Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Latest Fantasy Football Lineup Advice for Sunday

Week 7 started off with a good representation of how odd the fantasy football landscape has been this season for fantasy owners. 

The Denver Broncos came out ahead of the Arizona Cardinals 45-10, while a lesser-known name like Denver running back Phillip Lindsay piled up 16.10 points compared to just 8.5 for Arizona's David Johnson, a former MVP contender. 

With any luck, things will be more straightforward for owners over the weekend. In an effort to dissect the hurdles making things difficult, let's take a look at matchup comparisons and notable start-sit decisions. 

QB

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Patrick Mahomes (vs. CIN) vs. Carson Wentz (vs. CAR)	Patrick Mahomes
Matt Ryan (vs. NYG) vs. Andy Dalton (at KC)	Andy Dalton
Dak Prescott (at WAS) vs. Cam Newton (at PHI)	Cam Newton
Kirk Cousins (at NYJ) vs. Philip Rivers (vs. TEN)	Philip Rivers
Jared Goff (at SF) vs. Alex Smith (vs. DAL)	Jared Goff

Start: Andrew Luck, IND (vs. BUF) 

Andrew Luck's arm is only getting stronger by the week. 

In other words, it shouldn't be too concerning that Luck has to deal with a Buffalo Bills defense allowing just the third-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks on average this year. 

He's that good. 

Luck has 24.6 or more points in three games and counting since his arm clearly started showing more zip, which has enabled him to throw three or more touchdowns in each game over that span. 

As for those Bills, other than a matchup with Aaron Rodgers, the schedule has been rather simplistic, helping to inflate the numbers. Luck should have enough juice at home to help normalize the outlook for both parties. 

Sit: Marcus Mariota, TEN (at LAC) 

The news is going in the opposite direction for Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. 

Mariota has played through various injuries this year, and the offensive coaches around him have had to scheme to compensate. The result is showings of 7.18 points or fewer in back-to-back games after a strong 31.36-point outburst in Week 4. 

On paper, a game against the Los Angeles Chargers and a defense allowing the 11th-most points to the position sounds good. But likewise, these numbers are inflated because only two quarterbacks have tallied more than 20 points against the Chargers defense this year. 

Mariota isn't going to be the third, not with a conservative scheme meant to protect him away from home in the face of a fierce pass rush. 

RB

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
James White (at CHI) vs. Kareem Hunt (vs. CIN)	Kareem Hunt
Saquon Barkley (at ATL) vs. Ezekiel Elliott (at WAS)	Saquon Barkley
Todd Gurley (at SF) vs. Joe Mixon (at KC)	Joe Mixon
Christian McCaffrey (at PHI) vs. Melvin Gordon (vs. TEN)	Christian McCaffrey
Peyton Barber (vs. CLE) vs. Lamar Miller (at JAX)	Peyton Barber

Start: Peyton Barber, TB (vs. CLE) 

Now would be the time to invest heavily in Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Peyton Barber. 

Barber remained the starter for the Buccaneers out of the bye as opposed to second-round rookie Ronald Jones. The result was an 18.6-point outburst in Week 6, which could be the start of a trend. 

Tampa Bay coaches have no reason to make a change now, which is good news heading into a game against a Cleveland Browns defense allowing the seventh-most points to backs through six games. 

To date, five opposing running backs have hit double digits on the Browns defense and two have surpassed the 30-point mark. Maybe don't set expectations that high, but Barber's versatility should lead to a big day against a struggling visiting defense. 

Sit: Alex Collins, BAL (vs. NO) 

One would think the Baltimore Ravens would heavily lean into a productive runner like Alex Collins given the struggles of Joe Flacco under center at times. 

Instead, those owners who invested in Collins have seen him get more than 12 carries in a game just twice, which not-so-coincidentally make up two of his three paltry double-digit outings. 

Granted, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking Collins is starting on a major upswing after a 17.4-point outburst in Week 6. In reality, he's heading into a game against a New Orleans Saints defense allowing the fifth-fewest points to opposing backs on average. 

Erratic usage and game flow likely to limit his chances even if the Ravens want him working a major quantity, Collins needs to ride the pine until he shows up in a better situation. 

WR

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Odell Beckham Jr. (at ATL) vs. Tyreek Hill (vs. CIN)	Odell Beckham Jr.
Adam Thielen (at NYJ) vs. A.J. Green (at KC)	A.J. Green
Jarvis Landry (at TB) vs. Mike Evans (vs. CLE)	Jarvis Landry
DeAndre Hopkins (at JAX) vs. Stefon Diggs (at NYJ)	Stefon Diggs
Tyler Boyd (at KC) vs. Terrelle Pryor (at MIN)	Tyler Boyd

Start: Tyler Boyd, CIN (at KC) 

Tyler Boyd tends to get lost in the discussion when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals thanks to the stardom of A.J. Green and the current bust status of John Ross. 

Boyd owners should know better. 

Boyd is one of the best-kept secrets in the NFL right now because the Cincinnati offense has helped him tally 52 targets, second only to Green's 55. He's posted four double-digit outings as a result, all of them checking in at 15.5 or more and two north of the 20-point mark. 

It should be business as usual for Boyd in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only do those Chiefs let up the 13th-most points to opposing wideouts, the game flow calls for a shootout between a pair of bad defenses. 

Sit: Sammy Watkins, KC (vs. CIN) 

On the other end of that Bengals-Chiefs encounter is Sammy Watkins. 

Unlike Boyd, Watkins isn't doing much while weapons around him soak up the attention. He only has more than five targets in a game twice so far and has hit double digits just three times, scoring one touchdown overall. 

The problem is the floor. When Watkins hasn't scored double digits, he's posted 3.6, zero and 2.7 points. So while the Bengals allow the 10th-most points to wideouts on average, Watkins is likely looking at a head-to-head encounter with star corner William Jackson, meaning another day littered with struggles. 

This won't always be the case, but it's clear with Watkins third on the Chiefs' target list and with running backs right behind him that he isn't matching some of the hype that came along with his arrival. 

TE

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Travis Kelce (vs. CIN) vs. David Njoku (at TB)	David Njoku
Rob Gronkowski (at CHI) vs. Evan Engram (at ATL)	Rob Gronkowski
Eric Ebron (BUF) vs. C.J. Uzomah (at KC)	Eric Ebron
O.J. Howard (vs. CLE) vs. Charles Clay (at IND)	O.J. Howard
Austin Hooper (vs. NYG) vs. Cameron Brate(vs. CLE)	Austin Hooper

Start: O.J. Howard, TB (vs. CLE) 

O.J. Howard's breakout season is back on after a brief knee-injury scare, something he announced loudly with a 14.2-point showing in Week 6 on all of four catches. 

Howard went criminally underused as a rookie last season, but Tampa Bay coaches have seemed to figure out what they have. While he hasn't received a gaudy number of touches, the yards-after-catch machine has double digits in three of his team's five games, three of four if we're counting the game he suffered an injury during. 

With 17.1-point upside this year already and a proven floor, Howard should feast on a poor Cleveland defense ranked right in the middle of the pack against tight ends. 

Sit: Kyle Rudolph, MIN (at NYJ) 

Being consistent at tight end is rare, though not always the best thing. 

Look at Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who has five or more targets in five consecutive games but only two touchdowns and double-digit showings on the resume so far. 

Week 6 against Arizona was a typical Rudolph game these days despite the name recognition, as he caught four of his five targets and landed at 5.7 points. 

Next up is a road trip to face the New York Jets, a ho-hum affair figuring to feature plenty of the running game. The Jets rank 16th in points allowed to tight ends, allowing just one player all season to reach double digits. 

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.