Fantasy Football Week 7 Quarterback Start/Sit: Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield, Aaron Rodgers and More
Three quarterbacks to start and three to consider benching in Week 7.
Week 7 of the NFL: We’re not quite halfway through the regular season, but we’re not that far away either. That kind of sucks, right?
Rather than bemoan our favorite season coming to an end, it’s better to remember that we still have about three months of regular season left. Plenty will happen between now and the end of the year, and the changing landscape will leave fantasy owners scrambling to fill holes for a week at a time (or more).
It’s still a weekly game, so while you might be thinking about how you can recover from a 2-4 start, remember that it begins with just one victory. Let’s look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 7.
I used defensive stats from NFL and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine which teams were best and worst to target. Those numbers will be referenced often.
Start
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers @ Washington Commanders
This is more of a low-level streaming option for those who are in desperation. Dalton isn’t an explosive player; he’s not going to keep up with Jayden Daniels play-for-play. What he can do, though, is drop back and pass often in an attempt to stay even on the scoreboard.
Washington is tied with Tampa Bay for the most points scored through six weeks, while those teams are second in points per game behind Detroit (who had a bye in Week 5). The Commanders have also allowed the fifth-most passing yards per attempt and the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
A likely game script in this one is Washington taking the lead in the first half and Carolina throwing the ball to stay in the game. Dalton has attempted at least 37 passes in three of his four starts; it’s not an accident, as they throw that much out of necessity. Dalton has a great chance to put up volume stats against a high-octane offense with a bad defense.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)
Maye made his first start last week against Houston, putting up OK numbers as his team was blown out by Houston: 20-33, 243 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards, a nice little bonus for his fantasy score. Maye is likely to put up more volume numbers than efficiency numbers in his rookie season.
This might be a chance to do both, though, as the Jaguars have been one of the worst pass defenses in football. They have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks by a wide margin and are second in most pass yards per attempt allowed.
Jacksonville getting shredded through the air is a weekly occurrence, and there’s a reason Maye was drafted third overall. While there will be growing pains in every game, and the team around Maye isn’t very good, this might be his best matchup of his season, putting him on the radar as a fantasy streamer.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Baltimore Ravens
It’s weird seeing the Ravens as a team to target, but the numbers bear it out: Baltimore has allowed the most passing yards, third-most yards per attempt, and third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Part of it is that they are often ahead, causing teams to throw to catch up, but they have also been bad from an efficiency standpoint.
Mayfield might be too good of a fantasy quarterback to be listed here. He’s second in total fantasy points and points per game among QBs behind just Lamar Jackson, and Mayfield has finished below QB5 in just two weeks (one of those was QB7).
The Tampa passer has been as consistent as anyone, and he might be a weekly starter, though that status is tentative. We’ve seen Mayfield excel with the Bucs for nearly a year and a half now; I’m a believer. With a good matchup here, Mayfield should be in a lineup in every league.
Sit
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings
Detroit’s offense is about as efficient as it gets, and Goff can go off for 320 yards and three touchdowns in any game. Even the best defenses fail to make the Lions look bad. That makes me scared to list Goff here.
Goff is 11th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks, close to where he finished each of the past two seasons. He’s right on the line of a weekly starter, not having many outings in which he truly tanks. This could be one of those few games, though.
Minnesota has been among the best defensive teams by essentially every measure, including allowing the third-least points per game and ranking at the top by a wide margin in defensive DVOA. Specific to our cause, the Vikings have allowed the sixth-least pass yards per attempt and ninth-least fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
The matchup makes Goff a guy to consider benching unless you really don’t have another option. There is a chance he and the offense will keep performing against everyone, but it’s a risky play against a defense that’s been dominant at times.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins
Richardson looks like he will start after missing the past two games with an oblique injury. Any player returning from injury has a chance of re-aggravating that malady, bringing an amount of risk. This is also a tough matchup.
Miami has looked helpless at times without Tua Tagovailoa, the way most teams would sans their starter. The defense has been better against the pass, though the run game has given them trouble. The Dolphins have allowed the second-least fantasy points per game to QBs and are in the top 10 in yards per pass attempt allowed.
Specific to Richardson, who is a great runner, the Dolphins have allowed just 4.2 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks, best in the league. And it’s not like they’ve faced old, immobile quarterbacks, either: Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Geno Smith, Will Levis/Mason Rudolph, and Jacoby Brissett topped out at 10 yards in any single game.
A team that’s done very well with pass defense and has stopped quarterbacks from using their legs effectively looks like a bad matchup for Richardson, making him a risky play.
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodgers is getting a shiny new car revving into town in Davante Adams; now we get to see what’s under the hood. Adams saw his efficiency numbers fall in 2023 and during his short 2024 stint with the Raiders, but that was with failing quarterback play in a situation in which Adams probably wasn’t totally focused on being his best.
Back with his favorite professional quarterback, Adams has the chance to show that he still has his top gear and can help lift a “blah” offense to a level that can somewhat match their fantastic defense. Even if that change comes before the end of the season, I’m not counting on it in Week 7.
Adams will have a very truncated understanding of the playbook no matter how much history he and Rodgers share. The offense has been middling or worse, and it will probably take time for anything to coalesce into an above-average unit.
With a tough matchup against Pittsburgh in their first game together, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both Rodgers and Adams have modest production. The Steelers have allowed the fourth-least fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and have stars on the defensive line and in the defensive backfield.
Some will see Rodgers as a possible breakout player, but that scenario is more likely to play out later in the season than immediately.
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