Start 'Em, Sit 'Em—Week 7 Edition

This is a grind. You have to stick through the injuries, bye weeks, and make the right decisions week-by-week for your teams. Fantasy Football is supposed to be fun, but a lot of the times it can be very depressing when you are losing. The object is to win and our job is to help you as much as possible to achieve that goal each week. So, read along as we head into Week 7 and follow our advice with confidence. In our "Start 'Em-Sit 'Em" column, you will notice that we try to leave the obvious choices out and we don't post kickers or defenses, you're savvy enough to figure that out on your own ... we think. My goal is to reveal a little bit about each player and how he projects for upcoming week and for the season, adding a little more value to your plate. 

QBs: Start Em'

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos @ Miami

Tim Tebow will make the first start of his NFL career on Sunday and this game sets up as a very nice introductory game for him. He will be facing the 0-6, severely struggling Miami Dolphins and their 29th ranked pass defense. Some people don't believe Tebow will do anything of significance in this league, but I am somewhat a believer. I think Tebow can be a pretty capable quarterback, and I believe he will only get better and better. I do not think he will ever be a great passer, but I think he will have a fairly solid career, because he will work as hard as possible to progress as a QB and he is a natural born leader. From a fantasy standpoint this year, I think Tebow proves to be a solid addition for Fantasy owners for the rest of this season and if your in a keeper league he's a guy to hold onto and target. But getting back to this week, I think Tebow shows some of his potential and while he may struggle as a passer in this game and this year, his running stats will offset the poor throwing numbers. Expect Tebow to find the end zone on the ground, while tossing one as well, while finishing with around 30-60 running and 175-220 passing yards. 

Curtis Painter, Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans 

We told you to sit Painter last week and it was the right decision as he finished with only 188 yards and one TD against a very good Bengals secondary. This week you have to start him because Painter will be bombing away in effort to keep up with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. Painter may toss the rock 40 times in this one and the matchup is good as well against a Saints defense allowing the sixth most points to Fantasy QBs. I think Painter hits the 300 yard mark in this game and finishes with two to three TDs. Painter has proved to be capable so far this year with five TDs and just one pick and he has the weapons with Clark, Wayne, Collie and Garcon to keep the success going. Start Painter with full confidence. 

Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns vs. Seattle 

I was going to put Big Ben in this spot, but for the sake of trying to leave the obvious choice out, I am leaving him out. Anytime you get a matchup against the Cardinals secondary, you gotta start the QB facing them. But here's hoping Big Ben doesn't do much as I will be facing him in a couple of my leagues this weekend. Getting back to the QB listed above, Colt McCoy has been been slinging the ball lately with over 100 pass attempts in his last two games. The team has clearly shifted to more of a pass offense under first-year head coach Pat Shurmur. The running game and Peyton Hillis also have been ineffective, leading to the massive amount of pass attempts. This week I expect Colt to sling it close to 40 times again and finish with two-three TDs while landing around the 250 yard passing mark. 

Sit 'Em

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams @ Dallas

Maybe you drafted Bradford, have patiently stuck with him and are excited about getting him in the lineup this week with the additions of Brandon Lloyd and Mark Clayton. Bradford is going to improve, the schedule will ease up with games against his division foes upcoming, but do not start Bradford this week. Aside from struggling with a high ankle sprain, he will be facing a revamped Dallas Defense that just held the Patriots to their lowest total of the season. Avoid Bradford this weekend. 

Matt Schaub, Houston Texans @ Tennessee

Schaub had a tough matchup last week against Baltimore and he was recommended to keep on your bench and we are recommending the same this week. It's not just the fact that he has a tough matchup with the Titans defense, it's also he continues to play without Andre Johnson. Look for similar numbers to what Schaub did against Baltimore when he threw for 227 yards with just one TD. Keep him on the pine once again.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit

Ryan now has fourstraight games with just one passing TD and in his last two games has failed to throw for over 200 yards. With Julio Jones out, it really hasn't been pretty. Ryan owners have expected more, but for now you're just gonna have to wait until he gets Jones back and starts throwing in the mid 200s with at least two TDs per game before he can be started. Along with Ryan being poor, he is going against Detroit who is allowing the 4th fewest points to Fantasy QBs.  

RBs: Start Em

Ryan Torain, Washington Redskins @ Carolina 

Torain burnt most of us last week when we thought he would eat up the Eagles last ranked Run D. Well the Eagles stepped up their game and came to play leaving Torain owners with a measly two points. But I am a believer in Torain being the best back in Washington and I think he will have a fairly good finish to his season. I would still try to target him in a trade. Carolina replaced Philly as the worst team in defending against Fantasy RBs, so Torain gets a chance at redemption, he gets it done this week. 

Jackie Battle, Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland 

Battle isn't a special back, he isn't fast, isn't very agile but he's big and runs hard. He also is running behind one of the best blocking offensive lines in the NFL. Thomas Jones is still there, but has proven he really has nothing left. Dexter McCluster isn't an everydown back, so this is Battle's job to lose  and I believe he holds onto it and produces fairly well. Look for that to start this week against Oakland who are third worst in defending Fantasy RBs. Battle is another guy to try and trade for this week, he is going to fare pretty well running behind that offensive line. It's one of the reasons Jamal Charles was averaging an insane six yards a carry last season. 

DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys vs St. Louis

I'm not overly crazy about Murray from a talent standpoint and the fact that the Dallas offensive line has been struggling to open up running lanes, but Murray will take over as the No. 1 back in what should be a potent offense. Felix Jones has a high ankle sprain which should keep him out at least two weeks and it could extend further into four weeks and even more if he comes back to early and re-aggravates it. Fellow RB Tashard Choice is also there, but is not running like he was a few years back. Murray is the guy right now and has a good matchup against the Rams D ranked 27th in defending against Fantasy RBs. Pick up Murray if he's still available, start him this week and hope that his talents begin to emerge in this talented Dallas offense. 

Sit 'Em

Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams @ Dallas 

Different year, same story with Steven Jackson. Only one TD so far, and not even a 100-yard game as of yet. If you can trade em, do it, he really should of just been passed on draft day. This week he needs to be on your bench against a tough Dallas front seven allowing just 3.3 yards per carry, and one rushing TD all year. 

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars vs Baltimore

MJD is the leader of the offense, but this is just a matchup to avoid. MJD has proved many people wrong, including myself by looking healthy, but he hasn't been scoring and that trend will most likely continue for the rest of this year, especially this week. Blaine Gabbert is a rookie with few weapons so MJD's scoring chances are going to be few and far between. If you have better options this week like a Jackie Battle, I would keep MJD on the bench this Sunday.

Delone Carter, Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans

Carter is the short-yardage runner in this offense and the goal line back, but this matchup favors teammate Donald Brown more than Carter. Brown is the better receiver and since the Colts will likely be playing catchup, Carter may not have many chances to contribute in this game. Addai owners who own Carter keep him benched. 

WRs: Start 'Em

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Arizona 

Ward is way past his prime, but he still is a starter and a veteran on this Pittsburgh offense and still contributes from time to time. If you own Ward and are looking for a good starter to replace one of your starters on a bye week, Ward could be your guy. Arizona's secondary is poor, as we all are aware and I think Pittsburgh gets a good amount of chances to score in this game. Ben still likes to look Ward's way in the redzone and I think it's very likely Ward scores. Look for around 50 yards and a TD from Ward in Week 7. 

Brandon Marshall, Miami Dolphins vs Denver 

Marshall is a head case and is hard to trust, but the talent and physical presence is there. He just needs to stop dropping so many passes. Marshall had an up and down game against the Jets last week, but still fared well going over 100 yards in a tough matchup. If Matt Moore heavily targeted him last week while going up against Revis, he should do the same again this week, but this time with more success against the Broncos D allowing 43 points per game to Fantasy wideouts in PPR formats, good for last in the league. I still don't trust Marshall for the season especially with Matt Moore throwing him the ball, but this is a great week to get him in your lineups. 

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans 

A lot of Wayne owners were burned when Manning was indefinitely ruled out following another neck procedure. It truly looked hopeless with Kerry Collinsthrowing him the football. There is hope now with Curtis Painter, but Wayne has yet to score with Painter under center, although he has averaged four catches and about 60 yards per game which isn't terrible. This week, I think Wayne has his best game of the season against New Orleans in what should be a shootout. I expect the Colts to score about four TDs and I think Wayne scores at least one of them and finishes with over 100 yards receiving. Things should get better for Wayne from here on out. 

Sit 'Em

Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers @ New York Jets

Two words: Revis Island.

Anquan Boldin, Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville 

Owners could be looking to stick with Boldin after he got his first 100-yard game of the season last week against Houston, but for the most part Anquan Boldin and his QB have been mostly inconsistent and you need to temper your expectations. I think Boldin goes back to what he's been the last two seasons and finishes with a very mediocre game against Jacksonville. Keep in mind the Ravens will most likely run the ball a ton in this game as they play with the lead and Boldin will also have a tough time against the Jacksonville D allowing the fourth least points to fantasy wideouts. 

Brandon Lloyd, St. Louis Rams @ Dallas 

Lloyd gets a change of scenery and gets to play with his old coach in Josh McDaniels and a better QB in Sam Bradford, but I think we need to take a wait and see approach for at least this first game. Lloyd will probably be a factor in this offense going forward but keep him reserved this week as he gets used to his new surroundings and also faces a stingy Dallas Defense. 

TEs: Start Em

Lance Kendricks, St. Louis Rams @ Dallas

The talented Kendricks tore up the preseason, but after a few weeks of producing very little in the regular season, he was dropped by most owners. Last week Kendricks had a revival finishing with four catches for 74 yards. With the Rams adding more weapons with Mark Clayton and Brandon Lloyd, Kendricks might have more room to get open and connect with Bradford. This is a good matchup this week against Dallas who is shutting down the run and slowing wideouts, but surprisingly they are ranked last when it comes to defending the Tight End position. Kendricks has the talent, this is a good week to pick him up off the waiver wire and give him the start against Dallas. 

Ed Dickson, Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville 

Dickson had a poor matchup last week against Houston and he finished with just two catches for 20 yards, but this week he gets a nice matchup against Jacksonville ranked 29th in defending Tight Ends. Dickson is being targeted a bunch by Flacco, but Flacco just hasn't been able to connect with him, as Dickson is only catching 50 percent of his targets. But I think this week Dickson has his best game since Week 1 when he went for 59 yards and a TD. I expect something similar this week. 

Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans 

I've recommended Painter, Wayne and now I am going with Dallas Clark. Last week Painter and Clark finally got it going with Clark catching six passes for 53 yards and a score. I told you to sit Clark last week which I was wrong about, but I also told you to try and trade for him because sooner or later him and Painter would get it going. Clark is simply too talented not to be utilized. This is a nice matchup for Clark against the Saints who can't guard the WR or TE, so get Clark in your lineups.

Sit Em' 

Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans vs. Houston

Houston is third best when it comes to defending the Tight End, keep the youngster on your bench.

Mercedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Baltimore 

After a breakout year last year with 10 TDs, Lewis has been brutal this year. In case you were thinking about striking gold with him this week, think again, Baltimore is tops at defending the Tight End.

Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers @ Washington

Olsen has a turf toe and was held out of practice Wednesday, even if he plays a turf toe can severely limit a players effectiveness. Keep him benched this week.