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Welcome to Week 7 RotoBallers! The season is starting to ramp up, and it is crucial to make the optimal lineup decisions on a weekly basis. As injuries and bye weeks start to pile up, it is important to start getting some wins under your belt to stay in the thick of the playoff race.
Heading into the seventh week of action, we are starting to get past the early stages of the season, as fantasy managers who have gotten off to a slow start need to string some wins together from here on out. At this point, we can likely get a pretty good feel for how good or bad some fantasy rosters are.
Here are some players I think will be in for a tough game in Week 7 and could disappoint their fantasy managers. However, there could be some managers out there who aren't in any position to bench these players given how many elite players are on their BYE week. It is important to remember that none of these guys are "must-sits," but fantasy managers need to temper expectations.
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Should I Bench Jared Goff in Week 7?
Goff has had a tremendous start to the season but was held in check before the team's bye against the Patriots. The Lions' offense was shut out and Goff finished with 229 passing yards, no touchdowns, and two turnovers.
The Cowboys have allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards this season while ranking third in yards allowed per attempt with 5.2. He’s averaged 37 pass attempts per game through the team’s first five games, but with D’Andre Swift potentially back in action, the Lions could be looking to run the ball more.
Goff has recorded an interception in all but one game this season, meaning he will likely need multiple touchdowns to have a solid day of fantasy production. This is possible, but the Cowboys have allowed just six touchdowns through the air this season.
Considering guys like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Kirk Cousins are on their bye week, Goff is by no means a must-bench. However, fantasy managers need to temper their expectations.
Should I Bench David Montgomery In Week 7?
Montgomery has been one of the most undervalued workhorse running backs for quite some time now, however, the Bears' offense could be getting sophomore Khalil Herbert more involved in the next couple of weeks.
#Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said "we're gonna go with the hot hand" when asked if Khalil Herbert might see more reps in the future.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 18, 2022
The Bears will “ride the hot hand” at the running back position, which hints at Herbert getting more playing time. The fact that Montgomery has looked like the second-best running back on his team, coupled with the fact he will be going against the Patriots looks like a recipe for disaster.
The Patriots' run defense doesn't look all that impressive when you look at their season ranks, as they have given up the 10th-most yards per carry and 16th-most total rushing yards. However, they just held Nick Chubb to 56 yards (albeit on 12 carries).
Still, the Bears figure to be playing from behind in this one, so Montgomery could have his opportunities to touch the ball decreased. If this is the case, he will become touchdown-dependent which is very worrisome considering the low-scoring offense that he plays in.
Fantasy managers probably can’t afford to bench Montgomery, but he is more of a lower-end RB2 this week given we could see him steer away from a workhorse role.
Should I Bench Clyde Edwards-Helaire In Week 7?
Another brutal matchup for the former LSU collegiate star makes him a fade this week, as we saw him struggle against the best defense in the league in Week 6.
Edwards-Helaire will now take on the 49ers, who have given up the fewest yards per carry and fourth-fewest total rushing yards this season. He put up a stat line of nine carries for 33 yards last week, making him a potential bench option as we head into Week 7.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire's ranks among RBs in key usage metrics through 6 weeks:
Snaps - 31st
Routes - 24th
Carries - 28th
Targets - 21st— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 18, 2022
His limited yardage production has been masked by his elite touchdown-scoring rate, as he has posted games of 33, 15, and zero yards on the ground this season.
It’s hard to keep relying on touchdown production when facing an elite run defense, but the 49ers have allowed four rushing touchdowns so far this season. There will always be the chance he falls into the end zone given the offense that he plays in, but CEH managers may need to reconsider their expectations for him this week.
Should I Bench Courtland Sutton in Week 7?
Sutton is potentially going to be another WR1 that gets “lost in the sauce” as the Broncos take on Ahmad Gardner and the Jets.
Sutton has been producing solid fantasy numbers despite the Broncos' offensive struggles, but it is hard to trust him going against a cornerback that has limited names like Ja’Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle to some pretty forgettable games.
Sutton had his worst game of the season in Week 6 with just 14 receiving yards, and his outlook doesn't get any better now that Russell Wilson is banged-up with a hamstring injury. The big wide receiver has seen double-digit targets in three out of six games this season and has been targeted under seven times on just one occasion.
The Jets have allowed the 12th-fewest passing yards so far this season, potentially making the entire Denver offense a fade in this one. Sutton isn't a must-bench if Wilson plays through his injury, but fantasy managers shouldn't feel too confident starting him in this brutal matchup.
Should I Bench Garrett Wilson In Week 7?
The Jets-Broncos matchup could be a low-scoring one, so it looks like Sutton won’t be the only WR1 that struggles in this game. Wilson will go against lockdown corner Patrick Surtain II, making him an option that fantasy managers should consider benching.
Surtain has locked down receivers such as Mike Williams, Michael Pittman Jr., as well as Brandin Cooks this season, establishing himself as one of the league’s best at his position. The Broncos' secondary as a unit has allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards this season, which is a horrible match made with struggling quarterback Zach Wilson.
We saw the Jets limit Wilson’s passing volume to just 38 attempts in the past two weeks, albeit in games they were leading. Still, Breece Hall has been the engine of the offense, leading me to believe we could see another limited game of limited passing volume from the New York offense.
After seeing 33 targets in his first three games, Wilson has seen just 15 targets in three games since Wilson took over at quarterback. He is an easy fade this week in a brutal matchup.
Should I Bench Robert Tonyan In Week 7?
Fantasy managers may be inclined to start Tonyan this week after a 10-reception performance in Week 6, but last week was likely an anomaly. The Green Bay offense wants to rely on Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon as much as possible, as the passing game has not been working for the last couple of weeks. Tonyan has seen five targets or less in four of the six games this season, so fantasy managers should likely expect his target volume to fall closer to this range rather than the 12 he saw last week.
Given the fact the Commanders have given up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, a touchdown-dependent tight end that has only scored one touchdown this season doesn't seem like a recipe for fantasy success, so it wouldn't be the craziest idea for fantasy managers to look elsewhere for a tight end this week.
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