The Green Bay Packers will face the Houston Texans in Week 7. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Packers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jordan Love, QB
Including the playoffs, Love has 10 straight multi-passing TD games, joining Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino as the only players in NFL history with such a streak before turning 26 years old. Packers fans appear to be spoiled with another franchise QB, and fantasy managers have to be thrilled with the elevated floor.
The early season MCL injury is pretty clearly in the rearview at this point — Love has been a top-five QB in two of his three games back. A quarterback has scored at least 19.5 points against the Texans three times this season, and I like Love’s chances to make it four. He’s my QB4 for the week and my top-ranked signal caller in this game.
Josh Jacobs, RB
Jacobs’ role isn’t a concern in the least (19.8 touches per game), but he’s been inefficient, something that he’s been for the majority of his career. In five of six games this season, he’s produced more than 10% below expectation, a problem given the play of Jordan Love and the potential for this team to embrace an increase in pass rate.
On a positive note, the Packers schemed up a pass play for Jacobs inside the Cardinals’ 30-yard line on Sunday, a sign that they believe he can be a part of this offense in a variety of ways (10 targets in the three games since Love returned). It’s clear that Green Bay believes in Emanuel Wilson, as he continues to get first-quarter work. But with Jacobs’ feature role not in any doubt, you can continue to run him out there with confidence.
Christian Watson, WR
Realistically, what did we learn from Watson’s 3-68-1 afternoon against the Cardinals last week?
In my opinion, all we learned was that he has recovered from the ankle injury that cost him a game. His ability to run by defenses is no secret, making his 44-yard touchdown catch that featured 40 air yards more confirmation of his ability than anything else.
I like that Jordan Love went his direction on a fourth-down play in the first half and sought him out on a single-coverage end-zone target later in that drive — that’s where there is value to be gained in the long term.
In the short term, the high-end top speed might be enough to warrant Flexing him. Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed were banged up at different points of last week’s victory, and even if neither misses time, any limitations on their part open up valuable looks for Watson.
DeMario Douglas (6-92-1) produced against this Houston defense last week, thanks in large part to a 35-yard touchdown. He’s not usually viewed as a big-play threat, but he was able to connect the dots on the long catch and run against a Texans unit that has largely been vulnerable to those receivers with big-play potential (in addition to Douglas, Alec Pierce, Brian Thomas Jr., and Justin Jefferson are the receivers with the best games against Houston through six weeks).
Watson isn’t a ”safe” play because Watson isn’t a “safe” player. Regardless of his health status and matchup, the floor is always going to be low, but you know that as you set your roster. With plenty of fantasy teams nearing desperation mode, this is the type of receiver to gamble on — a strong singular skill that can have success in this specific matchup as a part of an explosive offense.
He’s not for everyone, but if you’re considering firing up Watson this week, it means you’re willing to overlook some flaws.
Jayden Reed, WR
Reed scored and was the only Packers player with a catch through their first two drives last week, a game during which he was dinged up.
The hope is that the ankle injury won’t limit Green Bay’s top receiver, though you should at least be aware that the next two weeks are a little less impactful in the scheme of things than a meeting with the Lions in Week 9 ahead of the Week 10 bye.
I’m operating as if Reed will be a full-go in this spot against a Texans defense that has already allowed four 20-point performances to a receiver this season.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Reed is the Packers’ version of Deebo Samuel. With a touchdown catch or multiple rush attempts in every game this season, Reed should be considered a fringe WR1 the rest of the way.
Romeo Doubs, WR
We saw Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks both get banged up in Week 6, paving the way for Doubs to produce.
Kind of.
Don’t get me wrong, he produced (49 yards and two touchdowns), but a 13.3% on-field target share despite the injuries isn’t exactly encouraging when it comes to projecting forward. Doubs’ third-quarter touchdown was more of a right-place, right-time situation, as Jordan Love was pressured into throwing a Hail Mary pass of sorts that he never attempts if not under extreme duress on third down.
Doubs gets credit for adjusting and making the play, though it’s not the most repeatable way to make a living.
Doubs has scored on 11.2% of his career receptions and certainly carries scoring equity into every game he plays (it sounds like the bad blood that resulted in the one-game suspension is water under the bridge now), but I’m only interested in going this direction should Wicks’ shoulder result in limitations and/or a DNP.
At the moment, I’m hedging my bet and have Doubs ranked in the mid-30s — he’d move ahead of this Darnell Mooney/George Pickens tier if Wicks is ruled out and falls back into the Xavier Legette range if not.
Tucker Kraft, TE
If you missed out on the good Kraft games (Weeks 4-5) only to play him with confidence against the vulnerable Cardinals last week (2-13-0), I feel for you. The fact of the matter is that you played the percentages and had a good process, you just got “tight end-ed.”
It happens to all of us.
Better times should be ahead, as Kraft has been on the field for over 80% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps in three straight games and carries a 3.1 aDOT — a role that, in theory, comes with an elevated floor. The plethora of Packer pass catchers is a projectable problem, but with a few nagging injuries cropping up, you’re safe to trust the process and plug him in again. He’s my TE9.