Starting a fantasy football bust early in the season doesn’t necessarily ruin your chances at the playoffs. However, The Sporting News’ experts are spotting patterns in predicting the performance of the names on our Week 7 list.
Many Week 6 stars appear on this list, which should warn fantasy players not to lean too much into hype. Look at each individual week, and assess your options on hand who could be better than these headliners.
Keep reading to see our staff picks for Week 7 fantasy busts.
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QB fantasy bust picks this week
Jordan Love, Packers at Steelers
With six teams on a bye it might seem smart to play Love vs. Aaron Rodgers in a marquee SNF game at Pittsburgh, but the Steelers’ defense, despite its hiccup against the Bengals late, is a tough draw for Green bay in what could be a grinding, lower-scoring, pass-rush fueled game on both sides. – Vinnie Iyer
C.J. Stroud, Texans vs. 49ers
The 49ers will enter this one with a lot of confidence after wrecking Michael Penix Jr. last weekend. Stroud has also looked terrible, and he could be without Nico Collins for a bit. With little to no help from his offensive line and a below-average running game to take the pressue off him, we could see yet another poor performance from the former Rookie of the Year. – Sloan Piva
Daniel Jones, Colts vs. Titans
It’s not that Daniel Jones will play badly, but the Titans stand little chance against the Colts. The last time these teams faced each other was in Week 3, Indy won 41-20, and Jones had a lackluster fantasy outing. The MVP candidate might not have to do much in this one. – Griffin Missant
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RB fantasy bust picks this week
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders at Chiefs
After his breakout game in Week 5, “Bill” has been a bit of a disappointment. There cannot be much confidence in starting an inconsistent rookie on the road against the Chiefs on MNF. KC allows the seventh fewest FPPG to RBs. – Griffin Missant
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Browns
Stevenson has distanced himself in terms of consistent usage vs. rookie TreVeyon Henderson but after a big rushing performance against the Titans on the road, he gets the worst possible matchup against the Browns run defense at home so this will be a Drake Maye oft-chucking downfield game. – Vinnie Iyer
Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Packers
Warren amassed 158 scrimmage yards against Cincinnati his last time out, but the Bengals and the Packers are vastly different defenses. Green Bay has looked like one of the best defensive units in the NFL. so we’re expecting a similar performance to Warren’s 8.3-point effort against Cleveland a couple weeks back. – Sloan Piva
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WR fantasy bust picks this week
Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins at Falcons
The Falcons have been quietly stellar at defending wide receivers this season, surrendering the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position. With Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins in utter disarray and no Tyreek Hill or Darren Waller to take attention away from Waddle, it could be an ugly Sunday in the ATL for the veteran wideout. – Sloan Piva
Xavier Worthy, Chiefs vs. Commanders
Rashee Rice’s return was brilliant for those managers who held out. For Worthy managers, it was the complete opposite. It’s clear that Patrick Mahomes is going to look for Rice early and often. Worthy’s ceiling drops tremendously as a result. – Griffin Missant
George Pickens, Cowboys at Broncos
Pickens hasn’t had a clunker since Week 1 but his scoring streak ended at five games against the Commanders and he saw a more modest 6 targets with CeeDee Lamb returning. With Pat Surtain II and the Broncos’ corners looming outside to take away big plays, it might be more of a FLEX week at best for him. – Vinnie Iyer
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TE fantasy bust picks this week
Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. Giants
The Eagles have gone back to unlocking their top two wide receivers at the same time so the need for throwing as much to Goedert won’t be there for a suddenly red-hot Jalen Hurts working against a vulnerable Giants secondary that can give up a lot of big plays downfield. – Vinnie Iyer
Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Browns
The good news? The Patriots have been on a roll. The bad news? Drake Maye seems to be spreading the ball around the field to his wide receivers, not so much his old-reliable tight ends. Henry looks a bit slow out there in his age-30 season — he’s still sure-handed when targeted, but the looks are few and far between at this point. Temper expectations with HH this weekend against a strong Cleveland defense. – Sloan Piva
Theo Johnson, Giants at Eagles
Johnson is coming off a fantastic fantasy outing in Week 7. However, this week brings a tough matchup. The Eagles allow the fewest FPPG to the TE position. The last time Johnson faced the Eagles, he caught just two balls. – Griffin Missant
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D/ST fantasy bust picks this week
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jets
Do not fall for the trap. Yes, the Jets’ offense is bad and may be without Garrett Wilson again. But the Bengals D/ST still cannot be trusted with some weapons on the Jets. – Griffin Missant
Green Bay Packers at Steelers
Aaron Rodgers will see some pressure but he will work to get the ball out quickly to avoid sacks and turnovers from his old team knowing Micah Parsons is looming so it will be more of a meh game for Green Bay on the road. – Vinnie Iyer
Denver Broncos vs. Cowboys
Don’t drop the Broncos D if you don’t have to — it’s still an elite defense. But even the elite defenses have struggled to contain Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. With CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson and Javonte Williams all healthy, this offense will be a barnburner even in the Mile High. – Sloan Piva
