Fantasy Football Week 7 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Running Backs: Brian Robinson Jr. strong start in challenging week
Running backs you want in Week 7 lineups, and who you should avoid
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1 min read
If you've tried to set your lineup, you already know that a crazy six teams are on bye this week. Combine that with key injuries to Christian McCaffrey, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams and more and you have a Week 7 that doesn't look so lucky. 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 running back 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' running back 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.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
RBs to Start
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Robinson was one of my candidates for Start of the Week, and I hope he takes advantage of this matchup with the Giants in Week 7. Six running backs this season (Tony Pollard, James Conner, Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker III, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane) have scored at least 13.9 PPR points against the Giants, and Robinson has scored at least 13.1 PPR points in four of six games this year. Robinson scored 13.1 PPR points at the Giants last season in Week 13 and averaged 12.4 PPR points in two meetings with the Giants in 2022.
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Stevenson had his best game of the season in Week 6 at Las Vegas with 18 PPR points, and I loved seeing him get five catches for 24 yards on six targets. It was his best production in the passing game since Week 1, and I hope that's a sign of things to come. He also scored his second rushing touchdown of the season against the Raiders. He averaged 13.5 PPR points in two games against the Bills in 2022, and Buffalo has allowed a running back to score at least 13.8 PPR points in three games in a row (De'Von Achane, Travis Etienne and Saquon Barkley).
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It will take a little faith to trust Gibbs in Week 7 since he's coming back from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury, especially against the Ravens on the road. But with David Montgomery (ribs) out, I expect Gibbs to get plenty of work and be a useful No. 2 running back in all leagues. He'll share with Craig Reynolds, but when Montgomery was out in Week 3 against Atlanta, Gibbs had 17 carries for 80 yards and one catch for 2 yards on two targets. Baltimore's run defense is tough, but three running backs have scored at least 13.5 PPR points against the Ravens in the past five games (Joe Mixon, Zack Moss and Derrick Henry). I'm starting Gibbs as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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I'm curious to see how the Broncos use Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine in Week 7 against the Packers, but Perine is dealing with a leg injury and might not play. If Perine is out then that makes it easier to lean on Williams and McLaughlin as Fantasy options, and I like Williams better given his expected role. He should lead the Broncos in touches, and he had 10 carries for 52 yards in Week 6 at Kansas City after missing one game with a hip injury. McLaughlin will likely be a change-of-pace option, and this is a great matchup against the Packers, who have allowed four running backs in five games to score at least 17.5 PPR points (Roschon Johnson, Bijan Robinson, David Montgomery and Josh Jacobs). I view Williams as a No. 2 running back in all leagues, and McLaughlin is a flex as a sleeper.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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We'll be watching the 49ers practice reports closely on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to see if Christian McCaffrey (oblique) can play Monday night at Minnesota. If he's out, expect a tandem of Mitchell and Jordan Mason, and Mitchell will likely get the majority of touches. It's not an easy matchup against the Vikings, who are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. But if Mitchell is going to get the bulk of the touches, I'd view him as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He has 11 games in his career with at least 13 total touches, and he's averaging 14.6 PPR points over that span. One of those games was Week 12 against Minnesota in 2021 when he scored a career-high 27.8 PPR points. Also, keep an eye on Deebo Samuel (shoulder), and if he's out along with McCaffrey, then Mitchell could be in line for a big game. As for Mason, consider him a flex if McCaffrey is out.
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It would be fantastic if the Steelers came off their bye in Week 6 and made Warren the featured running back ahead of Najee Harris, but that's not likely to happen. Still, even in tandem with Harris, Warren has led the Steelers backfield in PPR points in every game this season. He's scored at least 10.9 PPR points in three of his past four games, and if he reaches that total again he'll likely be a borderline top 20 running back this week given the landscape of the position. The Rams have allowed three running backs in their past five games to score at least 14.0 PPR points (Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon and D'Andre Swift), and if a Steelers running back is going to approach that total it's more likely to be Warren than Harris.
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RBs to Sit
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Harris has yet to score a touchdown this season. He has one game with more than 6.5 PPR points, and that happened in Week 4 when he had one catch for a career-long 32 yards. He's also caught just five passes for 37 yards on nine targets this year. Maybe things change for him after the bye in Week 6, or we could see Jaylen Warren start to take on more work. And remember, Warren has led the Steelers backfield in PPR points in every game this season. The matchup isn't bad for Harris since the Rams have allowed three running backs in their past five games to score at least 14.0 PPR points (Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon and D'Andre Swift). But I just can't trust Harris as anything more than a flex after what I've seen from him so far this season.
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White has been among the bigger disappointments for me this season, and he just had a season-low 38 total yards in Week 6 against Detroit. He started to lose touches to Ke'Shawn Vaughn against the Lions, and we'll see if that's a sign of things to come. White has scored just 7.2 PPR points in three of five games this season, and he only has one touchdown. This week, White has another tough matchup against the Falcons, who are No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Only three running backs have scored at least 10.9 PPR points against Atlanta this year, and the Falcons have yet to allow a rushing touchdown to a running back.
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I'd stay away from both Baltimore running backs this week with Hill and Gus Edwards headed into a difficult matchup against Detroit. The Lions are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Detroit has yet to allow more than 43 rushing yards to any running back or a touchdown to the position. At best, you can use Hill or Edwards as a flex option, with Hill slightly better given his role in the passing game. He has two games this year with at least 12.5 PPR points, while Edwards has been held to 6.9 PPR points or fewer in four games in a row.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I hope this is the week we see more from Jonathan Taylor and less from Moss, and Taylor played 23 more snaps in Week 6 against Jacksonville after making his return to action in Week 5 against Tennessee with just 10 plays. Conversely, Moss played 14 fewer snaps against the Jaguars, but he still had seven carries for 21 yards and a touchdown and six catches for 38 yards on seven targets. I still like Moss better than Taylor this week, but at some point soon the Colts are going to unleash Taylor, leaving Moss with reduced production. This is also a brutal matchup against the Browns, who have allowed just two total touchdowns to running backs this year. Only three running backs have scored at least 10.3 PPR points against Cleveland (Joe Mixon, Jaylen Warren and Christian McCaffrey) in 2023.
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