Week 7 Start/Sit: The Quizz Show goes to San Francisco

As we head into Week 7 of the 2016 NFL season, here are 12 players to give extra consideration to when filling out your lineups – six that are looking better than usual, and a half dozen that are looking worse:

(Note: Carolina and Dallas are on bye in Week 7)

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STARTS

QB – Marcus Mariota, Ten ($30) – Mariota earned the “Start” nomination in this column last week against Cleveland, and he proved once again – he was the No. 1 fantasy QB in Week 5 at Miami – that he can take advantage of a favorable matchup, clocking in as the No. 3 fantasy QB in Week 6. The best development for current and future Mariota owners these past two weeks is that he registered 60-plus rushing yards in each of those contests. He’s blessed with some of the best legs in the NFL QB class, and he’s finally getting a chance to flex them. Facing an Indy defense allowing a 102.5 QB Rating, there’s no reason that Mariota’s Start% (13th-highest at QB) and DFS price (15th-highest at QB) should be so low. He’s got easy top 10 upside.

RB – Mike Gillislee, Buf ($12) – One thing you can say about Buffalo under head coach Rex Ryan is that it knows how to churn out fantasy production at the RB position. And it’s not just because of the talents of LeSean McCoy, out this week with a hammy injury. Last season, McCoy’s backup Karlos Williams netted nine touchdowns and a 5.6 YPC mark on 93 attempts. Current backup Gillislee also got into the ’15 act a bit with three touchdowns and a 5.7 YPC on 47 carries. And, this season, Gillislee has picked up where he left off with three more touchdowns and a lofty 6.8 YPC (17 carries). To say that Buffalo is a ripe environment for a RB would be an understatement. With Gillislee looking at featured work against a Miami defense allowing a healthy 4.4 YPC to running backs, don’t hesitate to immediately employ McCoy’s replacement.

RB – Jacquizz Rodgers, TB ($17) – Rodgers currently ranks No. 21 in Start% in Yahoo leagues, but in my rankings of the RB position for Week 7, he sits in my top 10. When last we saw him in Week 5, he rushed for 101 yards on 30 carries and hauled in another 28 yards on five receptions against Carolina. Coming out of the bye, Rodgers remains the clear bell cow in the Bucs’ backfield, as Doug Martin suffered a setback with his hamstring injury this past week. Rodgers should have ample opportunity to become the sixth running back to rush for more than 100 yards against San Francisco in its past six games.

WR – Kenny Britt, LAR ($15) – It’s understandable that the fantasy community might be slow to trust the Rams passing game – the team’s track record in the passing game over the past few years doesn’t really inspire confidence. But, in the past month, the play of QB Case Keenum has progressively improved, and Britt has excelled as his go-to guy. For the season, Britt is eighth among receivers with 492 receiving yards, having gone for 75 yards or better in five games (including a 7/136/2 line at Detroit in Week 6). In England on Sunday morning against a Giants defense that has allowed the fourth-most yards and sixth-most catches to the WR position, Britt should be regarded as a top 30 receiving commodity.

WR – Mike Wallace, Bal ($20) – Like Mariota (above), I’m doubling down in this spot with Wallace, who delivered a solid 97 yards against the Giants after I plugged him here last week. This week, Wallace’s matchup improves against New York’s other NFL team, one that allows the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the WR position, and a 8.8 Yards Per Attempt average that is second-highest in the league.

TE – Jack Doyle, Ind ($13) – Doyle, a DFS steal at this price, should be a busy man on Sunday as the Indy passing game, already dealing with the loss of WR Donte Moncrief, will also be without WR Phillip Dorsett (foot/hammy) and TE Dwayne Allen (ankle). Doyle currently sits as the overall No. 9 fantasy tight end, and he’s in a great position to move up that list against a Tennessee defense that has been middle-of-the-road against the TE position.

[Week 7 rankings: Overall | FLEX | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K]

SITS

QB – Derek Carr, Oak ($39) – Carr is the second-highest priced DFS option at QB this week, and he’s the eighth-most started QB in Yahoo leagues heading into the weekend. That’s showing a lot of confidence in a QB playing on the road against a much-improved Jacksonville secondary that has helped limit opposing QBs to one of the lowest Yards Per Attempt rates in the league (6.2, slightly lower than the “No-Fly Zone” of Denver). Jacksonville has also allowed just 218.3 passing yards per game, eighth-lowest in the league. Consider Carr a borderline top 15 play this week, not a slam-dunk QB1.

RB – Terrance West, Bal ($18) – Before David Johnson rolled for 111 rushing yards on 22 carries on them last week, the Jets were allowing just 3.0 YPC, the best mark in the league. Let’s not make the mistake of thinking that the Jets are poor run defense or that West’s talents can compare to Johnson’s. West has exploited some soft run defenses over the past three weeks, but he’s about to go on the road to face one of the league’s most talented defensive front lines, one that was embarrassed on the national stage in Week 6. Think of him as no more than a back-end RB2 this week.

RB – C.J. Anderson, Den ($22) – I’m a big believer in Anderson’s ability – did you see his pinballing TD that was called back last week against San Diego because of holding? But the reality is that he’s just 26th in total fantasy points among RBs over the past month, and he’s averaging just 3.0 YPC in that four-game span – which makes it a surprise that he currently sits as the seventh-most started RB this week. His production lull has brought about talk of rookie Devontae Booker (4.7 YPC) getting more run. Said head coach Gary Kubiak this week about Booker: “I think he deserves some more opportunities to touch the football. And when he’s had the opportunity, he’s done some good stuff.” Don’t be surprised if Anderson falls shy of 15 touches for the third straight week on Monday night against a decent Houston run defense.

WR – DeAndre Hopkins, Hou ($25) – Such is my appreciation for Hopkins skills that it pains me to have to list him here, but it’s the cold-hard reality of a terrible matchup – Denver hasn’t allowed a WR to top 7.7 fantasy points in its past five games – and lackluster production – Hopkins is 46th in WR fantasy points over the past month, averaging 46.8 yards in that span. QB Brock Osweiler’s shoddy play is a big reason why Hopkins has struggled, but you can only blame yourself if you are one of the owners in Yahoo leagues that has contributed to making Hopkins the 13th-most started WR this week.

WR – Terrelle Pryor, Cle ($24) – Pryor has been the offensive star for Cleveland, to this point, but the weekend ahead looks like a rocky one for the former Ohio St. quarterback. He faces a Bengals team that, outside of a Week 3 slip-up against Denver, has been excellent at limiting the opposition’s top WR target, holding down Antonio Brown (4/39/0), Brandon Marshall (3/32/0), Jarvis Landry (7/61/0) and Julian Edelman (4/30/0). In addition to the tough matchup, Pryor could be limited by a hamstring injury, making him a borderline top 40 WR play this week.

TE – Zach Ertz, Phi ($19) – It’s hard to conjure TE1 upside for Ertz, who currently ranks as the 11th-most started TE this week. Not only has he scored just two touchdowns in his past 21 regular-season games, but he’s facing a Minnesota defense that has allowed just one touchdown to a TE in its past 12 regular-season games.