The biggest news is the loss of Ben Roethlisberger for Week 7. Although, there are two pieces of good news. First, Pittsburgh will have its bye in Week 8. That means Big Ben might play in Week 9. Second, he already had a surgical procedure to remove the piece of his torn meniscus. That type of procedure gives him a chance to return by Week 9. He’s the second-highest fantasy scoring quarterback in 2016 and his loss will hurt. He would have had a tough matchup against New England in Week 7, but should’ve been able to post some pretty good numbers. Keep an eye on his recovery moving forward.
Carolina and Dallas are on bye in Week 7, so Cam Newton and Dak Prescott will need to be replaced. They are both top 10 fantasy quarterbacks, and will be missed in your lineup. If you’re looking for a one-week replacement, grab a quarterback with a high ceiling. I’d recommend Marcus Mariota or Colin Kaepernick for Week 7. Mariota finished in the top five for Week 6. He threw for 284 yards, rushed for 64 and threw three touchdowns. I’d expect more of the same in Week7 against Indianapolis. Kaepernick finished in the top 15 in Week 6. He passed for 187 yards, one touchdown and rushed for 66 yards. He looked a little rusty but playing Tampa Bay in Week 7 should cure that.
My sleeper for Week 7 is Joe Flacco. He’s been up and down this season. This matchup against the New York Jets should be an up. The Jets pass defense is not very strong this season. Flacco should throw for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and rush for a touchdown in Week 7.
Quarterbacks, Week 7
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | Tom Brady | NE | @ PIT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Matt Ryan | ATL | vs. SD | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Philip Rivers | SD | @ ATL | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Drew Brees | NO | @ KC | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| 5 | Andrew Luck | IND | @ TEN | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs. CHI | 5 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
| 7 | Matthew Stafford | DET | vs. WAS | 10 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| 8 | Derek Carr | OAK | @ JAC | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 |
| 9 | Russell Wilson | SF | vs. TB | 13 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 5 |
| 10 | Andy Dalton | CIN | vs. CLE | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| 11 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | vs. IND | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 18 |
| 12 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | @ DET | 12 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 13 |
| 13 | Blake Bortles | JAC | vs. OAK | 18 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| 14 | Eli Manning | NYG | @ LA | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 15 | Jameis Winston | TB | @ SF | 8 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 19 |
| 16 | Alex Smith | KC | vs. NO | 19 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 17 |
| 17 | Carson Palmer | ARI | vs. SEA | 15 | 10 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 15 |
| 18 | Joe Flacco | BAL | @ NYJ | 16 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 10 |
| 19 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | @ MIA | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 |
| 20 | Brian Hoyer | CHI | @ GB | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| 21 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | vs. BUF | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 22 | Carson Wentz | PHI | vs. MIN | -- | 21 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| 23 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | vs. HOU | 23 | 22 | -- | -- | 23 | 22 |
| 24 | Case Keenum | LA | vs. NYG | 21 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | 24 |
| 25 | Sam Bradford | MIN | @ PHI | -- | -- | 22 | 24 | 25 | -- |
| -- | Ryan Fitzpatrick | NYJ | vs. BAL | 25 | -- | 25 | 23 | 24 | -- |
| -- | Colin Kaepernick | SEA | @ ARI | -- | -- | 21 | 25 | -- | -- |
| -- | Cody Kessler | CLE | @ CIN | 24 | 25 | -- | -- | -- | 25 |