Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Advice on Top Fantasy Football Stars

The unpredictability of fantasy football is part of what makes it so great. And so maddening.

Nothing better captures the game's volatility than the lineup decisions that can feel uncomfortable right until your roster locks. Whether you've noticed a statistical trend or simply have a hunch, you might notice yourself being nudged in one direction or the other.

We're here to help the nudging process with three of our favorite start-or-sit recommendations for Week 7.

Start: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions (at Atlanta Falcons)

Trusting Matthew Stafford is harder than it should be.

He has a huge arm and a wealth of weaponry at his disposal, but the combination doesn't always deliver big production. He's just 21st on the season in average fantasy points among quarterbacks, per FantasyPros, and he has just one top-10 finish at the position.

But if the campaign has taught us anything it's to trust the Falcons to turn any opposing quarterback into a fantasy juggernaut.

Atlanta has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing passers, per Yahoo, and it's not close. In fact, the average gap between the Falcons and the second-most generous defense (Seattle Seahawks, 4.23 fewer points per game) is wider than the one between Nos. 2 and 8 (Dallas Cowboys, 4.16 fewer points per game than Seattle).

If Stafford has another top-10 finish in him, this is almost certainly the week.

Sit: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints (vs. Carolina Panthers)

Want a fun fact about Drew Brees that's not fun at all for fantasy managers? He's only one spot above Stafford in average fantasy scoring, which puts Brees behind the likes of Carson Wentz, Gardner Minshew II and Derek Carr, among others.

Granted, it hasn't helped that Brees has only had top target Michael Thomas once all season. But even then, the Big Easy is pretty clearly witnessing a changing of the guard.

Brees has shifted out of the spotlight and into a supporting role. Do-everything back Alvin Kamara is in the spotlight now, and he should put on a show against a Carolina defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs.

The Panthers have only allowed one quarterback to throw for 300 yards and another to throw for multiple scores. Brees will be lucky to do either, and there's almost zero chance he does both, which he hasn't in the same game all season.

Start: Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Las Vegas Raiders)

History says the floor will drop out at some point, and Ronald Jones II will go back to being a fantasy pumpkin.

But the combination of his current heater and a delicious matchup is too tempting to ignore. Even the return of Leonard Fournette doesn't seem overly threatening, as this should be Jones' job to lose.

He isn't losing it against the Raiders. They've allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs and a league-worst 10 rushing scores. They're technically tied in rushing touchdowns allowed, but unlike the other two defenses to surrender that many scores (the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles), the Raiders have already had their bye week. So, that's 10 rushing touchdowns in five games. Yikes.

Jones has a tremendous chance to add to that number. He has totaled 60 carries for 330 yards and two touchdowns the past two weeks. He is RB3 over that stretch. Keep him glued in your lineup until he gives you a reason to take him out.