Fantasy Football Week 7 Quarterback Start/Sit: Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, and More
Three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 7 of the NFL season.
Only two teams have their bye this week, but it does wipe two major fantasy quarterbacks off the board: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Jackson's owners have already had to deal with his absence the past two weeks, but that doesn't make it any easier to try making up for missing your second- or third-round pick.
Luckily, there are streaming quarterbacks who can fill in for those missing stars. You won't find a player with the same ceiling, but you can find a guy who will give you enough points that the rest of your team can carry you to victory if they don't tank.
Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 7 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names, like Jayden Daniels; instead, we have six guys below who are good fantasy starters some weeks but are better left on the bench other weeks.
Use FantasySP's start/sit tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week!
Start
Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins
Gabriel has started two games, combining to complete 56.5% of his passes for 411 yards on just 4.8 yards per attempt, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions. That's about as low-floor, low-ceiling as it gets.
He doesn't have many great pass catchers, relying mostly on Jerry Jeudy and two mid-tier tight ends. The running game has potential, but this is a below-average roster with a rookie third-round pick under center; things aren't going to go smoothly.
The matchup here is what makes him worth fantasy consideration. Miami has allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have also given up the fourth-most points per game.
Gabriel is a risky fantasy player because of his low floor, but the matchup couldn't be much better. The Browns have also thrown the ball more than any other team, so Gabriel has a chance to build through volume, even to modest levels. He's more of an option for deep leagues or if you find yourself without an option late in the week.
Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears
Rattler ranks as QB20 through six weeks, far outside the fantasy starters but not so far away from being a useful fantasy player in the right situations. There are mild successes: Rattler has thrown just one interception, he reached 225 yards in each of the past two games, and he has run for about 24 yards per game.
The Bears offer a fantastic matchup, as they have allowed the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Chicago has had a few games that were a little better, but they have regularly failed to stop offenses and have allowed the sixth-most points per game.
Chicago has also been a little susceptible to the QB run. While Jared Goff and Dak Prescott didn't do much, the trio of J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, and Jayden Daniels averaged 36 rushing yards, including Daniels picking up 52 last week.
Rattler has shown small flashes of positive work. He won't ever be a fantasy regular, but he has been on the fringe of the middle; that's a player who can help in deep leagues or as a bye week streamer. With such a great matchup, Rattler is worthy of being on your radar if you have Allen or Jackson out.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints
On the sideline opposite from Rattler is Williams, the first overall pick last year who looks improved from a disappointing rookie season. Williams is averaging 235.8 passing yards per game on 7.4 per attempt with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 21.6 rushing yards per game and two scores on the ground.
Williams ranks as QB12 despite already having his bye; none of the 11 quarterbacks ahead of him have had their bye week yet. There was hope for improvement with a better offense around him and a new offensive-minded head coach, and Williams has shown gains early in the season.
He gets a strong matchup with the Saints this week, who have allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt and fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have given up rushing yards to QBs also, as the group of Kyler Murray, Allen, Jaxson Dart, and Drake Maye averaged 41.5 rushing yards per game. (They did hold down Mac Jones and Sam Darnold.)
This is a player with a blue-chip pedigree who looks much better this season and has a great matchup. While the defense needs work, Chicago's offense has looked good, and Williams is working his way toward weekly fantasy status if he can keep up this level of production.
Sit
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks vs. Houston Texans
Darnold has had a strong 2025 in Seattle. Many thought that he would regress after leaving Minnesota, but Darnold looks even better this season, averaging 256.8 yards per game on a stellar 9.6 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
The only thing he doesn't do is run the ball, as Darnold is averaging less than 10 yards per game on the ground. He ranks as QB11; that's despite great work throwing the ball. That shows that Darnold's ceiling isn't super high because he doesn't add those rushing points that so many other quarterbacks do.
The tough matchup is the problem this week. Darnold has faced mostly bad defensive teams: after Week 1 against the 49ers (when Darnold struggled), he went against the Steelers, Saints, Cardinals, Buccaneers, and Jaguars. That's far from a murderer's row.
Houston has given up the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The only player to go over 225 yards against the Texans was Matthew Stafford in Week 1, when he reached 245. They also don't allow rushing yards to QBs, giving up just 12.4 yards per game.
Darnold has been great, but this will be his toughest matchup of the season. He is almost guaranteed to regress moving forward just because he has been so good, and that could start here against Houston. Darnold is likely to finish outside the top 10 at the position this week.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants @ Denver Broncos
Dart has been a very good fantasy player since taking over the starting job. In those three weeks, he ranked as QB8 and ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
He hasn't been as good throwing the ball, as Dart is averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt, but he had his first above-average game through the air last week against the Eagles, throwing for 195 yards on 7.8 per attempt with a touchdown. Dart has shown enough to make Giants fans dream of big things, but he will still suffer rookie growing pains along the way.
The matchup here is brutal, as the Broncos have given up the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Denver has been one of the best defenses in football for a few years now, and they reasserted their dominance against the Jets last week.
Denver held Justin Fields to 45 yards passing in London. They also sacked him nine times for 55 yards. That means that Fields netted minus-10 yards on dropbacks (not counting scrambles). That's about as dominant as a defense can be.
I don't see good things for the rookie. While he has outplayed expectations, he is getting ready to face the toughest test of his young career. Dart will probably still pick up rushing yards, but everything is going to be hard against the Broncos.
Mac Jones/Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons
It's unclear whether Purdy will be back for this game or if Jones will again fill in for the starter in San Francisco. Even if it is Jones, he has been productive when on the field, averaging 313 passing yards per game in his four contests.
Jones started in Week 2, 3, 5, and 6. In Weeks 2 and 3, he was QB11; Jones fell only slightly to QB13 in Week 5 and 6. That's a player who can fill your quarterback spot and be a functional streamer in the right matchups.
The matchup is the problem here, as Atlanta has quietly been one of the best pass defenses in football. The Falcons have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. On Monday night, they held Josh Allen to 180 passing yards on 6.9 per attempt, a very middling performance.
Whoever ends up starting for San Francisco is going to have a tough go of things. They throw a lot, so volume will likely rack up either way, but there are better fantasy options this week against a strong Atlanta pass defense.
