Do you have tough lineup decisions to make on Sunday? We’ve got you covered. Welcome to your one-stop shop for Week 7 fantasy football start/sit advice. In this article, Jeff Pratt and Dan Johnson highlight one pick from each of their positional start ’em, sit ’em articles for this week’s slate. Check out each article for a deeper dive into that position!
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Drake Maye (Patriots) vs. Titans
Drake Maye’s ascent has been special, special stuff. Spectacular. Over his last five starts, he’s averaged 28.4 pass attempts, 276.2 yards, 2.1 touchdowns, and just 0.6 interceptions per game. Of those, his deep-ball splits are elite: 42% completion on throws 15+ air yards, which leads all QBs who’ve thrown 75+ deep passes. He also ranks top 4 in EPA per attempt from a clean pocket, showing that when left unpressured, he maximizes every down. Meanwhile, Tennessee ranks sixth-worst in adjusted pass defense when guarding deep (45+ yards), and their pressure rate is only 7% of dropbacks, among the lowest in the league. New England also runs 8.5 pass plays on first down per game, keeping Maye active early. Add in a middle-of-the-road rushing floor (he’s topped 25 rushing yards in three straight) and you get a QB who can score even if a few throws miss. If his volume slips, his accuracy picks up slack. In Week 7, he offers 4–6x upside, especially in a game that projects to be competitive and pass-tilted. He’s no longer a low-ceiling dart—he’s trending into reliable QB1/2 territory.
Layer in situational sharpness: Maye owns a 73% red-zone completion rate with a 7:1 TD:INT inside the 20, a 2.42s time-to-throw on rhythm calls, and a pressure-to-sack ratio under 16% (better than league average). On play-action, his YPA jumps by +2.1, and on third down he’s converting at 47% with a 102 passer rating. Tennessee allows a +8% explosive-pass rate over expectation; marry that with New England’s 54% early-down pass rate, and you’ve got a profile built for chunk-yardage spikes without sacrificing floor.
Check out all of Dan’s start/sit Week 7 QBs here!
Running Back
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.
Check out all of Jeff’s Week 7 RB start/sit picks here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: Chris Olave (Saints) at Bears
Don’t look now, but Chris Olave has racked up the second-most targets in the NFL through six weeks… somehow.
It actually checks out on paper. The Saints have been a surprisingly competitive squad despite their record, with Spencer Rattler playing above expectations. However, running the ball has been an issue, and they fall behind early in games consistently. Therefore, it makes sense that Rattler would be looking the way of his safety blanket early and often.
It’s just somewhat surprising that Olave has re-established his grip on that role. At only 25 years old, the Ohio State product showed significant flashes early into his career before his last few seasons were derailed by injuries. There were even discussions of him being one concussion away from being forced into a medical retirement. That’s why it’s been such a delightful surprise to see Olave return to playing high-level football. He’s only found the end zone once this year, but the ridiculous target volume has led to a tremendous fantasy floor. That should remain the case against a subpar Bears secondary, giving Olave strong WR2 value with upside.
Check out the rest of Jeff’s Week 7 start/sit WR picks here!
Tight End
Sit ‘Em: T.J. Hockenson (Vikings) at Eagles
Hockenson is falling out of relevancy. Since Addison’s return, his route participation has slid below 60%, and his target share has dropped to 5.5 per game. His aDOT (4.8) ranks near the bottom among all tight ends, and his YPRR (1.32) is hit—only a handful of TEs with mid-tier usage fall that low. The Eagles defend tight ends as tightly as any team; they yield only 1.15 points per target, 34.3 yards per game, and haven’t surrendered a TE touchdown since Week 2. Their pattern-matching safeties and athletic linebackers eliminate middle seams. Hockenson’s pivot, curl, and short-spacing routes are neutralized by pre-snap leverage. Minnesota’s red-zone TE snaps now skew heavily toward Dalton Schultz, further cutting his scoring odds. He’s a name fade this week.
Over the past three games, Hockenson owns just a 12% first-read share and a 9% red-zone target share, with only one end-zone look all season. His slot rate has dipped to 28%, pulling him back into in-line alignments where his yards after catch per reception is just 3.8 and his contested-catch rate sits at 38%. On third down, he’s converting at 36% with a 5.6 YPA when targeted—numbers that flatline against Philadelphia’s two-high and match rules. The Eagles allow sub-60% completion to TEs on in-breakers and rally to tackle, suppressing YAC. Without schemed seams or bunch releases, you’re praying for volume that isn’t there and a touchdown that likely won’t materialize.
Check out all of Dan’s start/sit tight ends for Week 7 here!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 7 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
