Heading into Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season, workloads, snap shares and more trends have been established across the league’s backfields. The fantasy RB landscape hasn’t played out as expected due to injuries, leaving fantasy managers with plenty of tough decisions to make. With that in mind, let’s break down my fantasy football RB start/sit Week 7 picks.
Check out my full Week 7 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Kimani Vidal (Chargers) vs. Colts
Following Omarion Hampton’s placement on IR, fantasy managers spent the week scrambling to answer the age-old question: Which backup running back with extremely limited experience should I blindly trust to help me win my fantasy matchup?
The consensus gave Hassan Haskins the edge heading into Sunday’s contest, but it only took a couple of drives to see that Vidal had entrenched himself as the lead back. The second year back out-snapped Haskins 67% to 31% and received three times as many touches. Vidal was incredibly efficient on the ground, taking 18 carries for 124 yards, also adding three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown.
It’s not likely Vidal repeats those numbers against a stout Colts run defense, but he has firmly planted himself in high-end RB2 territory while Hampton recovers.
Sit ‘Em: Tony Pollard (Titans) vs. Patriots
All Tony Pollard did through the first five weeks was churn out shockingly efficient rushing production on the worst offense in the NFL. The Titans rewarded their only consistent offensive playmaker by cutting his touches in Week 6.
I get it, Tyjae Spears’ return to action was always going to limit Pollard’s involvement in the passing game, but dropping his snap share from 73% in Week 5 to 43% against the Raiders was tough to watch. It won’t get any easier against the Patriots, who allow the fourth-fewest rushing yards and seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.
All signs are pointing down for the veteran back moving forward, so it’s best to leave him on your bench.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL WEEK 7 START/SIT PICKS AT EACH POSITION!
Start ‘Em: Jaylen Warren (Steelers) at Bengals — Thursday Night Football
Warren received my “sit of the week” nod last Sunday against a stout Browns defense, and that proved to be the right call, as the dual-threat back finished shy of 10 PPR points. That said, I was encouraged by the quality of Warren’s touches. So much so that I’ve turned a 180 and am now declaring him my “start of the week” against the Bengals.
To be completely honest, this has more to do with Cincinnati’s atrocious run defense than Warren’s abilities. The Bengals allow the most fantasy points to opposing running backs in the entire league, also ranking bottom five in rushing yards surrendered. If Warren was capable of averaging 4.7 yards per carry against Cleveland, taking on the Bengals should be a breeze. Look for the 5’8 back to return to form on Thursday night.
Sit ‘Em: Travis Etienne (Jaguars) vs. Rams
After establishing himself as the undisputed bellcow in Jacksonville and scoring double-digit PPR points in four straight games to open the year, Etienne has failed to hit that mark in back-to-back outings. The former first-round pick tied for a season low in rushing attempts across both games against the Chiefs and Seahawks, also failing to make a real impact in the passing game.
It won’t get any easier for Etienne this week, either. We’re continuing to play the matchup game both ways, as the Rams allow the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing backs. Derrick Henry was finally able to break out against Sean McVay’s side last week, but they’ve held up well against Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley this season. Etienne should become the latest name added to that list following Sunday’s contest.
Looking for more RB start/sit Week 7 picks? Stay tuned for my MNF fantasy start/sit article! New RB start/sit picks drop weekly!
Those are my RB start ’em, sit ’em Week 7 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice throughout the week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
