If you've tried to set your lineup, you already know that six teams are on bye. We know, it's not pretty, especially at quarterback with Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Dak Prescott, Bryce Young, Zach Wilson and Ryan Tannehill on bye, while Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson are among the injured. But there's no crying in Fantasy, and Week 8 should be way better with no teams on bye.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for Week 7 at quarterback here. His Waiver Wire column can also direct you to the best options that may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 7 numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 7 premium projections over at SportsLine.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
QBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Stafford didn't have a big game in Week 6 against Arizona as the Start of the Week with just 15.2 Fantasy points, but he was let down by Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee dropping touchdown passes. I expect him to rebound in Week 7 at home against the Steelers, who have allowed three of five quarterbacks this season (Brock Purdy, Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Stroud) to score at least 20.6 Fantasy points. With Kyren Williams (ankle) out, the Rams should rely even more on Matthew Stafford, and he should have the chance for a quality outing -- as long as receivers hold onto the ball in the end zone.
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It might be time to trust Goff on the road after his performance in Week 6 at Tampa Bay with 353 passing yards and two touchdowns for 26.4 Fantasy points. He's now scored at least 20.0 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, and Week 6 was his first game with his entire receiving corps intact now that Amon-Ra St. Brown is healthy and Jameson Williams is off suspension. We'll see how he fares against the Ravens on the road, and Baltimore is No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. However, the Ravens have faced C.J. Stroud in his first NFL game, a gimpy Joe Burrow, Gardner Minshew, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Kenny Pickett and the combination of Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis. This will be Baltimore's toughest test, and Goff should carry the offense with David Montgomery (ribs) out. I like Goff as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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There was a lot to hate about Love's performance in Week 5 at Las Vegas when he passed for just 182 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions for a season-low 4.9 Fantasy points. Hopefully the bye in Week 6 will get Love back on track, and he scored at least 26.3 Fantasy points in his first three games this season. I hope Aaron Jones (hamstring) can return this week to give Love another weapon in the passing game, and this is a dream matchup against the Broncos. Denver is No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks at 25.5 points per game, and Love should be considered a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in this matchup on the road.
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Howell has scored at least 21.6 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, including three in a row, and three of the past five quarterbacks against the Giants have scored at least 20.9 Fantasy points, including Joshua Dobbs in Week 2, Brock Purdy in Week 3 and Tua Tagovailoa in Week 5. I like Howell as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 7, and I hope he takes advantage of this matchup on the road. Howell was my favorite quarterback to add off the waiver wire this week, and you should feel comfortable putting him right into your starting lineup, if needed, in all formats.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Smith had a rough game at Cincinnati in Week 6 with 323 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, along with 20 rushing yards. His 10.9 Fantasy points were a season-low, but hopefully he can rebound this week against Arizona. It's a beautiful matchup since the Cardinals are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three quarterbacks in the past five games have scored at least 23.2 points. The only concern I have with Smith is Seattle can run all over the Cardinals if they want with Kenneth Walker III since Arizona is also No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs. But given the matchup at home, I like Smith as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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We'll be waiting to see the injury report for the 49ers this week to determine if Christian McCaffrey (ankle), Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Trent Williams (ankle) can play Monday night at Minnesota, and their status will impact Purdy. With all three healthy, I like Purdy as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback, but he's still a low-end starter no matter what given his overall level of play this season and the matchup. The Vikings allow an average of 20.6 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and only Bryce Young in Week 4 and the Bears in Week 6 when Justin Fields (thumb) was injured failed to score at least 20 Fantasy points against this defense. Purdy only scored 9.7 Fantasy points at Cleveland in Week 6, but I expect him to rebound Monday in Minnesota.
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Carr's upcoming schedule is awesome with games against Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Chicago and Minnesota in the next four weeks, and I hope he can take advantage of these defenses, starting Thursday against the Jaguars. Jacksonville has allowed four of six quarterbacks this season to score at least 22.4 Fantasy points. And in the past two games against Josh Allen and Gardner Minshew, the Jaguars have allowed 681 passing yards to those two quarterbacks. Carr just passed for 353 yards, one touchdown and one interception at Houston in Week 6, and he's scored at least 18.3 Fantasy points in each of his past two games against the Patriots and Texans, which is his best two-game stretch of the season. He's hopefully getting hot at the right time.
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QBs to Sit
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Sportsline
Lawrence is expected to play Thursday night despite the knee injury he sustained in Week 6 against the Colts, but he might not fare well at New Orleans on a short week, especially if he's at less than 100 percent. The Saints are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield have scored more than 18.2 Fantasy points against New Orleans this year. The Saints have allowed seven passing touchdowns compared to eight interceptions, and Lawrence only has one game this season with more than 18.7 Fantasy points, which was in Week 1. I would only start Lawrence in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 7.
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I thought Wilson would struggle at Kansas City in Week 6, and he had his worst game of the season with 8.9 Fantasy points. We'll see if he can rebound this week against the Packers, but it's not an easy matchup. Green Bay is No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Desmond Ridder in Week 2 scored more than 16.5 Fantasy points against the Packers, including matchups with Justin Fields and Jared Goff. Wilson is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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I started the week with some moderate interest in Mayfield, but that's probably because of all the quarterbacks we're missing in Week 7 due to injuries or the bye. He scored 6.8 Fantasy points in Week 6 against Detroit, and he could have another down game in Week 7 against Atlanta. The Falcons allow an average of 19.2 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but their two worst outings happened when Jordan Love in Week 2 and Sam Howell in Week 6 had matching stat lines of 151 passing yards and three touchdowns. Mayfield will likely need his third multi-touchdown game of the season to finish with a quality stat line this week, and I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I don't think we know what to expect yet from Cousins without Justin Jefferson (hamstring) since the Vikings didn't need Jefferson to beat the Bears 19-13 in Week 6. Cousins attempted just 31 passes at Chicago and scored only 10.7 Fantasy points, which is his lowest total this season. But he's now scored fewer than 14 Fantasy points in two of his past three games, and he could have another down outing against the 49ers in Week 7. Joshua Dobbs in Week 4 is the lone quarterback with more than 15.9 Fantasy points against San Francisco. And the 49ers have more interceptions (10) than touchdowns allowed to quarterbacks (five) in 2023. I still consider Cousins a strong starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but this should be a rough outing for him against the 49ers.
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