NFL Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 7: Wide Receivers
With the WR position deeper than ever for fantasy football, start ’em or sit ’em decisions for Week 7 are invariably matchup-dependent.
Start ‘Em | Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
Sterling Shepard is the Giants’ No. 1 WR. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. In his return to action, Shepard saw 14 targets, hauling in 10 for 76 yards. It was the same situation we saw with Kadarius Toney in Week 6 — there was no one else for Daniel Jones to throw to. But in Shepard’s case, he has weekly value even if the Giants are at full health (if that ever happens).
In his three healthy games, Shepard has 33 targets, 26 receptions, 283 yards, and a touchdown. Those are massive numbers. Toney reinjured his ankle, Kenny Golladay is dealing with a hyperextended knee, and Darius Slayton has yet to play since Week 3. Shepard is a locked-in, must-start WR, even in Week 7 against a stingy Carolina Panthers defense.
Start ‘Em | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
I have been a massive proponent of Amon-Ra St. Brown for several years, and it appears injuries to the Lions’ receiving corps have allowed his skill set to shine and forced the team to make him a staple of its offense. Over the past three games, St. Brown has 23 targets, 18 receptions, and 161 yards receiving. That’s been enough for WR33, WR32, and WR44 finishes.
Quintez Cephus is out for the season, and Tyrell Williams (concussion) remains on IR, leaving St. Brown as the de facto WR1 on a team who will consistently be playing from behind. That will especially be the case in Week 7 as Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford face their former teams when the Lions take on the Los Angeles Rams.
Sit ‘Em | Corey Davis, New York Jets
Corey Davis has put together a solid season. On the year, he has 20 receptions on 36 targets for 302 yards and 3 TDs. He has seen 7 or more targets in four out of five contests. Additionally, he’s posted more than 45 yards receiving in all but one game.
That one game was kind of important, though, as it came against the New England — which is who the Jets play again in Week 7. In the earlier contest, Davis caught 2 passes on 5 targets for a whopping 8 yards. Bill Belichick bases his defense around taking away his opponent’s top option. For the Jets, that is Davis. I expect another challenging game for him despite having had an extra week to prepare. I would be inclined to sit Davis in Week 7.
Sit ‘Em | Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
After a couple of solid games, Tyler Boyd has been a relative dud over his last two contests. Boyd has recorded just 5 receptions on 8 targets for 31 yards in his last two games, finishing as the respective WR68 and WR90 along the way. After managing 7.3 targets and 9.3 targets per game in 2018, and topping 1,000 yards in 2019, Boyd has regressed. He watched his per-game targets fall to 7.3 in 2020 and just 6.3 in 2021.
This year, Boyd’s best games — WR30 in Week 3 and WR9 in Week 4 — came when Tee Higgins was sidelined by injury. Higgins has played the last two weeks and, despite seeing just 63.5% of the snaps, has outpaced Boyd in every category.
The Bengals have not been as pass-heavy as in previous years under head coach Zac Taylor (54.1%) and have faced a relatively easy schedule. With more demanding games to come (beginning in Week 7 vs. Baltimore), we could see them shift back to a more robust passing attack, leading to more opportunities for Boyd. But until we see that happen, Boyd might be someone I would rather sit in Week 7.
Tight Ends
Although the TE position in fantasy is notoriously shallow, start ’em or sit ’em decisions could mean the difference between a win or a loss in Week 7.
Start ‘Em | Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Zach Ertz goes from the Eagles to the undefeated Cardinals and, in his very first game, needs to be in your starting lineups in Week 7. A team does not make a trade like this without already having a plan in place for how to use the player. Ertz has been solid this seaso, and even closed the gap with Dallas Goedert. He caught 4 of 6 targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in his final game with the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. On the season, he has 18 receptions on 31 targets for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Cardinals TE Maxx Williams was on pace for a career season, as it appeared head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been trying to get TEs more involved in arguably the NFL’s most dynamic offense. The Houston Texans are 31st against the position, having allowed a league-high 5 TDs to TEs, including one to Mo Alie-Cox last week. Ertz finds himself as a TE1 this week for the first time in a long time.
Start ‘Em | Rickey Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team
Seals-Jones was a favorite streamer among many last week, and he delivered, catching 4 of 6 targets for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs. Over the last two games, RSJ has had 9 receptions on 15 targets for 99 yards with a TD. He’s a staple in a Washington passing attack that is riddled with injuries.
Seals-Jones should be heavily involved once again in Week 7 when WFT faces the Green Bay Packers. He is a high-end TE2 for fantasy this week.
Sit ‘Em | Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers
Well, well, well … how the turntables have turned.
We knew Robert Tonyan’s efficiency would take a hit in 2021. I mean, he had more touchdowns (11) than incomplete targets (7) last season. But even with a drop-off of 50%, he would still have been a TE1 for fantasy given the level of positional competition or lack thereof. Yeah, about that.
Tonyan has 11 receptions on 20 targets for 92 yards and 1 TD. That’s it. 52 of those yards and his lone touchdown came in Week 2 against Detroit. In his other games, Tonyan has 8, 6, 8, 8, and 10 yards. That’s not just a “slight” drop-off. That’s falling off the peak of Mount Everest and hitting every single rock on the way down. Tonyan is not startable — he is downright droppable at this point.