Week 7 and TNF are days away. Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard).
This week’s TNF game is a matchup between the 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars and the 3-3 New Orleans Saints. This game is in New Orleans and the Saints are favored by 1 point at the moment. The over/under is 40 right now indicating a low scoring showdown. This game could have fireworks, but I like the under in this matchup. Jags can score and quick, but the Saints defense is good, and scoring could be a struggle on both sides of the ball. I expect a lot of Kamara rushing and receiving and a lot of Ridley/Kirk targets. My prediction for this game is a 20-17 win for the Saints at home.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. 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. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
TNF START/SIT
Start – Derek Carr – Carr is coming off a tough loss to the Texans this past weekend and now host the Jaguars. Derek had a season high 32 completions, 50 pass attempts, and 353 passing yards. He threw his lone TD pass to Shaheed. Carr should be able to throw on Jacksonville. The Jaguars allow the 2nd most passing yards per game this season with 270 yards per game allowed. Desmond Ridder is the only QB not to throw over 200 passing yards against Jacksonville this season and that was in week 4.
Sit – Travis Etienne – Etienne has been superb. He has played 4 teams this season against defenses in the bottom half of rushing defense and has made them all pay. He has also played 2 teams that are top 10 in rush defense who were the Chiefs and Falcons. In those 2 games he did not score, and his pass catching was very low statistically as well. Why do I mention all of this? Well, the Saints have the best rush defense they have played this season and will look to shut down Travis. He has scored 2 rushing TDs in consecutive weeks. I’m not saying Etienne cant or won’t produce, I just think his chances are lower than usual and you should be aware the matchup could dampen his stats.
Happy Friday and welcome to week 7’s Start/Sit Hub. Well first off TNF was wild. A low scoring affair at first where it looked like the Jags would run away with it, but the Saints stuck around but inevitably fell by a score of 31-24. It felt like both teams were actively seeing what could they do to lessen their chances of winning. Kamara did what he does best, PPR gold but couldn’t find the end zone. Etienne wasn’t fazed by the Saints defense and made me eat my words. The Saints offense is the big problem in New Orleans and Derek Carr has me questioning how he can turn that team around or at least score more with the talent they have. The Saints fall to 3-4 and travel to Indianapolis next while the Jags move to 5-2 and travel to Pittsburgh next. Next week’s TNF game is between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo. At this moment the line favors Josh Allen and the Bills by 8.5 points and the over/under is 42.
Games that I’m looking forward to watching in week 7 include the Lions/Ravens, the Chargers/Chiefs, the Dolphins/Eagles, and the 49ers/Vikings. Red hot Lions taking on Lamar and company, Mahomes and Herbert meet again, Philly hosts the high scoring Miami offense, and the 49ers look to get back on track in primetime against the Vikings. Enjoy your weekend of football and good luck getting that fantasy W.
WEEK 6 BYES: BENGALS, COWBOYS, TITANS, JETS, PANTHERS, TEXANS
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Kenneth Walker – Walker has been tearing it up for his fantasy owners. 6 rushing TDs in his last 4 games and over 4 yards per carry all season. Cardinals rushing defense is poor to say the least as they are allowing over 133 rushing yards per game this season. I believe Walker will get opportunities in this game regardless of what the scoreboard says. Walker, reservations for 6 please.
Raiders @ Bears
Start – Jakobi Meyers – Jakobi is in position to have a good game this week along with Carr, Adams, and Jacobs. They are playing the Bears whose defense is not playing nearly good enough and only Denver has a higher opponents receiving TDs per game. Bears are sitting at 2.2 passing TDs per game. Meyers has been a good red zone target already scoring 4 TDs this season which leads the team.
Sit – DJ Moore – Moore has been in beast mode this season. He had 51 receiving yards on 5 catches and 8 targets which is great to some but is on off day for DJ. No Justin Fields? Less chemistry with his back up is not ideal although you could say maybe they might throw it more without Fields. He’s a top 30 play but tread lightly.
Browns @ Colts
Start – Josh Downs – Josh continues to impress in his rookie campaign after he caught his first TD of his pro career last game. Anthony Richardson might be gone for the season, but Downs appears to be just fine with Minshew mania. I believe the Browns defense isn’t to be taken lightly so maybe Downs can be under the radar and reliable out for Minshew. Colts might need to throw, and Downs is going to try to stay hot.
Sit – Zach Moss – Like I said above the Browns defense is good. They allow only 79 rushing yards per game which is top 5 in the NFL. I don’t trust Moss or Jonathan Taylor to have a good game if the Browns play like they have been. The Colts are going to need to score, and rushing can drain clock. The Browns take the most possession of the ball in the NFL per game this season. They have possession for 34 minutes each game in a game of 60 minutes. Indianapolis better hope for some turnovers because they won’t get the ball as much as they hope.
Bills @ Patriots
Start – Buffalo D/ST – Buffalo just took the Giants to the wire and got bailed out of a game they probably should have lost. They are going to the Patriots for a good old fashioned rivalry game. Let’s face it, Mac Jones is not the answer, at least it appears that way. The Patriots have scored 21 points just once all season and have 20 total points in their last 3 games. Buffalo should roll over Jones.
Sit – Gabe Davis – Gabe is TD or bust 9 times out of 10. He scored 4 games in a row and then had a dud 3 reception 21 receiving yards performance. My issue with Gabe here is that he has 3 or fewer catches in 4 of his 6 games and you can’t always rely on a TD to bail you out. The Bills look lethal one moment and then face an uphill battle against the Giants. Any given Sunday, just maybe not for Davis this week against a Bill Belichick offense that knows the Bills offense well.
Commanders @ Giants
Start – Sam Howell – Sam is going to play the Giants this week for the first time in his career and I bet he is excited to do so. Giants give up nearly 28 points per game and the Commanders put up an average of 22. Howell might see a hungrier Giants defense now that they know they can compete after taking the Bills to the wire. Howell is coming off an efficient 3 TD game.
Sit – Either D/ST – This could actually go either way. They could both score at will and not play good defense, or they just both play not the greatest and rack up sacks and turnovers. I wouldn’t feel safe playing either defense when they both are top 5 in opponents points per game.
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Start – Drake London – Drake seems to have taken a turn for the best in recent weeks getting good volume and stats. 28 yards and a score in week 4, followed by 6 receptions for 78 yards in week 5, and he finished week 6 with 12 targets, 9 receptions, and 125 receiving yards. Atlanta has a very soft schedule when it comes to defending WRs including this game against the Bucs. Let’s hope this London is here to stay.
Sit – Rachaad White – White has had a tough season thus far but how can you blame him with the defenses he has faced. Only the Bears were outside the top 10 in rushing defense. So naturally White had a nice day. But, when he plays any top 10 rush defense which is all of his last 3 games, he is not efficient and doesn’t score.
Lions @ Ravens
Start – Jahmyr Gibbs – Gibbs is not 100% to play in this game but I’m going to expect him to play and play well. The talented rookie can run and catch and create problems for opposing defenses. He hasn’t played the last 2 weeks so hopefully he is healthier now and eager to take RB1 responsibilities if David Montgomery is unable to play.
Sit – Gus Edwards – Gus has been handling a majority of the rushing along with Lamar Jackson of course on the Ravens this season. He has double digit carries since week 1 but his average yards per carry this season is under 3.5 and only scored once. Gus is not used in the pass game much only having 3 receptions on the season. Detroit has the lowest number of rushing yards allowed in the entire NFL with under 65 yards per game. That’s going to be a challenge with run heavy Baltimore offense.
Steelers @ Rams
Start – Pat Freiermuth – Pat is back to practicing with the team and is set to return to action this week against the Rams. Pats season has been very uneventful other than the 2 receiving TDs he has. The 3rd year TE has a good matchup with the Rams who recently have allowed TEs to go off. Rams are a more solid group against RBs and WRs but TEs seem to be a kryptonite.
Sit – Tyler Higbee – Pat Freiermuth’s matchup is a good one. Higbee’s not so much. Steelers haven’t had much issue defending TEs this season allowing only Dalton Schultz of all TEs to score on them. Only Mark Andrews has surpassed the 50-yard mark against the Steelers. Higbee is still awaiting his first TD of the season, but he might need to wait a little longer.
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Start – Kenneth Walker – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Jaxon is such a talented young WR, but he has yet to make a big impact in the NFL. His breakout could be coming sooner than later, and the Cardinals are a great team to do it against, but I can’t trust him nearly enough to start him or have him as anything more than a stash or WR insurance.
Packers @ Broncos
Start – Aaron Jones – Its Broncos week for the Green Bay Packers this week which has to have Packers fans somewhat at ease. These teams are a combine 3-8. Bronco’s defense has been nonexistent this season and it was on full display when Miami dropped 70 points on them. Jones is not 100% so keep an eye on his status up until gametime Sunday. If he plays, he’s an easy start, and if he can’t make it then AJ Dillon will be in a great spot to produce as well.
Sit – Jerry Jeudy – I am happy to say I am not a Jeudy owner in fantasy and that is a relief. Jerry has had off the field issues with his team and it is somewhat shown on the field. Russell Wilson still tries to get him involved weekly with a minimum of 5 targets, but he has not scored this season and only has one game with over 52 receiving yards. Meanwhile Jeudy sits 3rd on the team in receiving yards, and 2nd in targets/receptions.
Chargers @ Chiefs
Start – Isiah Pacheco – Pacheco continues to be the Chiefs main RB getting a lot of volume. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon are playing as well, but it’s clear who the touches go to. After 8 carries in the Chiefs week 1 loss to the Lions, Pacheco has had between 12 and 20 carried each game. Chiefs get to play the unintimidating Chargers defense who gives up yards like it’s their job. Denver Broncos have given up the most yards per game this season with 440, but right behind them is the Chargers averaging 391 yards allowed each game. Chiefs just played Denver, now have the Chargers, and get to play Denver again next week. KC players are in great spots for the near future.
Sit – Either D/ST – Both offenses are talented and can put up big numbers on the score board. Both teams are either a little below or a little over 25 offensive points per game which are both top 10 in the NFL. The over/under is set at 48 which is only 2nd to the Eagles/Dolphins game which is currently at 51. I prefer KCs defense over LAC but will be avoiding both.
Dolphins @ Eagles
Start – Tua Tagovailoa – Tua is known to have games where he just goes off. This could one of those games. He is averaging over 300 yards passing per game and has 3+ passing TDs in 3 games alone this season. Eagles are a tough game, but they seem to let teams throw on them. If Tua and Hill and Waddle stay healthy for 60 minutes you might see some great fantasy numbers, this week.
Sit – Either D/ST – Another cop out with defensive options but who are you going to sit in this game? Tua, Hill, Waddle, and Mostert are all viable plays although Eagles have shut down opposing RBs, but Raheem is on a tear. Can’t bench Hurts, Brown, Smith, Goedert, or Swift. 2 high octane offenses with the highest over/under this week.
49ers @ Vikings
Start – Brandon Aiyuk – The 49ers took their first L last week. This week they travel to Minnesota to take out their anger. There are question marks at the RB position referring to the health and availability of CMC, Elijah Mitchell, and Jordan Mason. The Vikings have been better at defending the run compared to defending the pass. Brock Purdy is in a great spot getting to play in primetime national television and I think he airs it out to Aiyuk quite a bit. He has 6 targets in every game this season and Deebo’s health is another thing to monitor, but I still like Aiyuk to deliver regardless.
Sit – Alexander Mattison – It can really be hard to have faith in players when they are facing the 49ers defense, and this week is no exception. Mattison had 2 back-to-back good weeks this season, mainly week 3 and 4. Other than that he has not rushed effectively and hasn’t scored a rushing TD. He does have 2 receiving TDs this season. Mattison is most likely going to get you fantasy points as a receiver this week if the 49ers come out like I think they will on MNF. Kirk will have to sling it around to stay competitive.