Getty Kyler Murray should continue his fantasy football hot streak in Week 7.
The fantasy football season is full of difficult decisions, especially when it comes to setting your lineup. My fantasy football Start-Sit outlines these tough choices and offers predictions for this week’s best players.
Each week, I receive fantasy football questions and my answers are based on a bedrock principle I learned from an article penned by ESPN’s Matthew Berry years ago. When making any fantasy decision, start out by asking yourself, “What is most likely to happen?”
You can drive yourself crazy imagining all the various scenarios, but only a few of these paths are realistic. As always, you are welcome to reach out on Twitter @JonDAdams if the answer is not as clear, and we can talk through your options.
How do you decide what is most likely to happen? Past history is a great starting point but does not always paint the full picture. The longer a player’s track record, the easier it is to land on the most likely outcome. For lineup decisions, you can also use the pasta data of the player’s opponents to help finalize your choice. Some teams perform poorly against the pass, while others have a stout defensive line that allows minimal rushing yards.
Sometimes Will Fuller is going to score three touchdowns on your bench and have more fantasy points than DeAndre Hopkins who you started. This does not mean that you made the wrong decision, but the particular result did not go in your favor. Since no one has a crystal ball, the key is developing a decision-making process that gives you the best chance of making the right choice on a consistent basis. When you are able to do this, you give yourself a chance for sustained success even if you lose a week or two because of a result that did not go the likely way.
Here is a look at my fantasy football predictions for Week 7.
Start Cardinals QB Kyler Murray vs. Giants & Sit Chargers QB Philip Rivers vs. Titans
GettyChargers QB Philip Rivers is better off on your bench for Week 7.
Kyler Murray is starting to hit his stride and the Cardinals get another great matchup in Week 7 against the Giants. New York is allowing the second-most passing yards in the NFL at 285 per game. Murray has had two straight weeks of more than 25 fantasy points and should continue that streak against a bad Giants defense. The great thing about Murray is his rushing yards have become a bonus, not a requirement, for him to have a good fantasy week.
Philip Rivers looked about as bad as possible against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Things do not get any easier this week as the Chargers take on the Titans which is the sixth-ranked unit against the pass. Until the Chargers offensive line improves, Rivers is going to be an inconsistent fantasy option.
QB Starts Week 4: Josh Allen should have himself a week as the Bills return from a bye against a winless Dolphins squad. Jared Goff has a nice bounce-back opportunity against a Falcons defense that is unraveling. Gardner Minshew should also recover from his worst game of the season against the Bengals.
QB Sits Week 4: Sam Darnold went off against the Cowboys, but the Jets quarterback is likely to go back to reality against the Patriots. Teddy Bridgewater is another quarterback not to trust in Week 7 as the Saints go on the road to Chicago.
Start Jaguars WR DJ Chark vs. Bengals & Sit Texans WR Will Fuller vs. Colts
GettyD.J. Chark has been one of the top fantasy receivers this season.
The entire Jaguars offense struggled against the Saints, but brighter days are ahead for Jacksonville. Look for D.J. Chark to be back to what we have come to expect from the young receiver this season. Chark has emerged as Minshew’s favorite receiver and should get plenty of targets against the Bengals defense.
The Texans receivers have become hard to project on a weekly basis. Outside of DeAndre Hopkins, the rest of the Texans’ wideouts should be left on your bench as they take on a tough Colts team. Both Will Fuller and Keke Coutee are sits for Week 7. Fuller’s performance against the Falcons in Week 5 looks more and more like an outlier.
WR Starts Week 7: Christian Kirk is a strong start if he is active in Week 7 against the Giants. With Will Dissly out, fans can expect D.K. Metcalf to see an uptick in targets for the Seahawks, especially in the red zone. Terry McLaurin gets a difficult matchup against the Niners, but I still feel comfortable starting him as a WR3 as he has proven to be matchup proof. Michael Gallup has a lot of upside for the Cowboys if either Amari Cooper or Randall Cobb is forced to miss time.
WR Sits Week 7: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and the rest of the Dolphins receivers are all sits against the Bills. Corey Davis and A.J. Brown continue to be hard to start with how bad the Titans’ quarterback play has been. Josh Gordon has been a frustrating fantasy option with his inconsistency, and you can leave him on your bench if you have a more reliable option.
Start Bills RB Frank Gore vs. Dolphins & Sit Redskins RB Adrian Peterson vs. 49ers
Frank Gore has been a consistent fantasy option this season.
Frank Gore faces a Dolphins defense that gives up the second-most rushing yards in the NFL. Even if Devin Singletary suits up, Gore is still likely to get the lion’s share of the carries against Miami. The veteran is also coming into the game well-rested after a bye week. For a player who started the season on the waiver wire in most leagues, Gore has had nice value in 2019. Gore has only had one game where he did not receive at least 14 carries.
If you picked up Adrian Peterson before last week’s breakout, good for you but that does not mean you need to start him this week. Peterson faces the Niners defense that is ranked sixth against the run. He is still worth having on your roster to see if the Redskins give him more work with Jay Gruden out of town.
RB Starts for Week 7: Tevin Coleman is leading the snap count of the Niners running backs. Coleman gets a plus-matchup this week against the Redskins defense and could win some people their fantasy leagues in the second half of the season.
RB Sits for Week 7: David Montgomery has a very challenging matchup against the Saints, and the rookie running back has yet to prove he can live up to his preseason ADP. Joe Mixon should remain on your bench regardless of matchup until he proves he is able to produce on a consistent basis.