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Looking for some lineup advice? You've come to the right place. First, go through every game on the schedule right here to find out who Dave is starting and sitting for all 32 teams, and then use his Cheat Sheets — for PPR leagues here, and for non-PPR leagues here — to lock in the right players.
Titans vs. Chargers
Risky Starter
The Titans rank seventh in Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, but a lot of it has to do with who they've played. Blake Bortles and Josh Allen failed to get multiple touchdowns against them, as did Joe Flacco last week. Rivers is better than that group but could suffer a mediocre stat line again because he might not have to throw for a ton of yardage. This might be a week where Melvin Gordon does the heavy lifting again. Rivers has 30 or fewer pass attempts along with under 260 yards in four of his last five games.
Risky Starter
If the Chargers face another matchup where they won't have to throw the ball a ton, Allen will yet again go without a big game. He had 10 Fantasy points in non-PPR last week thanks for 41 rushing yards, something you just can't count on from him. Those 10 points are the most we've seen from Allen since Week 1 (16). And while the Titans have been shaky against receivers, it's been their outside cornerbacks who have allowed all seven of their touchdowns, none by slot corner Logan Ryan (who figures to see the most of Allen on Sunday). Allen is overdue for a large game, but we might have to wait a couple more weeks to see it. He's far less risky in PPR for 7.2-catch-per-game reasons.
Risky Starter
What was more disappointing last week: Austin Ekeler's six Fantasy points or his eight touches in a blowout win? You'd think in such a romp that the Chargers would give Ekeler more touches in garbage time, but no. He's steadily getting roughly 35 percent of snaps per game regardless of game script. Too bad since the Chargers should build a lead on the Titans in London. Week 6's output really underscores how he's a touchdown-dependent flex, particularly without mega-upside since he's failed to put up more than 11 Fantasy points (non-PPR) since Week 1.
Texans at Jaguars
Sit Him
You might think Watson could replicate what Dak Prescott did last week against the Jags, but Prescott had the advantage of a better offensive line and a much better run game while playing at home. None of those things are in Watson's favor. Last week was also Watson's first game where he didn't run for yardage, potentially a sign that the team doesn't want to risk him taking a wallop outside of the pocket. About the only edge Watson has is his receiving corps, which is deep enough to at least challenge the Jaguars. Bank on the Texans trying to get the ball out quick to negate the Jaguars' pass rush. That hurts Watson's potential for deep scores. This is easily his toughest matchup of the year (he won't play the Jags again until Week 17) and could easily result in another ugly stat line. Try to find a better, safer option.
Sit Him
You'll start DeAndre Hopkins because he's pretty awesome. You'll consider Keke Coutee because his slot gig will earn him a bunch of quick-off-the-snap targets from Watson. Fuller? He hasn't had big numbers for two weeks, so you might be scared to start him. But it's not because of his hamstring — he still displayed great speed as recently as last week and nearly had a long touchdown if not for a Watson overthrow. Deep-threat wideouts have been handled well by the Jaguars all season — only Odell Beckham found over 100 yards against them, and he was helped by 15 targets. Fuller officially has three targets in each of his past two games (11 total in his last three). It's too risky a spot to trust Fuller given his production dip, which has coincided with Coutee's arrival.
Sit Him
The statistics say the Texans pass defense has improved versus receivers over the past two weeks, holding wideouts to single-digit Fantasy points. The NFL schedule says the Texans have played against the two worst receiving corps in football — Dallas and Buffalo. Nonetheless, Houston's biggest defensive liabilities have been its perimeter cornerbacks, not the slot (manned lately by Kareem Jackson). That's bad news for Westbrook, who has played 90 percent of his snaps this year in the slot. Westbrook scored last week but still had just nine Fantasy points in non-PPR (12 in PPR) and has been at six targets or fewer in all but one game this year. Keelan Cole has been a dud, but at least he's got the better matchup this week — and this is all assuming Blake Bortles isn't a mess at quarterback.
Panthers at Eagles
Start Him
Each of the past four quarterbacks to play the Panthers has accumulated at least two touchdowns, three of them leaning on their tight end. Wentz has rung up multiple passing scores in three straight games, and Zach Ertz is a regular part of his reads. Tack on a suspect secondary for the Panthers to go up against the Eagles' lively receivers (expect the Eagles to test rookie corner Donte Jackson), and Wentz should waltz to another outing with at least 23 Fantasy points.
Vikings at Jets
Start Him
Last week, Murray broke all the notions we had about the Vikings, hogging 24 carries and putting up a career-high 155 yards. With Dalvin Cook sidelined, Murray should have a shot at another strong game against a Jets defense that has allowed over 5.4 yards per game to opposing running backs. Their opponents in those games? The Broncos and Colts -- not exactly bastions of rushing greatness. Murray should be in line for another big workload and thus deliver helpful numbers to your squad's bottom line.
Sit Him
Yep, a running back scored on the Vikings in three straight games (two by receptions). Yep, Crowell is the most likely Jets running back to score. But nope, it's unlikely the game will be close or even in the Jets' favor given New York's defensive liabilities. Even last week we saw the Jets play with the lead, and Crowell didn't even lead the team in carries. The Vikings aren't great covering running backs out of the backfield, but they're holding opposing rushers to 3.8 yards per carry on the ground with one rush touchdown allowed this season. Crowell is not worth starting except as a bye-week replacement.
Patriots at Bears
Sit Him
It's not like this is a bad matchup for Edelman — it's just a better matchup for everyone else on the Patriots. Josh Gordon's size and speed should make things tough on Chicago's outside corners, and the Bears don't have a good answer for Rob Gronkowski (they've been awful versus tight ends this year). Between slot corner Bryce Callahan and their linebackers, they will have a better way to cover Edelman. Plus the Patriots' run game is on fire. Chicago's defense hasn't held up well against speed receivers, something Edelman isn't quite considered to be at this stage in his career. He's a safer PPR choice but still a low-end No. 2 option even then.
Start Him
Among Gordon's nine targets last week were two into the end zone and three on deep passes. His playing time also exploded as he went from 18 snaps in Week 5 to 63 snaps in Week 6. With his role expanding, per Bill Belichick, Gordon figures to have some massive upside. The Bears have some good cornerbacks in Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara, but they shouldn't stop Tom Brady for targeting Gordon, especially if the matchup turns into a track meet like the Pats game did last season. Gordon's potential for a huge game make him more of a No. 2 receiver than a flex.
Start Him
This wouldn't be such an easy sell if Trubisky hadn't scorched the Bucs and Dolphins in consecutive games for a 72 percent completion rate, over 300 pass yards per game, over 40 rush yards per game and nine total touchdowns. You might even be more psyched to start him when you consider the Bears have had eight drives go into their opponents' red zone — and that doesn't include three other drives that ended with a touchdown. Trubisky's playing great, and the Patriots have allowed at least 260 yards and multiple passing touchdowns to four of the last five quarterbacks they've faced (Ryan Tannehill couldn't muster up the numbers). Trubisky not only has immense upside, but also happens to be fairly safe for Fantasy use. I'd start him ahead of Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson and Philip Rivers.
Sit Him
Both of the two running backs to pick up over 10 Fantasy points against the Patriots this season caught touchdowns, something Howard hasn't done in over two years. New England is giving up 4.7 yards per carry, but has only allowed four rushers to get even 15 carries, and half of them averaged 3.0 yards per run. None of this even matters when Howard's playing time has shrunk like the stock market. He needed overtime last week to get 14 carries, and had 11 the week before. He's playing fine, but the Bears seem enamored with Tarik Cohen's explosiveness. He's a better receiver than Howard and is a much smarter fit when the Bears are playing from behind or in a high-scoring game. Howard is a touchdown-dependent flex in a matchup against a defense that hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown to a back in five straight.
Sneaky Sleeper
Did you see what Tyreek Hill did last week against the Patriots? He scored from close range, he scored on a deep ball, he was all over the place. Gabriel isn't anywhere near Hill's league in terms of production, but he does happen to be the Bears' leader in receptions and yards, trailing Allen Robinson in targets by four and Trey Burton in touchdowns by one. There isn't a doubt in my mind that the Bears will scheme up several ways to get Gabriel the ball against this veteran (that's a gentle word for "slowish") defensive secondary. His upside is greater than that of Allen Robinson and Trey Burton.
Bills at Colts
Start Him
Luck is smashing expectations — even as his pass attempts decline from ridiculous highs over his past three games, he's still throwing for gobs of yardage (6.9 yards per attempt) with 11 touchdowns. Could the game flow dictate fewer pass attempts given the Bills' offensive weaknesses? Possibly — it's the biggest concern Fantasy owners of Luck will have. However, there's been little to suggest that Indianapolis will morph into a run-heavy offense even if a lead is built into the second half. Besides, the Bills run defense has held opposing run games to 3.7 yards per run over their last four, so even if the Colts try to run the ball they shouldn't thrive. Luck is a perfectly fine Week 7 starter.
Browns at Buccaneers
Start Him
There is no doubt about Njoku as a must-start Fantasy tight end. The Bucs have allowed 70-plus yards and a touchdown to a tight end in three straight games and an 82 percent catch rate to the position all season. Baker Mayfield has been a boon for Njoku's numbers, sending his target totals into the stratosphere with 20 of 32 passes connected for 212 yards with a touchdown in effectively 3.5 games. Njoku should help you cinch a victory and is a better start than O.J. Howard, Kyle Rudolph, Greg Olsen and Trey Burton.
Start Him
The Bucs had a full bye week to figure out how their run game would work after a slow start. They opted to stick with Barber, and he rewarded them. Against Atlanta last week, Barber had his top two rushes of the season (20-plus yards each) and had five runs of 7 yards or more. Now he'll take on a Browns run defense missing run-stuffer Joe Schobert — after he got hurt last week, the Browns let up 111 rush yards to backs on 17 carries with a touchdown in less than a half. Barber should keep a grip on the rushing job in Tampa Bay and push for a second-straight good game.
Lions at Dolphins
Start Him
Before the bye, Johnson was playing about half the snaps and landed about half of all running back touches. We'd like to think the Lions coaches self-scouted their offense and realized Johnson was their best bet to shoulder more than half of the workload. If we were certain Johnson would handle a larger share of the Lions' run game coming out of their bye, he'd be ranked in the top-15, maybe even the top-12. Despite that assurance, he's still a No. 2 running back given the matchup. Miami hasn't held a lead rusher to under 4.2 yards per carry in three straight games and has allowed five touchdowns to backs in that span. Starting him is a leap of faith, but one in which you're trusting the most talented rusher in a favorable matchup.
Saints at Ravens
Risky Starter
Collins may be back in your good graces after scoring twice last week in a blowout win over the Titans, but this week's matchup against the Saints doesn't look easy. New Orleans is holding opposing rushers to 2.8 yards per carry on the season with only one back — Saquon Barkley — getting over 10 Fantasy points this season. Collins has only overcome 10 Fantasy points with the help of touchdowns, so he'll have to get one this week in order to help you out. Don't necessarily buy into him being the lead back again, either — he played just six more snaps than Buck Allen and, despite the two touchdowns, averaged just 2.8 yards per carry thanks to a 10-yard, six-carry first quarter. Allen and rookie Gus Edwards could dip into his workload, especially if the Ravens have to play from behind.
Cowboys at Redskins
Start Him
You'll almost never see a kicker in a start/sit story, but Maher is worth your attention. Since signing with Dallas, Maher has made 15 of 16 field goals including 3-for-3 from 50-plus yards. In leagues without distance bonuses, he's landed at least 10 Fantasy points in each of his past three. Given Dallas' inconsistencies offensively, Maher should be expected to continue booting field goals. He's available in nearly 80 percent of leagues.
Risky Starter
What's happened to Reed? Despite a pretty good target tally (seven-plus targets in three of his last four), he's not quite as explosive as he used to be and he's not getting quality throws consistently from Alex Smith. For example, last week he'd break out of his route and Smith would throw the ball a yard behind him or a yard in front of him; another play he ran a wheel route down the field and couldn't speed past a linebacker. The only time this season the Cowboys allowed numbers to a tight end was in garbage time of Week 2 when Evan Engram scored. They've done well against the position otherwise (8.3 yards per catch) and historically have done very well against Reed, holding him to 70 yards or less without a touchdown in 7 of 8 meetings. Expect a breakout game from Reed in Week 8 (at NYG) and/or Week 9 (vs. ATL).
Rams at 49ers
Start Him
The 49ers scored over 30 points in both meetings with the Rams last year, and in those games, Carlos Hyde ran for two touchdowns each time. Breida is a no-brainer starter after coming out of last week's game looking healthy and fast. L.A.'s run defense success hinges mainly on how frequently teams run on them — they've allowed over 4.2 yards per carry to teams that attempt at least 16 rushes and at worst 3.7 yards per run to teams that limit their backs to 15 carries or less. Kyle Shanahan's running backs have totaled at least 23 carries in all but one game this season and averaged 29.5 rush attempts versus the Rams last year. Breida should be good.
Bengals at Chiefs
Start Him
There's absolutely no reason to pull Dalton out of lineups this week. The Chiefs have allowed at least two touchdowns to all but one opposing quarterback this season, and at least 325 yards to all but two. You may know by now that Chiefs' games tend to be high scoring because of their amazingly good offense and amazingly bad defense. Expect Dalton to find plenty of scoring opportunities.
Giants at Falcons
Start Him
The Falcons, or at least Matt Ryan, has realized the value of his tight end. Over the past two weeks, Hooper has caught at least nine passes for at least 70 yards per game with a touchdown in Week 6. He's been getting double-digit targets and has been involved all over the field. The Giants only allowed their first touchdown of the season to a tight end last week (Zach Ertz) and has actually maintained a good catch rate allowed versus tight ends (59 percent) but have yielded 13.6 yards per catch. So when these tight ends get open, they really get open against Big Blue. The Falcons run game has yet to re-explode and their receiving corps is dealing with injuries, opening the door for Hooper's role to maintain its recent expansion.
Who should you sit and start? And what shocking QB could win you Week 7? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 5 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
Broncos at Cardinals
Sit Him
Thomas has a touchdown and 11-plus Fantasy points in each of his past two games but faces one of his toughest challenges of the season. With the help of shut-down cornerback Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals have allowed 80-plus yards to just three receivers through six games, and the only wideouts who have scored on Denver have been slot guys against linebacker Josh Bynes. Expect to see a lot of Peterson on Thomas, ruining his chances for a touchdown and thus a big game.
Start Him
Sneaky Sleeper
Since Vance Joseph's proclamation that Freeman "needs more opportunities" two weeks ago, he's played 38 percent of the snaps and tallied 14 carries for 53 yards with three catches for 16 yards. Phillip Lindsay? Despite playing 34 percent the snaps against the Jets and Rams, he's gone for 79 rush yards on 16 carries and 68 receiving yards on nine catches. That's right — Lindsay's doing more on fewer snaps, and it gets better: In the past two games, Freeman has played four red-zone snaps to Lindsay's 15! This isn't exactly a bad matchup for either running back, but Lindsay has easy upside to get more yards than Freeman. Freeman's hopes hinge on finding the end zone, which isn't exactly a rarity with the Cardinals defense.
