Week 7 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Jaylen Warren vs. Chase Brown
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Fantasy managers will have a short deadline on deciding what to do with running backs Chase Brown and Jaylen Warren, with both players being a part of week seven’s Thursday night game. Here is a breakdown on who to start and who to sit between Warren and Brown in fantasy football this week.
Chase Brown
For being many fantasy teams' RB1s this season, the Cincinnati Bengals' RB1 has drastically underperformed. Since touting 16 carries in week one, Brown has not surpassed more than 10 carries since then, and on the season, he has yet to get more than 50 rushing yards in a game. Brown does have pass-catching upside, and with the Bengals hitting a dip and trailing in almost all their games since Joe Burrow went out with an injury, it seemed like this skillset of Brown would be utilized. That has not really happened so far.
He did have one game with seven receptions, but outside of that, he has a combined 11 receptions in the four other games. Within all five games this season, the most receiving yards he has had in a game was 31 yards.
Brown and the rest of the Bengals in week seven will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The initial outlook for how Brown will perform is not good. Pittsburgh has a middle-of-the-pack rushing defense, allowing the 17th most rushing yards per game in the NFL in 2025. They have performed at a high level recently, allowing just a combined 111 yards to opposing RB1s in the last three weeks.
Jaylen Warren
RB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jaylen Warren, was back in action in week seven after missing week four with an ankle injury. In the week seven game, Warren had tied his lowest total carry of the season, with 11 that went for an efficient 52 yards. The most discouraging part was Warren’s volume in the pass game. He had just two receptions for 11 yards. This could be chalked up to it being his first game back from an injury, and Kenneth Gainwell playing well in the absence of Warren in week four.
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With Warren being out for the first time in the season in week four, Gainwell, against the Minnesota Vikings, in the role of RB1, had 134 scrimmage yards–99 rushing and 35 receiving yards. In the game, he also had two touchdowns, which led him to finish as RB3 in PPR formats with 31.4 fantasy points. Gainwell’s rushing attempt total shot down in week six, as he only logged six carries for 22 yards, but his receiving volume remained. He had the most receptions out of all Pittsburgh players, with six receptions for 35 yards.
The Steelers will take on the Bengals on Thursday night in week seven. This looks to be a promising matchup for all Pittsburgh RBs. Cincinnati, so far, is allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game, and in PPR fantasy formats, they are currently allowing the most fantasy points per game to RBs.
Final Verdict
When it comes to who to start and who to sit in week seven between Brown and Warren, Warren should be a start, and Brown should be a sit. The main reason is that the Bengals have a poor rush defense, and Brown's continued below-par play in fantasy football.
Fantasy managers should continue to monitor how Gainwell is used in Pittsburgh's offense because his role could have heavy implications on Warren’s fantasy ceiling for the remainder of the year. When it comes to Brown, fantasy managers should start to look to sell him for people who may still be high on him. Outside of the debate between him and Warren, Brown should be a sit this week in general.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops