melvin Gordon (vs. DEN) | Jay Ajayi |
| LeGarrette Blount (vs. WAS) vs. Derrick Henry (at CLE) | Derrick Henry |
Start: Jerick McKinnon, vs. BAL
Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon has looked great stepping in for injured rookie star Dalvin Cook, even in the wake of a poor passing game.
Now wouldn't be the time to anticipate the streak coming to an end, though. A minimum of 19.9 points over his last two outings is great, but perhaps even more important is the minimum of 15 carries with a rushing score in each game.
The good fortune should continue against the Baltimore Ravens, a so-so defense not as scary as its past reputation might reveal. Those Ravens have allowed the seventh-most points to opposing backs this year already.
With few other ways to go and McKinnon a capable receiver as well as runner, he's in for another big day.
Sit: Jordan Howard, vs. CAR
Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard isn't the consistent force he was a year ago as a rookie.
Which isn't to say Howard has been bad. But his notable outings of 26.6 and 17.6 points have been counteracted by tough showings of say, 7.6 and 0.7 points.
This erratic play and the propensity for the Bears to lean on the passing game with rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky flashing makes Howard a tough call against the Carolina Panthers.
Those Panthers muddy the outlook even further because they allow just the fourth-fewest points to the position, including holding a guy like LeSean McCoy to 4.3 points.
WR
| Julio Jones (at NE) vs. Jarvis Landry (vs. NYJ) | Julio Jones |
| Dez Bryant (at SF) vs. Larry Fitzgerald (at LAR) | Larry Fitzgerald |
| A.J. Green (at PIT) vs. T.Y. Hilton (vs. JAX) | A.J. Green |
| Doug Baldwin (at NYG) vs. Mike Evans (at BUF) | Mike Evans |
| Sammy Watkins (vs. ARI) vs. Jordy Nelson (vs. NO) | Jordy Nelson |
Start: Dez Bryant, at SF
Yes, Dez Bryant has been a dud for most of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys top wideout has a maximum of 11.9 points in a game, and he's been all over the place from a usage standpoint. A week after a 16-target game, the offense turned around and gave him two targets.
A dramatic shift, no doubt, but Bryant figures to benefit against the San Francisco 49ers after coming out of a bye.
The 49ers cough up the 11th-most points to wideouts this year. The extensive break means the coaching staff likely saw this as well, so a double-digit target day seems in the cards.
Sit: Jarvis Landry, vs. NYJ
Unlike Bryant, targets don't always mean big things for Miami Dolphins wideout Jarvis Landry.
Landry is a target monster as usual, having seen double-digit targets in all but one appearance this year. It should concern owners, then, he has notable down performances of the following outputs:
Landry has back-to-back games at 10 or more points under his belt right now, but the feat required him scoring his first two touchdowns of the year.
Trotting out a touchdown-reliant wideout against a New York Jets defense allowing the 14th fewest points to wideouts isn't a great idea—especially when those Jets already held him to the 4.80 total earlier this year.
TE
| Rob Gronkowski (vs. ATL) vs. Kyle Rudolph (vs. BAL) | Rob Gronkowski |
| Zach Ertz (vs. WAS) vs. Austin Seferian-Jenkins (at MIA) | Zach Ertz |
| Tyler Kroft (at PIT) vs. Hunter Henry (vs. DEN) | Tyler Kroft |
| Evan Engram (vs. SEA) vs. Jack Doyle (vs. JAX) | Jack Doyle |
| Austin Hooper (at NE) vs. Delanie Walker (at CLE) | Delanie Walker |
Start: Jimmy Graham, at NYG
Fantasy owners haven't heard much from Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham this year.
Like the rest of his offense, Graham got off to a slow start, totaling less than a single point over his first two games. He's been at 6.1 or better over his past three outings, though, including most recently scoring a touchdown for the first time on the way to 9.7.
Graham's first foray into double-digit territory could come in Week 7 against a New York Giants team allowing the most points to opposing tight ends. Could, because the Seahawks have problems on the road at times. But Graham is a notable play regardless at a struggling position.
Sit: Evan Engram, vs. SEA
On the other side of the matchup is Evan Engram.
The rookie looks like the top target in the Giants passing attack these days, something he seemed to confirm last time out with five catches for 82 yards and a sore, good for 14.2 points.
But Engram has been all over the place, getting blanked on four targets the week before the outburst and posting four single-digit performances overall.
Opportunities won't always lead to production at tight end, especially against an athletic Seattle defense allowing the 14th fewest points to the position. Nobody has hit double digits against the defense yet, and Engram shouldn't, given he'll be the main focus of the unit's attention.
All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.
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