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Who Should I Start for Week 7? Fantasy Football outlooks for Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Baker Mayfield, Tyler Shough.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Tyler Shough, and Baker Mayfield. 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:
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (thumb) is ready to go for Sunday's divisional contest on the road against the Carolina Panthers, head coach Todd Bowles told Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Mayfield will return this weekend after missing the last three games after he dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand in the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Undrafted rookie signal-caller Jalon Daniels will return to a backup role with Mayfield returning. The Panthers defense has allowed the most passing yards per game through the first six weeks of the season, so Mayfield will have a plus matchup in his return on Sunday.
However, he is also expected to be without top wideout Emeka Egbuka, who is considered doubtful to play due to a concussion and foot injury. Mayfield will be back on the QB2 radar in superflex leagues against the Panthers, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations.
The two-time Pro Bowler was not exactly playing well before his thumb injury, throwing for 615 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first three games in 2026.
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.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to make a case for a waiver-wire pickup after Sunday's 26-19 overtime win over Tampa Bay. Rodgers completed 33 of 49 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, marking his fourth straight game with multiple touchdown passes.
The veteran has thrown 12 touchdowns through six starts, providing consistent fantasy production over the past month despite offering little as a runner. Rodgers faces New Orleans in Week 7 and remains a viable streaming option for fantasy managers seeking quarterback help, although his limited rushing upside caps his ceiling.
J.J. McCarthy, New York Giants
The New York Giants plan to start quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Sunday against the Houston Texans in Week 7, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. McCarthy took over for veteran QB Jameis Winston on Sunday in the Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints and immediately threw an interception, but overall he did some good things and made things interesting to close out the second half.
The 23-year-old went 11-for-21 passing for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It was enough to convince the Giants' coaching staff that McCarthy deserves to start this weekend in Houston.
There is no guarantee that the former 10th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 from Michigan will improve the offense any more than Winston did, but the opportunity to take over the starting QB gig immediately makes McCarthy rosterable in two-QB superflex leagues going forward. He will be a low-end QB2 in those formats in his first start for New York, but the Texans' defense has allowed 246 passing yards per game in 2026, the sixth-most in the NFL.
Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough completed 16 out of 30 passing attempts (53.3%) for 144 yards and three touchdown passes, and added five carries for 32 yards and an additional score in a 34-27 win over the New York Giants in Week 6. While Shough didn't throw for many yards or complete a high percentage of his passes, he lived in the end zone against the Giants.
It was a big bounce-back effort for Shough, who is reportedly playing through two broken bones in his non-throwing hand, after he threw for just 96 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.
In Week 6, Shough connected on touchdown passes with running back Alvin Kamara, wide receiver Chris Olave, and wide receiver Bryce Lance. Shough continues to be productive and currently ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in passing yards (1,143) and touchdown passes (12).
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: Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, J. J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., Baker Mayfield. 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 Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Tyler Shough, Michael Penix Jr., and Baker Mayfield.
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