Erickson: NFL Week 7 fantasy football start 'em or sit 'em

Week 7 presents the start of the “witching hour” for fantasy football managers, as the start/sit decisions made this week will either jump start a championship run or result in other managers questioning if Adam Gase is in charge of the roster. 

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Injuries continue to ravage fantasy lineups, and bye weeks have us scrambling to find replacements for the likes of  Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews, Jonathan Taylor, Myles Gaskin, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson. Many rosters won’t be at 100% in Week 7, so we need to squeak out wins however we can.

I'm here to be your guide through weekly sit/start questions across traditional 10- and 12-team leagues, along with deeper formats.

So, without further ado, get ready for the seventh edition of the 2020 PFF fantasy football start ‘em or sit ‘em.

QUARTERBACKS

Start: CAM NEWTON, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The New England Patriots’ offense looked discombobulated in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos. They scored just 12 points and Newton finished with less than 17 fantasy points.

Neither Julian Edelman nor N’Keal Harry was of much help to their quarterbacks, as the duo combined for just two receptions for eight yards on eight targets.

But Newton’s true fantasy production is tied to his ability as a rusher, and the San Francisco 49ers have been exploited in that aspect against mobile quarterbacks. They have allowed the most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season. 

This also isn’t an example of a small sample size trap — last season they allowed the third-most rushing yards to the quarterback position. 

Fire up Newton with confidence in Week 7, as he leads NFL quarterbacks in rushing attempts per game (11.3).

Start: JUSTIN HERBERT, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Justin Herbert must have spent training camp with former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman because the rookie has been nothing but “light outs” in fantasy football. 

Despite facing the second-most difficult schedule to start his NFL career, the 2020 No. 6 overall pick has averaged 27 fantasy points per game through his four starts