Week 7 Start Em Sit Em: Cam Newton and 3 QBs You Must Sit

If you took a chance and snagged Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton in your fantasy draft, you've been nicely rewarded. While he hasn't played mistake-free football, Newton has provided a ton of fantasy points, and in ESPN's point system, he is averaging 22.7 per week. 

But this week, Newton and three other quarterbacks are in must-sit situations. Read on to find out which signal-callers you need to send to the bench in Week 7.

Cam Newton

In Week 7, Newton will lead the Panthers against a Washington Redskins team that boasts an excellent defense. 

The Redskins are currently sixth in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 321.6 yards per game. Washington is also surrendering just 16.6 points per game (third in the league) and has forced eight turnovers. 

While Newton has put up eye-popping yardage numbers, he has also thrown nine interceptions, five of which have come in the past three weeks. 

Against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, Newton failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his career, while also sailing three interceptions the Falcons' way. 

The Redskins have been better defensively this season than the Falcons, so don't expect Newton to turn things around this weekend. Weeks like this are the reason you invest in a quality backup.

Mark Sanchez

This was supposed to be the year New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez made the leap to the next level. Through six weeks, that hasn't happened.

Sanchez is averaging just 14 fantasy points per game according to ESPN, and his 82.3 quarterback rating isn't stellar. So far this year, he has completed 111 of 198 passes (56.1 percent) for 1,372 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. 

This weekend, Sanchez leads his 3-3 Jets against the 4-1 San Diego Chargers, and the USC product should be sent to your bench.

The Chargers boast the NFL's fourth-best defense, allowing just 293.2 yards per game, and they are giving up 179.6 yards per game through the air, which is the league's second-best number. 

If the Jets win on Sunday, it will be a result of their running game getting on track and their defense shutting down Philip Rivers and his team's offense. Don't expect Sanchez to do much this week.

Matt Schaub

Matt Schaub was expected to be one of the top fantasy quarterbacks this season, but over the past two weeks, he's led the Texans to losses while his top target, Andre Johnson, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. 

Schaub is averaging 15 fantasy points a week, but he has struggled without Johnson available. Johnson is almost certainly out for Houston's Week 7 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, which means Schaub could be in danger of another bad week.

The Titans boast a very solid defense and will be coming off a bye week and will certainly be ready for their division rivals.

In addition to missing his top target, Schaub is also banged up, with chest and shoulder injuries that limited him in practice on Wednesday. He'll likely play on Sunday, but you can't expect him to be at 100 percent, and after back-to-back weeks with quarterback ratings of 72.0 and 83.2, it's probably best to sit him for this weekend's matchup if you have a solid backup.

Carson Palmer

The big news from the NFL's trade deadline on Tuesday was the deal that sent Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders. Palmer took the majority of the first-team reps for the Raiders in his first practice with the team on Wednesday, and ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that he is expected to start the team's Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

While it might be tempting to toss Palmer in your starting lineup right away, don't get caught up in the hype surrounding his debut in Oakland. He is certainly an upgrade over Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller for the Raiders, but the USC product has been sidelined for 10 months. Even if he has kept himself in great shape, the timing with his new receivers will likely be off and he'll need a few weeks to get up to game speed.

If you managed to grab Palmer in your league, he could probably help you out later in the year. Just don't expect anything from him right now.