7 QBs to start or sit

Quarterback remains the deepest position in fantasy football Week 7. That's true even if a handful of teams say goodbye every week.

Fantasy football managers are fortunate that the position won't be too heavily affected by absences in Week 7. Tua Tagovailoa And Derek Carr staying out of action while Dak Prescott And Caleb Williams will take a week's leave.

Nevertheless, there will be plenty of starters at the position. There are so many good options that some players who normally considered automatic starts in more favorable matchups could be benched in favor of streamers.

It might not be sexy to play Kirk cousins about Joe Burrowbut that can be a good strategy in week 7.

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Here's a look at the quarterbacks to trust and fade in Week 7 of the fantasy football season.

Fantasy football starts them: Week 7 QBs

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Baltimore Ravens)

Mayfield was excellent to start the 2024 NFL season. He leads the NFL with 15 passing touchdowns and has completed 70.9 percent of his passes while leading the Buccaneers to a 4-2 record.

The Ravens may not sound like the best fit, but they have allowed at least 253 passing yards and two touchdowns to quarterbacks in three of their last four games. That includes a 371-yard, five-touchdown performance against Joe Burrow. Mayfield can similarly take advantage of Baltimore's leaky secondary with Mike Evans And Chris Godwin and should have the volume needed to be a top-10 fantasy quarterback again.

Kirk cousins, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Cousins ​​won't have that 509 yards and four touchdowns every week as he did in Week 5, but he can be trusted as QB1 in favorable matchups. The Seahawks qualify as one.

Seattle allowed an average of 132.3 passing yards and one total passing touchdown in their first three games; those numbers have since risen to 257.7 passing yards per game and eight total passing touchdowns in three games, giving him a high ceiling in what could be a high-scoring game.

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (bee Atlanta Falcons)

Smith continues to confuse fantasy owners by posting exactly one passing touchdown every game. That said, he could break that streak in a solid Week 7 game against a Falcons team that has surrendered multiple touchdowns to quarterbacks in three of the last four games.

Add in the fact that Smith leads the NFL in pass attempts (251), completions (173) and passing yards (1,778), and he's a high-level fill-in who could be an ideal fill-in for Prescott or Williams.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Maye could be a worthwhile bet if you're brave or just looking for a DFS sleeper or SuperFlex option. He recorded three touchdowns in his first start for the Patriots, sometimes struggling against one Houston Texans defense that gets a lot of pressure, but shows its high-end potential in other areas.

Maye gets a much more forgiving matchup in Week 7 against a Jaguars team that allows the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. They are the only team to allow fourteen passing touchdowns through the first six weeks of the season, so Maye could have another multi-touchdown outing in London.

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Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 7 QBs

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (bee Cleveland Browns)

Many are questioning Burrow's status to start after allowing just one touchdown against the New York Giantsand rightly so. The Giants got a lot of pressure on the star quarterback, preventing him from playing downfield Ja'Marr Chase And Tee Higgins that most are used to seeing.

Cleveland could pose a similar problem. They don't have the same type of threats as the Giants, but… Myles Garrett is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL and has regularly harassed Burrow when the two have faced off during their careers. That's why the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has completed just 61.2 percent of his passes for 835 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in his last four games against the Browns.

Add to that, Garrett will largely be faced at rookie tackle Amarius Mimswho fought against Azeez Ojulari and the Giants, and this seems like a good place to fade Burrow.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (bee Minnesota Vikings)

Goff has been outstanding for the Lions in his last two starts, completing 83.7 percent of his passes for 607 yards and five touchdowns. Detroit's explosive offense puts Goff in line for a starting role every week, but he likely won't be in the top 15 in Week 7.

The Vikings have allowed 263 passing yards per game, third-most in the NFL, but have allowed just eight touchdowns to quarterbacks in five games this season. That makes this look like a tough game for Goff, especially since the Lions tend to be run-heavy in goal-to-go situations with the David Montgomery And Jahmyr Gibbs tandem.

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Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. New York fighter jets)

Fields is always in the running to be a QB1 because of his rushing ability. That said, his minimum may be lower than normal in his Week 7 matchup against a strong Jets defense that was just limited Josh Allen to 18 rushing yards in Jeff Ulbrich's debut as head coach.

The Jets have allowed just 15.3 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks this season, so it's probably best not to trust Fields in Week 7. He has more favorable streaming matchups in Weeks 8 and 9 against the Giants and Washington commanders but can cede his starting job to Russell Wilson. All in all, this is a quarterback situation to avoid.

Fantasy football she starts, she sits, week 7

Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:

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