Fantasy Football Must Starts Week 7
By James Collier
With six teams on a bye and injuries galore, Week 7 looks set to be a brutal one when it comes to setting our fantasy lineups. But as always, we are here to help with our selection of Must Starts.
Last Week's Picks
We’ll start with a recap of our selections from last week where Josh Downs and Rhamondre Stevenson were the pick(s) of the bunch.
- James Collier: James Cook (ECR Rank 15, Actual 33)
- Tom Strachan: Jordan Addison (24, 32)
- Rob Ward: Josh Downs (41, 30)
- Rhys Knott: Derius Davis (111, N/A)
- TFFC – Tom: Brock Purdy (18, 24)
- TFFC – Matt: Rhamondre Stevenson (20, 6)
- Ali: DJ Moore (10, 37)
Luke Musgrave @ Denver Broncos
There is a recurring theme this season with start/sit decisions and that is, when in doubt, target the Broncos defense. Unsurprisingly the Broncos allow the most fantasy points to the tight end position and opposing tight ends average a league high 75 yards per game. Musgrave has been solid so far in his rookie season but a few near misses have meant he hasn’t had a true breakout game yet. If you’re looking for a breakout game then this Denver defense are the dream opposition.
Zay Flowers vs Detroit Lions (Tom Strachan)
A week after watching the Ravens get the win in London last week, Tom (@NFL_TStrack) is backing receiver Zay Flowers to keep the momentum going in what should be a great game against the Lions.
“Through five games Zay Flowers is the Rookie WR2 with his 40 targets trailing only Puka Nacua’s 63, along with his receiving yards also being the second-highest among rookies (347) and his 93.8% route participation is third among all wide receivers. Flowers has built chemistry quickly with Lamar Jackson and while the Ravens offense is yet to really find their feet, when Flowers is on the field he’s no worse than one of the top two options alongside Mark Andrews. After scoring his first touchdown on the international stage, Flowers now plays a Lions team who have given up passing scores on five of their last six touchdowns allowed. With Flowers only scoring one touchdown thus far, it’s fair to say we probably haven’t seen his ceiling outcomes yet, but we know that he provides a steady floor and with bye weeks hitting particularly heavy this week, a safe floor can be handy.”
Zay Flowers finds the endzone for the first time in his career:pic.twitter.com/7vYYIZJ0xa
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) October 15, 2023
Jerome Ford @ Indianapolis Colts (Rob Ward)
For Rob (@robwardrw), it’s someone who has gone under the radar a bit in recent weeks – Jerome Ford.
“Remember when we all spent all of our FAAB on Jerome Ford, thinking he’d be a league winner, but then we all forgot about him and some of us traded him away? I think he’s going to remind us all exactly who he is this weekend against the Colts, who have given up the 2nd most TDs to running backs this season. Ford has had a tough slate – the Titans, Ravens and 9ers are three of the best run defenses in the league. All the things we said about Ford after Week 2 remain in play. This is still a run first team behind a good O Line. Kareem Hunt is still the back that Cleveland shipped out this summer in favour of Ford. Hunt will get his, but he is still second in the pecking order. Add into the mix the unexpected targets he’s been getting in the passing game and I think Ford is what we thought he was, a solid RB2 for the rest of the year.”
Mike Evans vs Atlanta Falcons (Rhys Knott)
Rhys Knott (@wrhys_writes) thinks that Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans is due a big game against the Falcons. On paper it doesn’t look a great matchup with Atlanta being the second worst fantasy matchup for wide receivers so far this season. But Evans averages over five catches and 80 yards per game against Atlanta in his career, representing a pretty solid floor this week.
Jaleel McLaughlin vs Green Bay Packers (The Fantasy Football Combine)
It’s The Fantasy Football Combine (@TheFFCombine) guys rounding us off this week. And rather than picking on the Denver defense, they like the chances of a solid outing from a Bronco in Week 7.
“Jaleel McLaughlin has been one of the few positives to come out of Denver so far this season. He has proven to be more explosive than fellow back Javonte Williams, who he looks set to split touches with again this week. Green Bay’s run defense is a good matchup that should lend itself to more big plays from the rookie who has also shown us he is more than capable in the receiving game. McLaughlin is worth flex consideration in a week where our rosters are looking pretty thin.”
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and as always, thanks to everyone for their choices!
Feature image credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
JAMES COLLIER
Lead Fantasy Football Analyst
A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.