Fantasy Football Week 7: Starts, Sits For Chiefs Vs. Raiders ‘Thursday Night Football’

Fantasy football points could come in bunches during the Week 7 edition of “Thursday Night Football.”

The Oakland Raiders will host the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup between two AFC West teams who feature plenty of offensive weapons.

Despite losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, the Chiefs still are 5-1 and boast an offense that’s perhaps the most creative in the NFL. The Raiders are off to a surprisingly poor 2-4 start, but could be primed for a breakout performance in front of their home crowd. And while these Thursday night games always are risky for fantasy owners, we think this matchup has plenty to offer.

Whether you’re playing a daily fantasy sports contest or making a last-minute roster move in your season-long league, here’s who we think you should start and sit Thursday night:

START
Alex Smith, QB, Chiefs. After a rough performance against Pittsburgh, Smith should rebound against a leaky Oakland defense which ranks 23rd in the NFL against the pass. Given the weapons at Smith’s disposal, as well as his ability to make plays with his feet, we think he’s a worthy QB1 in Week 7.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Raiders. Lynch isn’t the fantasy dynamo he was during his days in Seattle, but Beast Mode still offers a respectable floor. While the Chiefs have allowed just one 80-plus-yard rusher this season (Le’Veon Bell), we think Lynch will get enough touches to put up decent yardage and should get plenty of red zone chances. Slot him in as an RB2.

Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs. This might seem like an obvious choice, but Kelce is coming off his second dud of the season, as he finished with four catches for just 37 yards against the Steelers. Still, aside from perhaps New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Kelce is the best fantasy play at his position. Expect him to return to form against the Raiders.

SIT
Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders. Cooper might be the fantasy bust of the season thus far. A popular high-round selection in many fantasy drafts, the third-year wideout has just 18 catches for 146 yards with one touchdown on the season. Sure, he could break out this week, but he’s too risky to put in your lineups at this point.

Jared Cook, TE, Raiders. Cook is second on his team in targets, but hasn’t done much with them. The Raiders tight end is averaging roughly 35 yards a game, which simply isn’t good enough for fantasy owners. He might emerge at some point this season, but Cook belongs on your bench for now.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs. This is a tough one, but we’re waiting to see a bit more consistency from Hill before we make him a weekly start. The dynamic wideout seemingly has alternated between stud and dud performances on a week-to-week basis, and is coming off a game where he caught five balls for 34 yards before exiting with a neck injury. Go with a safer option this week.

Click for our must-start fantasy defenses in Week 7 >>

Thumbnail photo via Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports Images