Injuries continue to sabotage the 2024 fantasy season, but this week provides some great fantasy matchups and games for viewing purposes.
As fantasy points are limited again this season with scoring down, a good start/sit call can be the difference between winning and losing.
I urge fantasy gamers to be proactive rather than reactive in sitting players whose roles are changing. We have a great example this week.
Week 7 Fantasy Football Starts:
| Week 7 Starts | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Dalton | QB | Panthers |
| Tank Bigsby | RB | Jaguars |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | Patriots |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | Texans |
Week 7 Fantasy Football Sits:
| Week 7 Sits | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Richardson | QB | Colts |
| Zack Moss | RB | Bengals |
| Jordan Mason | RB | 49ers |
| Keon Coleman | WR | Bills |
| Tucker Kraft | TE | Packers |
Quarterback Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Andy Dalton in Week 7
A matchup in a game environment with shootout potential provides a great path to stream and start Andy Dalton in Week 7.
Dalton has thrown for multiple touchdowns in three of his four starts despite facing a difficult slate of passing defenses.
The Panthers will be pushed to score points as the other side of the ball features the league's highest-scoring offense against the league's worst defense.
Working in Dalton’s favor this week is the fact that the Commanders defense has struggled to slow down opposing passing attacks for the past 13 months, which provides a solid opportunity for some passing game success this week.
The Commanders are bottom-10 in points fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, which bodes well for Dalton to help this game reach its shootout potential.
Honorable Mention: Drake Maye
The Jaguars have reached peak levels of environmental toxicity as the team and coach are both looking to go in a new direction.
The only hesitation to listing Maye as an outright start is that he went for a scope of his knee on Wednesday.
The Jaguars may lose any advantage of being adjusted to London as spending a week together with a head coach who has checked out may be less than ideal.
We witnessed Caleb Williams have success after a slow start on Sunday morning with the Jaguars defense continuing to struggle.
They are allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, allowing a top-12 fantasy score to the quarterback position every week this season.
Sit Anthony Richardson in Week 7
After giving fantasy managers false hope last week, Anthony Richardson is a sit candidate in Week 7 as a result of injury concerns and a poor matchup.
Due to some strange game scripts, the Dolphins have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and no quarterback has scored more than their season average in fantasy points.
This coupled with the fact Richardson has left nearly half of his career starts because of injury provides a ton of risk for Week 7.
If a streaming option is available, I’m sitting Richardson.
Running back Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Tank Bigsby in Week 7
Bigsby went from the highest fantasy scoring running back in Week 5 while on most fantasy benches to 24 rushing yards in Week 6, but I have confidence that he should be started in all lineups in Week 7.
Last week, Travis Etienne remained that starting running back, and the Jaguars trailed by multiple touchdowns for the back half of the game which halted Bigsby’s fantasy momentum.
Etienne is uncertain to suit up this week, and the Jaguars are currently five-point favorites, setting up a runway for Bigsby to build on his early season rushing success.
The Patriots have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and if Ettienne is indeed ruled out, Bigsby should be started with confidence.
Honorable Mention: Trey Benson
At the time of writing, there has not been an update on James Conner’s ankle injury.
Should Conner be due for his annual injury holiday, Benson should garner some attention.
A similar situation played out in Buffalo, and the learned lesson should be bet on the talented rookie with draft capital.
Benson was the second running back drafted this year and should play a significant role in the Cardinals offense if Conner does not play, regardless of undrafted Emari Demercado’s current role.
Sit Zack Moss in Week 7
Moss has conceded a higher share of backfield touches to Chase Brown every week and did not play a single snap after a fumble last week, so the proactive move is to sit Moss in Week 7.
The Bengals are large favorites against the Browns.
The one area Moss still has played over Brown is pass protection, but in a likely positive game state against the Browns, his passing role will be limited.
Sit Jordan Mason in Week 7
Mason will likely play against the Chiefs with an AC joint injury.
This is a pain tolerance issue that will become an issue after contact, and starting the game does not necessarily mean finishing the game.
If rushing to start Mason against the Chiefs, what exactly is his path to a successful fantasy day?
The Chiefs are allowing 3.1 yards per carry on running back rush attempts, and it’s hard to envision a Justice Hill-like receiving performance against the Chiefs out of Mason.
He hasn’t exceeded three targets in a game this season.
Too much risk and not enough upside. Don’t play Mason this week.
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Wide Receiver Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start DeMario Douglas in Week 7
Douglas has a favorable matchup against a struggling Jaguars defense in Week 7 and should be started in fantasy football.
Douglas could be the newest version of the PPR scam attached to Drake Maye behind a horrible offensive line, a situation likely to create a ton of slot targets.
A lot of smart people in the industry have highlighted Maye’s affinity for slot receivers dating back to college, which helps Douglas’ case this week and the rest of the season.
Douglas has 9 targets in three of his past four games and faces a Jaguars secondary that was just shredded for multiple touchdowns by Keenan Allen.
Feel comfortable inserting the shifty slot receiver into lineups this week.
Honorable Mention: Rashod Bateman
My 2022 & 2023 fantasy rosters have been waiting for this version of Bateman as he becoming a weekly flex option.
Bateman is second on the Ravens in targets and is averaging 13.5 air yards per target this season.
He’s not a high-volume receiver, but he is averaging 2.1 PPR points per target because of where he is earning targets.
Sit Keon Coleman in Week 7
The rookie receiver welcomed Amari Cooper to the building this week, the Bills face a solid pass defense, and Sean McDermott is afraid of Josh Allen making mistakes. All that adds up to a Week 7 sit for Keon Coleman.
Overshadowed by the complete mess Will Levis has been on offense, the Titans defense has been very good.
The Titans are allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.
Regardless of Cooper's impact this week, Coleman has a difficult match-up to score fantasy points.
I’d recommend waiting a couple of weeks before deciding if Coleman should be cut since he is a big-play threat with a good quarterback, but I’m not starting him currently.
Tight End Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Dalton Schultz in Week 7
Schultz is coming off a season-high 8 targets and faces a defense struggling to cover tight ends, which makes him a start option in Week 7.
Schultz has seen an increase in his target per route rate every single week this season, hitting 27.6% in Week 6.
He is the biggest beneficiary of an injury to Nico Collins and should continue to be involved in the passing game against the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers have allowed 59.8 yards per game to opposing tight ends, and they are allowing the third most fantasy points to tight ends.
Honorable Mention: Jonnu Smith
Smith has not been on the field for 50% of the Dolphins' passes this season but had 8 targets before the bye week.
Without an NFL-caliber starting quarterback, trusting any part of the Dolphins passing game is difficult, but I’m interested to see if Smith’s role grows post-bye as he becomes more acclimated to the offense.
Sit Tucker Kraft in Week 7
Kraft came crashing back to earth in Week 6 after back-to-back big weeks and now faces a difficult matchup, making him a sit candidate in Week 7.
The Texans defense is first in DVOA against opposing tight ends and allows a league-low 26.5 yards per game to the tight end position.
Kraft ran hot for a couple of weeks, scoring three touchdowns in two games, but he has only been targeted on 16.9% of his routes this season.
It is difficult to keep producing on efficiency over volume, and the Texans are unlikely to allow a high-efficiency game for Kraft.