Happy Friday and welcome back to my Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing information to help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard). You can tweet me or message me on either social media with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
Week 7 is underway following the TNF game between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. Denver took the loss by a score of 17-14. The story in this one was the performance by D’Ernest Johnson. With both RBs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb unable to play, Johnson broke out for 146 rushing yards and a TD on 22 carries. He also contributed 2 receptions for 22 yards. Case Keenum got the start at QB because Baker Mayfield got hurt in week 6. Case held his own and got the W. OBJ and Landry both started at WR for the Browns, but each didn’t impact the game much and both also aggravated injuries they’ve been dealing with. The Broncos struggles to score despite a mostly healthy offense.
Week 7 has been referenced as BYE-megeddon referring to the number of teams on BYEs this week. Make sure you are aware of your players BYEs and manage those lineups accordingly. Sunday looks to be another fun slate of games. The matchups I look forward to watching the most this Sunday are the Bengals/Ravens game and the Chiefs/Titans game. A lot of fantasy players to keep an eye on in those games.
I’m back once again with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. In a week full of BYEs, you might need to use a few players you don’t feel comfortable starting.
Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
Washington @ Packers
Start – Ricky Seals-Jones – Seals-Jones saw 6 targets in week 6 and turned those into 4 receptions for 58 yards and a TD. That makes for 9 receptions on 15 targets in the past 2 weeks. With Logan Thomas missing at least 1 more week, Ricky gets another opportunity at TE1 for Washington. The Packers are heavy favorites in this game so Heinicke will need to air it out often. Seals-Jones should get plenty of targets and has been playing almost every snap lately. It helps to know the Packers have given up 13 TDs through the air this season. Could be a top 10 TE this week in fantasy.
Sit – Robert Tonyan – Robert Tonyan went from top tier TE in 2020 to basically missing in action in 2021. Tonyan has only eclipsed 2 receptions and 10 receiving yards in 1 game this season. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers can score a lot of points, but Tonyan is the odd man out. The snaps are there but the targets simply are not. Washington has been downright dreadful on defense this season, yet they don’t let opposing TEs score often. Would be shocked if Tonyan cracks the top 15 TEs in scoring this week.
Chiefs @ Titans
Start – Darrell Williams – If you were smart and lucky enough to claim Williams off waivers following the CEH injury, you are sitting pretty with a great RB play this week. Williams had 21 carries for 62 rushing yards and 2 TDs in week 6. He also contributed 3 receptions for 27 yards on 4 targets. This week Darrell and the Chiefs take on an average at best defense in Tennessee. Williams first game at RB1 was better than any CEH performance this season. The theory that Williams is the better option over CEH has yet to be proven wrong. I expect another big week in a game that should be high scoring and competitive.
Sit – Jerick McKinnon – When CEH went down, Williams and McKinnon were the obvious upgraded players. Williams obviously had the better game as I described above. McKinnon got an unfavorable number of snaps in week 6 that only led to 3 rushing attempts for 10 yards and 1 reception for 5 yards on 4 targets. The Titans defense is not very scary, but they do make a point of not letting RBs catch and run very far. Williams is getting too much of the opportunities out of the 2 of them making McKinnon irrelevant in fantasy unless Williams were to get hurt.
Falcons @ Dolphins
Start – Calvin Ridley – Despite missing week 5 for the Falcons, Ridley still leads the team in targets and receptions. This week Matt Ryan gets a healthy Ridley and a juicy matchup in Miami. The Dolphins have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season. This is a great week for Ridley to find the end zone. Fire up all of Atlanta’s offensive starters this week with confidence. This could be a great week to stack Ryan with Ridley.
Sit – Myles Gaskin – Myles Gaskin finished week 6 with 9 rushing yards on 5 carries and caught 2 of 6 targets for 5 receiving yards. If you take away Myles 10 reception performance in week 5, you don’t have many positive things to say about Gaskin. He has continuously struggled to run the ball effectively this year averaging under 30 rushing yards per game. Gaskin should only be rostered for his pass catching potential. Play him at your own risk.
Jets @ Patriots
Start – Damien Harris – Harris hit the 100-rushing yard mark for the 2nd time this season for the Patriots. He has had 14 or more rushing attempts in 4 of 6 weeks thus far and is also riding a 2-week TD streak that should continue this week in New England. The Jets have been impressive this year when it comes to defending QBs and WRs but have struggled giving up fantasy points to RBs. The last time these 2 teams met this season Harris ran the ball 16 times for 62 yards and found the end zone. Unless the Jets actually reverse their tendency to underperform on offense, the Patriots should be able to handle this game and feed Harris while they lead. This could be the Patriots first win at home this season.
Sit – Zach Wilson – Zach Wilson is having a rough time as QB1 for the Jets this year. The rookie has 9 INTs this season while throwing just 4 passing TDs. Wilson and the Jets are coming off a BYE week and travel to New England. When the 2 teams faced off in week 2, it didn’t exactly go the way Wilson would have liked. He threw 4 INTs that day and lost by a score of 25-6. Wilson might have learned from his mistakes, but the Patriots defense is not a walk in the park no matter how many times you get the opportunity. Bill Belichick will be ready once again to make the rookie QBs day uncomfortable. Wilson has to improve a lot before he is in any conversation about being a viable fantasy QB.
Panthers @ Giants
Start – Sterling Shepard – Sterling Shepard returned from injury last week and set season highs in both targets and receptions. He finished the day with 10 receptions for 76 yards on 14 targets in a loss to the Rams. Daniel Jones clearly targets him a lot and Shepard doesn’t disappoint. At this point in time Kadarius Toney, Saquon Barkley, and Kenny Golladay are all expected to miss week 7 which should keep Shepard’s targets on the higher side. The Panthers defense has been good this year, but they won’t scare me away here. I expect the Panthers to put up points forcing Daniel Jones to throw a good amount. There’s a great chance Shepard sees double digit targets this week as long as he stays healthy.
Sit – Robby Anderson – I gave up on Robby Anderson in week 5 so of course he found the end zone in week 6. Somehow he managed to score even though he only caught 3 passes for 11 yards. Sam Darnold has been finally throwing to Robby, but he hasn’t been able to convert those opportunities. In the last 3 weeks Anderson has seen a whopping 29 targets yet has only caught 10 of them. Volume has increased but there’s a lot of work to be done before I can trust him as a starter in fantasy football. This is a good week to take advantage of the NYG defense, but I’m steering clear of Robby yet again.
Bengals @ Ravens
Start – Joe Burrow – Burrow has really impressed me this year. Not only are the Bengal’s winning, they are running and throwing the ball effectively. Burrow and the offense are healthy and there is no shortage of talent. They get the impressive Ravens this week who seem to never be out of a game while Lamar Jackson is playing. I could see this game going in any direction but I’m hoping it is high scoring and exciting. Burrow will try to get his receivers going and a Ja’Marr Chase TD pass seems inevitable. I like Burrow and his offense a lot this week and moving forward.
Sit – Tyler Boyd – Tyler Boyd is a good WR. The problem is that Burrow has a ton of options as his disposal. Ja’Marr Chase has been very impressive racking up targets, receptions, and TDs. Tee Higgins is healthy and is back to getting his fair share of targets. Joe Mixon is also on the healthy side and usually gets a workload of around 18 carries each game. There is still room for Boyd in fantasy, but the last 2 weeks have been rough. In that time, he has a total of 5 receptions on 8 targets for 31 receiving yards. Boyd actually leads the team in receptions and is a close 2nd in targets. You are probably starting him in this hefty BYE week but if you have other options it might be a good idea to use them.
Eagles @ Raiders
Start – Josh Jacobs – Josh Jacobs has played in 4 games this season and in those games he has had double digit carries and a total of 4 rushing TDs. Jacobs is also somewhat of a threat to catch and run here and there. He gets the Eagles this week who have apparently abandoned their run defense. The Eagles have let Leonard Fournette, Chuba Hubbard, CEH, and Ezekiel Elliot all surpass 80 rushing yards in the past 4 weeks. Fournette and Zeke both had 2 rushing TDs in those games as well. The new look Raiders seem invested in Jacobs so look for him to get a decent workload in week 7. Easy play this week.
Sit – Miles Sanders – The Philadelphia Eagles have not used Miles Sanders nearly enough this year. The fans know it, Sanders knows it, and well I guess everyone except Nick Sirianni knows it. When Miles carries or catches the ball, he takes full advantage of the chance. Jalen Hurts passes a lot and even though he has looked terrible at times, he somehow finishes games with great fantasy production. Sanders potential has been wasted so far this season, but I guess that means it can only get better right? Well, he is on the bench until that happens.
Lions @ Rams
Start – Matthew Stafford – Darrel Henderson and Cooper Kupp are the guys who are clearly must starts for the Rams this week. However, I love Stafford most in this one. Playing his old team in his new home is a recipe for a booming stat line. Stafford is 4th in passing yards this season and tied for 3rd in passing TDs. He is surrounded with talent and has a legitimate chance to make playoff noise this year. The Lions defense is suspect so look for Stafford to pad some stats and add salt to the wound. Easy must play.
Sit – Jamaal Williams – Jamaal Williams has started to decline in volume and production for the Lions. He is coming off his worst game of the season setting season lows in carries and rushing yards. He also had only 1 target leading to 1 reception for -2 yards. De’Andre Swift is the guy in Detroit and should be for quite a while. He is averaging double digit carries this season, has 3 rushing TDs, and has had a minimum of 4 receptions and 33 receiving yards in every game. Williams is becoming less relevant in fantasy but could easily regain starting status if Swift were to miss any time. I’m fading Jamaal this week.
Texans @ Cardinals
Start – Zach Ertz – It was hard not to put DeAndre Hopkins in this start spot given it’s his revenge game against his former team. The Texans defense surprisingly has been decent against WRs this season but has struggled with TEs. Zach Ertz will get his first start for Arizona and how nice would a welcome be if he has a good number of targets and a score? Ertz is alone at the TE position for the Cardinals and could be a great play this week. Kylar Murray does a great job spreading the ball around. Start all Cardinals players this week with confidence.
Sit – Mark Ingram – Mark Ingram is 1 of the 3 headed attack in the Houston backfield. RB by committee is never ideal and is even less ideal this week facing the Cardinals who score a lot of points with ease. The Texans are going to have to throw a lot to stay competitive this week and that hurts Ingrams chance of even a decent fantasy performance. The only Houston player worth starting is Brandin Cooks.
Bears @ Buccaneers
Start – Leonard Fournette – Leonard Fournette had himself a day on TNF in week 6 against the Eagles. He finished with 81 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries. He also contributed 6 receptions for 46 yards on 6 targets. The Buccaneers have clearly found their top RB moving forward. Fournette is a great dual threat that should get plenty of chances to produce on a team that scores a lot. The Bears have been good against RBs, but I see Fournette getting plenty of rushing attempts if Tampa leads throughout, and if not, there is a great chance of targets and receptions if the game is competitive. Seems like a win-win scenario and an obvious must start.
Sit – Ronald Jones – As I said above, Fournette has solidified his status as the top RB in Tampa. Jones has struggled this season to produce when given opportunities. He has yet to carry the ball more than 6 times each game and hasn’t reached 30 rushing yards in any game. He has also only caught 3 passes in 6 weeks of action. Jones scored his lone TD back in week 4 that he vultured from Fournette in a rainy New England showdown. For a RB that started as RB1 on a Superbowl winning team, he has quickly fallen off the radar and should not be played unless Fournette were to miss time.
Colts @ 49ers
Start – Jonathan Taylor – Taylor is becoming a top RB this season in fantasy football. He has 5 total TDs in his last 3 games and his workload is plentiful. He has double digit rushing attempts in every game this season and catches passes occasionally. Taylor has left no doubt that he is a tier or 2 above his teammate RB Nyheim Hines. The 49ers have struggled defensively against opposing RBs making Taylor an even more obvious great play this week. Look for Taylor to make a positive impact once again.
Sit – Brandon Aiyuk – Brandon Aiyuk might be my most sat player this season and for good reason. Aiyuk has only surpassed 2 receptions once this season and hasn’t exceeded 37 receiving yards. The Colts defense is subpar against opposing WRs this season but Aiyuk’s usage is not fantasy relevant this season. Brandon has been a huge disappointment and waste of a good draft pick this year. I would sit him and not think twice about it.