“Are there too many IDP starting lineup decisions for you this week? Can’t decide which linebacker or edge rusher to start? Which safety gets the nod this week?”
This will not be the typical ‘obvious starters’ type of article. Always start your studs like Will Anderson, Ernest Jones, and Evan Williams. What needs to be shared is who we start and who we sit out of the not-so-obvious players. You will not see many of the top-10 players listed in these articles because we are all already familiar with starting these players.
The Byes are upon us. The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders, and Los Angeles Chargers are off this week.
***Please note that all rankings are pulled from FantasyPros.com’s current weekly rankings for DL, LB, and DB.
Week 7 – DL/Edge Starters
Edge – Jermaine Johnson II – Tennessee Titans
Johnson had a slow start to the season, with three straight single-digit performances. His last three games have been complete statistical opposites. Playing 59% of the defensive snaps this season, Johnson has produced 8 tackles (4 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 3 sacks in the last three games combined. He is coming off of a two-sack performance against the Colts last week. This was against the 19th-ranked team in points allowed to opposing Edge players. His second-best performance was three weeks ago against the 16th-ranked Ravens.
The Titans welcome the worst team in terms of ranking this week. The Browns have allowed the most points to opposing Edge players this season. Accordingly, 12 different Edge players have posted double-digit scores. Six different Edge players have produced 20+ points. T.J. Watt and Josh Hines-Allen both posted 34 points. David Bailey produced 58 points with 7 tackles (5 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 3 sacks in one game against the Browns. Johnson is all set for a monster weekend.
Robinson is the #35-ranked DL for Week 7. He can be started with zero hesitation and great confidence, as he will likely be a Top-12 edge rusher this week.
Edge – Keion White – San Francisco 49ers
White has had just two bad games, and they were against the #3 and #6 ranked teams. Take away Weeks 1 and 4, and he has a combined 12 tackles (6 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 3.5 sacks in those four games. Those four opponents were ranked #5, #10, #21, and #27. He has led all 49ers Edge players in defensive snap percentage at nearly 66%.
Week 7 has the 49ers traveling to Atlanta and their #29 ranking. This is the weakest matchup White has had this season to date. The Falcons have given up 20 points or more to six different Edge players. There has only been one week where an opposing Edge player did not score at least 19 points. On the opposite side, seven different Edge players have posted their season-high score against the Falcons. White has a season high of 23 points.
However, White is ranked the #51 DL for Week 7, which seems very low and disrespectful.
Week 7 – DL/Edge Sits
Edge – Byron Young – Los Angeles Rams
Young has struggled against the better-ranked opponents this year. He has scored 1, 7, and 9 points against Top-12 opponents. Young has only two big games, and they came against the #14- and #28-ranked opponents.
The Rams travel to Las Vegas to face the #7-ranked Raiders. Las Vegas has given up more than 12 points to only three players all season long. Accordingly, with Young’s struggles against Top-12 opponents, his outlook does not look promising.
Young is the #6-ranked DL for Week 7 against the Raiders; however, only two players have posted Top-12 performances, and zero players have posted a Top-6 performance.
Week 7 – LB Starts
LB – Bobby Okereke – Carolina Panthers
Okereke has found his happy place for the 2026 season. He has played nearly 88% of the defensive snaps this year; however, he played 98% of the snaps last week against the Eagles. Week 6 was also his most productive game this season. He posted 8 tackles (7 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, 1 sack, and 2 passes defensed. This was done against the #12-ranked Eagles in points allowed to opposing linebackers. However, the Eagles were missing Jalen Hurts, which obviously played into the nice week.
The Panthers welcome the Buccaneers to town this week. They are the third-worst team against opposing linebackers. Baker Mayfield is questionable this week, but is practicing with a glove on his right hand to help with the grip on the football due to his dislocated thumb. Last week was the first week this year that the Buccaneers did not allow two opposing linebackers to score double-digit points. Even if Mayfield is playing, the matchup for Okereke is prime.
Okereke is the #31-ranked LB for Week 7. It should not be an issue for Okereke to easily surpass that ranking.
LB – Jamien Sherwood – New York Jets
Sherwood is on a five-game streak of double-digit scoring. He has faced opponents ranked anywhere from #1 to #29 during his five-game streak. During this streak, Sherwood has produced 42 tackles (21 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 passes defensed. His most productive game of the year was last week against the #12-ranked Patriots.
The Jets welcome the Miami Dolphins to New Jersey this week. They are the #23-ranked team so far this season. They have given up double-digit points to two linebackers in all but one game of their five games played thus far. Nakobe Dean, Nick Bolton, and Barrett Carter have all scored 20 points or more against the Dolphins. Sherwood’s consistency, along with a weak opponent against linebackers, is a nice combination for a nice week.
Sherwood is the #17-ranked linebacker for Week 7. A Top-10 performance is expected this week.
Week 7 – LB Sits
LB – Josiah Trotter – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Trotter excels against weaker opponents and posts modest statistics against stronger opponents. He had his best week in Week 1 against the #26-ranked Bengals. He had his two worst statistical outings against the #1-Packers and #6-Cowboys. In his two tough matchups, combined, he produced 16 tackles (12 solo) and 1 tackle for a loss.
The Buccaneers travel to the second toughest team in Carolina. The Panthers have allowed only five opposing linebackers to score double-digit points in five games. They have allowed more than 13 points just twice. In addition, only one linebacker has broken the 20-point barrier against these Panthers this year. It does not look like a recipe for a breakout game for Trotter this week.
Trotter is ranked as the #8 LB for Week 7. This ranking is much too high, as Trotter will get some tackles but not much else to fill your score sheet.
Week 7 – DB Starts
S – Jaquan Brisker – Pittsburgh Steelers
Brisker is having a great first year with the Steelers as he has produced double-digit scoring in every game. He has played everyone from the #5-ranked to the #29-ranked teams in points allowed to opposing safeties. Obviously, his two best statistical performances were against the #24-ranked Falcons and #29-ranked Colts. He posted over 21 points in each of those contests by producing a combined 13 tackles (8 solo), 3 passes defensed, and 1 interception.
The Steelers travel to New Orleans this week to face the #28-ranked Saints. The Saints have given up 20 or more points to an opposing safety five different times. Jevon Holland, Xavier Watts, Jeremy Chinn, Kyle Hamilton, and Avonte Maddox have all broken that 20-point mark. Accordingly, Brisker and his consistency will push the 20-point marker again this week, just like he has over the past two games against similar competition.
Just not sure how he is the #20-ranked DB for Week 7. The stars are aligned for him to have a huge game.
CB – Kamari Lassiter – Houston Texans
Lassiter has always been a very good scorer for all of your cornerback-required IDP leagues. There has only been one game in the past 2 seasons that he hasn’t scored double-digit points. That one game was not this year. He has played against four different teams this year ranked #22 or worse in points allowed to opposing cornerbacks. In those four games combined, Lassiter produced 30 tackles (23 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 passes defensed. Lassiter does not leave the field as he has posted 100% of the defensive snaps.
The Texans welcome the 29th-ranked Giants to town this week. There is a new Giants starting QB in J.J. McCarthy. The Giants have allowed six different cornerbacks to score 20 or more points. It is safe to say that McCarthy will not hinder the 20-point performance this week. With Lassiter averaging over 27 points against similarly ranked opponents, he needs to be in your starting lineup. This is regardless of whether you have a cornerback-required league.
Do not let this #14-ranked defensive back in Week 7 be found on any benches.
Week 7 DB Sits
S – Julian Love – Seattle Seahawks
Love just produced his worst score of the season last week against the #3-ranked Broncos. He had 3 tackles (2 solo) and 1 pass defended. Love has only broke 20 points one time this season, and that was back in Week 1. In his last three games combined, Love has produced 14 tackles (8 solo) and 3 passes defensed. That is good for 13.5 IDP points on average per game.
The Chiefs bring their #6-ranked team to Seattle for a Week 7 showdown. The Chiefs have given up more than 20 points to a safety just once in 2026. In fact, it is rare for a starting safety to score more than 12 points against the Chiefs.
Love is ranked #21 for defensive backs this week, and honestly, that is even too high.
Thank you for checking out my Weekly IDP Start/Sit Advice article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP+ author page. Be sure to follow me on X at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber. Week 4 IDP Start Sit
