Fantasy Football Week 7 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Running Backs: Rachaad White set up for a strong game vs. Lions
Running backs you want in Week 7 lineups and those you should avoid
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Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a down game in Week 6 against Chicago with just 5.8 PPR points, but he should bounce back in a major way in Week 7. That's because he's facing the Cowboys.
Dallas is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Croskey-Merritt should go off in this game. The past three running backs against the Cowboys -- Josh Jacobs, Breece Hall, and Rico Dowdle -- have all scored at least 19.9 PPR points, and I expect Croskey-Merritt to follow suit.
He had 27 PPR points in Week 5 against the Chargers with 14 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for 39 yards on two targets. I'm hopeful he'll get 15-20 total touches in Week 7, and he should have a dominant game against Dallas. Croskey-Merritt has top-10 upside in all leagues.
RBs to Start
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White was excellent as the Start of the Week in Week 6 against San Francisco with 17.6 PPR points, and he's combined for 40.7 PPR points in two games without Bucky Irving (shoulder), who won't play again in Week 7 against Detroit. White has seven catches for 51 yards on seven targets in his past two outings, and he could have an expanded role in the passing game with Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (leg) hurt. The Lions are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but four guys have already scored at least 12.7 PPR Points against Detroit this year, including Josh Jacobs, D'Andre Swift, Derrick Henry, and Quinshon Judkins. I like White as a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
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Swift was a star in Week 6 at Washington with 25.5 PPR points, and he has now scored at least 16 PPR points in consecutive games heading into Week 7 against New Orleans. Last week against New England was the first time a running back failed to score at least 14.4 PPR points against the Saints, but I'm counting on Swift to hit that threshold, if not do better. He's averaging three catches per game this season, and he's had at least 45 receiving yards in two of his past three outings. He's a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
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The last time we saw Mason was in Week 5 against Cleveland in London, and he finished with 12.6 PPR points thanks to a touchdown. Mason has now scored at least 12.6 PPR points in two of three starts in place of Aaron Jones (hamstring), who remains out in Week 7 against the Eagles. And I love that Mason has six catches for 19 yards on seven targets in his past two games, so hopefully he continues to get work in the passing game this week. Philadelphia has allowed a running back to score at least 15.4 PPR points in five of six games this season, and the Eagles are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to the position. Mason should be considered a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Tyrone Tracy Jr. returned from a two-game absence with a shoulder injury in Week 6 against the Eagles, but it didn't matter for Skattebo. He had 19 carries for 98 yards and three touchdowns and two catches for 12 yards on two targets, and he has now scored at least 13 PPR points in five games in a row, including the past three outings with at least 21 total touches. The Broncos are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but three guys this season have scored at least 17.8 PPR points against Denver, including Saquon Barkley, Omarion Hampton, and Jonathan Taylor. Skattebo should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 7.
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Dobbins had his first bad game of the season in Week 5 against the Jets in London with four PPR points, but he should get back on track against the other team from New York at home. The Giants have allowed three running backs this season to score at least 14.2 PPR points, including Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Javonte Williams, and Omarion Hampton. Dobbins will likely need a touchdown to help his Fantasy value in this matchup, and the Giants are one of nine teams to allow at least five rushing touchdowns to a running back this year. Dobbins is worth starting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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We found out in Week 6 at Miami that Vidal will be the replacement for Omarion Hampton (ankle), and Vidal is worth using as a No. 2 running back or flex in all leagues in Week 7 against the Colts. Against Miami, Vidal had 18 carries for 124 yards and three catches for 14 yards and a touchdown on four targets. By comparison, Hassan Haskins was held to six carries for 14 yards and one catch for 9 yards on one target. Vidal should continue in the lead role, and Indianapolis has allowed a running back to score at least 12.4 PPR points in every game this season. He probably won't perform as well as he did against the Dolphins since Miami's defense is abysmal, but this matchup against the Colts is still favorable enough to trust Vidal in all leagues.
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I had high expectations for Marks in Week 5 at Baltimore in his last game, but he only managed seven carries for 24 yards and no catches on one target. The week before against Tennessee, Marks had 17 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Nick Chubb played better against the Ravens, which hurt Marks, but he should get back on track in Week 7 at Seattle. The Seahawks are No. 1 in most receptions (43) allowed to running backs and No. 2 in receiving yards (344) behind only Dallas. Six running backs against Seattle have scored at least 6.8 PPR points against this defense with just their receiving totals alone. I like Marks as a high-end flex, with his value slightly better in PPR.
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While Jaylen Warren is my Start of the Week, I still like Gainwell as a high-end flex with this matchup against the Bengals on Thursday night. There's room for both running backs to be successful against this defense since Cincinnati has already allowed a pair of running backs to score at least 11.5 PPR points in the same game three times this season (Jacksonville in Week 2, Denver in Week 4, and Detroit in Week 5). In total, nine running backs have scored at least 11.5 PPR points against the Bengals, and Gainwell has scored at least 9.6 PPR points in three games in a row, which includes two in tandem with Warren. I'm expecting a big game from Warren and Gainwell on Thursday night.
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Allgeier has done a nice job of being productive in tandem with Bijan Robinson, and Allgeier is worth using as a flex option in all leagues in Week 7 at San Francisco. He's scored at least 10.8 PPR points in three of the past four games, and the 49ers run defense could struggle this week in the first game without star middle linebacker Fred Warner (ankle). Robinson is my No. 1 running back this week given the matchup, but I like Allgeier as a flex, especially since he has at least 10 carries in all but one game this year.
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RBs to Sit
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We'll see if the coaching change in Tennessee helps Pollard, but he played a season-low 43 percent of the snaps in Week 6 against Las Vegas and scored a season-low 6.7 PPR points. Tyjae Spears had a bigger role in his second game back from an ankle injury, and that could be a developing trend. This week, Pollard has a tough matchup against the Patriots, who are No. 7 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. No running back has rushed for 50 yards against New England, and the Patriots have only allowed three total touchdowns to running backs all year. Pollard is a flex option at best in the majority of leagues in this matchup.
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I'll use Knight ahead of Michael Carter in Week 7 against Green Bay, but I would only consider both running backs as flex options in this matchup. The Packers are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Green Bay has only allowed two total touchdowns to running backs all season. Knight will likely need a touchdown to boost his Fantasy value, and he had 11 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 20 yards on two targets in Week 6 against the Colts. Without a touchdown, it will likely be minimal production for Knight against the Packers in Week 7.
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The last time we saw Chubb was in Week 5 at Baltimore, and he ran well with 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. He scored 12.1 PPR points, but I'm not expecting a repeat performance against Seattle. The Seahawks have struggled with pass-catching running backs this season, but Christian McCaffrey's 69 rushing yards in Week 1 is the best outing against Seattle this year. The Seahawks have also allowed just two rushing touchdowns on the season. Chubb is only worth using as a flex option in Week 7, with his value higher in non-PPR leagues.
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Pacheco had a season-high 12 carries in Week 6 against Detroit, but he managed to score just 6.1 PPR points. He had one catch for no yards on three targets, and he scored 8.6 PPR points or less in all but one game this season. The Raiders have allowed seven rushing touchdowns this season to running backs, which is tied for third in the NFL, but that will likely benefit Kareem Hunt more than Pacheco, who has yet to score on the ground. And only two running backs have rushed for more than 40 yards against Las Vegas, which were Jeremy McNichols in Week 3 and Jonathan Taylor in Week 5. Pacheco is at best a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 7.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Walker continues to lose touches to Zach Charbonnet, and it's hard to trust Walker as a No. 2 running back in the majority of leagues heading into Week 7 against Houston. At best, he's a flex option, and Walker has just 11 total touches in each of his past two games against Tampa Bay and Jacksonville. Charbonnet continues to steal touchdown chances from Walker, and Walker hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 3. Walker also has just one catch in five games in a row, with only six targets over that span. Houston is No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and the Texans have held Tony Pollard and Derrick Henry to 10.6 PPR points or less in each of the past two games. I'm still hopeful the Seahawks will realize Walker deserves more touches moving forward, but based on his split with Charbonnet and the matchup this week, it's hard to start Walker in the majority of leagues.
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