When it comes to making start/sit decisions in fantasy football, the advice is simple: Play the matchups, and you’ll win more often than you lose. Now that we’re in the thick of the bye weeks, knowing the matchups to avoid and exploit becomes even more important. Bellow you’ll find the key matchup stats to know from each of the 14 remaining games for Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season.
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo
Big upgrade for Tyrod Taylor.
The Bills return from bye and get a favorable matchup against the floundering Bucs defense. Tampa Bay currently surrenders the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks with opposing signal callers averaging 309 passing yards per game. Taylor doesn’t have an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, but he’s played well this season and adds value with his legs. He’s a QB1 play in season-long and makes for a very intriguing DFS option this week.
Carolina @ Chicago
Tough matchup for Jordan Howard.
Carolina has done a good job against running backs this season, holding opposing backfields to an average of 66 yards per game. That’s the third-fewest in the league. That being said, fantasy owners should still expect plenty of volume for Howard this week after Chicago ran the ball 54 times last week. Despite the less-than-ideal matchup, Howard remains in play as an RB2 in season-long. DFS players should look elsewhere.
Tennessee @ Cleveland
Good matchup for both quarterbacks, but …
Outside of deep 2QB leagues, DeShone Kizer shouldn’t be anywhere near starting lineups this week. He’s just too volatile to trust, regardless of what the matchup data says. However, Marcus Mariota is poised for a big week. He suffered no setbacks with his injured hamstring and faces a Cleveland defense that gives up the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Browns are currently tied with New England for the most passing scores surrendered with 14.
New Orleans @ Green Bay
Brett Hundley gets off to a good start.
It isn’t ideal for the Packers to have to rely on Hundley going forward, but fantasy players may want to rely on him this week. The Saints have been good against the pass at times this season, but they’ve also surrendered three passing scores to three of their five opponents. Hundley is a risky streamer with upside in season-long and is a sneaky tournament play in DFS.
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
Leonard Fournette keeps rolling.
Despite missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Fournette expects to suit up on Sunday, which is good news for his fantasy owners. Indianapolis has been extremely friendly to opposing backfields this season, with running backs scoring an average of one touchdown per game. The matchup bodes extremely well for Fournette to continue his touchdown streak. He’s an elite season-long option with cash game appeal in DFS.
Arizona @ LA Rams
Fire up Adrian Peterson again this week.
The veteran running back is coming off a surprise breakout performance last week and gets another favorable matchup in this one. The Rams currently give up the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs with seven rushing touchdowns and an average of 122 rushing yards per game surrendered to the position. Peterson has RB1 potential yet again this week.
NY Jets @ Miami
Jay Ajayi does it again.
He topped 100 yards on the ground last week and is a good bet to do it again this week. The Jets give up 105 rushing yards per game to running backs, which ranks eighth in the league. Ajayi only managed 16 rushing yards in his previous meeting against the Jets, but fantasy owners shouldn’t read too much into that stat. He’s topped 25 carries in each of the last two weeks, and the Dolphins will again look to lean on him heavily this week. Ajayi remains an RB1 and should be considered in DFS tournament lineups.
Baltimore @ Minnesota
Avoid Alex Collins and Javorius Allen.
We still lack clarity in the Baltimore backfield with Collins leading the team in carries last week. That’s a reversal of Week 5, when Allen was tops in carries. That ambiguity plus this matchup makes it tough to rely on either player this week. Minnesota currently gives up the second-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs.
Dallas @ San Francisco
Good matchups on both sides of this contest.
This isn’t projected to be the highest-scoring game of the week, but there’s a lot of fantasy value to be mined from this contest. Dak Prescott is a top-five play with San Francisco giving up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Ezekiel Elliott should also have his way this week. Opposing backfields average 169.3 combined yards per week against the 49ers, which is tops in the league. Dallas has also been kind to running backs, with 100-plus yards surrendered to three of their five opponents. Carlos Hyde remains in play as a fringe RB1 following his strong Week 6 performance. Bold DFS players may also want to get a tiny bit of exposure to C.J. Beathard. The rookie is a risky play, but Dallas has yielded multiple passing scores to each of the last four quarterbacks they’ve faced.
Seattle @ NY Giants
This isn’t the week to stream Orleans Darkwa.
Fantasy owners may have something on their hands with Darkwa, after he posted a surprise 100-yard performance on a tough Denver defense. However, this isn’t the week to start Darkwa in season-long leagues. Seattle has been relatively tough on opposing running backs, allowing the seventh-fewest PPR points per game to the position.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Fade the quarterbacks in this contest.
There will be plenty of weeks to start Andy Dalton and/or Ben Roethlisberger, but this isn’t one of them. Dalton’s matchup is downright bad, with the Steelers currently yielding the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Pittsburgh has only given up four passing scores and allow a league-low 178 passing yards per game to quarterbacks. Cincinnati has been nearly as tough on opposing signal callers with an average of 182 passing yards and just five passing scores surrendered.
Denver @ LA Chargers
C.J. Anderson gets back on track.
The Broncos running back was a huge disappointment last week, but he gets things back on track in a plus matchup against this week. The Chargers allow a league-high 134.8 rushing yards to opposing backfields, with running backs averaging a massive 5.2 yards per carry. Anderson makes up for last week’s clunker in a big way in this contest.
Atlanta @ New England
Matt Ryan gets off the schneid.
It’s been frustrating to own Ryan in 2017, but that all changes this week. Ryan gets the premier matchup for quarterbacks with the Patriots allowing 300-plus passing yards to all six of the quarterbacks they’ve faced along with a league-high 14 passing scores. Ryan is locked in as a top-five fantasy quarterback this week.
Washington @ Philadelphia
Expect big yardage from Kirk Cousins.
Here’s the thing about the Eagles defense: They’re very much a bend-but-not-brake unit right now that gives up big chunks of yards without necessarily surrendering massive touchdown numbers. Philly sits fifth in the league in passing yards allowed to quarterbacks with 289 per game. However, the Eagles rank 15th in passing scores yielded per game at 1.5. So what does that mean? The matchup is likely better for the Redskins receivers than it is for Cousins. That said, fantasy owners should still fire up Cousins as a back-end QB1.
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