7 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Picks (2026)

START · QB · DALLAS COWBOYS

Dak Prescott: The Passing Volume Has to Pay Off Against Philadelphia

Fifty-four pass attempts should give a quarterback a chance to help your fantasy team. Dak Prescott threw it that many times against Green Bay and still finished with 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Dallas lost 23-13. I am not going to pretend that was a good performance just because he had the ball in his hands all afternoon.

This week gives him a better opening. Philadelphia has allowed at least 19 fantasy points to four of the last five quarterbacks it has faced, and Dallas still has CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens to attack that defense. The problem is finishing drives, not finding reasons to throw. I have Prescott QB10 for Monday night and QB7 rest of season. Both ranks leave him in QB1 territory, but Week 6 showed the risk: plenty of throws, not enough good ones. I still trust Dallas to give him another chance to answer for last week, even if the turnovers make this a little uncomfortable.

My Call Start Prescott as a back-end QB1 over quarterbacks outside the Week 7 top 12. Philadelphia gives him a chance to rebound, but last week’s mistakes keep me from calling him a lock.

START · RB · MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Aaron Jones Sr.: Minnesota Keeps Handing Him the Ball

I will take 25 carries over a pretty rest-of-season ranking. That was Aaron Jones’s workload in his last game, when he ran for 113 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans. He had 20 carries the week before. Minnesota entered its bye giving him the kind of work fantasy managers spend all season looking for.

Jones has 97 carries and 12 catches through five games. Jordan Mason is still in the backfield, and I do not expect 25 carries every Sunday, but that is a much better starting point than guessing which runner will get eight touches. I have him RB16 against Indianapolis and RB29 rest of season. That 13-spot difference comes down to this week’s job: Minnesota is trusting Jones with the ball right now, even if I am more cautious about his workload over the rest of the season.

My Call Start Jones as an RB2 if he is active. I want the running back getting 20-plus chances, not the bigger season-long name stuck in a committee.

START · WR · CHICAGO BEARS

Luther Burden III: He Is Earning the Touches Rome Odunze Needs

Caleb Williams came back and Luther Burden caught eight passes for 95 yards against Atlanta. Eight targets, eight catches. That is a receiver helping his quarterback instead of waiting for one perfect deep ball. Burden has also carried the ball seven times this season, giving Chicago another way to get him involved.

Here is why I like the call even on a short week: Burden saw eight targets against the Falcons, while Rome Odunze saw four. Williams threw for 305 yards in his return, so the Bears have a better chance to keep their receivers involved than they did with the backup quarterbacks. New England is not an easy matchup, and Burden still has only one receiving touchdown. But he is getting the ball now. At WR22 this week and WR25 rest of season, he is the Chicago receiver I am willing to use.

My Call Start Burden as a WR2 or flex over Odunze and similar receivers living on three or four catches. This one locks Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET.

START · WR · PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

DeVonta Smith: Fourteen Targets Matter More Than the Quarterback Worry

Philadelphia’s quarterback situation has changed, and I do not want to ignore that. Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season, leaving Tanner McKee running the offense. But look at what happened in McKee’s first start: DeVonta Smith was targeted 14 times, caught seven passes for 75 yards and scored. That is the kind of opportunity that keeps a wide receiver usable even when the offense is struggling.

Smith will not get 14 targets every week, and Dallas can still make McKee uncomfortable. The Eagles have been one of the league’s least productive offenses, which is why I am not treating Smith as a no-doubt WR1. Still, the Cowboys matchup is one I would rather attack than avoid. I have Smith WR17 for Monday and WR18 rest of season. There is barely a gap, and that is the point: the targets are enough to keep him in my lineup even with the quarterback change.

My Call Start Smith as a WR2. I will trust the targets before I panic about McKee, while keeping the offensive struggles in mind.

SIT · RB · TENNESSEE TITANS

Tony Pollard: The Carries Are There. The Fantasy Points Aren’t.

Tony Pollard ran it 19 times for 76 yards against Indianapolis. That’s the kind of workload I normally want from a running back, yet it produced just 7.6 Half-PPR points. He got 14 carries the previous week and finished with 5.2. Tennessee keeps giving him chances; the problem is what happens after the handoff.

Pollard has 87 carries for 349 yards and one rushing touchdown through six games. He has caught only eight passes for 24 yards. That matters in Half-PPR because he cannot rely on receptions to save a quiet rushing day. Now Cleveland comes to town with a strong run defense. I am not expecting the Titans to abandon him, but another 15 to 20 carries may only get him another 60 or 70 yards if Tennessee cannot sustain drives. Pollard is RB24 this week and RB23 rest of season in my rankings. That is a narrow difference, but he is still right on the flex line, not someone I want to force into an RB2 spot.

My Call Sit Pollard if you have Aaron Jones or another healthy top-20 Week 7 back. Volume alone isn’t enough when the touchdowns and catches aren’t following.

SIT · QB · KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Patrick Mahomes II: A 5-0 Record Doesn’t Make This a Good Fantasy Matchup

Kansas City is unbeaten, but Mahomes hasn’t cleared 17 fantasy points in any of his last three starts. He threw for 272 yards against the Chargers last Sunday and did not throw a touchdown pass. That’s 10.48 fantasy points from a quarterback who is supposed to give you an advantage at the position. Winning games and winning fantasy matchups are not the same thing.

Seattle is allowing just 156.8 passing yards per game and 5.2 yards per attempt, both the lowest marks in the league through six weeks. That’s a problem for an offense that gets so much out of short throws and yards after the catch. Rashee Rice could give Mahomes another weapon if he is healthy, but Rice missed Wednesday’s practice with hamstring and knee issues. I have Mahomes QB12 for Week 7 and QB10 rest of season. The gap is only two spots, so this is not a warning that he has fallen apart. Seattle is simply a matchup where I would rather use a healthy quarterback in my top 10 than rely on Mahomes beating one of the league’s toughest pass defenses.

My Call Sit Mahomes if you have a healthy top-10 Week 7 quarterback. Do not drop him or force a bad waiver pickup just to make a point. This is about one difficult Sunday night matchup.

SIT · WR · CHICAGO BEARS

Rome Odunze: Caleb Williams Returning Did Not Fix His Role

Chicago got Caleb Williams back against Atlanta, and Rome Odunze still caught only three passes for 39 yards. He had four targets while Luther Burden caught all eight of his. Colston Loveland also made an impact in the middle of the field. There are plenty of ways for the Bears to move the ball without forcing throws to Odunze.

Odunze has 20 catches for 312 yards and no touchdowns through six games. He can make a big play, but fantasy managers have been waiting for the week when that turns into steady production. New England comes to Chicago on Thursday, giving him little time to change the picture. PFM has him WR37 this week, ten spots behind his WR27 rest-of-season rank. I am not dropping him after six games, but I am not starting him over the teammate getting twice as many targets.

My Call Sit Odunze in a normal 12-team league. Start Burden if choosing between the two Bears, and make the decision before Thursday kickoff.