This is a weekend of returns and replacements. Saturday’s two best college games turn on a quarterback change in Ann Arbor and a missing edge rusher in Austin. Sunday’s NFL slate is full of stars trying to come back: Lamar Jackson, Josh Jacobs, Baker Mayfield, Breece Hall and Tank Dell all have a case to play, and Saquon Barkley is aiming for Monday night. The other side of that list is just as important for lineups: Davante Adams is on injured reserve, Jeremiyah Love is expected to sit again and David Montgomery is trending toward missing Houston’s game. Here’s what matters for the board.
Saturday: College Football
No. 6 Indiana at Michigan (noon ET, FOX)
Michigan has benched Bryce Underwood, and freshman Tommy Carr is set to make his first career start against one of the best defenses in the country. The move was coming. Underwood has thrown for 924 yards with five touchdown passes and six interceptions in six games, and he was pulled at halftime against Penn State after two picks. Carr finished that 21-18 win, Michigan’s first Big Ten victory of the season.
Carr’s debut comes against an Indiana defense that SP+ ranks No. 2 nationally, sits fourth nationally in sacks and has been one of the stingiest run defenses in the sport. A first-time starter facing a Hoosier pass rush is a tough way to begin. If you play college fantasy, this is not the week to trust any Michigan skill player beyond the backfield’s volume.
On the other side, Josh Hoover has been one of the most efficient passers in the country: 18 touchdown passes, zero interceptions and 9.8 yards per attempt. He’s coming off his worst game, completing only half his throws in the loss to Ohio State, and Michigan’s defense is good enough to make this a grind. Hoover stays a starter in every college format, but rein in projections. His floor here is closer to a 200-yard, two-score day than the ceiling games he posted in September.
No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas (Saturday night, ABC)
Texas will play without Colin Simmons, who left the Florida loss with a high ankle sprain and was moved from questionable to out on the SEC availability report. That’s a huge loss. Simmons leads the nation with 10.5 sacks and has 16 tackles for loss through six games. Fellow edge Richard Wesley is also out, so Steve Sarkisian’s claim that he still has four good edge rushers is about to be tested.
That shifts this game toward Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss creates as much off-script offense as any quarterback in the SEC. Without its best pass rusher, Texas will find it much harder to keep him in the pocket and force bad throws. Ole Miss also got healthier this week: RB Kewan Lacy, WR Caleb Cunningham and RG Patrick Kutas all came off the injury report Thursday. Lacy is a strong college fantasy start. On the Texas side, RB Hollywood Smothers was downgraded on Thursday’s report, so check his status before kickoff and don’t plan around him.
Sunday: NFL Week 7
Early lock: Steelers vs. Saints in Paris (9:30 a.m. ET)
The NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris kicks off at 6:30 a.m. Pacific, so your West Coast leaguemates will be setting lineups early. Pittsburgh RB Rico Dowdle (knee) is questionable and WR Ben Skowronek (calf) is out. Dowdle’s status settles the Steelers’ backfield. If he sits, the work gets consolidated and the backup becomes a usable flex. Make that decision Saturday night instead of waking up to it.
Bengals at Ravens: Lamar Jackson’s ankle
Lamar Jackson sprained his left ankle in Week 4 and has missed two games. He was limited Wednesday and Thursday, though he did more Thursday and took part in individual quarterback drills. Jesse Minter keeps calling it day-to-day. When Jackson plays, he’s a top-five fantasy quarterback. The risk is a hobbled version who doesn’t run, which takes away the rushing floor that makes him elite. If he’s active, start him in one-quarterback leagues. In superflex leagues, only bench him if you have a healthy, high-volume alternative, because his rushing is the part of his game most likely to be limited.
Packers at Lions: Josh Jacobs is back
Josh Jacobs came off the commissioner’s exempt list Monday after missing Green Bay’s first six games, and he returned to practice this week. Reports point to him playing in Detroit, though Matt LaFleur has been noncommittal and the league’s review isn’t finished. Expect a rust game. He hasn’t taken a regular-season snap, and Green Bay has no reason to hand him a full bell-cow workload in his first week back. Treat him as a volume-based RB2 with touchdown upside, not an RB1, and expect the Packers’ other backs to keep enough work to cut into his ceiling.
Rams at Raiders: Davante Adams on IR, Puka Nacua uncertain
The Rams put Davante Adams on injured reserve with a hamstring rupture that’s expected to cost him six to 10 weeks. Then Puka Nacua left Thursday’s practice early with a calf injury. Reports say the calf isn’t believed to be serious, but his Week 7 status is up in the air, and this is his second soft-tissue issue of the season. If Nacua plays, he’s a locked-in WR1, and Adams’ absence pushes his target share even higher. If he sits, the Rams’ passing game is thin enough that the next man up becomes a speculative flex.
Cardinals and Texans backfields
Arizona rookie Jeremiyah Love is expected to miss a second straight game with his left ankle. Last week Tyler Allgeier got the start and the volume, 18 carries for 38 yards, while Bam Knight did more with less: 15 carries for 80 yards. Allgeier is the safer bet to lead in carries against Denver. Knight is the better bet for efficiency and passing-down work, and he’s a reasonable flex in deeper leagues.
In Houston, David Montgomery (groin) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday and is expected to miss the Giants game. That points to a split between Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale. Neither is more than a touchdown-dependent flex. The better story is Tank Dell. DeMeco Ryans confirmed Dell will play his first game since December 2024. With Marvin Harrison Jr. now in this receiver room, expect a limited snap share in Dell’s first game back. Stash him, but don’t start him this week.
More return decisions
- Baker Mayfield (TB): Practiced in full Wednesday and Thursday and says his thumb is strong enough to play at Carolina, with a protective glove. If he’s confirmed, he’s a streaming QB1. Getting him back also helps Tampa Bay’s receivers, including Emeka Egbuka, who returned to practice Friday from foot and concussion issues.
- Breece Hall (NYJ): Questionable with the quad after missing three games and two limited practices. If Hall is active, the Jets likely split the work against Miami, and Braelon Allen falls to flex range. If Hall sits, Allen is a solid RB2 in a good matchup.
- Mike Evans (SF): Missed Thursday’s practice with rib and Achilles issues. He’s a risky start at Atlanta even if he’s active.
Chiefs at Seahawks (Sunday night, NBC)
Kansas City is 5-0 and Seattle is 3-3, but the records overstate the gap. The Seahawks are at home, and their defense has been their strength this season. Kansas City’s core starters stay in lineups. Its secondary pass-catchers are lower-floor plays in a game that projects as lower-scoring than most Chiefs games this year.
Monday: Cowboys at Eagles
Saquon Barkley returned to practice Thursday after missing two games with a hamstring injury, and NFL Network reports he’s in line to play Monday. If he’s active, the Eagles have every reason to lean on him. Even with a managed snap count, he’s an RB1 against Dallas. One warning: a Monday night player you can’t confirm until Monday leaves you without a backup plan, so have a fallback on your bench before Sunday’s games lock.
The Bottom Line
The early Paris kickoff and the Monday night decision bookend a weekend where active and inactive lists will decide more matchups than usual. Check Dowdle before Sunday morning. Pivot quickly if Nacua or Hall is ruled out. Treat Jacobs and Dell as players to get back into rhythm, not players to lean on. On Saturday, the Simmons absence opens up Ole Miss’ offense. In Ann Arbor, the Tommy Carr era begins against the worst possible opponent for a first start.
See today's NCAA FB lines on DFS Lines, each one set against the player's last ten games.