5 Start, 5 Sit for Week 7 of the 2024 NFL Season
The NFL Season is now in full swing and every week brings with it new, dramatic story lines and roster-building challenges. Bye-weeks and injuries are likely plaguing your lineups by now and if not, you might be deciding between two startable players to get the most points possible. I’m going to go over ten players and let you know whether I think they are worth starting or whether they should stay on your bench…or worse.
Start:
Sam Darnold vs DET – Start
Sam Darnold started off the season hotter than anybody could have expected. He hit a wall in Week 5, however, when Minnesota played the tough Jets’ defense in London. I think that performance is likely a one-off since the Vikings have been playing tough defenses all year and Darnold has been doing very well. This week the Lions come to town fresh off of performing war crimes in Dallas. Both of these teams look like they could have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, so this game is likely to be electric. The Vikings’ offense looks like it is going to be whole for the first time this year with T.J. Hockenson returning from IR and Aaron Jones getting a week to rest his hip. I think Sam Darnold is going to have to go crazy if the Vikings are going to win.
Brian Robinson vs CAR – Start
It’s looking like Brian Robinson is going to be healthy enough to play this week which is great news for anyone who owns him. He gets the “is playing the Panthers” bump this week, so I’m expecting a massive game from him. He’s scored a touchdown in every game except one, and in that game he had 136 total yards. With how potent the Commanders’ offense has been through 6 weeks, I’m thinking that the game script will be heavy run by halftime. If Robinson is still playing at full speed, he should be a great addition to your lineup.
Jayden Reed vs HOU – Start
The Packers’ pass catching group has been hard to figure out this year. They have four receivers that are all capable of having 100 yards and a touchdown in any given week. Jayden Reed has been far and away the most consistent of those four. He’s averaging just under 6 targets a game and has scored touchdowns in three of six games. The Packers use him in the run game as well as the pass game, so he has a touch advantage over his teammates. The Texans have an equally powerful offense on the other side of the field, so the Packers are not likely to be able to take their foot off of the gas. Reed has been a good start all year and this week is no different.
Evan Engram vs NE – Start
It took Evan Engram 12 weeks to really get going last year, but now that he’s healthy he’s immediately made his presence known. He was perfect on the day against Chicago, catching 10/10 targets for 102 yards. If you’re in a TE-premium league, you had a great time. Engram has been a premier target since he joined Jacksonville in 2022. With the drought of tight end production this year, Engram is an oasis for fantasy owners. The Jaguars as a whole haven’t been playing well, but Engram should still be able to perform at a high level.
Chase Brown vs CLE – Start
Chase Brown started the season locked into a committee with free agent acquisition Zack Moss. Recently however, Brown has begun to out-touch and out-perform Moss. In the past three weeks, Brown has racked up 37 carries for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground adding 7 catches for another 31 yards and a touchdown through the air. Compare that to the 30 carries for 88 yards and 8 catches for 57 and a touchdown from Moss. Brown seems to be firmly in the early down role, and I think he’s set up to be a weekly start going forward.
Sit:
Patrick Mahomes vs SF – Sit
Don’t let 5-0 deceive you, this has been Mahomes worst opening to a season in his career. It hasn’t mattered how close the game has been, Mahomes hasn’t seemed to be able to produce fantasy numbers like he has in years past. Losing a top target in Rashee Rice certainly hasn’t helped, but even with Rice, Mahomes hasn’t cracked 17 points in a game. Not to say that he’s been playing poorly, he just isn’t scoring points. The efficacy of the Chiefs’ defense means that they don’t have to score as many points as they have in years past and the dwindling supply of weapons makes it harder to do even if they did need to. It might seem shocking, but there are at least 12 other quarterbacks I would rather start this week.
De’Von Achane vs IND – Sit
I had Achane on my sit list two weeks ago and nothing has really changed for the Dolphins. Without a quarterback that provides a serious threat through the air, the run game suffers mightily. His backfield competition, Raheem Mostert, is now also fully healthy and fully capable of stealing meaningful touches all game. The Colts do present a very weak defense, but the Dolphins are so dysfunctional at the moment that I still think I would hesitate to start any of their players. Hopefully, if/when Tua returns, these players will once again become relevant.
Calvin Ridley vs BUF – Sit
This is now the second team and second year in a row that Calvin Ridley has had a hard time converting volume into production. He only has 9 catches through 5 games and last week had 0 catches on 8 targets. Titans’ head coach has come out and said words to the effect of “we have to get him the ball.” Duh. We heard similar lip service last year in Jacksonville but failed to see any consistency from Ridley. The Titans are going to have a tough time against the Bills as it is, I have disappointingly low expectations for Ridley this week.
Grant Calcaterra vs NYG – Sit
Just like Dallas Goedert last week, I don’t think Calcaterra is a good play. Most of his points last week came off of one big play, and he didn’t even really have a great day. Most of this offense runs through Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith. The tight end can have decent production from time to time, but I don’t think this is the week. If you picked him up hoping to be able to sneak some value in, think again. As thin as the tight end list is this year, you can still do much better this week.
Jerry Jeudy vs CIN – Sit
I think the Browns trading away Amari Cooper is a trap for Jerry Jeudy owners. You would think that less competition would mean more opportunity. But for a Browns team that struggles to get anything going almost all of the time, all it’s going to do is draw the best defender to Jeudy. He was already starting to see a decline production as is. He’s only had 2 catches in the past two games and hasn’t gotten into the endzone since week 1. You may feel tempted to put him in now that he is the “#1 receiver”, but remember…he’s on the Browns.
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