Week 7 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season is upon us and managers are having to deal with another tumultuous week of depth chart changes and injuries. Week 6 saw the New York Giants bully the Philadelphia Eagles, a forgettable performance from London, and another wild finish between Chicago and Washington on Monday Night Football.
The only notable quarterback injury in Week 6 came to Indianapolis Colts' backup Anthony Richardson, who fractured his orbital bone during a pregame incident. The Ravens' switched Cooper Rush for Tyler Huntley as Lamar Jackson remains ‘questionable' through this upcoming week of practice.
Aside from must-start players like Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Commanders' Jayden Daniels, we'll be taking a look at the best starts of NFL Week 7 and which quarterbacks you can leave on your bench.
Week 7 Quarterbacks – Start ‘Em
This Week's Top-5 QB Starts:
- Jayden Daniels, WAS (@DAL)
- Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. WAS)
- Drake Maye, NE (@TEN)
- Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. LV)
- Baker Mayfield, TB (@DET)
Caleb Williams, CHI (vs. NO)
The Chicago Bears are coming into Week 7 following a massive get-back win over the Commanders on Monday Night Football following their heart-breaking Hail Mary loss from a year ago. Caleb Williams grew frustrated at several points of the game, but managed 17-29 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown. Furthermore, he's kept things relatively mistake-free this season with only two interceptions and an average completion percentage of 61.9%.
The Bears have won their last three consecutive games and could be gaining momentum heading against a 1-5 New Orleans team. Williams has eclipsed 200 yards passing in each game this season and is averaging 20.4 fantasy points per game. With his upside as a rusher against a porous Saints' defense allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to QBs this season , feel confident starting Williams this week.
Aaron Rodgers, PIT (@CIN)
The Cincinnati Bengals have also been terrible against opposing quarterbacks this season, allowing an average of 20.67 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Steelers come into this game following a dismantling of the Cleveland Browns. Despite going up against one of the league's toughest defenses, QB Aaron Rodgers had an insanely efficient 21-30, 235 yards passing and two touchdowns.
While Rodgers may not be a week-in, week-out starter, it's worth playing some of his weekly matchup as the Pittsburgh Steelers are clearly giving him free reign to throw the ball downfield. Rodgers is also building his chemistry with DK Metcalf each week, so this game against Cincinnati could be a situation where Rodgers pops off for another big total.
Week 7 Quarterbacks – Sit ‘Em
Sam Darnold, SEA (vs. HOU)
There's no question that Sam Darnold has been undervalued this fantasy season for what he's been doing for the Seahawks through the air. Not only is Jaxson Smith-Njigba a potential WR1 overall in fantasy, but Darnold ranks No. 11 among quarterbacks and now has six touchdowns in his last two games. However, he's still available in around 67% of ESPN leagues.
While Darnold has been producing as of late, he'll be facing a stout Houston Texans defense that is allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in all of the league (9.60). The Texans' run defense is a bit more lax, so this could be a game where running back tandem Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are the main focus of the offense. If you have options elsewhere, look to sit Sam Darnold for this unfavorable Week 7 matchup.
Jaxson Dart, NYG (@DEN)
Jaxson Dart has been lighting things up for the New York Giants and it's clear that the change at quarterback has giving this team a whole new youthful energy. This will be Dart's third game as the starter, coming off his best fantasy performance with 23.6 points against the Eagles. However, he'll be facing to No. 1 overall defense in football and the second-best against fantasy quarterbacks, allowing just 11.33 fantasy points per game.
While the Broncos' defense has just one interception on the season, they've been able to give opposing quarterbacks fits and we can expect to see Dart make some rookie mistakes on the road. While he's been great the last few weeks, expect some natural regression as teams begin to scheme for him specifically.
Jordan Love, GB (@ARI)
The Green Bay Packers are looking like a complete team once again after handling business against the Cincinnati Bengals, but it's worth noting that Jordan Love opened the game with a costly interception. He had his second-worst fantasy total of this season with just 14.96 points and it was clear the offense leaned on the running game for production during that one.
This road matchup against an opportunistic Arizona Cardinals' defense could spell much of the same as opposing running backs have feasted against them this season. Expect Josh Jacobs to have another massive contribution to this game as the Packers should see a touchdown out of Jordan Love as well. He's quarterbacking a winning football team, but it's not enough to be a viable starter in fantasy each week.
