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Should I start Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, Nick Chubb for Week 7? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Week 7 is here, which means it's time to make those critical lineup decisions for your fantasy football matchups. This week presents some particularly challenging choices at the running back position, where committee backfields and tough defensive matchups are creating headaches for fantasy managers everywhere.
In this article, we'll analyze whether you should start Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, and Nick Chubb in fantasy for Week 7. All three running backs are dealing with uncertain situations: emerging from struggles, navigating timeshares, or facing elite run defenses.
So, should fantasy managers start Pacheco, Carter, and Chubb in Week 7? Let's dive in and find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Should I Start Isiah Pacheco for Fantasy Football?
After a rough start to the 2025 season, Pacheco's fantasy value is showing signs of life! The Chiefs' running back has been one of the more frustrating players to roster this year, currently ranking just 41st among running backs with a measly 5.3 fantasy points per game. However, Week 6 against the Detroit Lions showed positive trends that could signal a turnaround.
More Work Ahead For Isiah Pacheco? https://t.co/mnkLObVVrc
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 16, 2025
Pacheco saw his highest snap share of the season at 77%, with 12 carries and three targets. More importantly, his red zone usage spiked dramatically, with four carries within the red zone after just three in the first five weeks. He also racked up four rushes of 15-plus yards, matching his total from Weeks 1-5 combined. The Chiefs are clearly trying to get him more involved.
Verdict: Start with Caution
Pacheco should be in most fantasy lineups in Week 7 as a flex or low-end RB2. The matchup against Las Vegas is too good to pass up, and the usage trends are finally pointing in the right direction. RotoBaller projects him as a borderline RB2 this week.
Should I Start Michael Carter for Fantasy Football?
The Michael Carter situation in Arizona has gone from promising to problematic in the span of just one week. After dominating touches with a 23-5 advantage over Bam Knight in Week 5, Carter saw his role slashed nearly in half during Week 6 against the Colts. He managed just 11 opportunities while Knight received 12, turning what looked like a workhorse role into a frustrating timeshare.
Carter finished Week 6 with nine carries for 34 yards and two receptions for 30 yards. Decent production, but nothing that screams "must-start" for fantasy purposes. The value in this backfield stemmed from volume, and with that volume now split relatively evenly, neither Carter nor Knight offers much upside.
Verdict: Sit
Carter should be on your bench in Week 7 unless you're in a deep league with no other options. The combination of a true timeshare and the league's best run defense makes this a recipe for disappointment.
Should I Start Nick Chubb for Fantasy Football?
The Nick Chubb situation in Houston is proving more complicated than many fantasy managers hoped when drafting him. After a promising Week 5 performance where he posted 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, the Texans' backfield remains frustratingly murky heading out of their Week 6 bye.
NICK CHUBB'S FIRST TOUCHDOWN AS A TEXAN!
📺: @espnnfl / @ABC13houston pic.twitter.com/6KsZJF7gi1
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 16, 2025
Chubb has been serviceable but unspectacular through five games, ranking 34th among running backs with 8.3 fantasy points per game. The bigger issue is the emergence of rookie Woody Marks, who exploded for 27.9 PPR points in Week 4 before seeing his role reduced in Week 5. Neither back played more than 39% of snaps in that Week 5 contest, signaling that Houston is committed to a committee approach.
Verdict: Sit (with an asterisk)
Going up against Seattle, combined with the uncertain workload, makes him a risky RB3/flex option at best. However, if you're thin at running back or playing in deeper leagues, he does carry touchdown upside if Houston gets inside the five-yard line.
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 Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, and Nick Chubb. 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 - Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, and Nick Chubb. 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 Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, and Nick Chubb. compared to others:
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