Welcome, as the NFL cruises into week seven! Time doesn’t make a pit stop, in both real and fantasy football. It is absolutely mind boggling that we are already into late October and the seventh week of the pro football season. The good news, however, is that even though time marches on, Belly Up Fantasy Sports is here to help make roster decisions easier. Fortunately for all concerned, this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition is here for that exact reason.

For clarity’s sake, as was pointed out the past three weeks, all position rankings are taken from ESPN. Without question, surely there will be disagreements about the players listed below. When that inevitably happens, let’s talk about it! Additionally, there will be questions about players that are not included here. Get me the players and I will do some research and get back to you.

Reminder: The number of teams on bye this week fall from four to two: Chicago and Dallas. Further, as has been the case the past two Sundays, there is an early game in London. The start time for that one is 8:30 AM central time and features the Patriots and Jaguars.

Additionally, there are two Monday night games this week: Baltimore at Tampa Bay and LA Chargers at Arizona. Set your lineups accordingly. With all of that out of the way, let’s get down to it.

Week Seven Starts

Quarterbacks

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Welcome to the NFL Drake Maye! After sitting on the bench for almost all of the first five games of his career, Maye made his starting debut against Houston. If no one put him in their starting lineups this past week, that is completely understandable. In week seven though, that needs to change.

New England travels across the Atlantic to play the Jaguars in London. One would think that this would be a game to avoid starting Maye, given the distractions that overseas play brings. That must be overlooked this time, though. The reason? Jacksonville just happens to have the worst defense in all of football defending against rival quarterbacks.

Need proof? Caleb Williams just finished with them, and all he had was four TD passes. Further, he had 56 yards rushing in the contest. Meanwhile, Maye put together a nice performance himself against Houston, throwing for three scores.

He also turned the ball over three times and will definitely have to fix that. Playing Jacksonville should help solve the problem. Pay no attention to the fact that Maye is a rookie and the game is far from home. None of that matters. Get him in your starting lineup.  

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Generally speaking, recommending starting a quarterback against Baltimore doesn’t make for sound strategy. An exception will have to be made here, however. Did you happen to see what Baker Mayfield did this past Sunday against New Orleans? How does 325 yards and four TDs grab you?

As impressive as that was, who he did it against is even more noteworthy. The Saints came into the game ranked ninth against QBs. Obviously, that isn’t true any more, not after they allowed Tampa to put up a whopping total of 51 points on them.

As we all know, the Ravens are a quality team, perhaps the best in the NFL at the moment. Even so, they have issues with enemy QBs, ranking 31st. They gave up 269 yards and two scores to Jayden Daniels. While no one is going to confuse the two, Mayfield has been a quality quarterback ever since he went down to Florida. That will continue Monday night. This Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition clearly dictates getting Mayfield into starting lineups without delay.

Running Backs

Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders

Without question, many have forgotten just what a quality player Austin Ekeler was at one time. Of course, those days have long since passed. Even so, Ekeler can still be an effective fantasy producer. Rushing the ball nine time for 21 yards won’t convince anyone of that. Look past that, though, and one will see that Ekeler can still catch the ball out of the backfield (4-5-47).

Given that Baltimore was the number five defense against running backs, Ekeler’s lack of yards on the ground should surprise no one. There is no such concern going into week seven, however. The Commanders welcome Carolina into Washington for their next game.

The Panthers are nowhere near the defensive team that Baltimore is. In fact, they’re at the very bottom. There are no teams worse at defending the run. That being the case, getting Ekeler into starting lineups this Sunday just makes sense.

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

As everyone knows, the Panthers have been one of the worst teams in football to start the season. The blame for that is widespread, but can’t be laid at the front door of Chuba Hubbard. In fact, Hubbard has been playing so well that this is his second appearance as a starter in my columns.

In week six against Atlanta, Hubbard was a bright light for Carolina. He carried the football 18 times for 92 yards while catching five passes out of the backfield. After a dismal week one, Hubbard has produced in every game since. His 5.1 YPC carry in this game is his lowest in the past five weeks. In that time, he has produced two 100 yard games. Not too shabby, am I right?

This weekend, Hubbard and Carolina face off against Washington. The Commanders had all kinds of trouble containing the Baltimore run game, as could be expected. While Hubbard doesn’t come close to matching the skill of Derrick Henry, Hubbard is a quality back. This Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition is very clear in saying that Hubbard is a sure go for rosters in this game.

Wide Receivers

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts 

When it comes to Indianapolis Colts receivers, everyone knows the name of Michael Pittman. There is another Colt wideout that fantasy managers need to become familiar with and soon. That player is Josh Downs. In the past three games, Downs has seen 30 targets. Those totals are out of this world and place him in CeeDee Lamb or Justin Jefferson territory.

No doubt, 30 targets are awesome. Question: what did Downs do with them? In week four against Pittsburgh, he caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. In week five, he hauled in nine passes for 69 yards, Week six: seven grabs for 66 yards and a score. For a player that was most likely added from the wire, that is solid production.

In week seven, Indy goes up against Miami at home. The Dolphins have had issues this season, but defend WRs extraordinarily well (2nd). Even so, the way that Downs is producing, the matchup doesn’t mean a whole lot, especially given that Miami’s attention will be primarily focused in Pittman’s direction. Obviously, that works well for Downs and his managers. Get him in your lineup.

Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers

In my week five edition of the starts and sits, I recommended starting Romeo Doubs. He was promptly suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Egg on my face. So, why in the world am I recommending him again? As I explained in the article, Doubs and QB Jordan Love showed some chemistry when Love wasn’t injured. Proving that was no fluke, Doubs returned last week and caught two touchdown passes.

Doubs was only targeted four times in the game against Arizona. However, Love threw seven and eight passes in Doubs’ direction in the previous two games they played together. That trend figures to continue this weekend against Houston. The factor here is that although the Texans are playing well, but they only rank 22nd against fantasy receivers.

Green Bay and Houston should put plenty of points on the board in this game. Only four NFL games have a higher over/under than this one. Love will throw the ball. A lot. Doubs will get his share. No question, this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says forget all about the suspension, give Doubs a second chance and get him into starting lineups throughout the land.  

Tight Ends

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

Without any doubt, there are many this season that have been infected by tight end poison ivy. Fortunately, if you are one of the lucky ones that has Evan Engram on the roster, it is time to rejoice! After missing every game since week one, Engram returned to the team for its game last week in London. Saying that he was spectacular doesn’t begin to do him justice.

Jacksonville didn’t have much going on against the Bears, but Engram posted a huge game. He was targeted 10 times and caught all 10 for 102 yards. Not surprisingly, he was the most targeted receiver. He did have a fumble, but that was the only black mark on what was an otherwise perfect performance.

This week, the Jaguars remain in London and will play the Patriots next. New England brings the 13th ranked defense against tight ends with them overseas. Of course, that’s not bad, but traveling that far will throw the Patriots off their game. Further, Engram is a quality player and coming off a huge game. No matter what the opposition rank is, if you have Engram on the roster, you start him. It’s that simple.

Week Four Sits

Quarterbacks

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

As recently as week five, I recommended starting Geno Smith. However, even as huge a Seahawk fan as I am, I can no longer do so. True, he has a touchdown pass in every game. He has passed for over 300 yards three times this season. All of that is good news, right?

Undoubtedly, that would be the case if that was the end of the equation. Of course, as is usually the case, it isn’t. Over the past four weeks, Smith has thrown five interceptions, including two Thursday against hated division rival San Francisco. Additionally, he had to throw 52 passes to achieve his 312 yards. Worse still, after rushing for 72 yards in week five against the Giants, he had none Thursday.

In week seven, Seattle travels cross country to Atlanta. Those East Coast games can be tough on the Seahawks. This game should continue the trend. The Falcons aren’t particularly great at defending QBs (ranking 17th). Even so, given all of the factors involved, this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says keep Smith pinned to the bench this Sunday.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

When it comes to opportunities, no quarterback had a better one this past Sunday than Daniel Jones. Going up against a Bengal defense that has been simply awful should make anyone look good. Jones was coming off an improbable victory over Seattle in which he threw for two scores. Too bad, though, that Jones didn’t seem to get the memo.

One would figure that someone that threw the ball 41 times would come away with some significant yards against that 27th ranked Cincinnati D. One would have figured wrong, however. All Jones accounted for was just 205 yards through the air with a single TD and an interception.

Next up for Jones and the Giants is Philadelphia at home. The Eagles aren’t bringing on the power against passers themselves, ranking just above the middle at 13th. Even so, that is a high enough rating to keep Jones out of fantasy lineups until he can prove, once and for all, he is ready for the big time.

Running Backs

Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Before this weekend, no one could be blamed if they had never heard of Sean Tucker before. After all, he played in 11 games last year and wound up with a grand total of 23 rushing and nine receiving yards. Following this past game, however, he almost assuredly a household name in fantasy circles.

The question is, then, why do we know who he is now? That’s easy. Against the Saints, Tucker rushed the ball 14 times for 136 yards and a TD. Further, he added a score through the air among his three catches for 56 yards. Anyone have him scoring two touchdowns in this game? I see no hands, so obviously not.

The circumstance that made all of this possible is that Rachaad White was ruled out with a foot issue. Tucker split time with Bucky Irving, who had a big game himself with 81 yards on the ground and a score. More importantly, the Bucs faced the 26th ranked defense against running backs in New Orleans.

Certainly, that won’t be the case this coming Monday. Baltimore has issues with QBs on defense, but no such problems with fantasy runners, ranking fourth. You will especially want to sit Tucker if White is cleared to play. Even if he isn’t, going up against the Ravens can’t be recommended. Simply said: this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition keeps him away from the field.  

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

While it is true that Philadelphia isn’t very good against fantasy quarterbacks, they are solid against runners. Jerome Ford is the latest player to prove that statement. Of course, only getting two carries won’t help anyone’s prospects for success. Those two rushes netted Ford a grand total of 14 yards. If that isn’t a let down, I don’t know what is.

The Browns have Cincinnati next on the schedule. As has been well chronicled, the Bengals aren’t good at defending any phase of the game (19th against RBs). Even as that’s true, there can be no trusting of Ford, or any Brown offensive player for that matter.

Further, Ford hasn’t scored since week one. He hasn’t rushed for more than 64 yards in any game in 2024. Despite the matchup, error on the side of caution and keep Ford away from any and all starting lineups.

Wide Receivers

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Thus far in 2024, Brandon Aiyuk has to rank as one of the biggest disappointments. Certainly taken in the top fifty of players in fantasy drafts, Aiyuk has had one solid game out of six. That was in week five against Arizona when he caught eight of 12 passes for 147 yards. Of course, any fantasy manager would take that.

Unfortunately, the Aiyuk train has been in the station the other five games he has played. In that time, he has just 10 catches of 29 targets for a grand total of 204 yards. Even now, though, that is not the end of the bad news. Aiyuk has failed to reach the end zone this season. That is quite shocking for a player that had 15 touchdowns total in the last two seasons.

The worse news is yet to come, however. In week seven, the defending champion Chiefs come to town. Kansas City is coming off of a bye week, so they will be rested. More importantly, they bring a defense that held Saints wideouts to seven catches of 17 targets for 98 yards and a score in week five.

In the end, this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition can come to just one conclusion: keep Aiyuk away from starting lineups this time around if at all possible.

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

Earlier, there was a mention of opportunities. Michael Wilson let a golden one slip through his fingers this past weekend. Star rookie Marvin Harrison suffered an injury in the second quarter against the Packers and didn’t return. Green Bay came into the game ranked 23rd against wide outs. Wilson had a chance to shine and failed miserably.

As much as I hate to criticize a Wilson, he deserves it after catching just two of four targets for 21 yards. The fact that one of them was for a touchdown didn’t help him post good fantasy numbers. The team he faces next won’t help him accomplish that, either.

The Chargers will bring their 18th ranked WR D into Arizona Monday. Clearly, that’s not great, but not in the ditch, either. Just because the game is at home won’t help Wilson much. Keep him securely on the bench until he demonstrates he is starter worthy.

Tight Ends

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Last week, I recommended starting Tucker Kraft. After two solid weeks on the field, that was a no brainer of a decision. As does often occur, however, production doesn’t always follow the script. Such was the case with Tucker against Arizona.

After catching 10 of 14 targets for three TDs in weeks four and five, Tucker fell back to Earth against the Cardinals. Of course, it never helps when you only get four targets on the game. Add in catching just two of them for a measly 13 yards, and that makes for a nightmare fantasy afternoon.

That is not the end of the bad news, however. Houston does a lot of things particularly well, and defending tight ends is one of them (ranking 2nd). As identified above, Love will be throwing to his wideouts, including Doubs. However, Tucker will be an afterthought in this game. If on the roster, it is sitsville for Tucker this weekend.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this Week Seven Fantasy Starts/Sits edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com/ and bellyupfantasysports.com/ for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!