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Fantasy football start em, sit em MNF lineups advice for Buccaneers vs. Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 7 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and MNF starts/sits.
We have an NFC banger to kick off Monday night between two potential Super Bowl contenders led by former No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks on teams that did not draft them. While there are several Buccaneers dealing with injuries, many fantasy matchups will likely be decided by the outcomes of this game.
Below, read about the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Rachaad White, Jameson Williams, Tez Johnson, Cade Otton, Sterling Shepard, David Montgomery and more. Which Buccaneers and Lions players should you start or sit in Week 7?
We will bring you Monday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Good luck in Week 7, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
Monday, October 20th, 8:00 PM ET
Game Total: 52.5
Spread: Lions -5.5
Matchups We Love
Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP right now. He has also been a reliable QB1 option each week. Mayfield has finished as a top-12 option in five of six games. That’s enough to start him as a QB1 this week against a Lions defense that is banged up and has given up multiple passing touchdowns in five different contests.
WR Mike Evans
After missing the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury, Mike Evans could return in Week 7. He practiced in a limited fashion on Friday. If he plays, Evans is a strong WR2. The Detroit secondary will be missing some key players, and this defense has already given up the fifth-most fantasy points and the third-most receiving touchdowns to opposing WRs.
Matchups We Hate
The Lions want to give David Montgomery more opportunities moving forward. However, this isn’t the best matchup for him. Only one RB has rushed for more than 55 yards against this Tampa Bay defense this year, and the Buccaneers currently rank third in rush yards allowed per game. Since Montgomery only has a 38.6% snap share, he is a risky RB2 option.
Other Notable Matchups
QB Jared Goff
Jared Goff has some potential as a QB1 this week. Goff has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in three straight games, and the Buccaneers' secondary has allowed some big QB performances in recent weeks. Both Jones (347 yards) and Sam Darnold (341 yards) threw for over 300 yards against this Tampa Bay defense over the past two games. So, Goff is a low-end QB1.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
While we highlighted Montgomery in the hate section because of Tampa Bay’s stout run defense, Gibbs should have some success in this game. The Buccaneers have allowed the fourth-most receptions and third-most receiving yards per game to opposing RBs. Given that Gibbs is averaging 3.8 receptions per game to start the season, he should be in all lineups.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025: @Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is ranked No. 27! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/M4aWU8Ohyj
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025
With Bucky Irving set to miss his third straight game, Rachaad White will draw another start. In his first two games without Irving, White has finished as the RB7 (Week 5) and RB10 (Week 6) in PPR formats. That makes him a solid RB2 play in this matchup against the 49ers. San Francisco is also allowing 4.8 receptions per game to opposing RBs.
WRs Sterling Shepard/Tez Johnson
With Chris Godwin (fibula) and Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) trending to miss this week’s game, both Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson get a boost in Tampa Bay’s passing attack. Of those WRs, Shepard is the safer high-floor play, while Johnson is the higher upside option.
We have certainly seen that take shape in recent weeks. Shepard has scored between 11 PPR fantasy points and 12 PPR fantasy points in two of the last four games, and Johnson needed just one play to show his fantasy potential last week. The rookie caught a 45-yard touchdown in the win.
It was nice to see Jameson Williams get involved in Detroit’s offense last week. He caught six passes for 66 yards and one touchdown en route to a WR12 fantasy finish. However, Williams will remain a boom-or-bust WR3 this week. The good news for him, though, is that the Buccaneers allowed both Bourne and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to total over 130 receiving yards in each of the last two weeks.
Amon-Ra St. Brown will remain a strong WR1 for fantasy managers this week. St. Brown has caught at least seven catches in five straight games, and there is no way you can sit him in any format. He will enter the week as one of the best options at the wide receiver position.
TE Cade Otton
Cade Otton is a sneaky TE1 play in 12-plus team leagues this week. With Godwin and Egbuka likely to miss this game, Otton could be a reliable weapon for Mayfield on Monday night. He has scored in double figures in PPR formats in back-to-back games, and the Lions just let Kelce catch six passes for 78 yards last week.
Therefore, the Buccaneers playmaker is a solid TE1 option in some formats.
TE Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta should be started in all formats this week against the Buccaneers. He has finished as the TE4 in consecutive weeks, and his target share is up over 24% across the past two games. That’s enough to start him as a TE1 against a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed an overall TE1 finish in two of the past three weeks.
Injuries:
- Bucky Irving (shoulder/foot) - out
- Chris Godwin (fibula) - out
- Mike Evans (hamstring) - questionable
- Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) - questionable
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Game Matchup |
| Mike Evans, WR | Start | 115.8 | @ DET |
| Rachaad White, RB | Start | 115 | @ DET |
| Baker Mayfield | Start | 114.1 | @ DET |
| Emeka Egbuka, WR | Start | 112.3 | @ DET |
| Chase McLaughlin | Start | 111.1 | @ DET |
| Cade Otton, TE | Risky Start | 109.9 | @ DET |
| Sterling Shepard, WR | Risky Start | 105.3 | @ DET |
| Tez Johnson, WR | Risky Start | 103.3 | @ DET |
| Kameron Johnson, WR | Risky Start | 103.1 | @ DET |
| Ryan Miller, WR | Sit | 96.9 | @ DET |
| Sean Tucker, RB | Sit | 94.2 | @ DET |
| Payne Durham, TE | Sit | 92.2 | @ DET |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sit | 90.5 | @ DET |
Detroit Lions Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Game Matchup |
| Jared Goff | Start | 115.7 | vs. TB |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | Start | 115.1 | vs. TB |
| Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | Start | 113.8 | vs. TB |
| Sam LaPorta, TE | Start | 110.5 | vs. TB |
| Jameson Williams, WR | Start | 109.4 | vs. TB |
| David Montgomery, RB | Start | 105 | vs. TB |
| Jake Bates | Risky Start | 102.1 | vs. TB |
| Detroit Lions | Sit | 100.5 | vs. TB |
| Isaac TeSlaa, WR | Sit | 97.8 | vs. TB |
| Kalif Raymond, WR | Sit | 97.4 | vs. TB |
| Brock Wright, TE | Sit | 96.1 | vs. TB |
| Dominic Lovett, WR | Sit | 92.2 | vs. TB |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Rachaad White, Jameson Williams, Tez Johnson, Cade Otton, Sterling Shepard, David Montgomery. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 7 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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