2020 Fantasy Football: Week 7 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

We're back to help you make your toughest lineup decisions with our Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em.

I have a question for everyone reading this.

What question can you never say yes to?

While I wish I could find out exactly what sort of witty answers you come up with, there are only two clear answers. Are you asleep yet and should you start Andy Dalton this week? *Spoiler alert*

As Halloween approaches, the specter of the end of the fantasy season hovers over our beds. Like the reaper that Blue Oyster Cult advises us not to fear, the we must make our preparations now and greet the end like an old friend. Hate cut the dead weights tantalizing fantasy players with their “what if” potential. Trim the fantasy fat and turn fantasy rosters into a lean, mean, week winning machine!

Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em

Teddy Bridgewater vs New Orleans

After last week’s stinker, hopefully, Bridgewater at least had the courtesy to take a bath before going into starting consideration this week. The roar of the Chicago Bears defense made the Panthers offense scuttlebutt back to the tropical rainforest.

Bridgewater threw for zero touchdowns and two picks and gave fantasy owners only eight points. That’s enough to sink a fantasy roster for the week and possibly earn a hate cut. Bridgewater should have earned a bit of a leash after how great he has been the last three weeks: 824 passing yards, five touchdowns, and one pick.

With DJ Moore appearing to finally develop a connection with Bridgewater, this offense is finally starting to mesh. Bridgewater is an excellent start this week. This Saints defense has been generous to every opposing quarterback this season.

Honorable Mention: Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford

Sit ‘Em

Andy Dalton vs Washington

Yeah… Dalton just flat out stinks. Don’t get me wrong, Dalton made a couple of nice throws. But with Amari CooperCeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup and 54 pass attempts in a game, 4.6 yards per attempt and a lone garbage time touchdown isn’t good enough.

Now to Dalton’s credit, this second string offensive line is an unmitigated disaster. This doesn’t bode well, especially going against a front seven as potent as the Washington No Nicknames. There is a chance that Dalton strings together a decent game, but the risk isn’t worth the reward when there is no great ceiling.

Honorable Mention: Gardner Minshew, Jared Goff

Running Backs

Start ‘Em

Ronald Jones vs Las Vegas

2020 really is the year of insanity. One would be hard pressed to find a bigger RoJo detractor than myself. But Jones is absolutely balling out.

On the season, Jones is on pace for 1,259 rushing yards and eight touchdown on only 259 rush attempts (4.9 YPC). While this recent explosion has come without Leonard Fournette in the lineup, who has been nursing an ankle injury. Adding Tom Brady and tweaking this offense a little, it is expected that the offense will struggle a little out the gate. Jones has really come into his own and, even with the return of Fournette this week, the lions share of the backfield touches should belong to Jones.

The Raiders have absolutely bled yards to the running back position, allowing 5.2 YPC to the position on the year. Jones has evolved into a powerful, explosive, and decisive runner and should feast on the soft Raiders run defense this week. With a projected run oriented game script this week, Jones should continue to feast this week.

Honorable Mention: D’Andre Swift, Justin Jackson

Sit ‘Em

Phillip Lindsay vs Kansas City

Melvin Gordon is expected to return this week. Lindsay did what he so often does when given the lead opportunity and absolutely feasted last week. Gordon projects to get the majority of the touches and severely caps Lindsay’s ceiling against a 20th ranked Chiefs rush defense this week.

Lindsay could be a fine flex play this week, but only two running backs have scored on the Chiefs so far this season. With limited opportunity and limited touchdown upside, Lindsay presents a low floor and a low ceiling this week.

Honorable Mention: Damien Harris, Kenyan Drake

Wide Receivers

Start ‘Em

Brandin Cooks vs Green Bay

Cooks has been “cookin” since Bill O’Brien was sent to the bread line. In fact, the last two weeks, the offense as a whole has been cooking, averaging 33 points per game. Deshaun Watson looks invigorated and the team as a whole looks revitalized.

Green Bay, on paper, projects as a touch matchup against opposing wide receivers. Jaire Alexander has been the best cornerback in football this season. With the top overall grade at PFF (90.9), Will Fuller projects to be taken out of the picture. That sets Cooks up to abuse Josh Jackson. Jackson is one of the lowest graded corners (46.2), according to PFF, and his 4.56s speed sets him up at a major speed disadvantage against the 4.33 speed of Cooks.

With a likely pass heavy game script and a projected shootout, with an over/under of 56.5, Cooks is in line to explode. Lock him in your lineups.

Honorable Mention: Tim Patrick, Mike Williams

Sit ‘Em

JuJu Smith-Schuster vs Tennessee

Have you ever seen a player fall off the football wagon harder than JuJu? I’m reminded of Peyton Manning’s last hurrah and the wet noodle arm we saw trying to play the quarterback position. JuJu looks like a shell of the electric playmaker we saw during the Antonio Brown era.

Two receptions for six yards last week in a 38-7 offensive clinic against the Cleveland Browns. That’s all that needs to be said. Tennessee is relatively soft against the wide receiver position. For the season, the Titans have allowed 994 yards and seven touchdowns to opposing wide receivers. There is a path for JuJu to be fantasy relevant again.

However, with the explosion of Chase Claypool as well as the return of Diontae Johnson, JuJu’s slice of the aerial pie appears to be ever-shrinking. Avoid playing JuJu at all costs, if possible.

Honorable Mention: Jarvis Landry, Michael Gallup

Tight End Streamers

Rob Gronkowski vs Las Vegas

TJ Hockenson vs Atlanta

Author

  • Graduate of Regent University (2019) BA Sports Journalism Writer: Full Press Coverage, UnFiltered Sports Network Fantasy Football Enthusiast Fantasy Analyst/Writer for the Roto Street Journal

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Related Posts