Matt Okada’s RB Rankings Week 7 column is built for the awkward decisions fantasy managers have to make at running back, and this week that includes a notable swing on Cam Skattebo. The NFL.com analyst has Jordan Warren in the start category and Skattebo in the sit column, with several other calls shaped by whether David Montgomery and Saquon Barkley are inactive.
That is the sort of middle-ground guidance this piece is designed for. As Okada put it, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em is geared toward helping fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions, and he noted that readers will see quite a few references this year to NFL Pro. In Week 7, the focus is on fringe backs, not the obvious elite plays.
Jordan Warren gets the green light
Jordan Warren is one of the headline starts in Week 7, and that matters because the recommendations are not being made in a vacuum. Okada is weighing role, usage, and matchup context, and Warren has been pushed into a spot where the opportunity is worth chasing.
That is the key point in a week like this. Fantasy managers are not looking for perfect certainty from every flex slot; they are looking for the back who can still provide a usable score when the volume or matchup leans in his favour.
Why Cam Skattebo has been downgraded
The bigger talking point is Skattebo, who has gone from Start of the Week to Sit of the Week. The shift is understandable when you look at the recent usage. In the first five games of the season, Skattebo logged at least 15 touches in each game, but he also fumbled four times across that stretch.
Then came Week 6, when he was restricted to six snaps and zero touches against the Saints. That is a dramatic change in role, and it makes it harder to trust him in fantasy lineups until his workload stabilises again.
The numbers behind the wider evaluation also help explain the caution. Okada’s column leans on matchup statistics and recent production, including one back who has produced 29.7 fantasy points per game, another with 1.05 fantasy points per opportunity, and a runner who has reached a 29.5% missed tackle rate and an 18.2% explosive run rate. Those kinds of markers are part of the framework used to separate a start from a sit.
The injury watch still matters
There is also a major caveat attached to the week’s rankings: some of the decisions depend on whether David Montgomery and Saquon Barkley are inactive. That is especially relevant in a rankings column this deep, where a late injury update can change the entire shape of a fantasy lineup.
Okada’s approach is exactly what makes this type of article useful. It is not about forcing every player into a simple yes-or-no box. It is about showing where the risk sits, which matchups are worth leaning into, and which names need to be monitored right up to kickoff.
What fantasy managers should take from Week 7
The broader lesson from RB Rankings Week 7 is that the running back pool remains volatile, and fringe options can swing quickly from attractive to avoidable. That includes veterans and committee pieces alike, especially when injuries, inactive status, or a sudden usage drop change the picture.
For now, the clearest calls are that Jordan Warren should be started, Cam Skattebo should be sat, and the final decisions around David Montgomery and Saquon Barkley may still reshape the rest of the board. In a week built around difficult choices, that is exactly the kind of guidance fantasy managers need.
