Week 7 Starts – Deep Starts for all Skill Positions

I am back after missing Week 6 because of Hurricane Milton.  Outside of some roof damage, my family and I are thankfully safe and secure.  Thank you to the Razzball NFL Team, who checked in on me throughout the week.  Enough about me.  We are six weeks in, and there are very few absolutes to date.  Outside of injuries plaguing almost every roster out there, this season has been about as unpredictable as any season in recent memory.  This week is the smallest number of teams on bye with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears taking the week off.  After a sluggish start to the 2024 season, we have started to see some higher scoring games which is always nice for fantasy football teams’ production.  The most challenging position to predict is TE as it has been virtually all season, but I did have Cole Kmet atop my (unpublished) ranks last week.  Trust me, I did.  I promise.  Remember, I do not provide chalky names in this column.  I dig deeper to help you with the harder roster assignments.  Here we go again…onto my Week 7 Start recommendations. 

 Be sure to check out Razzball Football’s updated rankings: Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | Rookie 

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Start These Players:

• Position: QB
• Player: Drake Maye
• Week 3 Opponent: at the Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)

Hoping Week 6 was not an anomaly by recommending Maye this week.  He comes for free from your waiver wire and could also be available in some SuperFlex leagues.  Drake Maye will be more valuable if/when Rhamondre Stevenson is back, and I think that occurs Week 7.  The emergence of DeMario Douglas’ connection with Maye appears real and something we can play this week against a not-so-good Jags defense.    Sneaky Play: Anthony Richardson coming off two missed weeks with two separate injuries has me concerned with TEMU Justin Fields, but he may come out and blast the terrible Miami defense as his 2024 coming out party.  Richardson is not the pocket passer we want him to be so he will need to make up for the lack of passing acumen by running the ball.  He is an elite runner, and we are hoping for average passing stats with a boost from his rushing.

• Position: RB
• Player: Nick Chubb
• Week 3 Opponent: at the Washington Commanders

I am firing up Nick Chubb in every league I roster him. He is healthy.  He has practiced.  He is hungry.  He is ready.  Considering the Bengals have played one good game on defense (last week) and the Browns simply cannot win through the air relying on Deshaun Watson, it should be Nick Chubb szn beginning this week.  You drafted or traded for Chubb waiting for this day.  Do not overthink it.  Start him!   Sneaky Play: I am banking on Rachaad White missing another week with his foot injury especially based on what both Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker did on Sunday, but I am not willing to give you a Bucs RB this week as I think recency bias makes that recommendation too easy.  With that, I am recommending Austin Ekeler at home versus Carolina.  His rushing numbers in Week 6 were not good, and he rescued his day with four receptions for 47 yards.  Look for Ekeler to produce more all-purpose yardage in Week 7 if Brian Robinson Jr. misses a second week.  If Robinson Jr. plays this week, pivot to Irving/Tucker.

• Position: WR
• Player: Wan’Dale Robinson
• Week 3 Opponent: home versus the Philadelphia Eagles

Wan’Dale Robinson is tied for 4^th in the league with 37 receptions with Daniel Jones as his QB.  I think that continues against the Eagles this week as they have not stopped a lot of offenses this season.  The Giants will need to score to win.  They appeared more balanced in Week 6 with Tyrone Tracy Jr. running hard which I think will open additional passing lanes for Wan’Dale and Malik Nabers (if he plays in Week 7).  In PPR leagues, Robinson is almost a cheat code at this point.  With the one-week suspension behind him, Doubs handed us a two TD Sunday against the Cardinals. Sneaky Play:  With Dontayvion Wicks week-to-week, now is the time to start Romeo Doubs in deep formats.  It was clear in 2023 that Jordan Love has a connection and trust in Doubs and that showed through on Sunday with the WR coming back from his week off.  I think Doubs’ head is back where it needs to be, and he can focus on being the best teammate possible.  Neither Bo Melton nor Malik Heath made a splash Sunday so I expect that to continue at home against the Texans who have been known to get into shoot-outs.

• Position: TE
• Player: Ja’Tavion Sanders
• Week 3 Opponent:  at the Washington Commanders

After a very slow start to this NFL career, Ja’Tavion Sanders has been ramping up the playing time, and, in turn, his PPR stats have improved.  He has seen his targets triple over the past three weeks, and he set season high for catches each of the past three weeks as a result.  The Commanders defense has proven incapable of stopping opposing offenses so this could be a high scoring affair.  In fact, I am running Dalton, Chuba, and Dionate out there this week in several leagues.  If TE  is a wasteland for you, then consider Sanders’ upside in a solid offense. Sneaky Play: Noah Fant provides a solid floor in an offense that is calling its fair share of passing plays.  Geno Smith has been free to throw the ball more than I would have thought coming into the season, so let’s see if we can take advantage of that in Week 7.  The Falcons allow significantly more points to the slot than they do out wide and TEs tend to be much closer to the slot than they do the outside.  Sure, this is not exactly a slot vs. wide analysis as much as it is a ‘close enough’ situation.  I like Fant and his floor, but he is far from a sexy play.

Since you are here, check out more fantasy goodness at Razzball. Follow me on Twitter/X @Stiles08. Don’t forget to drop a comment or question down below.  Looking forward to seeing you during our Sunday Start/Sit Show on YouTube @RazzballFantasy two hours before kickoff where we answer all your questions live on the air!

-Stiles-