Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em: Steelers' Najee Harris poised to benefit from potential QB change

We're nearly halfway through the fantasy football regular season, and one poor lineup decision could make all the difference in your team reaching the playoffs. 

With that in mind, here's what to do about several flex options, streaming candidates and other players you could be on the fence about plugging into your starting lineup in Week 7.

Quarterbacks

Start: Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings 

Lions at Vikings / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Darnold posted a measly 4.26 fantasy points during his last game — a Week 5 win over the Jets in London — but he's primed for a strong performance on Sunday. While Detroit has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (14.6), its defense will likely struggle since star edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson is out with a leg injury. Minnesota will likely also rely on Darnold's arm to beat the Lions, seeing as though RB Aaron Jones could miss the contest with a hip injury. 

Other starts: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers; Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks 

Sit: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 

Chargers at Cardinals / 9 p.m. ET Monday

The 2019 No. 1 overall pick has one of the highest ceilings among quarterbacks in fantasy, as evidenced by his two outings with at least 24 points this season. Unfortunately, Murray is difficult to trust since he's been extremely inconsistent, scoring less than 15 fantasy points in the other four games he's played in. 

You may be forced to start Murray if he's your best option, though don't be surprised if he delivers another lackluster output against the imposing Chargers defense, which is surrendering the sixth-fewest points per game to signal-callers (13). 

Other sits: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts 

Running backs

Start: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Jets at Steelers / 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday

Harris finally broke out last week, racking up 122 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 16 touches during Pittsburgh's 32-13 drubbing of Las Vegas. The Alabama product is well-positioned to build on that stellar showing in Week 7, as several factors are working in his favor.

Aside from the fact that the Jets defense allowed 131 rushing yards to Buffalo's backup running backs during this past Monday's home loss, Russell Wilson could be taking over as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback. While inserting Wilson into the starting lineup could be a mistake for the Steelers, it's a promising development for Harris since he won't take away carries as QB Justin Fields has. Additionally, the former Bronco Wilson could frequently target Harris out of the backfield, considering Denver threw the third-most passes to running backs last season (46).  

Other starts: De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins; Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Sit: Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers 

Chiefs at 49ers / 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday

Mason is dealing with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, which he suffered in last week's win over the Seahawks, but it appears he'll play in Sunday's rematch of Super Bowl LVIII.

Nonetheless, it's unclear how extensive Mason's workload will be, and the former undrafted free agent's impact still may have been limited even if he was fully healthy. After all, Kansas City's defense has been one of the best units in terms of stopping the run this season, allowing the fewest fantasy points to running backs (10.8) and the fourth-fewest yards per carry (3.7). 

Other sits: Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns; James Conner, Arizona Cardinals 

Wide receivers

Start: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks 

Seahawks at Falcons / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

The second-year wideout hasn't posted a 100-yard outing since Week 2, but his fantasy outlook is trending in the right direction. Despite ranking as the WR39 on a points-per-game basis in PPR scoring formats over his last three games, Smith-Njigba has been targeted 28 times during that span, the ninth most in the NFL.

As long as Smith-Njigba continues to average roughly nine targets per contest, it's only a matter of time before his production spikes. The Falcons only allow 21.5 fantasy points per contest to opposing wideouts, but given that this matchup has the second-highest implied point total (50.5) on the Week 7 slate, this could be the outing where Smith-Njigba breaks through. 

Other starts: Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings; Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Sit: Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans 

Titans at Bills / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Ridley earned a season-high eight targets during last week's 20-17 home loss to Indianapolis but somehow turned in his worst outing of 2024, failing to catch a pass while posting 0.9 fantasy points. It's possible Tennessee could prioritize getting its prized free-agent acquisition the ball often on Sunday. However, Ridley simply isn't worth the risk until he proves otherwise, especially since the Bills defense has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts (105). 

Other sits: Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts; JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs 

Tight ends

Start: David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Bengals at Browns / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

A sit last week, Njoku could ultimately emerge as the top pass-catcher in Cleveland and a must-start option going forward after the Browns traded WR Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday. It doesn't hurt that the 28-year-old has a favorable matchup and game script, either. Not only is Cincinnati a 5.5-point road favorite over the Browns, but it has also allowed the second-most touchdowns (three) and seventh-most fantasy points (46) to opposing tight ends this season. 

Other starts: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers; Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Sit: Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams 

Raiders at Rams / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday 

The 2020 fourth-round pick enjoyed his most productive outing of the season in his last game, hauling in seven of his team-high 13 targets for 52 yards against the Packers.

That performance, coupled with the fact that Parkinson is averaging the sixth-most targets at his position (6.4), could convince fantasy managers that he warrants a start. Even so, it's more likely he'll take a step back this week, considering Los Angeles might not have to pass much against the spiraling Raiders. Not to mention that since star wideout Cooper Kupp is on track to return from his ankle injury, QB Matthew Stafford will surely target the Super Bowl LVI MVP more than any other pass-catcher. 

Other sits: Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks; Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers