Week 7 is another bye week that forces some lineup changes. Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington are all off, so Josh Allen and anyone else from those four teams will be on your bench. The other 14 games are still ahead, starting with New England at Chicago on Thursday night. MyGameSim's NFL Start or Sit tool ranks every position using projected fantasy points from our game simulations.
Here are the top projected players at each spot for Week 7. These numbers come straight from our model, not consensus rankings, so a few of them will look different from what you see elsewhere.
Quarterbacks
C.J. Stroud leads the QB board at 23.6 projected fantasy points at home against the Giants. Deshaun Watson is next at 22.3 on the road at Tennessee. Joe Burrow (20.6 at Baltimore) and Drake Maye (20.4 at Chicago) both clear 20 points, and Maye plays Thursday, so you need him set before the weekend starts.
Tyler Shough (19.9 vs. Pittsburgh) and Caleb Williams (19.8 vs. New England) sit just behind them. Our sims have Tyler Huntley (19.3) as the Ravens quarterback against Cincinnati, with Kyler Murray (18.7) next for Minnesota against Indianapolis. Jordan Love (18.0 at Detroit) and Geno Smith (17.4 vs. Miami) round out the top ten. With Allen on bye, the full QB Start or Sit list is the place to find a streamer.
Running Backs
Jahmyr Gibbs is the top running back at 24.9 projected points at home against Green Bay. Chuba Hubbard (23.7 vs. Tampa Bay) and Aaron Jones Sr. (23.7 vs. Indianapolis) are right there with him, and both are ahead of Bijan Robinson (23.1 vs. San Francisco). If you have Gibbs, you are not sitting him.
Kenneth Walker III (21.7 at Seattle), Derrick Henry (21.4 vs. Cincinnati), and Jaylen Warren (21.1 at New Orleans) all clear 21 points. D'Andre Swift (19.0 vs. New England) is the Thursday night play in this group. Braelon Allen (16.3 vs. Miami) and Kyren Williams (16.0 at Las Vegas) close out the top ten. The RB projections will help if you are replacing a back from a bye team.
Wide Receivers
Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads receivers at 16.5 projected points, with the Seahawks hosting Kansas City on Sunday night. Garrett Wilson (14.2 vs. Miami) and Ja'Marr Chase (13.4 at Baltimore) make up the next tier. Matthew Golden (13.1) gets a piece of the Packers at Lions game, which shows up all over this week's board.
Carolina has two receivers in the top six, with Jalen Coker (12.4) and Tetairoa McMillan (12.3) both facing Tampa Bay. Drake London (11.9 vs. San Francisco), Chris Olave (11.5 vs. Pittsburgh), Zay Flowers (11.4 vs. Cincinnati), and Christian Watson (11.1 at Detroit) fill out the top ten. Olave plays in Sunday's early game, so get him in before you go to bed Saturday. Every receiver is ranked on the WR Start or Sit page.
Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely is the top tight end at 13.8 projected points at Houston, more than two points clear of the field. George Kittle (11.5 at Atlanta) is a comfortable second. After those two, the board tightens.
Hunter Henry (9.9 at Chicago) is the Thursday option. Brock Bowers (9.5 vs. the Rams), Dalton Schultz (9.3 vs. the Giants), and Travis Kelce (8.8 at Seattle) are all startable. Trey McBride comes in at 8.5 against Denver, which is a little quieter than his usual week. Harold Fannin Jr., Mark Andrews, and T.J. Hockenson sit between 7.7 and 8.0. The full TE Start or Sit rankings go deeper if you are streaming.
Kickers and Defense
Will Reichard leads kickers at 12.1 projected points against Indianapolis, followed by Ryan Fitzgerald (11.1 vs. Tampa Bay) and Ka'imi Fairbairn (10.2 vs. the Giants). Cairo Santos (10.0) is the one you have to decide on before Thursday. On defense, Houston is the top play at 18.0 points against the Giants, with Minnesota (17.0) and Cleveland (16.0) next. Detroit and the Jets both project for 15.0. If you stream defenses, the Vikings and Browns are the best looks that are likely still available.
Need help with a flex spot? The FLEX board puts running backs, receivers, and tight ends on one list so you can compare them directly.
Games to Watch
Thursday's Patriots and Bears game has Maye, Williams, Swift, Hunter Henry, and Santos all in the mix, so set those lineups early. Pittsburgh and New Orleans open Sunday with an early-morning kickoff, which puts Shough, Warren, and Olave on the clock Saturday night. Green Bay at Detroit is the best afternoon fantasy game, with Gibbs, Love, Golden, and Watson all near the top of their positions. Sunday night's Chiefs and Seahawks matchup features Smith-Njigba, Walker, and Kelce. Monday night's Cowboys and Eagles game is quieter in our projections, though the Eagles defense ranks sixth on the week.
How to use this
Our Start or Sit grades combine projected fantasy points with opposing defensive strength from the same simulations. Players with higher projections and softer matchups rise to the top. That does not mean you should bench a proven star for every surprise name, but when the model and your gut disagree, take a second look.
Free users can see the top of each position list. GameSim+ unlocks the full Week 7 Start or Sit board, plus detailed player projections for every game on the slate. Good luck this week.
