Fantasy Football Week 7 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em: Ride Cowboys’ Zeke Elliott, Tony Pollard, Dak Prescott in Big D

By this point in the season, you should have a pretty good idea if your Fantasy team is a contender or not. Even if you’re a .500 team heading into Week 7, you should be able to figure out if you have the chance to compete for a championship.

If that’s the case, then you should be aggressive via trade in trying to enhance your roster. Look at the teams struggling at 2-4, 1-5 or even 0-6 and see if you can poach their best player for a package of mid-level guys. This way, you can potentially help them get a much-needed win, while you fortify your roster for a playoff run.

It’s a good idea to check out the Fantasy managers dealing with bye-week issues this week, and remember we’re without the stars from the Bills, Eagles, Vikings and Rams. Some desperate Fantasy manager with a bad record might be willing to trade you someone like Josh Allen, Dalvin Cook, Cooper Kupp or Justin Jefferson just to get a win, and then you can have that stud player for the rest of the year.

There are plenty of ways to approach trades in the hopes of improving your Fantasy roster. But the point is you should be planning for the postseason if your Fantasy team is in good shape right now. Stars win championships, and it’s never a bad idea to turn some of your depth into difference-making players who can help you at the end of the season.

I’m going to include Tony Pollard as a must-start Fantasy option this week as well given the matchup for Dallas against Detroit. This is a great setup for both Cowboys running backs this week.

I’ll still give the nod to Elliott as the better Fantasy option, and he continues to play more snaps than Pollard. Elliott is coming off his best game of the season in Week 6 at Philadelphia with 15 PPR points, and he looked good on 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 5 yards on one target.

He hasn’t been involved in the passing game this year with just six catches for 32 yards on eight targets, but maybe that will change with Dak Prescott back from his thumb injury. The best part of Prescott’s return is opposing defenses now have to respect the passing game, which should open up better running lanes for Elliott and Pollard.

The Lions come into this game No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Five running backs have scored at least 15 PPR points against Detroit, with eight rushing touchdowns allowed.

The offensive line has performed better of late for Dallas, and Prescott’s return should make this offense pop. I’m excited for Elliott for the first time all season, and he has top-15 upside in Week 7.

As for Pollard, he has top-20 upside this week, and I would start him as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. His big-play potential should be on display this week, and he has at least 10 PPR points in three of his past five games, including two rushing touchdowns and one outing with over 100 rushing yards over that span.

• More Week 7: Starts, Sits, Sleepers and Busts | Waiver Wire | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Trade Values

Jets (at DEN)

The Jets DST has actually been a great Fantasy option the past three games against the Steelers, Dolphins and Packers, and the unit should be good again in Week 7. Russell Wilson (hamstring) is banged up, and he could be even worse if he’s at less than 100 percent. The Broncos have the lowest scoring offense in the NFL coming into this game, and Denver hasn’t scored more than 23 points in a game this season. In the past three weeks for the Jets, they have five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and nine sacks, while holding opponents to only 15.5 points per game.

• Dolphins (vs. PIT)
• Giants (at JAC)
• Broncos (vs. NYJ)

49ers (vs. KC)

The 49ers defense struggled in Week 6 at Atlanta, and San Francisco could have another tough outing against Kansas City at home. The 49ers are dealing with injuries to Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw, Emmanuel Mosely and Jimmy Ward, and it showed up against the Falcons. In that game, they only had two sacks and had zero turnovers, while allowing a season-high 22 points. The Chiefs come into San Francisco as the highest scoring offense in the NFL and coming off a tough loss to the Bills. Expect Patrick Mahomes to go off against the depleted 49ers this week.