With the Buffalo Bills being one of the four teams on bye in Week 7, fantasy managers will be left with the unenviable task of trying to replace RB James Cook in their starting lineups. He has been one of the most dominant players at the position, racking up 627 yards and 6 TDs on the ground through six games.
As we try to help set lineups, let’s break down our NFL Week 7 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em battle between Texans RB Woody Marks and Titans RB Tony Pollard for your fantasy football picks this week, including PrizePicks projections.
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Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em RBs, Week 7: Woody Marks vs. Tony Pollard?
Who'd be the better pick out of this NFL Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em dilemma: Marks or Pollard?
Why Start Woody Marks?
Woody Marks PrizePicks Projections: 60.5 Rush Yards, 15.5 Rush Attempts, 15.5 Receiving Yards
- Texans RB David Montgomery (groin) is expected to miss his second straight game. He received 47 rushing attempts over the first four games of the season, compared to only 28 carries for Marks.
- When Montgomery left early with his injury during a 26-3 Week 5 win over the Titans, Marks ran 15 times for 62 yards and posted 4 receptions for 23 yards. Last week, Marks ran 15 times for 56 yards and caught 2 passes for 25 yards in a 34-31 win over the Jaguars.
- The former fourth-round pick performed well against the Jaguars, given that they are fifth in rush EPA/play allowed, per RBSDM.
- Although he failed to reach the end zone, Marks totaled 6 red zone carries in the last two games. That included 3 carries from inside the 10-yard line.
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Why Start Tony Pollard?
Tony Pollard PrizePicks Projections: 65.5 Rush Yards, 16.5 Rush Attempts, 7.5 Receiving Yards
- Pollard set season highs in carries (19) and rushing yards (76) in the Titans 26-20 win over the Colts last week.
- After being limited to 7 rushing attempts in Week 1, Pollard was given at least 14 carries in each of the last five games.
- Although the former Cowboy averages a modest 4.0 yards per carry, he is 16th among 46 qualified running backs in forced missed tackles (13), per PFF.
- Pollard doesn’t have much competition for work. His primary backup is RB Tyjae Spears, who has just 66 rushing yards over 18 rushing attempts. He is on pace to average 3.9 yards per carry or fewer for the third straight season.
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Week 7 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Verdict: Start Woody Marks
The Titans’ offense has been dreadful, averaging only 14.0 points per game. That has contributed to Pollard having only 1 TD for the year. He hasn’t helped his cause, considering he has come away with just the one score despite having 20 rushing attempts inside the red zone.
Pollard’s Week 7 opponent is the Browns, who have been average against the run, ranking 17th in rush EPA/play allowed. However, they really thrive at keeping running backs out of the end zone. They have allowed only 1 rushing TD for the entire season.
Marks has a much more favorable matchup against the Giants, who permitted 70 rushing yards to underwhelming Saints RB Kendre Miller last week. According to RotoWire, their 4.78 yards per carry allowed to running backs ranks 28th in the league. Per RBSDM, their 40.4% rush success rate allowed is 16th.
There is more upside that comes with deploying Marks in his favorable matchup, rather than taking a chance on Pollard breaking out of his funk versus a difficult foe.
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Marks and Pollard should assume leading roles out of the backfield for their respective teams. The difference is that Pollard is part of arguably the worst offense in the league and faces a tough opponent in Week 7, while Marks takes on a Giants defense that has shown an inability to stop the run.
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