Week 7 of the fantasy football season is upon us. This week on Amazon Prime, we get an NFC showdown, as the New Orleans Saints head west to take on the Arizona Cardinals. With no time to waste, here are the top start/sit plays for Week 7 of Thursday Night Football.
Fantasy Football Start/Sit for Week 7 | Thursday Night Football
Start: Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is the only quarterback that I recommend starting. He’s putting up decent fantasy numbers, don’t get me wrong, but he is doing it inefficiently.
Last week Murray completed 23 of his 37 passing attempts for 222 yards and an interception. What saved his day was running for his life, as he piled up 100 yards on ten carries.
If Kyler starts running the ball as he did early in his career, he will be as stable as it gets for a top-five week-in and week-out option. He’s the QB6 in points per game, averaging 19 PPR, and takes on a Saints defense that is missing its top corner in Marshon Lattimore.
I’d start Murray in Week 7, especially when four different top-10 quarterbacks are all out on a bye.
Murray’s inefficiency could be your reward on Underdog Fantasy. Taking the lower on Murray’s 245.5 passing yards in your Pick’em entry could net you up to a 20x return and up to a $100 deposit bonus when you sign up with promo code PFN.
Start: Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
With 35 fantasy points in his last two games, Alvin Kamara continues to show why he is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Last week he ran 19 times for 99 yards and caught six of his nine targets for 25 yards in the losing effort to the Cincinnati Bengals. Kamara has now gone for 192 and 124 all-purpose yards over the last two weeks, respectively. The only disappointing thing is the lack of touchdowns.
MORE: Fantasy RB Start/Sit Week 7
Due to New Orleans’ multitude of injuries, including ailments hampering both quarterbacks, Kamara is going to have to do it all once again. Although Arizona sits 11th in fantasy points per game allowed at 20.04 PPR, the Cardinals are dead last in DVOA against receiving running backs.
If Kamara sees anywhere near nine targets, as he did last week, he could quickly push above his 36.5-yard projection. That’s also why I am taking the alt prop of 40 yards and moving the payout from -114 to +114.
Start: Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Eno Benjamin was a favorite among the waiver wire pickups last week but let managers down. He rushed for 37 yards on 15 carries against the Seahawks while catching all three of his targets for 28 yards. His 9.5 PPR points were a far cry from the 14.3 PPR he had the week prior. Still, he is the RB18 over the last two games and 22nd in points per game at 11.9 PPR.
Benjamin suffered a foot injury last week and was listed as a limited participant during the team’s walk-throughs this week. But with James Conner unlikely to suit up, Benjamin’s volume could be too good to pass up, especially if he can break off a long run or a chance inside the five.
Thursday Night Football has already been disappointing. And it’s hard to trust an injured running back against the No. 8 defense in points allowed to the position. I understand is you have caution because it likely will take a TD for Benjamin to hit his ceiling. But he would at least be a top-24 option which I’ll take in a week with so many top-tier options on a bye.
Start: Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans
Although we don’t have clarity on who’s going to be throwing the ball, it’s already been announced that Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry are out for Thursday night. Luckily, Chris Olave is making his return after missing the previous game due to a concussion.
The 22-year-old rookie has been everything and more for the Saints, posting 389 yards and two touchdowns on 25 receptions and leading the NFL in air yards despite missing a game. Although his upside would be diminished slightly with Andy Dalton under center, he’s had 15 more PPR points in his last three games while finishing as the WR18 or above.
Arizona did a decent job last week of shutting down the Seattle Seahawks’ passing attack, but there should simply be too much volume for Olave not to succeed. Start him on Thursday night as a mid-WR2.
Start: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Guess who’s back? Back up again. Nuk is back. Tell a friend. After six long weeks of waiting, DeAndre Hopkins makes his return following a six-game suspension for violating the NFL‘s performance-enhancing drug policy.
It also could not have come at a better time, as the Cardinals lost Marquise Brown for up to six weeks with a foot injury. Hopkins had a down season in 2021 due to inefficiency and injuries, but he has a massive chip on his shoulder.
With Brown out, this feels like a vintage Hopkins situation where he could see double-digit targets, especially with Lattimore out this week. If you drafted Hopkins and held onto him this long, you have to start him on Thursday Night Football. He’s a WR2 with WR1 upside.
Start: Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals
I’ll never understand why Kliff Kingsberry refuses to use Rondale Moore on intermediate targets, but at this point, I’m just happy he’s being used. Moore caught six of his ten targets for 49 yards last week and is now coming off back-to-back games with target shares north of 20% (21.2% and 27%).
Despite how disjointed the Cardinals’ offense looks at the moment, Moore has averaged 12 PPR points and is the WR25 over the last two weeks. I don’t love his matchup this week against Justin Evans, but given the lack of other options and the low probability of Robbie Anderson having any impact quite yet, starting Moore as a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 isn’t the case worst option as a bye-week fill-in.
Start: Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals
The return of Hopkins would have diminished the upside of Zach Ertz, but the loss of Brown balances things out. Ertz caught seven of his ten targets for 70 yards last week and should be the No. 2 target for Murray.
MORE: Week 7 Wide Receiver Fantasy Injury Report
Where I do expect Ertz to take a little bit of a dip is in the red zone. That said, he only has two touchdowns thus far, so it’s not like we’ll be missing out on Travis Kelce-like scoring production. Ertz has double-digit targets in four of his last five games, and while the Saints are No. 2 against TEs in points per game, Ertz is a must-start option for Week 7.
Start: Taysom, Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
I’ve said it once, and I will say it again: Taysom Hill is who Tim Tebow should’ve been. After a Week 5 outing where he had 112 yards and four touchdowns to finish as the TE1, Hill came back down to Earth against the Bengals, rushing five times for 39 yards and completing two of his four attempts for 16 yards.
By hook or by crook, he is going to be involved in this offense, especially in a game like this where the Saints are missing so many critical playmakers. Starting Hill is a swing for the fences because he could have blowup games or blow up in your face.
Arizona is 31st in fantasy points allowed to TEs, but that’s a tough stat to use in endorsing Hill because he’s not your average tight end. I would start him in Week 7 as a low-end TE1.
Sit: Andy Dalton & Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints
According to Saints head coach Dennis Allen, the team will decide during pregame warmups whether Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston will start on Thursday Night Football.
The Saints have been extremely cautious with Winston, who has been on the shelf with back and ankle injuries for three weeks running. Dalton, who had been filling in for Winston, is now dealing with a minor back injury.
If I were to take a stab at it, I would guess we see Dalton out there, but I’m certainly not rushing to start him. He has yet to score 15 or more PPR points this year. Whether it’s Winston or Dalton, sit whoever is under center for the Saints.
Sit: Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
Like everyone else in this game, Mark Ingram is also dealing with an injury (knee) and was listed as a limited participant during this week.
There’s just not enough upside right now for Ingram. He recorded nine or more rushes in five of his last six games but has yet to finish with double-digit fantasy points or rush for over 60 yards. Given how often Hill is being used as a rusher and stealing the touchdowns on his own, there’s not much of a ceiling for Ingram on your fantasy football roster.
He should be on the waiver wire at this point.
Sit: Robbie, Anderson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Don’t think just because Robbie Anderson got himself out of Carolina that you should now start him with any level of confidence. I doubt we see Anderson on the field for more than a couple of nine routes.
Perhaps in a couple of weeks, he can close in on Flex territory, but unless he crammed the playbook like he was studying for the SATs, Anderson shouldn’t be involved much at all.
He’s a trap play for fantasy managers this week.
Sit: Marquez, Callaway, WR, New Orleans Saints
With Thomas, Olave, and Landry out last week, Marquez Callaway stepped up and lead the wide receivers in targets with seven, catching three passes for 36 yards.
Callaway put together a sneaky good year in 2021, finishing as the WR43 and leading the Saints receivers with 46 receptions for nearly 700 yards and six touchdowns. Yet, for me, this is not a matchup where I feel the need to force Callaway into my lineups.
Arizona is No. 2 in DVOA versus WR1s and ninth against WR2s. In a game where the under is the prohibitive favorite, sit fringe players like Callaway on Thursday.