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RotoBaller staff's fantasy football sleepers, avoids, and start 'em sit 'em picks for Week 7 of 2026. Expert lineup advice from Robert Lorge, Andrew Ball, Brandon Murchison, and Thunder Dan Palyo.
Fantasy football is a war of attrition. You just have to still be standing there when the dust settles in December. And our RotoBaller analysts are here every week with potential sleepers and busts ahead of the remaining Week 7 games.
We do this every week! The goal is to give you the confidence you need to make tough calls, moving a player with a murky projection in OR out of your starting lineup to maximize your score for the week.
These fantasy football sleepers, avoids, and busts come from top RotoBaller contributors Andrew Ball, Brandon Murchison, Robert Lorge, and me. Good luck in your Week 7 matchups, RotoBallers!
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Week 7 Fantasy Football Sleepers - Start 'Em Picks
Malik Washington, WR - MIA at NYJ (Murchison)
Washington has quietly turned into the Dolphins’ most consistent target, catching at least five balls in three straight games and leading the team in looks when Caleb Douglas is out, yet he’s still only rostered in about 45 percent of leagues. He’s drawing seven-plus targets a week on a high snap share with Malik Willis under center, which gives him a real PPR floor even on a struggling Miami offense.
The Jets secondary hasn’t been particularly stingy, so if that volume holds after the bye, you’re looking at a cheap flex option who can sneak into the double digits before the rest of the waiver wire treats him like a locked starter.
If you're hurting for options as a WR3 this week, you could do worse than the floor that Washington brings to the table, in the event that he breaks off a big play.
Aaron Jones Sr., RB - MIN at IND (Lorge)
Jordan Mason is returning this week, and he was widely regarded as Minnesota's No. 1 running back going into the season. However, due to his stint on IR, Jones has gotten a chance to shine.
Now that Mason has been activated from IR and is returning this week, fantasy managers may be quick to forget about Jones or not trust him, now with more competition in the backfield. The reality is, Jones outplayed Mason last year, and Jones has been a far more effective player for his entire career. I'll trust that talent.
With Mason in his first game back, don't be surprised if Minnesota has him on a snap count, further increasing Jones's value this weekend. On top of that, Minnesota is a 6.5-point favorite, creating an optimal situation for their running backs. The Colts' defense has also been incredibly generous to opposing running backs this season. They've given up the sixth-most points to running backs at 22.0 half-PPR PPG. Fire Jones up with confidence.
Woody Marks, RB - HOU vs. NYG (Ball)
David Montgomery (groin) is unlikely to play again this week. Last Sunday, Woody Marks became the first running back to top 50 rushing yards against Jacksonville. His second matchup as a starter is far easier.
The New York Giants have allowed seven runners to notch double-digit PPR points and have surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards at the position. Expect 15+ touches for Marks in a game that Houston is favored by double digits.
Bam Knight, RB - ARI vs. DEN (Murchison)
Knight turned a one-game shot with Jeremiyah Love out into 15 carries for 80 yards and a couple of catches, looking way more explosive than Tyler Allgeier in the same backfield, and he’s still rostered in basically no leagues. Love’s ankle is expected to keep him sidelined again this week, so the Cardinals are staring at the same split, and Denver’s run defense has been one of the softer ones in the league.
If that Week 6 efficiency holds even a little against a front that has been giving up chunk yards on the ground, you’re looking at a cheap flex option who can sneak into the RB2 range before anyone else notices the volume. With plenty of managers scrambling for a body to get into their lineups, Knight could make sense for a fill-in player.
Blake Corum, RB - LAR at LV (Ball)
Kyren Williams publicly complained about his opportunities after a Week 6 loss to Arizona. Sean McVay publicly acknowledged he’d like a better run-pass balance with injuries to pass catchers. The Rams currently call a pass play at the fourth-highest rate.
The narrative adds up to more touches for both Williams and backup Blake Corum. And it couldn’t come at a better time, with a matchup against the Raiders, who allow over five yards per carry to running backs.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR - NYJ vs. MIA (Thunder Dan)
He's coming off a huge outing last week against the Patriots (6-103 on 7 targets) and now gets the Miami secondary, which ranks 31st in the NFL.
This is about as good of a spot that the Jets passing game will get all season (until they play Miami again), and Cooper's 24% target rate last week was even higher than WR1 Garrett Wilson.
If Adonai Mitchell sits out again, I'd fire up Cooper Jr. as a flex play with a decent amount of confidence.
Week 7 Fantasy Football Avoids - Sit 'Em Picks
Tre Tucker, WR - LV vs. LAR (Ball)
We’ve seen this song and dance before. Heck, we saw it earlier this season! Tre Tucker takes advantage of a plus matchup, ends the week as a WR1, and then disappears the following game.
Buffalo fields fantasy football’s worst defense against wide receivers. The Rams are on the other end of the spectrum, allowing the second-fewest yards to the position. That includes just 11 receptions of 20+ yards (fourth fewest) and two of 40+ yards. That's the Tucker speciality they're taking away.
Michael Wilson, WR - ARI vs. DEN (Lorge)
Wilson has gotten a lot of attention in the fantasy community for his usage and target volume, but a closer look at his game log shows two outlier games that seem to be propping up his overall resume. Then, since Marvin Harrison Jr. was traded, Wilson has scored 5.4 and 5.2 half-PPR points.
Over the last two weeks, he has just 62 yards. In Weeks 3-4, Wilson had 30 targets. In the other four games, he has 28 targets, scoring seven in each. In Weeks 1-2 and 5-6, Wilson is averaging 5.4 half-PPR PPG. In Weeks 3-4, he's averaging 16.7 half-PPR PPG. He's only scored double-digit points in two games this season. So while his utilization looks strong, it's a little bit deceiving based on games with 17 and 13 targets, when he's never had more than seven in any of the other four contests.
This week, Arizona plays the Denver Broncos. Pat Surtain II will be back on the field, making the matchup much tougher. Denver has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points.
Josh Jacobs, RB - GB at DET (Thunder Dan)
The Packers get their top runner back in the mix this week, but it's not the top matchup that we might think. The Lions have been much worse against the pass than the run, and Green Bay has struggled to run the football effectively all season.
That's not because the backs they were using in Jacobs's absence were bad; it's more of an indictment of their offensive line, which grades out as one of the worst run-blocking units in the league.
Jacobs isn't likely to take all the touches back in one week either. If you're desperate for a starter due to players on byes, then I get using him. But if you have other options available, I'd consider giving a week to warm up before deploying him in your lineups.
Week 7 Potential Busts
You might not be able to sit these players unless you're in a very shallow league. But temper your expectations accordingly.
Ashton Jeanty, RB - LV vs. LAR (Murchison)
Jeanty keeps getting the early-down and goal-line work, but the efficiency has been brutal—just 3.2 yards a carry on the year—and his snap and carry shares have slipped the last couple of weeks, including only a handful of second-half touches against Buffalo.
The receiving floor (four-plus targets most weeks) has kept him relevant, yet that volume alone hasn’t been enough to overcome the missing explosiveness or the fact that he’s still dealing with residual foot/ankle issues. Facing a Rams front that has been stingy against opposing backs, plus a Raiders offense that can get out of rhythm and off-script quickly, makes this a spot where the high-end RB2 ranking feels more like a trap than a safe floor.
Jonathan Taylor, RB - IND vs. MIN (Lorge)
Okay, first off, you're not benching Jonathon Taylor. The dude is a stud, and if anyone can overcome a brutal matchup and worse quarterback play, it's him. However, from 2024-206, when the Colts win, Taylor averages 25.1 half-PPR PPG. When they lose, that drops to 13.7. The Colts are 6.5-point underdogs.
As if that fact wasn't bad enough, the Colts have to face the Vikings, the No. 1 defense in the NFL, with them coming off their bye week, giving them an extra week to get healthier and to prepare. The Vikings are allowing the fewest fantasy points to running backs this season at just 12.7 half-PPR PPG. With injuries and bye weeks, it's highly unlikely you have a better option, but be prepared to be disappointed.
Garrett Wilson, WR - NYJ vs. MIA (Murchison)
Wilson looked every bit the locked-in WR1 through five weeks, but that Week 6 outing against New England—four catches for 44 yards on just six targets—showed how quickly the volume can evaporate when Geno Smith gets uneven or the defense takes away his preferred intermediate routes.
Now the Jets are home against a winless Dolphins team that should be an easy bounce-back spot, yet the presence of Omar Cooper Jr. (who outproduced him last week) and the Jets’ tendency to get bogged down in low-scoring affairs keep the ceiling in check. If the game stays tight or New York leans on the run to protect a lead, Wilson can easily finish closer to a flex floor than the top-15 production most people are baking into their lineups.
