The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 7 (Fantasy Football)
“Ice up, son.”
—Steve Smith Sr.
Willkommen, Footclan! Welcome to Week 7 of the Start/Sit series where we’ll identify and discuss your most commonly asked “Who should I start?” questions for the week.
The projections between any two players on your roster may appear similar, but this “simple” choice could be the difference between your team’s victory or defeat. Luckily, the Fantasy Footballers have created the Start/Sit tool to easily compare any two (or more) players with insight from the Ballers themselves, and trust me — it’s an extremely valuable asset that will help you make these crucial lineup decisions that could ultimately lead you to your #FootClanTitle. Please note that the Footballers’ rankings are constantly being updated as news breaks, so make sure you check out the tool yourself to catch any last-second changes.
So without further adieu, let’s kick things off with the most popular Start/Sit questions for Week 7:
Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) or Sam Darnold (CAR)?
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| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 19.5 | 19.6 |
| Andy Rank | QB #12 | QB #13 |
| Mike Rank | QB #13 | QB #12 |
| Jason Rank | QB #12 | QB #13 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 28 | 26 |
| Home/Away | Home | Away |
| Over/Under | 47.5 | 43 |
| Line | +2.5 | -3 |
If you’re reading this, then I’m sure you’ve heard all about the recent trade rumors surrounding Tua Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson. I’m sure Tua has, too. You know, Tua, the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins and also the only non-rookie starter who hasn’t been named a team captain. With so much unwanted negative attention, I’m betting he’ll have extra motivation to ball out this week and silence the naysayers.
But whether you believe this unsubstantive narrative or not, Tagovailoa was already a great streaming start after last week’s impressive 47-329-2 performance against the Jaguars — his first game back from a stint in IR (ribs). He’ll get to build momentum against the Falcons’ 28th ranked defense that has allowed top-five fantasy finishes to three of the last five QBs they’ve faced. Not to mention, his underrated arsenal could be boosted with DeVante Parker‘s possible return to action.
Sam Darnold looks for a return to glory against a vulnerable Giants defense that has given up the 26th most points to opposing QBs. This is the same defense that just gave up four TDs to Matthew Stafford, three to Dak Prescott, and three to the Saints hybrid of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Hill, by the way, ran it in twice, something Darnold’s already done twice this season. And while he didn’t find the endzone with his feet last week, he did run for 48 yards, the most he’s ever done as a Panther.
Week 6 was a bit of an anomaly as his receivers had an abnormally high number of drops that would’ve undoubtedly inflated his final stat line. He’s also been untrustworthy with the ball lately, but his sneaky rushing upside makes him a decent weekly start, despite his recent slump.
The Verdict
It’s a toss-up between the Ballers, but I’m backing Tagovailoa. It’s Tua time.
Darnell Mooney (CHI) or Allen Robinson II (CHI)?
| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 12.9 | 13.1 |
| Andy Rank | WR #26 | WR #25 |
| Mike Rank | WR #26 | WR #25 |
| Jason Rank | WR #27 | WR #26 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 24 | 24 |
| Home/Away | Away | Away |
| Over/Under | 47 | 47 |
| Line | +12.5 | +12.5 |
It’s the battle of the Chicago receivers! After six weeks of football, guess which wideout leads the Bears in nearly every metric?
- Fantasy Points: 8.3 vs 6.6
- Snaps: 88% vs 84%
- Targets: 6.5 vs 6
- Receptions: 4.2 vs 3.5
- Yards: 51 vs 39
Perplexingly, it’s not former Pro Bowler Allen Robinson who leads the charge, but instead former fifth-round pick from Tulane, Darnell Mooney. Mooney has shown inconsistent flashes of fantasy relevance, bouncing wildly each week between pathetic numbers and above-average output like a sine wave. Most of his struggles can be attributed to poor QB play and even poorer coaching, but Mooney has shown enough upside to warrant Flex play, especially during a daunting bye week like this one. He sees enough targets that he should have a safe floor, benefitting from a negative game script against a battered secondary that’s routinely bailed out by its high-scoring offense.
Justin Fields ➡️ Darnell Mooney 👀
pic.twitter.com/GspfoMdTPY— PFF (@PFF) October 17, 2021
Meanwhile, Robinson exemplifies the saying, “you can’t win your league in the draft, but you can lose it.” Robinson, a highly sought draft pick, has been a horrendous bust, to the point where he’s now considered a safe drop candidate in redraft leagues with a plummeting stock in dynasty. The guy hasn’t surpassed 10 fantasy points this season.
In fact, he’s never had a weekly finish higher than WR45. That’s #bad. Yet, he’s now ranked higher than Mooney by the entire gang? I mean, I get it, Robinson is a proven stud, and he should see enough chances against a pass-funnel defense… but c’mon. Mooney’s outperformed Robinson this entire season, and though it’s a small sample size, we’ve learned that “six games is a reasonable sample size to use to project forward.”
The Verdict
The Ballers unanimously vote for Robinson, but I’m putting my chips on Mooney. Let’s just hope his sine curve of production goes tangential!
Elijah Mitchell (SF) or Mike Davis (ATL)?
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| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 14.6 | 13.2 |
| Andy Rank | RB #15 | RB #17 |
| Mike Rank | RB #16 | RB #17 |
| Jason Rank | RB #14 | RB #21 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 4 | 28 |
| Home/Away | Home | Away |
| Over/Under | 44 | 47.5 |
| Line | -4 | -2.5 |
According to esteemed writer Rob Wilson, Elijah Mitchell is on the precipice of being a possible league winner with his dominating rush share and Mostert-like attributes. His matchup this week isn’t great, and his best performance was in Mostert’s relief in Week 1, but he should command the helm as the presumed leader of the famed Shanahan backfield. Fellow rookie Trey Sermon still looms in the distance, but “the Missile” should be a serviceable option for those in need.
Well well well, look how the turntables… Mike Davis was often considered a “dead zone” fantasy draft pick that would be nothing more than an anchor for those who drafted him, but now in Week 7, he is a borderline RB1 choice. He’ll get to face Miami’s Charmin-soft front who react as my pores did on prom night (i.e., terribly). Mr. Bean could sleepwalk his way to a first down against them. Surprise breakout star Cordarelle Patterson will surely dominate the scoreboards, but Davis will have enough opportunities (averages 17.2 per game) to rack up the points and become a borderline RB1 play this week IMO.
The Verdict
The crew unanimously leans towards Mitchell, but I’m betting on Davis.
Zach Ertz (ARI) or Tyler Higbee (LAR)?
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| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 9 | 8.7 |
| Andy Rank | TE #9 | TE #11 |
| Mike Rank | TE #12 | TE #9 |
| Jason Rank | TE #9 | TE #11 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 32 | 13 |
| Home/Away | Home | Home |
| Over/Under | 47.5 | 50.5 |
| Line | -17.5 | -15 |
Look, I love Zach Ertz like most of the #Footclan. I remember his prolific five-year stretch of TE-fantasy dominance fondly, and knowing he’s with a high-octane offense should mean that he’s destined for greatness. But… immediate greatness? That’s tough. I would love to see it, and I could foresee a scenario where the staff insists on him being a focal point of the offense to justify the acquisition, but it’ll be hard in an offensive position that is notoriously difficult to adjust to. Then again, he’s a veteran and will have the BEST matchup for opposing TEs. Dallas Goedert is the clear benefactor of this trade, but Ertz finds himself in a lucrative offense that’s as crowded as a Japanese subway, but that alone warrants him enough upside to play in DFS leagues.
Higbee? Honestly? I hate him. Fantasy-wise, of course. He’s been a TE1 thrice this season, but he’s been a death sentence otherwise. Sure, he has promising stats like a healthy stat percentage (89% per game) and target share (4.2 targets per game, 100% TE target share). But when he doesn’t find the endzone, he’s just another piece of a very large pie. And Matthew Stafford has a Garfield-size appetite. In a TE-desolate wasteland, we’re grateful for any return we can get, and while Higbee can return the favor, he certainly cant satisfy even the calmest of claims.
Comments
Tee Higgins or Miles Sanders FLX
Mckissic or Gibson. Standard
Conner or edmonds