Injuries and bye weeks continue to dominate the fantasy football landscape, with four NFL teams on bye: the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders.
However, one player who was widely available on the waiver wire continues to perform this season. Quarterback C.J. Stroud with the Houston Texans has been flying under the radar all year. He was one of the top pickups off the wire and is now someone who should be in your starting lineup.
Why should Stroud be in your lineup and who else should and should not be in your fantasy lineup? Here are our starts and sits for Week 7:
Start: QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Besides the fact that the New York Giants are an ideal matchup, Stroud has done very well this season. In fact, he is a top five quarterback
in fantasy through the first six weeks of the season. He has at least one touchdown in every game this season with the exception of Houston’s Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Stroud was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his three-touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. If you got on the Stroud train and picked him up off the waiver wire, he should be your starter this week.
Sit: QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dad Prescott had a monster game back in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders. However, since then, he has thrown a total of four touchdowns with just one touchdown in each game. He also has two interceptions in each of the past two games. Prescott was supposed to be one of the better fantasy quarterbacks this season. But his last two primetime games have been awful and with a lack of touchdowns, he is worth putting on the bench this week.
Start: RB Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins
In each of the past three games before the bye week, Ollie Gordon has put up solid numbers with a touchdown in each game and a decent amount of carries. While he does not get the action in the receiving game other running backs do, the sheer volume of carries Gordon is getting makes him a valuable back in fantasy. The Jets are an alright matchup and division games are usually competitive, so Miami should put up some points and odds are Gordon could score another touchdown.
Sit: WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
When Marvin Harrison Jr was traded from the Cardinals, the thought was that Michael Wilson would step up as the primary wide receiver for Arizona. However, he has only had four receptions for under 35 receiving yards in each game since he has been gone. Furthermore, going against the Denver Broncos defense in Week 7 is a less-than-ideal matchup for an already struggling receiver. It is best to keep Wilson on your bench in this game.
Start: TE Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Freiermuth had a rough game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that is not entirely surprising given he was battling through an injury. Now that he is healthy, he should get more targets and have greater production, especially since the New Orleans Saints have been a good matchup for fantasy owners. They have given up the third-most receiving yards to tight ends and the second-most receptions. Especially with some prominent tight ends, including Brenton Strange with the Jaguars and Dalton Kincaid with the Bills on bye, Freiermuth is a good person to have in your lineup.
Sit: RB Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Tony Pollard has been an inconsistent fantasy prospect. While he constantly gets a lot of carries, his production from those carries varies considerably. The matchup does not even seem to make a difference in how Pollard does. But, the Cleveland Browns will be the best defense against running backs that Titans have faced so far, which is a bad sign for Pollard’s fantasy production. He is someone who should stay on the bench this week.
Sit: TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
After having double-digit fantasy points in PPR leagues in the first three weeks, Travis Kelce’s fantasy production has dropped to just six receptions and 68 yards in the past two games combined. Seattle also happens to be a terrible matchup for tight ends, allowing the fewest receiving yards to tight ends out of any team in the league and only two touchdowns. Between his drop in production and the terrible matchup, Kelce should stay on the bench this year.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Starts and sits for fantasy football ahead of Week 7
