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Fantasy football starts/sits for TNF, expert advice for all Patriots, Bears. Week 7 matchups on Thursday Night Football. Our start em, sit em picks for Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Rome Odunze, and more.
Week 7 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday night as the Chicago Bears will play host to the New England Patriots.
In addition to our start/sit recommendation and matchup ratings for each player, you can also read the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Rome Odunze, and more. Which Patriots and Bears players should you start or sit in Week 7?
Make sure to set your winning lineups for Week 7, whether you're setting season-long or DFS lineups. We will have our fantasy football start/sit matchup charts available all season long -- focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench -- so be sure to check back. Good luck in Week 7, RotoBallers!
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New England Patriots Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Start/Sit | Pos. | Team | Game Matchup |
| Drake Maye | 112.8 | Start | QB | NE | CHI |
| A.J. Brown | 110.8 | Start | WR | NE | CHI |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 105.6 | Start | RB | NE | CHI |
| DeMario Douglas | 103.1 | Risky Start | WR | NE | CHI |
| Hunter Henry | 102.8 | Risky Start | TE | NE | CHI |
| TreVeyon Henderson | 102.4 | Risky Start | RB | NE | CHI |
| Kyle Williams | 101.1 | Sit | WR | NE | CHI |
| Efton Chism III | 100.9 | Sit | WR | NE | CHI |
| Eli Raridon | 100.2 | Sit | TE | NE | CHI |
| Andy Borregales | 99.1 | Sit | K | NE | CHI |
| Corey Kiner | 98.8 | Sit | RB | NE | CHI |
| New England Patriots | 96.8 | Sit | DEF | NE | CHI |
| Ryan Miller | 95.8 | Sit | WR | NE | CHI |
| Tommy DeVito | 92.5 | Sit | QB | NE | CHI |
| Cameron Latu | 91.8 | Sit | TE | NE | CHI |
| Tanner Arkin | 91.8 | Sit | TE | NE | CHI |
| Behren Morton | 91.3 | Sit | QB | NE | CHI |
DeMario Douglas, WR, Patriots
Fantasy managers may have been dropping New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas going into the team's Week 6 matchup on Sunday against the division-rival New York Jets with star receiver A.J. Brown (ankle) returning from Injured Reserve. Brown struggled with drops in his first game back, and Romeo Doubs suffered a shoulder injury, so Douglas had a second straight strong game, catching seven of eight targets for a team-high 86 yards and his third touchdown of the season in the 26-19 win.
The 25-year-old pass-catcher now has 11 receptions on 13 targets for 151 yards and three touchdowns in the last two weeks. Brown is now back for New England, but Douglas will be a popular waiver-wire target this week in fantasy football now that Doubs has been placed on Injured Reserve. Doubs will miss at least the next four games, opening up a bigger window for Douglas to see consistent targets from young quarterback Drake Maye.
At the very least, the slot man should be in play as a WR4/flex option, especially for a potential shootout against the Chicago Bears this Thursday night in Week 7. Douglas is widely available and is currently rostered in only 8% of Yahoo leagues.
A.J. Brown, WR, Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (ankle) was removed from the final Week 7 injury report on Wednesday and will play on Thursday night against the hosting Chicago Bears. Brown was limited in practice on Monday and Tuesday before upgrading to full participation on Wednesday. The 29-year-old three-time Pro Bowler returned from Injured Reserve to play in the Week 6 win over the division-rival New York Jets on Sunday.
He played 76% of the offensive snaps, but he was rusty and battled crucial drops, ultimately finishing with only three catches on 10 targets for 27 yards. The positive takeaway is that quarterback Drake Maye targeted Brown double-digit times in his first game back. Another week removed from his high-ankle sprain, fantasy managers will be hoping he can finally produce in just his third game with the Patriots.
Brown caught three of his four targets for 26 yards in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks before spraining his ankle. At worst, he should be considered a low-end WR2 for fantasy managers this week.
Chicago Bears Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Start/Sit | Pos. | Team | Game Matchup |
| D'Andre Swift | 115 | Start | RB | CHI | NE |
| Luther Burden III | 110.4 | Start | WR | CHI | NE |
| Caleb Williams | 107.1 | Start | QB | CHI | NE |
| Colston Loveland | 104.6 | Start | TE | CHI | NE |
| Rome Odunze | 104.1 | Start | WR | CHI | NE |
| Kalif Raymond | 101.8 | Sit | WR | CHI | NE |
| Roschon Johnson | 101.9 | Sit | RB | CHI | NE |
| Case Keenum | 100.1 | Sit | QB | CHI | NE |
| Cairo Santos | 99.5 | Sit | K | CHI | NE |
| Cole Kmet | 96.7 | Sit | TE | CHI | NE |
| Tyson Bagent | 96.7 | Sit | QB | CHI | NE |
| Sam Roush | 94.7 | Sit | TE | CHI | NE |
| Zavion Thomas | 94 | Sit | WR | CHI | NE |
| Chicago Bears | 93.1 | Sit | DEF | CHI | NE |
| Jahdae Walker | 91.5 | Sit | WR | CHI | NE |
D'Andre Swift, WR, Bears
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift only averaged 2.8 yards per carry in the 31-23 road win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Week 6 with starting quarterback Caleb Williams back from a hamstring injury, carrying the ball a team-high 16 times for 44 yards. It was the second straight game in which backup Kyle Monangai was out due to thumb and toe injuries, so fantasy managers had high hopes for a high-ceiling game.
The 27-year-old still had solid value on the day, but it was surely disappointing to see backup Roschon Johnson carry the ball 13 times for a team-high 51 yards while adding a touchdown of his own. The good news for fantasy managers is that Swift managed to find the end zone two times, bringing his 2026 total to six in six games. He also caught four of his five targets for 26 yards, but Johnson outgained him through the air, too, with 34 yards on two receptions.
Swift salvaged what would have otherwise been a lackluster day at the office with his two scores against the Falcons. He will remain a must-start in fantasy football going into a Week 7 showdown on Thursday night at Soldier Field against the New England Patriots.
Caleb Williams, QB, Bears
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 30 of his 36 pass attempts for 305 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 6 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He also rushed for three yards, took four sacks, and recovered his own fumble.
Williams didn't have the greatest game by any means, but he stood out for his efficiency by maintaining an 83.3% completion rate with more than 300 yards total. Fantasy managers were certainly pleased to see these numbers from the former No. 1 pick after he missed three games with a hamstring injury.
He is firmly solidified as a mid-to-low QB1 in fantasy football, and he remains a very intriguing starter for Week 7 against the New England Patriots on Thursday.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Rome Odunze. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7.
Week 7 Player Decisions. 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.
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, 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(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 Week 7 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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