Anthony Richardson, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 7

Quarterback is one of the more frustrating positions to manage in fantasy football this year. There have only been a handful of every-week must-starts, like Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Many of the league's other signal-callers have had both boom and bust games.

There are several factors to consider in start decisions, like health of the player, injuries on the team, the opposing defense and even the opposing offense in some situations. This makes the position highly unpredictable.

Let's dive in to some start and sit advice for three of the league's most polarizing quarterbacks.

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Should I Start Anthony Richardson for Fantasy Football?

Of the three signal-callers in this article, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (oblique) is the riskiest start. He's struggled with accuracy all year. That's not a total surprise, considering he wasn't hyper-accurate in college, is coming off a season-ending shoulder surgery from 2023, and is still rusty.

Shane Steichen announces QB Anthony Richardson (oblique) will start Sunday against the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/bIXrLPrCBW

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2024

Consistency matters in the NFL, and Richardson hasn't had much of it. He played just four games in 2023, and was forced out of his Week 4 contest early with an oblique injury. He didn't play in Weeks 5-6 either. This is one of those situations where the opposing offense matters, though.

Indy faces the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, who haven't had much offense while starting QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) has been on injured reserve. Also, Miami hasn't been great against the run, so Richardson's legs could come into play.

ARich is a decent start as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2.

He's the QB16 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Sam Darnold for Fantasy Football?

Those who watched Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold play in Week 6 saw the offense virtually collapse when running back Aaron Jones (hamstring) went down with an injury. Sometimes offenses really struggle without one of their star playmakers, and Jones has been balling out for his new team.

#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson on what has surprised him the most about Sam Darnold:

“Nothing, honestly. Nothing has surprised me… It’s something that’s becoming new to everybody else, but not new to us.”

🎥: @Vikings pic.twitter.com/4o07k7ddPx

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 17, 2024

Jones is "likely" to play in Week 7. Regardless, sometimes you should just trust in coaches, and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is an elite offensive mind. The team will face the Detroit Lions, who just embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys, but have been porous against the pass most of the year.

Darnold is a solid start. He had a bad game in Week 6, but he has everything he needs to rebound. Some guy named Justin Jefferson should help with that. "JJettas" usually shreds the Lions with ease.

Justin Jefferson is going to have a ceiling game vs the Lions in Week 7

Detroit runs man coverage at the 4th-highest rate in the league, and Jefferson has 6.05 yards per route run and 0.43 targets per route run vs man coverage compared to 2.32 YPRR and 0.27 TPRR vs zone this… pic.twitter.com/qthHzv3a4X

— Tommy Adamopoulos (@TommyA1111) October 14, 2024

He's the QB9 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Baker Mayfield for Fantasy Football?

Yes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been a surprise stud this season. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen has the passing attack humming, and Mayfield has benefitted -- he has the most passing touchdowns through six games with 15.

Baker Mayfield in 6 games this season:

1,489 Pass Yards (1st)
70.9% Completion (1st)
15 TD (1st)
109.4 Rating (1st)

MVP? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/nOtAylctTx

— BakerMuse (@MuseBaker) October 16, 2024

He's running red-hot and having a career year. He'll face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. They've allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. This is a no-brainer. Put him in your starting lineups.

He's the QB8 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

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