Sleeper Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - NFL Week 7: Navigating Injuries, Byes and Matchup Problems

Stop if you’ve heard this before. Injuries once again dominated the headlines in the NFL in Week 6, on both sides of the ball, as Marvin Harrison Jr., Patrick Surtain II, Aidan Hutchinson, Travis Etienne, Chris Olave, Dallas Goedert and Jonathan Allen all went down. 

While not all of those injuries are pertinent to fantasy football lineups directly, losing top defensive players can impact matchups that once appeared more daunting. And with heavily started options like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, D.J. Moore and D’Andre Swift all on bye as the Cowboys and Bears sit out Week 7, utilizing a robust waiver wire this week has become a priority. 

To that end, which players (started in 70% or less of Sleeper leagues at time of writing) should you turn to this upcoming week, and which normally reliable options should you look to send to the bench? 

With many fantasy teams starting to look ahead to a potential playoff run, it’s time to dive deep into our suggested starts and sits for Week 7, beginning with a quarterback that nobody predicted would be battling for the overall fantasy football points title after six games:

STARTS

QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

vs. Baltimore; Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET 

Fantasy football managers need to show the overall QB2 more respect. Mayfield is only being started in 46% of Sleeper leagues! The veteran, who only trails Monday night counterpart Lamar Jackson for the most points in fantasy football, leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes.

Mayfield is primed to crush Sleeper’s projection of QB11 (17.5 points) against a Baltimore defense that is surrendering the fifth-most touchdown passes (11) this season. The Ravens, who have been torched for 661 passing yards and seven touchdowns by Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels over the last two weeks, will struggle to contain Tampa Bay’s dynamic duo of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, who rank as fantasy football’s overall WR1 and WR14 (in PPR), respectively.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

at Atlanta; Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Smith-Njigba, who has posted at least 10.3 PPR points in four of six games, quietly has blossomed into a reliable WR2. 

Seattle’s slot wideout, who heads into the Week 7 showdown with Atlanta as the overall WR25, is tied for eighth among all WRs in receptions (34). Owning a 20.3% target share from Geno Smith, JSN should be expected to surpass Sleeper’s WR26 (12.6 PPR points) projection for the fifth time this season.

Starting in 63% of Sleeper leagues, Smith-Njigba draws a favorable matchup against a Falcons defense that has allowed 10 opposing wideouts to post double-digit PPR points this season.

QB Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

vs. Seattle; Sunday, 1 p.m. ET 

Cousins, who is just outside QB1 status as the overall QB14, has quietly thrown for the fourth-most yards (1,598) among all signal-callers through the first six weeks.

The veteran, who is being started in just 35% of Sleeper leagues, will face a Seattle pass defense that has allowed 255+ passing yards and multiple touchdowns passes to Jared Goff (2), Daniel Jones (2) and Brock Purdy (3) over the last three weeks. 

Don’t hesitate to start Cousins over more notable QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson.

WR Demario Douglas, New England Patriots

vs. Jacksonville; Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET

After being invisible over the first two weeks (3.2 PPR points) of the season, Douglas has posted 52.2 PPR fantasy points over his last four games – vaulting him up to overall PPR WR48.

Douglas leads the Patriots with a 20.1% target share and, more importantly, showed instant chemistry with new starting QB Drake Maye. After a waiver-wire run, Douglas is still only being rostered in 43% and started in 16% of Sleeper leagues.

TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

vs. New England; Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET

Playing for the first time since injuring his hamstring in warmups prior to Week 2, Engram displayed his impressive 2023 form for the first time this season across the pond in Week 6. The veteran TE turned a solid 61% snap share into a team-highs in targets (10), receptions (10) and receiving yards (102) against the Bears (although he did lose a fumble). 

In Week 7, Sleeper’s projected TE5 (11.2 PPR points) will face a New England defense that has surrendered the seventh-most passing yards (1,446) on the season. Engram, who has 21 receptions in Jacksonville’s three games in London the past two seasons, should once again display that he is Trevor Lawrence’s top target. 

A second straight double-digit PPR performance is on tap due to gamescript likely demanding 30+ passing attempts for Lawrence (for the sixth consecutive game) in a showdown that could be higher-scoring than expected.

SITS

WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

at Buffalo; Sunday, 1 p.m. ET 

Ridley, who ranks among the biggest busts in fantasy football in 2024, can’t be trusted by fantasy managers. Despite heavy volume (eight targets) the veteran failed to haul in any of the passes, posting 0.9 PPR points last week against the Colts.

The talented wideout has struggled to get on the same page with Will Levis, resulting in a disappointing overall WR70 ranking. Despite leading the club in targets (27), Ridley has posted 2.5 PPR points or less in three of his last four games.

Despite having a favorable matchup against a Bills secondary that has allowed 28 receptions for 450 receiving yards and three TDs to Texans and Jets wideouts over the last two weeks, Ridley must be left on the bench.

RB Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals

at Cleveland; Sunday, 1 p.m. ET 

Moss was sensational over the first month of the season, posting 14+ PPR points in three of his first four games. Over the last two weeks, though, Moss has been out-produced by Chase Brown to the tune of 30.8 PPR points to 8.7. 

In Week 7, despite having a plus matchup against a Browns defense that has allowed eight rushing touchdowns, the overall RB26 (11.2 PPR points per game) needs to be benched in favor of lower-ranked options. The likes of Tyrone Tracy, Raheem Mostert, Austin Ekeler and Tank Bigsby all have cases over Moss. 

WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

vs. Kansas City; Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

After a breakout 22.7 PPR-point performance against the Cardinals in Week 5, Aiyuk posted disappointing production for the fifth time this year in Week 6 against Seattle.

Aiyuk, who has topped 48 receiving yards just once this season, has failed to find the end zone in 2024 despite drawing a team-high 41 targets from QB Brock Purdy. 

In Week 7, he draws a tough matchup against a Kansas City defense that has only allowed one opposing wideout to top 67 receiving yards this season. With Deebo Samuel and George Kittle now healthy and owning strong target shares, fantasy managers need to temper expectations for Sleeper’s projected WR24 (13 PPR points). 

WR George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers

vs. New York Jets; Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET 

Pickens, who is still being started in 68% of Sleeper leagues, is only a WR3 due to averaging a dismal 9.9 PPR fantasy points per game. 

On Sunday, Pittsburgh’s WR1 draws a brutal matchup against a Jets defense that has allowed the third-fewest passing yards (1,021) of any team this season. Even further, no opposing WR has eclipsed 92 receiving yards, while New York has only surrendered three receiving TDs to the position.  

Sleeper’s Week 7 projection of WR29 (12.3 PPR points) will be hard to attain, with Pickens expected to face a heavy dose of All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner.

RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

vs. Baltimore; Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Irving has been a pleasant surprise through the first six weeks of the season, ranking as the overall RB31 in PPR formats. 

Despite rushing for a team-high 328 yards and two TDs, Irving will face a Ravens defense that smothers the run. Baltimore has allowed the second-fewest rushing yards (354) of any team this season, and no opposing RB has even eclipsed 46 yards on the ground. The Ravens have also only surrendered three rushing TDs to the position.  

In order for Irving to reach his average (10 PPR points) he will have to produce in the passing game, but the explosive rookie has struggled in that area, averaging just 1.7 receptions and 11.7 receiving yards per game.

To compound matters, Sean Tucker’s breakout performance in Week 6 has led to speculation that Tampa Bay will employ a three-man committee featuring Irving, Tucker and incumbent starter Rachaad White, who could return from injury in Week 7. This is a backfield to avoid until we see how it all unfolds.