Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, Play or Bench Advice on Top Fantasy Football NFL Stars

The 2026 NFL season has been an unpredictable one, to say the least. The uncertainty has extended to fantasy football, where several expected stars have disappointed, and several surprises have risen through the ranks.

Of course, mainstays like Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Brock Bowers will remain glued to starting lineups for as long as they're healthy.

It's those second-tier stars that have been harder to figure out this season, and neither injuries nor bye weeks have helped. This week, the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders will be out of action.

Here, you'll find some start/sit recommendations for Week 7's fringe stars, based on recent production, projected roles, individual matchups, and point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Kyler Murray hasn't been great thus far, but the Minnesota Vikings have a tremendous skill group and are coming out of their bye week. Hopefully, Kevin O'Connell spent the week dialing up ways to get Murray into more of a rhythm.

The Vikings will also host an Indianapolis Colts team that has struggled defensively. The Colts have surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing QBs and are unlikely to have cornerback Sauce Gardner because of a calf injury.

Sam Darnold had arguably his worst game since joining the Seattle Seahawks in last week's loss to the Denver Broncos. He's becoming a legitimate drop candidate, and he certainly can't be trusted this week against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.

If Darnold doesn't trust what he's seeing from opposing defenses, he's going to have a tough time against Steve Spagnuolo's unit. The Chiefs have surrendered the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Start: Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was largely held in check by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6. Despite seeing a high-volume workload, he was held to 46 rushing yards, two catches, and 6.9 fantasy points.

Managers should trust Irving to rebound in Week 7, though. He'll maintain a heavy workload and faces a much better matchup against the rival Carolina Panthers. Carolina has surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season.

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh essentially punished Cam Skattebo for his fumbles by leaving him out of the offensive game plan in Week 6. The former starter didn't see a single touch during the loss to the New Orleans Saints.

While Skattebo may be back in the rotation this week, managers should trust a return to form. The Giants will visit the Houston Texans, who have surrendered the 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs this season.

As a rotational player, Skattebo can be sat, along with:

Neither the Detroit Lions nor the Green Bay Packers have been great defensively this season. We're likely to see offensive fireworks when the two NFC North rivals face off this weekend, which makes stars like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Christian Watson obvious must-starts.

Detroit's No. 2 receiver, Jameson Williams, should get in on the action early and often. He's topped 16 fantasy points in each of his last two games and should have another double-digit outing as St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs draw Green Bay's defensive focus.

Colts receiver Josh Downs hasn't benefited from Alec Pierce's injury as much as fantasy managers might have expected. While he did reach double-digit fantasy points in Weeks 2 and 3, he hasn't reached nine points since.

Indy's passing attack simply hasn't been very good this season, and it'll face a tough Vikings defense in Week 7. Minnesota has surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs this season.

Start: Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

With Jalen Hurts out for the year due to blood clots, the Philadelphia Eagles will rely on Tanner McKee for the foreseeable future. Philly's offense didn't look great with McKee behind center in Week 6, but he did manage to find his playmakers.

Tight end Dallas Goedert caught six passes for 61 yards on Sunday, and he should have another big outing against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Dallas has merely average against opposing tight ends and pretty much rotten overall defensively.

The Eagles have also been pretty average against opposing tight ends and have surrendered an average of 9.3 fantasy points to the position. However, Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has slipped out of Dallas' game plan due to the emergence of third receiver Ryan Flournoy.

Ferguson has just one double-digit fantasy outing this season and has failed to reach five fantasy points for three consecutive games. It's impossible to trust him on the road in Philadelphia.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros