As if all the injuries aren't enough. Now we step into the worst bye week of the season. The Bills, Cowboys, Jaguars, Chargers, Vikings and Steelers are getting a break this weekend, but the Fantasy season has no breaks. It does, however, tend to reward the resourceful, so it's time for scramble mode.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start and Sit calls for QB here. His Waiver Wire column also can direct you to the best options who may be available. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 7 numbers to know and more.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
Start 'Em
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I expected Carr to struggle at Denver in Week 6, and I was wrong. After combining for just 24 Fantasy points in his previous two games, and coming off Jon Gruden's resignation, I thought Carr would have another bad game against a good defense on the road. But he scored 25 Fantasy points, which is the fourth time this season he's reached at least that total, and he should be trustworthy in Week 7 against the Eagles. Three of the past four quarterbacks against Philadelphia have scored at least 21 Fantasy points, and the Eagles are among the league leaders in total touchdowns allowed to quarterbacks with 13.
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The Falcons defense has been very Jekyll and Hyde against opposing quarterbacks all season. Three quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady and Taylor Heinicke) have scored at least 30 Fantasy points against Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Falcons have held Daniel Jones and Trevor Lawrence to 13 Fantasy points or less. So which defense will show up this week? Hopefully the bad one, and Tagovailoa is worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues. He played well in his return from a three-game absence from a rib injury in Week 6 against Jacksonville with 25 Fantasy points, and he's scored at least 18 Fantasy points in the two starts he's completed. The Dolphins can't run the ball, so I'm hoping this game turns into a shootout between Tagovailoa and Matt Ryan.
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The Chiefs defense did a good job last week in holding Taylor Heinicke to 11 Fantasy points, but the four previous quarterbacks against Kansas City (Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Hurts and Josh Allen) all scored more than 30 Fantasy points. I'm hoping Tannehill gets in that range, and he's due since he's scored more than 19 Fantasy points just once this season. This game has the highest over/under of Week 7 at 56.5 points at the Caesars Sportsbook, and Derrick Henry can only do so much to carry the Titans offense. A.J. Brown looks right again, and hopefully Julio Jones (hamstring) plays. But Tannehill will also make plays with his legs, and he's worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Sleepers
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I was hoping Winston was going to get Michael Thomas (ankle) back for this game, but it appears like he's still a couple of weeks away from making his 2021 debut. But even without Thomas, Winston can still be considered a low-end starter in Week 7 against a Seattle defense that is fourth in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford and the combination of Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo have all gone over 300 passing yards against the Seahawks. And Winston just had 33 Fantasy points at Washington in Week 5 before the Saints' bye, which included a season-high 30 attempts. Winston is a good streaming option in Week 7.
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Darnold will hopefully snap out of his two-game funk in a stadium he knows well this week. The former Jets quarterback is going back to MetLife Stadium, and while he's facing the Giants, this is a homecoming of sorts. More importantly, this is a matchup he should be able to exploit since the Giants have allowed all but one quarterback to score at least 23 Fantasy points this season, and Ryan had the lowest score against this defense with 19 Fantasy points in Week 3. Darnold scored at least 21 Fantasy points in each of his first four starts, and hopefully he can return to that level of production in this matchup.
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Garoppolo is expected to start Sunday night after being out in Week 5 with a calf injury. He's worth using as a low-end starter in deeper formats and can be counted on in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues. Jacoby Brissett and Davis Mills are the lone quarterbacks who failed to score at least 21 Fantasy points against the Colts this year, who have given up an average of 25.3 points to the position. Garoppolo only has one game this season with more than 18 Fantasy points, but he might not have to worry about coming off the field this week if Trey Lance (knee) is still hurt. This could be a statement game for Garoppolo that if he plays well he should be the starter for the remainder of the season.
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Sit 'Em
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Heinicke has not been good the past two games, and you have to believe Washington will go back to Ryan Fitzpatrick (hip) when he's healthy. In his past two games against the Saints and Chiefs, Heinicke has combined for just 20 Fantasy points, including one touchdown and three interceptions. He had no rushing yards against Kansas City, which has been part of his Fantasy appeal. This week, he might have some success against a depleted Green Bay pass defense, which could be without cornerbacks Jaire Alexander (shoulder) and Kevin King (shoulder), as well as edge rushers Preston Smith (oblique) and Za'Darius Smith (back). Still, the Packers allow just 21.3 Fantasy points per game to opposing passers, and it's hard to trust Heinicke as anything more than an option in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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The Panthers pass defense has fallen apart lately, allowing 22 or more Fantasy points to Dak Prescott, Hurts and Cousins in three games in a row. But Jones has also fallen apart. He suffered a concussion in Week 5 at Dallas and then struggled in Week 6 against the Rams with just three Fantasy points. His receiving corps is depleted with Kenny Golladay (knee), Kadarius Toney (foot) and Darius Slayton (hamstring) all battling injuries, and Saquon Barkley (ankle) could also be out again. I would only use Jones, who is averaging 13.3 Fantasy points in three home games this year, in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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Wentz is on a nice roll coming into Week 7 at San Francisco with at least 20 Fantasy points in three games in a row against Miami, Baltimore and Houston. But I'm expecting him to be under that number this week at the 49ers, who should be fresh coming off a bye. Only Jared Goff in Week 1 and Aaron Rodgers in Week 3 have been above 240 passing yards against San Francisco, including matchups with Hurts, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray. Murray only scored 15 Fantasy points against the 49ers in Week 5, and Hurts and Wilson needed their rushing production to save them. Since Wentz has just 14 rushing yards combined in his past four games, this could be a down week for him, and he's only an option in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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Bust Alert
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It's hard to bench Burrow when so many good quarterbacks are on a bye (Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins), but this could be a down game for him if the Ravens defense from Week 6 shows up again. Baltimore shut down Herbert last week, holding him to 12 Fantasy points, and this looked like a vintage Ravens performance against a dominant offense. Now, Baltimore has to do it again since Burrow has scored at least 22 Fantasy points in four games in a row. He played at Baltimore last season as a rookie and was 19-of-30 passing for 183 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, with a lost fumble. He'll do better than that, but I don't expect a huge outing for him on the road this week.
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So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 7 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has out-performed experts big-time.
