Getty Travis Fulgham #13 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs against Marcus Peters #24 of the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers for Week 7 of the NFL season. This week’s edition features a pass-catcher in Philadelphia looking to extend his touchdown streak to four games. Plus, a once-dominant PPR play is beginning to look like a shell of himself.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Superstars such as Michael Thomas will not be found in this column. If you’re looking for players of their caliber check out our weekly fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
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WR: Start ‘Em
Start of the Week: Kenny Golladay at ATL
Since returning to Detroit’s lineup in Week 3, Golladay has either topped 100 yards receiving or scored a touchdown. In Week 7, look for the big-bodied receiver to make a push towards combining those two outputs. Atlanta has allowed four 100-yard receiving outings since Week 2 and eight 92-plus yard outings all season. They’ve also allowed six touchdowns to the position over their past four games.
Chase Claypool at TEN
While we’re not ready to say that JuJu Smith-Schuster has been passed up as the top target in Pittsburgh, it’s clear the Steelers will forcefully feed Claypool in touches, whether through the air or on the ground. The rookie has now topped 17.79 points in three of his last four games. The Titans allowed 21-plus points to two opposing wide receivers just last week.
Travis Fulgham vs. NYG
23 targets over a two-week span will firmly cement any pass-catcher on the fantasy radar. Now add in the fact that Zach Ertz is set to miss Thursday night’s game and Fulgham looks like a near must-start. Yes, Big Blue is stout defensively, but they did allow two touchdown passes to Kyle Allen a week ago and nine on the season. Fulgham has scored a touchdown in three consecutive weeks.
Sleeper: Marvin Jones at ATL
Jones has become fantasy irrelevant this season, scoring double-digits just once and totaling just 4.7 points over his last two games. We already touched on Atlanta’s woeful secondary above, a unit that has allowed opposing teams’ WR2s to top 91 receiving yards on three separate occasions this season. If you’re in a pinch due to bye weeks, Jones is a sneaky play.
Keep Your Faith: DeAndre Hopkins vs. SEA
Obviously you’re going to start DHop, so we’ll keep this short. Hopkins has scored 11.10 points or fewer in two of his last three games. A matchup against the league’s worst pass defense should greatly push his production north. Seattle has allowed an absurd seven 100-plus yard receivers this season.
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WR: Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week: Michael Gallup at WAS
I expect Dallas’ passing game to look better this week. Yet, that also means I expect the volume at which Dallas airs the ball out will decrease. Even with Andy Dalton attempting an outrageous 54 pass attempts, Gallup was targeted just six times this past Monday, fourth on the team. The former 1,000-yard receiver’s 34 targets this season rank fifth-most amongst Cowboys skill players. Washington hasn’t allowed a leading wideout to eclipse 86 yards all season, let alone the fourth or fifth option in someone’s passing game.
Julian Edelman vs. SF
A recurring trend this season, but Edelman is simply untrustworthy without Tom Brady in the lineup. Were it not for name recognition, 6.50 points or fewer in three straight games would make Edelman droppable. The 49ers allow the ninth-fewest points to wideouts this year, allowing just two receivers to eclipse 59 receiving yards against them since Week 1.
Jerry Jeudy vs. KC
Jeudy skated by with some big plays recently but finally burned fantasy owners in Week 6 with a 5.2 point output. He’s hauled in more than four receptions just once this season and is clearly behind both Tim Patrick and Noah Fant (when healthy) in terms of volume. The Chiefs allow the fifth-fewest points to the position this year, while only two wideouts have exceeded three receptions against them since Week 3.
Buyers Beware: Will Fuller/Brandin Cooks vs. GB
The coaching change in Houston has awoken Houston’s aerial attack, as Fuller and Cooks have each topped 15.0 points in back-to-back weeks. Still, trusting the Texans duo this week can be tricky. Cooks looked to be a dud last week until some late-game heroics, while Fuller still remains one of the most Jekyll and Hyde players in football. The Packers have allowed just one receiving touchdown to a wideout since Week 3. Over that span, only one WR has amassed more than 56 yards against them.