Fantasy Football Must-Start Players for Week 7

Hello, Week 7. Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, welcome to my weekly fantasy must-start column. I’ll be here for the entire season to bring you a selection of the players you should want in your fantasy football lineups in season-long and/or DFS formats. These guys are screaming starts for one reason or another – it could be an advantageous matchup, a recent hot streak or a value salary in DraftKings contests, among others – so we’re looking to find an edge through the lens of actual analysis. I just want to help you win your week!

Let’s jump in with some must-start players for fantasy football in Week 7.

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Fantasy Football Week 7 Must-Start Players

QB: C.J. Stroud, Texans vs. Giants ($5,700)

This is maybe one of the most unappealing quarterback slates I’ve seen recently, to be frank. I really, really wanted to go with Jordan Love in this spot since the Packers are in a dome against the Lions, who allow the most FPPG to QBs. However, he brought a $6,000 salary in DFS formats and Josh Jacobs’ return could mean less passing volume for Green Bay, so I landed on C.J. Stroud, who averages the same output for $300 cheaper. Make no mistake, though, he still sees a good matchup at home against the Giants, who allow the seventh-most FPPG to the position (21.1). Stroud has been pretty awesome this year with 1,714 passing yards and nine touchdowns, tossing his lone interception just last week. He’s averaging 20.7 FPPG with 285.7 YPG through the air, ranking 11th in EPA/dropback and ninth in YPA, too. Houston’s run game is unimpressive at the moment with David Montgomery sidelined, but this was probably going to be a pass-happy attack to begin with, so he’s dropping back at the ninth-highest tally of 40.2 times per contest. That’s helped Stroud reach 20+ DKFP in four of his six contests, and he’s coming off a season-high 27.0 last week in London. There’s a lot to like here, especially after the Texans traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. and reunited the wideout with his college quarterback.

RB: Jordan Mason, Vikings vs. Colts ($5,200)

This probably won’t be a very popular pick, but I’m going out on a limb with Jordan Mason here at running back. Yes, he just came off the IR after being placed on it following a Week 1 thumb fracture, but that’s no reason to be scared off of playing him. In the opener, Mason scored 11.9 DKFP with 59 yards and a touchdown. In that outing, he saw a 47.5% snap share with 15 carries, including two red-zone carries at that. Now, he doesn’t have much receiving upside – or any, really, after garnering just 16 targets in 16 games with Minnesota last season – but there are still avenues for him to pay off this week. For starters, we have the fact that he’s likely in line for a healthy share of carries since teammate Aaron Jones Sr. is on the wrong side of 30 and has played through most of the season with a sprained MCL. While the veteran did carry the load admirably as a workhorse, this was always meant to be a split backfield in order to lighten his load. The idea with playing him this week centers around the fact that the Vikings are roughly a touchdown favorite at home against the Colts, who have been bad this year. This Minnesota defense should get the better of the visitors and lead to plenty of possessions for the offense, which in turn wants to control the ball. The matchup is great, too, with Indianapolis allowing the fifth-highest rushing success rate and falling dead last in defensive EPA/rush. One more number to know? Indy also allows 23.9 FPPG to RBs, seventh most.

WR: Matthew Golden, Packers at Lions ($6,000)

How Matthew Golden has a $6,000 DFS salary is something I just don’t understand. He averages 18.3 FPPG, good for eighth among all wideouts on this slate, yet that price tag falls 17th at the position. Take advantage of that discrepancy! The second-year standout is coming off back-to-back performances of 100+ yards after tallying a 6-104-1 line last week and a 6-123-0 line in the prior contest. He also had a third 100-yard outing earlier this season in Week 3 and has caught at least six passes in three of his six games. The target volume tells us even more – Golden is seeing 9.5 targets per game, eighth most among receivers, with an 0.28 TPRR that ranks ninth at the position. His 2.52 YPRR also sits 17th, so he’s not just a PPR merchant. While the aforementioned Josh Jacobs is back in the mix for the Packers, this passing attack should remain consolidated primarily around Golden and Christian Watson, plus Tucker Kraft as the third option. As if the potential value in DFS isn’t enough reason to fire Golden up this week, take a look at the matchup. Detroit allows 40.8 FPPG to WRs, tied with Houston for the most of any defense. The Lions are also seventh in FPPG allowed to outside receivers (23.6), which is the role Golden plays. Oh, and one more thing. This game’s total sits at 54.5, the highest of any matchup this week on DraftKings Sportsbook.

TE: Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. Raiders ($3,500)

The Lions allow more FPPG to TEs than any other team (31.9) by a fairly wide margin, so if you believe in that game being a shootout and aren’t afraid to double-dip on Packers pass-catchers, definitely look at Tucker Kraft. However, I’m going a little cheaper here with Tyler Higbee, who’s primed to keep playing a major role for the Rams moving forward. The veteran averages 8.8 FPPG, which doesn’t exactly pop if you’re looking for a real difference-maker in your lineup. Still, look a little bit deeper. From Week 3 onward, he’s garnered at least four targets and catches in every game, eclipsing 60+ receiving yards three times over this span. Davante Adams is out of the picture for quite a while forward and Puka Nacua is questionable to play this week with an injury that popped up at practice, too. If Nacua plays, Higbee still belongs in lineups since the two can coexist. If he doesn’t, though, this is the smashiest of all smash starts. Over the last four games, the tight end has seen 6.8 targets per game and averaged 58.5 yards per contest. His target share of 11.5% on the full season already ranks third on the Rams, but that’ll likely continue to tick upwards in Adams’ absence, too. To top it off, the opposing Raiders concede 17.9 FPPG to TEs, sixth most of any team. Higbee deserves a spot in lineups, especially as a DFS value.