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Should I start Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Christian Kirk for Week 7? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Wide receiver is a very deep position in fantasy football, but that depth has been put to the test over the last few weeks with multiple key receivers going down with injuries. With bye weeks also in play, some fantasy teams are stretched extremely thin at the position coming into Week 7. The position has plenty of options to consider that bring upside for a big game, even though they don't produce consistently enough to be an every-week starter. Catching one of these deep-league options on the right week can be challenging, but several factors can help sort through the many options, like current form, matchup, and expected workload
In this article, we will examine if fringe deep-league options Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, and Christian Kirk should be started in fantasy in Week 7. All three wide receivers have flashed potential but are probably not every-week starters outside of extremely deep leagues.
So, should fantasy managers start Ayomanor, Franklin, and Kirk in Week 7? Let's dive in and find out.
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Should I Start Elic Ayomanor for Fantasy Football?
The Titans became the first team to make a coaching change this season by parting ways with Brian Callahan earlier this week. Interim coach Mike McCoy will lead the team against the Patriots in Week 7 and face former Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Can McCoy's taking the reins jumpstart the Titans' struggling offense?
The Titans are 1-5, partly due to the inconsistency of rookie Cam Ward at quarterback. His fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor has been one of the key pass-catching options in the offense, and Ayomanor could be set to rise to the team's top receiver role this week.
Most of the season, Ayomanor has been starting across the field from Calvin Ridley, but Ridley had to leave last week's game with a hamstring injury and was not able to practice Wednesday or Thursday. The fourth-round pick from Stanford has played around 70-80% of snaps most weeks, but last week that number jumped to 93% with Ridley ailing.
Even with the extra work, though, he only had three catches on five targets for 27 yards. He also was limited in his two road games against the Texans and Cardinals, but he did flash his big-play potential on this connection with Ward:
Cam Ward buys time and connects across the field to Elic Ayomanor!
TENvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/QI8QGuEPDt
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
In each of his two home games earlier this year, Ayomanor had four catches and a touchdown. He finished with 56 yards and a score against the Rams in Week 2, followed by 38 yards and a score against the Colts the next week.
If Ridley is out, more targets will be available, and he could be the breakout contributor the Titans need to get their passing game in gear. He’s an interesting option worth considering from the waiver wire for Week 7, and he could even be an emergency starter. Even if Ridley is out, I wouldn't say he's "must start," but he does bring upside.
In RotoBaller's rankings for Week 7, he is the No. 46 wide receiver, making him a fringe option worth considering.
Should I Start Troy Franklin for Fantasy Football?
Another deep-league or flex option is second-year receiver Troy Franklin of the Broncos. Franklin has shown a great connection with his college quarterback, Bo Nix, which gives him a high ceiling as the Broncos host the Giants in the Mile High City.
This season, Franklin has a 71.8% route share, a 17% target share, and an 18% first-read share. He has caught at least three passes in five of his six games this year and is averaging 4.0 catches for 41.7 yards per game. His best game of the season was an eight-catch, 89-yard performance in Week 2 against the Colts, when he also scored his only touchdown of the year.
Troy Franklin finishes off the drive with a TD catch!
DENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/cK1ug28dHg
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
He has that kind of a high ceiling this week against the Giants as well, since they have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Opposing receivers have averaged 178.3 yards per game against the Giants and scored five touchdowns in six games.
Since he has been held to 35 yards or fewer in three of his last four games, he is a high-risk play this week, despite his high ceiling. In RotoBaller's rankings, he's the WR57 for Week 7, but if you're desperate, he does have enough potential to take a flier on.
Should I Start Christian Kirk for Fantasy Football?
If you're looking for a more veteran play, Kirk is near the same ranking as Ayomanor and Franklin this week, checking in as the WR48 in RotoBaller's rankings.
The Texans are coming off a bye week and play in the second game of Monday night's doubleheader in Seattle against the Seahawks. Before their bye, the offense finally had a breakthrough game in their 44-10 thrashing of the Ravens. Kirk got involved in the big win, posting a season-high four catches for a season-high 64 yards.
DART 🎯
📺 : @nfloncbs / @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/VZraOu1Emf
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 5, 2025
Kirk has been working his way back to fantasy relevance after missing the first two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury. He played over 60% of snaps in two of his three games after returning, but he only played 49% of snaps against the Ravens since the Texans went run-heavy after opening a big lead.
The Texans have several young receivers who haven't quite broken out yet, so the offense could go a variety of ways as it comes back after the bye. Kirk does bring solid upside, though, and probably a slightly higher floor than either of the young options in this trio of receivers to consider for Week 7.
Kirk could be ready for his own breakout now that he's fully past the injury and is establishing a solid rapport with C.J. Stroud, who could be starting to find his stride in Nick Caley's offense.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Christian Kirk. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7. 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.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Christian Kirk. 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'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 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, 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 for Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Christian Kirk compared to others:
[wr_player_list names="" sport="nfl_start" limit="150" type="ppr" pos="" ]
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