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Who Should I Start for Week 7? Fantasy Football outlooks for Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Brock Purdy, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Brock Purdy, Deshaun Watson, and Tanner McKee. However, don't worry; we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 7 of the 2026 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.
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Week 7 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 7:
J.J. McCarthy, New York Giants
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy's fantasy football value hit rock bottom when he lost out to Kyler Murray in Minnesota earlier this year, but the New York Giants swung a trade for him after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury, and now he potentially has a chance to start under center for the G-Men in the Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans.
The 23-year-old replaced a struggling Jameis Winston on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and made the game interesting, going 11-for-21 passing for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Giants have not revealed their plan at the QB position yet for this weekend against Houston, but there have been rumors that it will be McCarthy making his first start of 2026.
The former 10th overall pick from Michigan missed his entire first year in the NFL due to a knee injury that required surgery, and he fell flat with poor accuracy, decision-making, and injuries in his first year as the starter in Minnesota in 2025.
A change of scenery might just be what the doctor ordered for a McCarthy turnaround, and while he may not have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison anymore, he has plenty of weapons in the passing game in New York as well. Fantasy managers in two-QB superflex leagues should be interested in adding McCarthy for depth.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (thumb) is expected to return to practice this week after missing three games with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. Mayfield has been replaced by rookie Jalon Daniels, who would start again this week against the Carolina Panthers if Mayfield needs another week to recover.
The fact that Mayfield is returning to the practice field is a sign of progress for the veteran, and he'll be a midrange QB2 in superflex formats when he is ready to get back on the field. After a disappointing season last year, he struggled to an 0-3 start while posting 615 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions before his injury.
He would be in a potential revenge spot against the Panthers this week if he's able to make it back, and he does have upside in this offense when he's healthy.
Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee is worth considering on the waiver wire, with Jalen Hurts expected to miss the remainder of the season due to blood clots. McKee completed 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to Carolina, although Philadelphia struggled offensively.
The Eagles host Dallas in Week 7, presenting a favorable matchup against a Cowboys defense that ranks 30th in total defense and allows 26.5 points per game. McKee offers potential streaming value and longer-term quarterback depth, although Philadelphia's offensive struggles and his limited rushing upside temper expectations.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Across six games in 2026, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has completed 63.8% of his pass attempts for 1,174 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. The 31-year-old has also added some fantasy value with his legs, rushing for 196 yards on 45 attempts. After a relatively hot start to the year, Watson's production has slowed down of late.
Over the last two weeks, totaled just 319 passing yards and one touchdown while leading the Cleveland offense to just 25 total points. However, the Browns have a significantly easier matchup coming up in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. Through six weeks, Tennessee ranks in the bottom 10 in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.5).
Given the matchup, Watson could be a solid quarterback streamer for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire ahead of Week 7.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had his most fantasy-friendly day in Sunday's Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears, as he completed 19 of his season-high 33 pass attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Penix did not throw an interception for the third straight game, and he now has at least one touchdown pass in his four starts in 2026.
Down 28-7 going into the fourth quarter in Atlanta, Penix made things interesting late in the game, and the Falcons only lost by one score (eight points). He effectively spread the ball around to all of his weapons, including Drake London, Jahan Dotson, rookie Zachariah Branch, and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.
Through four games in his third year in the league, the former eighth overall pick from the University of Washington has completed a career-high 64.5% of his passes for 944 yards, six touchdowns, and just one pick. Penix has a shy-away Week 7 matchup against the 6-0 San Francisco 49ers, but he has quickly put himself on the superflex radar while recovering from a partially torn ACL that he suffered last year. Penix is only rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Brock Purdy, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 7.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 (2026)? 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 7 for Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Brock Purdy, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee.
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