Week Seven has our first real Bye week casualties, with fantasy players finding themselves without the Bills, Eagles, Rams, and Vikings this week. That’s a lot of big-time fantasy options that aren’t available this week.
That said, we do have a lot of great matchups for offensive players, so there is plenty of opportunity to get solid production out of lesser-rostered players.
Let’s take a look at who the big names are for this week’s Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em.
Starts
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Dak Prescott, QB (Dallas Cowboys)
Dak Prescott returns for a Week Seven matchup against the Detroit Lions, who currently give up the second-most points to the Quarterback position.
It’s a dream matchup for Prescott, who now has a healthy Michael Gallup at his disposal. And as we all know, the Lions can put up points, so this has the potential to be a higher-scoring game.
With some big-time Quarterbacks on Bye this week, Prescott is a great option if he’s available and could help win you a week.
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Kenyan Drake, RB (Baltimore Ravens)
There are a lot of great matchups for Running Backs this week, but most of those guys are studs that you are probably already starting.
Kenyan Drake was one of the biggest pickups off waivers this week after J.K. Dobbins suffered a setback on his injured knee. According to Baltimore, Dobbins felt his knee tighten up in Week Six and his workload was reduced from there.
With Dobbins expected to be monitored this week, Drake has a golden opportunity against a Browns’ defense that is currently giving up the fourth-most points to the Running Back position. Last week Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns, so safe to say Drake could be a great option if Dobbins does indeed sit.
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Alec Pierce, WR (Indianapolis Colts)
Alec Pierce has been trending upward over the last few weeks, seeing more and more targets. This week the Colts face the Titans, who are giving up the second-most points to Wide Receivers in the NFL.
It seems like Matt Ryan is starting to figure things out a bit more, and Pierce has been the beneficiary of the improved offense. The Titans will probably run all over the Colts, so this shouldn’t necessarily be a defensive battle.
Pierce is a solid choice this week as a Flex option in a plus matchup.
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Dalton Schultz or Jake Ferguson, TE (Dallas Cowboys)
As you already know, the Cowboys face the Lions this week, so Dak Prescott and the Receiving corps should have plenty of scoring opportunities.
Dalton Schultz was a surprise inactive after practicing in full last week, which allowed rookie Tight End Jake Ferguson to show what he can do (Go Badgers!). Ferguson ended up catching four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Now Dak Prescott is returning and hasn’t played much with Ferguson, so I can’t promise he will go off if Schultz sits. Still, out of all the Tight Ends on the waivers, the Cowboys’ Tight End is probably worth starting against a horrible Detroit defense.
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Nick Folk, K – (New England Patriots)
Nick Folk has been solid this season, and I guess Bailey Zappe is actually a good Quarterback because the offense has been much better as of late.
This week the Patriots get the Bears, so they should be able to move the ball downfield. The offense isn’t prolific enough to think they will score a touchdown every time, so Folk should be in line for a good amount of work.
Since he is only rostered in half of leagues, I figured he would be a great option to turn to if you need a Kicker this week. Plus, you can have a player going on a Monday night, which always makes fantasy/watching the game more fun.
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Denver Broncos, DST
The Broncos’ defense has been stellar over the past few weeks, limiting Justin Herbert to 238 yards and one interception on 57 attempts. The two games prior they held Derek Carr to 188 yards and zero touchdowns, and then picked off Matt Ryan twice and didn’t allow a touchdown again.
Their biggest downfall by far has been their offense, which is making people pass over one of the best defenses in the NFL. This week they face the Jets, who really seem to be able to only run the ball well. If the Broncos can shut down Breece Hall and force Zach Wilson to throw, they will be in line for a great fantasy day.
Sits
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Derek Carr, QB (Las Vegas Raiders)
The Raiders take on the Houston Texans this week, and it may seem like a no-brainer start for Derek Carr. But this one may be more of a trap game than you think.
The Texans are currently the eighth-best team in points allowed to the Quarterback position, holding opposing teams’ Quarterbacks to an average of 12.54 points per game.
Carr has been his usual self even with Davante Adams on the team, putting up “meh” numbers so far. I put Carr on this list cause many may think “oh it’s the Texans, Carr is gonna feast”, but you may be in for a major disappointment.
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David Montgomery, RB (Chicago Bears)
The first team to really shut down Nick Chubb this season was the New England Patriots, who kept him to 56 yards. The Patriots allow the third-fewest points to Running Backs.
The Patriots’ defense has had a resurgence after a slow start and now faces a Chicago Bears team on Monday night that struggles to move the ball. So far, the Bears have been a run-first team, so you know that Bill Belichick will be looking at shutting down the run game and forcing Justin Fields to throw.
That, and the emergence of Khalil Herbert are both huge reasons why I will be benching David Montgomery this week.
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Christian Kirk, WR (Jacksonville Jaguars)
I’m not really sure what happened to the Jacksonville offense. After starting out super hot and looking like the Head Coach change was a massive success, the Jaguars decided to stop playing well.
Unfortunately, that has massively affected Christian Kirk, who looked like a potential league winner through the first three weeks. That seems to be long gone, however, since he has only seven catches and one touchdown over the last three games.
The Jaguars face a Giants’ defense that currently gives up the fewest points to the Wide Receiver position. The Giants surely will play a slow, methodical game to milk the clock. And the way Trevor Lawrence and company have been playing lately, I don’t think you can justify starting Kirk this week.
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TJ Hockenson, TE (Detroit Lions)
You may need to start TJ Hockenson out of necessity, but don’t expect much from the Tight End this week. The Lions face a Dallas Cowboys team who has been one of the best at defending Tight Ends.
Last week the Cowboys held Dallas Goedert to two catches for 22 yards, and he has been one of the best Tight Ends this season.
Hockenson, on the other hand, hasn’t really produced like you hoped (besides the game against Seattle where he went for 179 yards with no Amon Ra there). Amon Ra St. Brown should be back, as well as D’Andre Swift, both of who will take targets away from Hockenson.
If you have other options, I’d avoid starting Hockenson this week.
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Chris Boswell, K (Pittsburgh Steelers)
There aren’t too many bad options at Kicker this week based on matchups, so I went with Chris Boswell because I think the Dolphins stomp the Steelers this weekend.
Miami should have all their weapons, including Tua Tagovailoa, which should make it very easy to score against one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL. That means the Steelers will be playing catchup, and may not kick the ball much as they chase touchdowns.
The Steelers’ offense also hasn’t been that great, and the Dolphin defense has had moments of great play, so this could be a bad day for Boswell.
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Green Bay Packers, DST
The Packers’ defense was supposed to be one of the better ones this year, but have really struggled to hold opposing offenses.
A game against the Washington Commanders might seem like easy pickings, especially with Carson Wentz supposedly set to miss time with a broken finger, but Taylor Heinicke is no slouch as a backup.
Heinicke started most of the year for the Commanders in 2021 and isn’t afraid to sling it. Johan Dotson seems close to returning as well, so the passing game should be able to move the ball against the struggling Packers.
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