The quarterback position in fantasy football got a little more complicated in week 6. Aaron Rodgers’ injury throws a wrench in every fantasy football league, while Deshaun Watson continues to prove why Bill O’Brien may not have seen preseason practice.

Where do you turn without Rodgers? That’s a difficult question to answer with so few quality quarterbacks on the waiver wire. Each week, there are a few surprises, so here’s the week 7 quarterbacks start ’em, sit ’em guide for fantasy football.

Start

Derek Carr vs. Kansas City Chiefs

It wasn’t a great welcome back party for the Raider quarterback. Carr missed only one game after exiting the week 4 contest against Denver, but came back and wasn’t much more effective than E.J. Manuel.

He didn’t reach the 200-yard mark and he threw two interceptions in a week 6 loss to Los Angeles. But don’t give up on him just yet.

He gets a quick turnaround at home on a Thursday night against a Kansas City defense dealing with its own injury issues. Justin Houston and Dee Ford have been listed on injury reports in recent weeks and the Chiefs only tallied one sack against Pittsburgh in week 6.

If the Chiefs can’t get pressure, then watch for Carr to have a much more comfortable day in week 7. Quarterbacks are actually tallying the sixth-most points each week against the Chiefs defense, so I’m banking on Carr to resurrect this team from the ashes on Thursday.

Tyrod Taylor is a decent start in the week 7 quarterbacks start ’em, sit ’em guide. Flickr/Keith Allison

Tyrod Taylor vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay’s defense is going to get better. It’s getting healthier, and eventually, this team will resemble the one we believed it would be prior to the season.

But this isn’t a great week for improvement. Tampa Bay must go from Arizona to Buffalo in consecutive weeks, with injuries still lingering on the defensive side of the football.

And those injuries have made Tampa Bay a terrible defense. The Buccaneers were completely run off the field in the first half against Arizona in week 6. They stiffened in the second half, but that had more to do with Arizona’s play-calling and knack for turning over the football than Tampa Bay’s defensive ability.

Taylor had a tough outing in week 5 against Cincinnati’s stingy pass defense before going on a bye in week 6. He’s been pretty good during the rest of the season, so I expect him to be among the top-12 in fantasy this week among quarterbacks.

Carson Wentz vs. Washington Redskins

Throw the stats out of the window with Washington.

The Redskins are dealing with major injury issues in the secondary, which will pose a major problem in week 7 against a Philadelphia offense that passes first and runs second.

Three starting cornerbacks are hurt for the Redskins, including defensive leader Josh Norman. More injuries also happened to the secondary, with several players missing plays in week 6 due to injuries. That’s a bad sign against Wentz and Co.

Wentz was really good again in week 6 against a Carolina defense that many believe to be good. He’s finding the end zone often and generally producing plenty of volume. He’s an easy bet for week 7.

Blake Bortles vs. Indianapolis Colts

This is for everyone who had Rodgers and not a backup. Bortles is likely available on your waiver wire, so if you’re going to stream, he may be the best option.

He’s not good, but this matchup isn’t bad. The Colts are horrendous against the pass, ranking third from the bottom in pass defense in the NFL. They allow the second-most fantasy points against quarterbacks each week in the NFL.

So even if Bortles is tough to trust, he has some upside here as a streaming option. Indianapolis allows only 3.9 rushing yards per attempt, so the Colts are going to force the Jaguars to pass.

The volume will be there. Now you just have to hope Bortles notches a few touchdowns to cure the hangover from Rodgers’ injury.

Sit

Josh McCown vs. Miami Dolphins

Miami isn’t near as bad as what we were making them out to be prior to week 6’s victory against Atlanta.

This team still has plenty of personnel from last year’s playoff team and the defense is really good, as evidenced by the week 6 win. Jay Cutler actually had more fantasy points than Matt Ryan in week 6, thanks to a Miami philosophy that will be key to limiting fantasy points for quarterbacks in future weeks.

The Dolphins kept the ball away from Atlanta, neutralizing their offense. A strong running game, mixed in with a better pass rush is how Miami is winning games in the last two weeks. The Dolphins had four sacks in the first three games. They have eight in the last two.

That’s a problem for the opposition, which will be McCown in week 7. It’s tempting to believe in McCown as a streaming option, but I’d fade him in favor of better matchups.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati’s pass defense is legit. That will pose a problem for Roethlisberger, who even after bouncing back in a good way in week 6, was off the fantasy radar.

He still ranked only 18th in scoring in week 6. It seemed like a major accomplishment after his week 5 disaster against Jacksonville. Cincinnati’s defense mirrors Jacksonville more than Kansas City’s. The Chiefs couldn’t generate much of a pass rush, which won’t be the case for the Bengals.

Cincinnati harasses quarterbacks, generating the fifth-most sacks this year (with already a bye under their belt). The Bengals are limiting teams to less than 160 yards through the air this year, so I’d back off the Big Ben train in this one. Avoid this matchup like the plague for both fantasy quarterbacks.

Philip Rivers vs. Denver Broncos

For the Chargers to win games, they need Rivers to be more like he was in week 6 than the gunslinger we remember from years past.

He didn’t turn over the ball and the Chargers utilized a decent running game to beat Oakland in week 6. It didn’t turn out to be a major fantasy production day for Rivers (although he still ranked 12th among quarterbacks), but it was a more efficient way to manage a game.

That’s what I expect in week 7 against a Denver team that is usually tough on quarterbacks. And while Denver is still pretty good defensively, it’s not sacking the quarterback at a regular rate, notching only 13 on the season. I don’t hate Rivers as much this week as I usually would. However, I don’t see him ranking in the top-12 among quarterbacks this week.

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