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Justin's wide receiver start 'em, sit 'em picks for fantasy football Week 7 lineups (2025). Read his expert WR start/sit advice for Kayshon Boutte, Cooper Kupp, Sterling Shepard, others.
It's hard to believe it's Week 7 already. It's even harder to believe that it's Week 7 and the Ravens have the same record as the Browns, Titans, and Saints. That has nothing to do with the rest of this article, as no wide receiver from any of those four teams is featured, but it's just one of those shocking facts that I thought would make a good lede here.
Here's what you will find in this article: three wide receivers who I'm high on in Week 7 and three wide receivers who I'll be steering clear of when putting together my fantasy lineups.
Keep reading to see my Week 7 WR start 'em, sit 'em picks. These are players who are outside the obvious WR1/WR2 range, and also players who aren't complete zeroes. I don't have to tell you to play Amon-Ra St. Brown against the Buccaneers or to not play Jake Bobo against the Texans, right?
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Week 7 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Sterling Shepard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is not a good week to be a Buccaneers wide receiver, because if you're a Buccaneers wide receiver, you're probably actively in pain at the moment.
The team's top three wideouts look in danger of missing this week's game against the Detroit Lions. Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (fibula) have been absent in practice and look like long shots at this point, while Mike Evans has been limited with a hamstring injury. FOX Sports' Greg Auman reported that Evans is "still tracking well for Monday," but that doesn't mean he's quite out of the woods yet.
Here’s WR Sterling Shepard on how this Detroit defense plays — he says all 11 defenders rally around the ball: pic.twitter.com/rv4WUApC00
— River Wells (@riverhwells) October 17, 2025
Whether Evans suits up or not, Sterling Shepard looks set for an expanded role against a Lions defense that allows the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers and that will be without Brian Branch, who is serving a one-game suspension this week.
The question, really, isn't if you should play the Buccaneers replacement receiver, but which replacement receiver you should go with. Sterling Shepard and rookie Tez Johnson are both options here, especially with Johnston's role growing in the last two games.
Despite that, I lean toward Shepard. Yes, Johnson found the end zone last week, but he only has one career game with multiple receptions. Quarterback Baker Mayfield feels more likely to lean on a veteran like Shepard in this spot.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos
This week's matchup against the New York Giants should have second-year Broncos receiver Troy Franklin excited. New York has allowed 1,070 receiving yards to opposing wide receivers this season, trailing only the Steelers for the most allowed to the position.
Asked #Broncos WR Troy Franklin on Bo Nix liking tempo in locker room. Said he likes how it can force defenses into simple coverages -- and could be key this week vs. Giants' front.
"Especially for this week, it's probably something that we really want to do." pic.twitter.com/t9vb7txt1c
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) October 15, 2025
There have been consistency concerns with Franklin, who has as many games with over 50 receiving yards as he has games with under 50 receiving yards, but he still has at least four targets in each game this season.
He's splitting time with Pat Bryant a bit too much for me to consider Franklin as a rest-of-season option at the moment, but for a plus matchup like this one against a defense that has surrendered big yardage to opposing receivers, I'm interested enough to use him as a flex play.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen started this season with touchdowns in three consecutive games, but the last three weeks haven't gone as well for him, as he's failed to hit the 50-yard mark in two of the past three games and has no touchdown receptions in that span.
Maybe there's a little concern there, but Allen still has at least seven targets in each game this season. The yardage might not hae been there over the last few games, but quarterback Justin Herbert still very clearly wants to make sure Allen is involved in the offense.
This week's matchup against the Colts should be a very juicy one for the Chargers' passing attack. The Colts have allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers, with the position finding the end zone seven times already. The Colts have also had a very solid run defense, which should play into the Chargers' hands this week, because running back injuries mean that the team's best shot to win is to throw the football.
The Chargers will also have Quentin Johnston back this week. Maybe it seems counterintuitive to say that having another wide receiver back is good for Allen, but having that big red zone weapon to draw defensive attention makes things easier on Allen.
Week 7 Concerns - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks
The Houston Texans defense is scary good. Houston allows just 12.2 points per game, the best mark in the NFL by a wide margin. Second-best is Denver at 15.8 points per game. The team allows the fifth-fewest passing yards per contest, as well as the fewest passing touchdowns per game.
Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp has been much more inconsistent since arriving in Seattle than he was in Los Angeles. His 43.5 receiving yards per game is on track to be the worst mark of Kupp's NFL career, and he's been on the field for a career-low 74 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps.
That just doesn't really seem like a good sign to play Kupp this week, right? Sure, he scored his first touchdown of the season against the Jaguars last weekend, but he also had just three targets and two receptions in that one.
In fact, Kupp has exactly three targets in half of his games this season. His usage just feels too uneven for him to be a reliable week-to-week option and while there are still plenty of matchups where he's worth starting, this game against a terrifying Texans secondary isn't one of them.
Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
Last week, Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan caught a pair of touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys, but he also finished with his fewest yards in his NFL career and was targeted a career-low five times.
Part of that was quarterback Bryce Young threw his second-fewest passes of the season as the team leaned on the run game, with Rico Dowdle carrying the ball 30 times. This week, Chuba Hubbard is set to return, and the Panthers will likely lean on both against a Jets defense that allows the 10th-most rushing yards and the 10th-fewest receiving yards per game.
Meanwhile, McMillan will likely spend much of this game matched up with Sauce Gardner, which is not a thing you want to do if you're a wide receiver. Looking back at recent weeks, No. 1 receivers have struggled against the Jets. Last week, Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton had one catch for 17 yards against New York.
How well CBs have done preventing separation on all routes and their grade at the catchpoint pic.twitter.com/5ouKb69fv8
— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) October 16, 2025
Going back farther, in Week 5, George Pickens caught a touchdown against the Jets, but only had two receptions on four targets. Keon Coleman had just 26 receiving yards in Week 2, one game after exploding for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is coming off a huge Week 6 showing, catching five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints. So, why fade him this week?
There are a few reasons. One is simply that I don't want to get carried away by one big game when Boutte hadn't seen more than three targets since Week 1. Over that four-week span, Boutte averaged 2.5 targets, 1.8 receptions, and 26.3 yards per game.
Second, this doesn't feel like a game where New England will need to do much through the air. Sure, the Patriots don't have the scariest run game in the world, but they should be able to take advantage of a Titans defense that allows the eighth-most rushing yards per contest. Game script might mean that quarterback Drake Maye won't go to the air as much as he might in a different matchup. Tennessee is also tied for fifth-fewest passing touchdowns allowed per game while giving up the league's most rushing touchdowns per contest.
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