The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 7 (Fantasy Football)
It’s time for Week 7’s edition of the Fantasy Footballer’s Starts of the Week. We’ve got another bye-laden slate of games this week, so you might see some names in the Starts that surprise you, particularly at the TE position. Enjoy, and as always, click the link below if you’d like to listen to the full Thursday episode and hear the Ballers break down all of their picks:
Andy’s Starts of the Week:
QB Jordan Love @ DET
Love has been absolutely slinging the ball around of late. He is averaging over 37 pass attempts per game, and Green Bay is definitely going to be passing in what projects to be a track meet in Detroit. When he passes, it should be effective against Detroit’s defense, which ranks dead last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points at the QB position. The over/under for this game currently sits at 53.5, so you are going to want to start as many players as you can here on both sides of the ball.
RB Aaron Jones vs IND
The veteran Jones has shined in the lead role in the absence of Jordan Mason. In the four games Mason missed, Jones never finished worse than the RB18. With Mason coming off IR and most likely back in the fold for Minnesota, the question becomes – can Jones keep it going? Andy thinks so. In Week 1, when both backs were healthy and operating in close to a 50/50 timeshare, Jones still finished as the RB24. The matchup this week with the Colts’ defense is also juicy. They rank 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the RB position. The volume will inevitably come down, but Jones should still have some chances to score fantasy points this week in a favorable matchup at home.
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WR George Pickens vs PHI
After an incredibly slow start to the season, Pickens’ production has ticked up over the last couple of weeks. He’s got 15 grabs for 203 yards and a TD in his last two contests combined, and now he draws a Monday Night Football matchup against a Philadelphia secondary that has been surprisingly leaky this year despite all of the perceived talent they possess. Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker had no problem getting loose against Philly last week. Expect Pickens and Lamb to find similar success in this matchup.
TE Hunter Henry @ CHI
Henry is Andy’s pick as a guy who can give you a spot start this week off of waivers. He has scored TDs in consecutive weeks, and you can stay in the flames with him in this matchup with a 50.5-point O/U. With Romeo Doubs injured, targets should be consolidated to A.J. Brown, Demario Douglas, and Hunter Henry. You are still probably hoping for a TD, but Henry has as good a chance as anybody at scoring one on the Patriots’ side of this game.
Jason’s Starts of the Week
QB Jared Goff vs Packers
Goff has frequented the Starts of the Week segment this year, and for good reason. He is the QB2 in FPPG behind only Josh Allen, and he is on pace to lead the NFL with 41 passing TDs. We know Goff likes to play at home, and you cannot ask for a much better game environment than this one. Despite Green Bay’s relatively tough pass defense, Jared Goff should be started in every league.
RB Bucky Irving @ CAR
Bucky has struggled in tougher matchups this year, but this week’s matchup is anything but tough. Carolina is allowing the highest yards per carry in the league, and they rank 28th in fantasy points allowed to the RB position. Bucky has been seeing consistent volume (15+ opportunities every week) and can be trusted as a solid RB2 this week in a positive matchup.
WR Jaylen Waddle @ ARI
Iron underpants alert? Waddle has been a gigantic bust for fantasy managers who were selecting him as high as the fourth round. Through six games, he has posted just one top-24 finish. If there is one thing we know about the Ballers, it is that they love starting guys against their hometown Cardinals. And honestly… most of the time that is fair. This spot is no exception. The Cardinals are 30th in fantasy points allowed to WRs, dead last in yards per pass attempt, and 31st in explosive pass rate allowed. They give up a ton of big plays, which are (supposedly) a strength of Waddle’s. This feels like a matchup where you start him one last time, and if it doesn’t work, you do a lot of introspective thinking.
TE Tyler Higbee at LV
Higbee finds his way back into the Starts of the Week segment after a letdown performance last week against Arizona. The Raiders once again present a favorable matchup for fantasy production, so hopefully the Rams offense can figure their “stuff” out and get back on track this week. You can probably find Tyler Higbee on waivers and stick him into your lineup if you need somebody to do a Dalton Kincaid impression and underperform expectations.
Mike’s Starts of the Week
QB CJ Stroud vs NYG
Stroud has been borderline unusable most weeks for fantasy since his promising rookie campaign in 2023, but he might officially be back now. He has two Top-5 finishes in the past three weeks, and now he draws a home matchup against a Giants defense that ranks 26th in fantasy points allowed to QBs. Stroud’s receiving core is at full strength at the moment, with Nico Collins and Tank Dell (!) both healthy, Marvin Harrison Jr. likely to get more run in his second game with the team, and Jaylin Noel and Kayshon Boutte also mixing in. There are no excuses for Stroud this week in what should be a smash opportunity.
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RB Jaylen Warren vs NO
Warren still saw a 75% snap share last week with the return of Rico Dowdle, a good sign that there has been a shift in usage there after Warren’s dominant three-week run. Since Week 3, Warren has averaged 21 opportunities per game and finished as the RB4, RB21, RB2, and RB23. He is probably not a top-10 RB every week with Dowdle back in the mix, but he very easily could be this week against a Saints defense that has been entirely incapable of stopping the run. New Orleans is dead last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points to RBs, making Jaylen Warren a smash play this week in Paris.
WR Germie Bernard vs NO
Bernard’s arrow is pointing straight upward following back-to-back top-24 finishes and an 11-catch performance last week. Since taking over a full-time role, he has looked every bit the part of an NFL WR1, and this week will be another chance for him to prove that against a New Orleans defense that isn’t great against the pass either. Ride the breakout with the Germ, and keep him in your starting lineup.
TE Tucker Kraft @ DET
Both QBs from this matchup are Starts of the Week, so it stands to reason you should play the pass catchers as well! Kraft hasn’t returned on the promise of his TE6 ADP just yet, but this week could be the breakout against a Detroit defense that ranks dead last in fantasy points allowed to the TE position. Get Kraft in your lineup, or you might miss out.