Fantasy Football Week 7: Philip Rivers and 5 Players Sure to Cost You a Win

Don't doom yourself by playing someone who has a horrible matchup.

In fantasy football, you have to focus on who each of your players are up against if you want to be successful.

You never want to play a mid-tier RB against the San Francisco 49ers, because they almost never give up 100 yards rushing.

The same can be said with a mid-tier WR against Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets.

This week, there are some incredibly tough matchups, and you might find yourself benching studs who you thought were every-week starters.

If you don't bench them, you might just be costing yourself a fantasy victory.

Philip Rivers (QB, San Diego Chargers)

Philip Rivers is bound to kill your fantasy team this week as his up-and-down season will continue against the New York Jets.

Rivers has been a huge disappointment for fantasy owners this year, and he is going to continue that trend this week against Gang Green.

Expect the Jets to lock down Vincent Jackson in this one, and force Rivers to throw the ball elsewhere.

Antonio Gates may be making his long-awaited return to fantasy lineups, but that doesn't mean he will save Rivers in this matchup. New York is barely giving up 200 yards passing per game, and with their run defense struggling, the Chargers should look to pound the ball in this game.

Ryan Mathews represents a ton of fantasy upside this week, but his QB does not.

If you have any other options, Rivers should be left on the bench.

Adrian Peterson (RB, Minnesota Vikings)

Don't bench Adrian Peterson this week, but you better tame your expectations.

This is not going to be a good week for A-Pete, as he faces one of the toughest run defenses in the NFL.

The Minnesota Vikings face the Green Bay Packers this week in a game where Christian Ponder will make his first ever NFL start.

If you think the Packers are dumb enough to let Adrian Peterson beat them, you are sadly mistaken. Green Bay is going to stack the box in this one with at least eight players in the box on every play. Considering the Packers have the fourth best run defense in the NFL, this isn't going to be a good game for Peterson.

Unfortunately, you likely took Peterson No. 1 overall, so you can't afford to bench him. He is your star, but he won't show up in this game. His lackluster performance is going to cost you a victory.

Steven Jackson (RB, St. Louis Rams)

Steven Jackson is going to bust again.

Jackson owners cannot be happy right now as he has been all but a disappointment to this point in the fantasy season. He has not lived up to the hype, and has yet to top 100 yards rushing.

That's simply not going to cut it.

If you play Jackson this week, your fantasy team is bound to lose.

He faces the No. 1 ranked run defense in the NFL this week. The Dallas Cowboys are only conceding 69 yards rushing per game, a number that Jackson has only eclipsed once.

If you're still not concerned, Rams QB Sam Bradford has a high ankle sprain. Expect him to be limited in this week's game. If the Rams are unable to move the ball, Jackson won't even get an opportunity to pick up a garbage touchdown.

This game could be over before halftime, which doesn't bode well for Jackson's fantasy potential.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Arizona Cardinals)

This Kevin Kolb experiment isn't exactly going according to plan in Arizona, so you're best off putting Larry Fitzgerald on the bench for this one.

His lack of production this week could very well cost you a victory for your fantasy football team.

Fitzgerald has topped 100 yards just twice this season. To make matters worse, he has only two touchdowns this year, with the last one coming three weeks ago.

Fitzgerald's matchup this week makes him an even riskier play. He faces a Pittsburgh Steelers team that has absolutely shut down opposing No. 1 WRs.

For the season, the Steelers have yielded less than 45 yards per game to No. 1 WRs. If you think Fitzgerald is going to suddenly break through against the Steelers, you are sadly mistaken.

He needs to be on the bench this week, as this is a disastrous matchup for the Cardinals' star receiver.

Santana Moss (WR, Washington Redskins)

Santana Moss' stock has taken a huge hit with the announcement that John Beck will be the team's new starting QB.

No one really has any idea what to expect out of Beck, thus Moss should be left on the bench. He has had a mediocre season to this point with only two games of more than 70 yards receiving. Moss has failed to top 40 yards in the past two weeks.

The Carolina Panthers have done a decent job of containing No. 1 WRs this year, which also doesn't bode well for the Redskins' star wideout.

The Panthers are giving up less than 65 yards per game to No. 1 wideouts, so you would be wise to keep Moss on your bench this week.

If you play him, just know that you've been warned.