Fantasy Football Week 7 Starts, Sits: Advice For Toughest Lineup Decisions

We’ve reached the point in the 2017 fantasy football season where a loss could really hurt your chances of making your league’s playoffs.

This situation makes choosing the right players to start and sit even more important than normal.

Here are NESN.com’s top five starts and top five sits for Week 7.

START
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans
Mariota is healthy again and has a great matchup against a Cleveland Browns defense allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt and the most passing touchdowns (14) in the league.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Peterson played like a former MVP in his Cardinals debut last week, and his matchup in Week 7 is quite favorable. The Los Angeles Rams have the worst run defense in football. They allow five yards per carry, and their 915 rushing yards allowed are the most in the league.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
The rookie from Tennessee set career highs in attempts (10) and rush yards (75) last week — the first game sine the Saints traded Peterson. He’s also been a factor in the passing game with at least three receptions in every game, making him valuable in PPR fantasy leagues.

Taylor Gabriel, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Gabriel ranks second on the Falcons in targets and he likely will see some favorable matchups because the Patriots defense should be focused on stopping Falcons star Julio Jones. The Patriots also rank last in passing yards allowed and pass yards allowed per attempt. New England has given up 14 pass touchdowns, too, which is tied for the most in the league.

Terrence Williams, WR, Dallas Cowboys
This is a good gamble in deep leagues or for fantasy owners who are dealing with injuries at wide receiver. The 49ers pass defense ranks 29th in pass yards allowed, 25th in pass yards allowed per attempt and has given up nine passing touchdowns.

SIT
Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rivers hasn’t been a bad fantasy QB this season, but Sunday’s matchup against a great Denver Broncos defense is less than ideal. The Broncos allows just 192 pass yards per game and have 13 sacks.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Blount has just one 100-yard game and the Washington Redskins defense should pose a tough challenge for him. The Redskins run defense ranks fifth in rush yards allowed and gives up just 88 rush yards per game.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
For similar reasons as Rivers, Gordon isn’t a good start. Denver’s run defense has allowed the fewest yards per carry this season and still has yet to surrender a rushing touchdown.

Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Nelson hasn’t tallied more than six receptions or 60 receiving yards in any game this season, and there’s little reason to be optimistic about future success with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out this week and possibly the rest of the campaign.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Hilton usually is a good start, but the Jaguars secondary is very talented, and Jacksonville’s pass defense ranks fourth in pass yards allowed and has intercepted a league-high 10 passes.

Thumbnail photo via Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports Images