A few quarterbacks have astounded early on this NFL season. Aaron Rodgers has found another jolt of energy in what will be his final season, Bryce Young has entered the elite conversation, and Kirk Cousins has shown us once again that the art of pocket passing is still very much alive. Shifts in the rankings have fueled start-sit debates, expected and unexpected alike, compared with the preseason projections. Entering Week 7, however, the following four signal callers have unfavorable outlooks and are called must-sits.
Fantasy Points Allowed Statistics are from Footballdb
Defensive EPA Statistics are from Draftwithdoug
Jacoby Brissett
Get this — WITH Marvin Harrison Jr. on the Cardinals, Michael Wilson had averaged 10.0 targets and 6.3 receptions per game in 2026. After Harrison Jr. was traded to the Texans, Wilson is averaging 7.0 targets and 4.0 receptions per game. I'm not sure what to make of that — maybe he is easier to game plan? That is the logical conclusion for the Brissett-to-Wilson woes.
As for Brissett himself, I recommend sitting him for a few other reasons. The Broncos rank 11th in Fantasy Points Allowed to Quarterbacks and, more importantly, they are 3rd in Defensive Pass EPA Allowed per Play.
Brissett has been very volatile this season. He has twice scored more than 25 fantasy points, but he has also twice scored fewer than 8 in a game. I lean toward Brissett's upside when a great matchup is in store. Otherwise, the risk is too high for a player like Brissett on a poor NFL team.
Sam Darnold
Darnold currently ranks 25th in PFF Passing Grade and 28th in Completion Percentage. He also ranks 25th in Turnover-Worthy Plays and 33rd in Interceptions, with seven in total.
You cannot venture to start Darnold, although managers still can't do so at a start percentage above 20% right now. He is the QB29 on a points-per-game basis, and the Chiefs come to town, ranking 2nd in Fantasy Points Allowed to Quarterbacks.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers's projection is limited for a few reasons. The most obvious is that of zero rushing upside. Thus, Rodgers must have an elite passing day. We are talking no turnovers, 250+ yards, and multiple passing touchdowns. It is not so easy to bank on that happening.
The Steelers operate with a 31st-ranked pass block. They are also just 53% efficient in the red zone, converting opportunities into touchdowns. That offers little optimism about much of Rodgers' passing upside.
As good as Rodgers has been, he is still merely the QB14 in fantasy football. There is not enough to be confident about.
Tyler Shough
The Steelers, who oppose Shough and the Saints in Paris this week, rank 3rd in Fantasy Points Allowed to Quarterbacks. That derails Shough's status as a fantasy must-start this week, ranking outside of QB1 range in my initial projections, which will go live on Wednesday afternoon.
To reach QB6 status in fantasy football, Shough has needed to throw a ton of passes. He has the third-most passing attempts of any quarterback this season, trailing Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott. Shough has also averaged 2.3 total touchdowns per game.
Against a tough Steelers defense, the chances of 3+ touchdowns are quite low. Though you could start him, your options are thin, and he ultimately lacks the upside he showed last week, finishing as a QB2 against the Giants.
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