Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 8
Only the best of the best, or the luckiest, survived a brutal Week 7 unscathed. After such a brutal bye week, things will be far less chaotic in Week 8 with only the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders off. Still, plenty of regular fantasy starters are on those two rosters, which makes knowing which players to start and who to consider sitting as important as ever. Here are some unheralded starters to consider this week and some other options to consider sitting as we head into Week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. Start Daniel Jones (QB) New York Giants Jones finds himself matched up this week with the league’s worst defense on Monday Night Football in Kansas City. We keep waiting for the Chiefs to get right and they keep not doing it. It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, you play him against the Chiefs this year. With that said, Jones has made progress this year. The touchdowns aren’t where you want them to be for fantasy, however, he’s cut down on mistakes, has solid yardage totals considering what that offense has dealt with and he has a sneaky good rushing floor. There’s no reason he can’t have a ceiling game against the Chiefs and his ceiling is higher than most give him credit for. Especially as his weapons heal up. Myles Gaskin (RB) Miami Dolphins Gaskin has been wildly inconsistent and the matchup against the Bills isn’t ideal. Nevertheless, he needs to be started this week coming off a nice outing against the Falcons. He rushed for 67 yards on 15 carries, caught four passes, and scored a TD. Look for these numbers to stay consistent now that the plodding Malcolm Brown has mercifully landed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next three weeks. Make no mistake, Gaskin is a skilled back and is much better than Brown. Inexplicable coaching decisions are what have been holding him back and that should no longer be the case. I can understand the fear of facing the Bills, but his best game all year was against the Bucs who almost no back can run on. This isn’t because Gaskin is going to gash Buffalo for 100 yards. Tua will need to get the ball out quick and Gaskin will be his outlet. Don’t be shocked if he sees double-digit targets in this one. Kenneth Gainwell (RB) Philadelphia Eagles Gainwell has been good this year with limited touches. Miles Sanders went down with an ankle injury this past week and all signs point to him missing Week 8. The logical beneficiary of this injury should and more than likely will be Gainwell. Boston Scott and somehow Jordan Howard could be a thorn in his side, but Gainwell will get more than enough work to make him start-worthy. Philly is also taking on the Lions who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Between the juicy matchup and increased workload, Gainwell should be considered a high-end RB2 this week with mid-range RB1 upside. Jerry Jeudy (WR) Denver Broncos Many owners will look to wait on Jeudy and see how he looks and what his workload will be. That’s understandable. I’m not one of those owners. I’m looking to throw Jeudy right into the fire upon his return against the Washington Football team. Courtland Sutton has been the man in his absence, but he’s startable too against the Washington Football team. Only the Titans have given up more fantasy points to wideouts this season. There should be enough value to go around between the two receivers. If you stashed Jeudy since his injury throw him in your lineup. If he’s on waivers he should be the top waiver priority. Marquez Callaway (WR) New Orleans Saints The Bucs have been torched by wide receivers this year, although, they’ve been a bit better of late in favorable matchups. I’m still looking to pick on them and Callaway has been the guy in New Orleans. With Deonte Harris now out, Callaway has seen an uptick in targets coming off a seven-target game. He’s not a slam dunk target because of the general volatility of the Saints’ offense, but he’s the best option in that passing attack and solid flex option this week. Robert Tonyan (TE) Green Bay Packers The matchup is a bit scary this week against Arizona, but I like Tonyan this week. He finally had a good week last week for the first time since Week 2. However, while last week does build some confidence that’s not why I’m back in on Tonyan. I’m back in because the Packers are running out of options to throw to due to Covid and with the game being on Thursday night, players won’t be able to get cleared in time. Davante Adams and Allen Lazard are both on the Covid list, and there is a concern there could be more to come. Marques Valdez-Scantling is yet to be activated from IR but has a chance to return this week. Tonyan should be a solid streaming option this week on necessity alone. Sit Tua Tagovailoa (QB) Miami Dolphins Since coming off IR, Tagovailoa has worked himself from a non-factor to sleeper to start option and has put up nice numbers. Unfortunately, he falls to a sit option this week. The last time Tua played against the Bills he broke his ribs and landed on IR. Neither of these teams has shown any reason why the Bills defense won’t beat up on him again. The Bills defense have done nothing but dominate since these two teams last met and the Dolphins haven’t won a game and most of their top weapons have gotten hurt. Antonio Gibson (RB) Washington Football Team Gibson is great but he just isn’t healthy and that disaster of a franchise won’t step in and make sure he gets the rest he needs to get healthy. He was significantly out-snapped
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 7
Bye weeks can wreak havoc on well-constructed fantasy football rosters. The Week 7 bye is particularly brutal with all Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars unavailable. Attacking the waiver wire and knowing which players to start and sit is crucial towards overcoming the bye and giving your squad the best chance to win another game. Start Ryan Tannehill (QB) Tennessee Titans Saying Ryan Tannehill has been disappointing this season would be an understatement. After adding Julio Jones to a WR corps already featuring A.J. Brown, most experts ranked him as a QB1 with high-end upside. He’s currently the QB23 based on fantasy PPG this season. There is a good chance at this point you can find him sitting on your waiver wire. If he is sitting there you should pick him up this week and stream him. Tannehill has a healthy Brown and is taking on the Chiefs this week, who are atrocious against fantasy quarterbacks. Only the Washington Football Team has been worse. The Titans’ defense is just generally awful as well so Patrick Mahomes should score at will, which should prevent an overwhelmingly heavy Derrick Henry game. The Titans will have to throw to keep up and hopefully can make this a shootout. Devonta Freeman (RB) Baltimore Ravens Latavius Murray went down with an ankle injury last week and doesn’t look good for Week 7. Ty’Son Williams has been relegated to being a healthy scratch and isn’t what the Ravens are looking for in a starting running back. This leaves Freeman and Le’Veon Bell left in the Baltimore backfield. Freeman has been running ahead of Freeman since the two got there and looks better on the field. This is a team if you can get the starting running back, you want him because they run so much. This week they take on the Bengals and I fully expect Freeman to be the RB1 ahead of Bell and Williams. This doesn’t mean the other backs won’t see touches, but they should be significantly less valuable than Freeman. With all the injuries and byes this week, he should be in a lot of starting lineups. Elijah Mitchell (RB) San Francisco 49ers This is another backfield where you want the starter regardless of talent or matchup because they always put up points. We have been fooled by this backfield before, nevertheless, it seems like Mitchell is the clear RB1 in San Fran when healthy. As much as the fantasy community has clamored for Trey Sermon, he doesn’t look like he’s going to be a thing unless everybody else on the roster is injured. I don’t care that the matchup isn’t great and I don’t care who the quarterback is. This week with so many holes for fantasy owners to fill, Mitchell is getting plugged into your starting lineup. He will handle the bulk of the carries, he should see red-zone work and he’ll likely have a few targets thrown his way. He’s the only back you can trust on the Niners. Jaylen Waddle (WR) Miami Dolphins Waddle scored two touchdowns this past week and had another huge targets week catching 10 of the 13 passes thrown his way. While I don’t expect the TDs to stay consistent the targets will. He’s seeing these targets for two simple reasons. This is what he was drafted for and no one else is healthy. With DeVante Parker and Will Fuller forever living on the injured list, Waddle is the only high-level healthy receiver this team has and it has shown in the box scores. At this point, he is an every-week start in PPR leagues. The yardage totals haven’t been massive, but the targets are there and he’s starting to get a lot of looks around the end zone. He is beginning to move past the flex zone into WR2 territory. Sterling Shepard (WR) New York Giants This is another case of a wideout being the last man standing. Kadarius Toney won’t play this week, Kenny Golladay isn’t looking likely for Week 7 and Darius Slayton isn’t healthy either. Slayton is the one most likely to be active of the bunch and he’s a secondary receiver anyway. Shepard came back and saw 14 targets last week. It wouldn’t be surprising if he somehow saw, even more, this week. He’s a must-start this week despite a tough matchup against the Panthers. Ricky Seals-Jones (TE) Washington Football Team Seals-Jones was on this list last week and he’s here again because he needs to be started. Until Logan Thomas returns from injury, he should be viewed as a low-end TE1 with upside. Last week he caught four of six targets for 58 yards and a TD. He has everything you’re looking for in a plug-in TE. He is seeing targets, getting red zone looks, and has big-play ability because of his athleticism. If this guy is still on your waivers and you don’t have a top-tier tight end, scoop him up and plug him in. Additionally, with Curtis Samuel sidelined, Seals-Jones was lined up in the slot for 52.5% of his snaps last week. If that usage continues, Seals-Jones (6-foot-5, 243) will have a decided size advantage against Green Bay slot corner Chandon Sullivan (5-11, 189). Sit Mac Jones (QB) New England Patriots When you hear his opponent is the New York Jets, your first reaction is probably to think it’s a great matchup. However, the Jets have been tough against fantasy quarterbacks this season. Some of it is because they are a little better than expected and a lot of it is because they can’t stop running backs at all and their offense is so terrible teams usually don’t need to throw much. Either way, it’s not ideal. Beyond the matchup, Jones hasn’t looked very good. He’s a dink and dunk guy with below-average weapons in a game where the opposing team isn’t likely to score 20 points. Don’t
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 6
Hard to believe we’re already at Week 6 of this rapidly-moving 2021 fantasy football season. Those pesky bye weeks are now upon us to further complicate lineup decisions. It’s now more important than ever to know which players make good starts, and who should be benched this week. Here are some unheralded players to consider starting, and a few to think about benching ahead of Week 6. Start ‘Em Taylor Heinicke (QB) Washington Football Team We are now at a point with the Chiefs where just about every decent offensive player is worth starting against them, especially players involved in the passing game. It’s the ideal situation for quarterbacks. The defense is terrible, and teams must keep throwing to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes no matter what the score is. He’s too dangerous to just sit on a lead or he already has built a lead of his own. No team is giving up more points to fantasy QBs than the Chiefs. Second on that list is the Washington Football Team. This one is going to be a shootout. Kansas City has held just one team under 30 points all season. The Browns Week 1 scored 29 points. Heinicke has shown an ability to have big games despite a Week 5 dud. There is no reason to believe that will happen again this week. Myles Gaskin (RB) Miami Dolphins Gaskin has been the only bright spot in the Dolphins offense during their four-game losing streak without Tua. If last week didn’t show the coaches this man needs to be on the field as much as possible, they are never going to get it. The Bucs had been shutting down fantasy running backs all season and Gaskin found a way to have himself a monster game. He only carried the ball five times but managed five yards per carry and caught all 10 of his targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He has looked exceptionally better than the other backs and I don’t see how he isn’t the man in Miami moving forward after a failed Malcolm Brown experiment. Darrell Williams (RB) Kansas City Chiefs Williams had already often looked like the favorite back in Kansas City when Clyde Edwards-Helaire was healthy. Now that CEH will be sidelined Williams should see the vast majority of snaps at running back. And he doesn’t have anyone breathing down his neck and taking a ton of snaps as he did to CEH. The matchup is average against Washington, but this is a high-powered offense and I want a piece of it. Williams is a good way to get that piece. He should have a ton of upside as a back who can also catch passes in a game that looks like it should be a shootout. Kadarius Toney (WR) New York Giants With injuries to Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, Toney is the last man standing and has exploded over the past two weeks leading the entire league with 141 yards after catch during that stretch and breaking out last week with 10 receptions for 189 yards. It is looking like he will be the WR1 in New York again this week and even when everyone is healthy, he has earned a major role in this offense. The one concern is the health of quarterback Daniel Jones. He is currently in the concussion protocol and the backup is Mike Glennon. If Jones is out, that likely caps Toney’s upside. Even so, if Shepard and Slayton are both out Toney may still be worth plugging in thanks to his playmaking ability and likely volume. Emmanuel Sanders (WR) Buffalo Bills The Bills offense has been unstoppable and there hasn’t been a target funnel to Stefon Diggs like last season. Sanders has had a massive role in this passing game, and they take on the Titans this week who have been getting destroyed through the air and are allowing the most points to fantasy wide receivers. Through five games, Sanders has 19 receptions for 322 yards and four TDs. In his last three games, he’s had two multi-touchdown games and has topped 50 yards in each game. He has been consistent and reliable, and this week is a great matchup for him and the Bills’ passing attack. Ricky Seals-Jones (TE) Washington Football Team With Logan Thomas on injured reserve, Seals-Jones has seemingly stepped right into his role in the WFT offense. He saw eight targets in his first shot at the TE1 job and caught five passes for 41 yards. While the overall production doesn’t blow you away, it’s hard to ignore the targets. As usual, I’m highlighting a streamable option this week and with byes starting this week you may need to pluck a guy off waivers. If you can add a red zone threat who will likely be in a shootout and can get eight targets, it’s hard to beat that. Sit ‘Em Ryan Tannehill (QB) Tennessee Titans Tannehill is currently sitting as the fantasy QB20 and hasn’t shown many signs that a turnaround is coming soon. This week he draws the Bills who are allowing the fewest points to fantasy quarterbacks and their defense is steamrolling their opponents. With Julio Jones still injured and A.J. Brown not playing anywhere close to his potential there is nothing to like about Ryan Tannehill this week. You should be closer to cutting him than starting him this week. Devontae Booker (RB) New York Giants Booker is a trap play this week. With Saquon Barkley out he will step into an assumed starter’s role. However, there is a lot to hate here. He faces a tough matchup with the Rams, his quarterback may be sidelined and he’s simply just not nearly as good as Barkley. Barkley hasn’t even been that great this year behind that offensive line, so why would Booker suddenly be a viable starting option? You can add him off waivers and stash him
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Week 5
We’re already four games into the 2021 NFL season. No matter how good or bad your September was, the best way for fantasy football managers to win in October is to know who to start and who to sit. Here are some unheralded players to consider starting, and a few to think about benching ahead of Week 5. Start Jameis Winston (QB) New Orleans Saints Predictably, Winston has been unpredictable this season. Less predictably, the Washington Football Teams’ pass defense has been atrocious. No defense is giving up more points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks than them. Touted as one of the best defenses entering the season, they have fallen flat on their faces. While Winston’s yard totals have been low, he’s faced a brutal schedule thus far and his touchdown to interception ratio is an impressive eight TDs to two interceptions. Impressive at least relative to what we’ve seen from him in the past. We know he has the upside to produce monster games and if he is ever going to have a monster breakout game it’s this week. If you’re searching your waivers for a streamable option then Winston is your man for Week 5. Mike Davis (RB) Atlanta Falcons Saying Davis has failed to impress would be an understatement. Cordarrelle Patterson siphoning off his touches and badly outperforming him hasn’t helped his case either. However, Davis is still getting a decent amount of touches. Through four weeks he still has 49 carries and 16 receptions. His volume is still notable despite a lack of production. This week the Falcons take on the Jets, who are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Despite the lowly Jets finally getting a win against a broken Titans’ team, the Falcons will still likely be leading this game leading to a positive game script for Davis. At this point, he is only startable in the best of matchups. That’s exactly what he has this week. Chuba Hubbard (RB) Carolina Panthers Hubbard didn’t exactly blow the doors off last week against the Cowboys in his first shot at the starting role. Nonetheless, it’s not time to give up on him with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town. They are giving up the sixth-most points to fantasy running backs and Hubbard is a lock for double-digit carries and a couple of receptions. As long as Sam Newton, I’m sorry Sam Darnold, doesn’t continue to dominate the goal line rushing touchdowns, Hubbard should have a shot at a big day if he can find the end zone for the first time in his young career. My assumption is Darnold’s sudden stranglehold on goal-line work is an aberration and the running backs should start scoring touchdowns at some point. He is currently all alone with a league-leading five rushing TDs and that seems unsustainable to say the least. DeVante Parker (WR) Miami Dolphins Parker has seen strong volume and has an outstanding matchup this week. He faces off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have been dreadful against the pass and week after week has wide receivers torch them. No defense has given up more fantasy points to opposing wideouts. This defense is dominant against running backs but is nothing to fear if you want to start anyone involved in the passing attack against them. The floor for Parker is ideal, especially with Will Fuller out with a broken finger. He’s already averaging eight targets a game with his season-low being seven and he’s caught at least four passes in every game this season while averaging over 14 yards per catch. He’s a safe flex option this week and you may even be able to find him on your waiver wire in more shallow leagues. His production should only increase once Tua returns, so if he’s on waivers add him and plug him in this Sunday. Marvin Jones (WR) Jacksonville Jaguars With D.J. Chark out for the season, we no longer have to wonder which Jags receiver to start each week. I expect his volume to increase noticeably with Chark sidelined and Jones has a wonderful matchup this week against the Titans. The same Titans who managed to lose to the Jets last week. Only the Bucs are allowing more fantasy points to wide receivers. There is no reason to complicate this. Jones has a big opportunity and the Titans are bad. Odds are he’ll be a starter most week from here on out regardless of matchup, so you can’t bench him when he plays this secondary. C.J. Uzomah (TE) Cincinatti Bengals Uzomah saw his production skyrocket last week with Tee Higgins out. He caught five passes for 95 yards and two TDs. Before that game, he had four catches for 39 yards and no TDs all season. This is both encouraging and alarming. It also doesn’t help that Higgins has not been ruled out this week. However, the matchup is ideal. The Bengals will have to throw often to try to keep up with the Green Bay Packers offense. The Packers just so happen to be giving up the seventh-most points to fantasy tight ends and the eighth-fewest points to fantasy wideouts. Their elite corners help them shut down receivers, but they can’t seem to get a handle on the tight end position. If you are streaming TEs this week, Uzomah is a solid option. Sit Ben Roethlisberger (QB) Pittsburgh Steelers Roethlisberger has an awful matchup this week against the Denver Broncos. So he should be nowhere near your starting lineup. More importantly, we are reaching a point that he should no longer even be on your roster anymore. In reality, he probably shouldn’t be on an NFL roster after this season. He’s an all-time great and a future Hall of Famer, but it’s time to let him go. Yes, this matchup is truly a nightmare, but the bigger issue is that he is washed. Myles Gaskin (RB) Miami Dolphins It has become abundantly clear over the first few weeks
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Week 4
Assembling a championship-winning fantasy football roster in the draft is only half the battle. Now, knowing which of your players to start and who to sit on a weekly basis is the best way fantasy football managers can improve their chances of winning each week. Here are some undervalued players to consider starting and others to sit in Week 4 of the 2021 season. And as always, be sure to consult FullTime’s Week 4 fantasy football rankings. Start ‘Em Mac Jones (QB) New England Patriots Fantasy owners understandably fear the Tampa Buccaneers’ defense after watching them steamroll through the playoffs and dominate Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. However, while the Bucs simply can’t be run on, they are among the worst in the league when it comes to slowing down anyone involved in the passing attack. Jones doesn’t have huge upside being that when you watch him an 11-yard pass feels like he’s throwing a bomb and his weapons fall well short of elite. Nonetheless, if you’re searching for a QB this week he has a high floor and will likely have a high volume of pass attempts as every has against the Bucs. He’s likely on your waiver wire and if you are streaming quarterbacks you should scoop him up and plug him in as a safe option on Sunday. Peyton Barber (RB) Las Vegas Raiders We can all collectively accept that Barber isn’t good. You will get no argument from me. But for reasons beyond me, old-time style coach Jon Gruden loves him a big-tough running back that can fall forward. We have just described Peyton Barber. Despite a lack of overwhelming ability, Barber saw an unreasonable amount of touches last week and there is no reason to believe that won’t be the case Week 4 as long as Josh Jacobs remains sidelined. This past Sunday against the Dolphins, Barber carried the ball 23 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and added three more catches on five targets and 31 yards. Kenyan Drake ran the ball just eight times and caught three passes. As long as the Raiders are competitive in this game, you will see another significant workload from Barber. The Chargers are also in the bottom 12 when it comes to allowing points to Fantasy running backs so everything is aligning for another strong game in this one. Alexander Mattison (RB) Minnesota Vikings Mattison quieted a lot of the chatter last week that even when Dalvin Cook is out, Mattison isn’t the man in Minnesota. He saw 26 carries and eight targets Week 3 and totaled 171 yards. Cook is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and it seems unlikely he plays this week or isn’t at least limited. Especially after Mattison showed last week there is no reason to rush him back. Even with a tough matchup against the Browns, I wouldn’t be afraid to plug him into your lineup this week. The volume will be there as long as Cook doesn’t make a miraculous recovery. Jakobi Meyers (WR) New England Patriots This goes right along with Mac Jones. No one in the NFL has given up more points to Fantasy wide receivers than the Bucs. Meyers is the top target in New England and perfect for dumping the ball off quickly which is a necessity against the Tampa defense and that’s especially relevant with James White now out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. Meyers already has 29 targets on the season and should expect another double-digit target day on Sunday Night Football. His upside may be a bit capped in standard leagues being that Jones’s idea of a deep pass is a 9-yard out, but in PPR leagues he should be gold. If you have Meyers roster he should be plugged in this week as your WR3 or Flex option. If he can find the end zone this week don’t be surprised if he puts up numbers that can win you your week. Odell Beckham (WR) Cleveland Browns With Jarvis Landry injured and Odell Beckham coming off serious ACL surgery, we all scrambled to figure out which little-known Browns’ receiver was the guy to snatch off the waiver wire. Turns out most of the targets just went to Beckham and Kareem Hunt. Beckham saw nine targets and caught five of them for 77 yards. The catch rate still isn’t good as we’ve seen in the past between OBJ and Baker Mayfield, however, without Landry there or anyone of note really to suck up targets, the volume alone should be enough to make Beckham startable. Combine the volume with the upside we all know he has and it’s tough to keep him out of your lineup against a putrid Vikings secondary who are bottom four in the league when it comes to slowing down opposing Fantasy wideouts. Tyler Conklin (TE) Minnesota Vikings As far as streamer-worthy tight ends go, Conklin exploded last week. He was hyped up all preseason and gained a ton of buzz once Irv Smith went down to injury. He was okay the first few weeks but nothing to write home about. However, this week he saw eight targets for seven receptions, 70 yards, and a TD. It’s not fair to expect that every week, but I see no reason why you can’t grab him off your waiver wires and plug him in if you need a tight end. This may have been his ceiling, nonetheless, the eight targets make him an intriguing start this week against the Browns. He has 16 targets and 13 receptions on the season so far. Sit ‘Em Ryan Tannehill (QB) Tennessee Titans You look at a matchup with the lowly Jets and think, smash start for my quarterback. However, that’s simply not the case. This isn’t because the Jets have a sneaky good secondary and the Fantasy industry hasn’t caught on yet. Oh no, that’s not the case at all. Quite the opposite. The issue is the Jets stink so bad that
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Week 3
Assembling a championship-winning fantasy football roster in the draft is only half the battle. Now, knowing which of your players to start and who to sit on a weekly basis is the best way fantasy football managers can improve their chances of winning each week. Here are some undervalued players to consider starting and others to sit in Week 3 of the 2021 season. And as always, be sure to consult FullTime’s Week 3 fantasy football rankings. Start Sam Darnold (QB) Carolina Panthers Through two weeks Darnold has looked outstanding. He is a legitimate QB2 right now and it would not be a shock if he slips into the QB1 conversation against the Houston Texans. Currently, he is sitting with 584 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, a rushing TD, and just one interception. I’m betting on Darnold to light up the Texans’ secondary on Thursday Night Football. At no point with the lowly New York Jets did he ever have passing weapons like DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall, and Christian McCaffrey. The only real concern is that the Panthers are beating the Texans so mercilessly that they don’t throw quite as much in the second half. Even so, a lot of the Panthers’ rushing attack is just dump-offs to CMC. Best of all you can probably grab Darnold off waivers if you need a QB this week and he’s a no-brainer in Superflex leagues. Damien Harris (RB) New England Patriots Harris is now a weekly start regardless of your scoring format or Belichick fears until further notice. This is definitively his job and you no longer have to worry about Rhamodre Stevenson or JJ Taylor swooping in and suddenly taking over the backfield. Through two weeks he’s now handled 39 carries for 162 yards and a TD. He’s even caught three passes, which is a bonus. The volume is there, the scheme and personal are there and he looks strong carrying the ball. I’m sliding him in my starting lineup against the Saints who at this point we know nothing about. They have looked like two completely different teams from Week 1 to Week 2 so there is no reason to fear them at the moment. We tell you to play your studs and Harris is looking a lot like the stud many predicted him to be this season. Kareem Hunt (RB) Cleveland Browns Hunt has his ups and downs and is at times difficult to predict weekly. However, the absence of Jarvis Landry for at least the next three weeks could noticeably boost Hunt’s opportunities in the passing attack. All those dump-offs Landry sees have to go somewhere and the running backs and tight ends look like the most likely beneficiaries. He was already a Flex option, but this just gives him another boost. Don’t worry about a poor Week 2, that was just game script that swayed the way of Nick Chubb. Look for Hunt to bounce back against the Chicago Bears and it could be in a big way if he can find the end zone. You should be able to ride Hunt for about a month while the injured Browns’ pass-catchers try to get healthy. J’Marr Chase (WR) Cincinnati Bengals This could be the perfect storm for Chase. The matchup is perfect because the Bengals will have to throw against the Steelers. After all, that line will not be able to move the ball against a very tough Pittsburgh rush defense. Joe Burrow may even have enough time to get the ball out on occasion due to the groin injury of premier pass rusher TJ Watt. Another injury may work in Chase’s favor as Tee Higgins is dealing with a shoulder injury to which we do not know the extent. Nonetheless, these two young wideouts are essentially a coin flip each week so an injury to one is enough to swing the pendulum to the other. I’m targeting Chase as the top receiver in Cincy this week and a very solid start. Mike Williams (WR) Los Angeles Chargers I have no doubts you’re sick of hearing about the imminent breakout of Mike Williams, but I’m reluctantly going to state that it is finally upon us. BMW to this point has looked like the WR1 for the Chargers as he currently leads Keenan Allen in targets, receptions, and touchdowns. I’m not going to go as far as to say I’m taking Williams over Allen for the rest of the season, but his production and volume have been a pleasant surprise. He has been a top Fantasy option to this point and has turned his 22 targets into 15 receptions for 173 yards and two TDs. I have never been a BMW truther, but if he’s on your fantasy roster you likely are. This is why you drafted him so plug him in your starting lineup against the Chiefs and ride him until the wheels fall off. Get him in now because the wheels could fall off due to his lengthy injury history and past inconsistencies. Austin Hooper (TE) Cleveland Browns This is another case of the Browns having to throw to someone. With Landry and Odell Beckham sidelined, Hooper should see an increase in targets. While two other tight ends are fighting for targets in Cleveland, Hooper is the best of the trio and the most heavily targeted. If you are streaming tight ends this is a solid option off the waiver wire. The volume should be there and he’s more than capable in the red zone and that’s what we’re looking for when streaming TEs. Sit Derek Carr (QB) Las Vegas Raiders The sits this week are featuring a lot of very good players and few QBs have been better than Derek Carr through two weeks. He’s the current league leader in passing yards and sits as the QB4. However, this week isn’t the week to sit him for the guy you drafted to be your QB1. Aside from this having a classic Raiders
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Week 2 Lineup Advice, best matchups, DFS picks
Assembling a championship-winning fantasy football roster in the draft is only half the battle. Now, knowing which of your players to start and who to sits on a weekly basis is the best way fantasy football managers can improve their winning odds. Here are some undervalued players to consider starting and others to sit in Week 2 of the 2021 season. Start Jameis Winston (QB) New Orleans Saints We have seen Winston be an elite Fantasy option in the past so there is no reason to believe his Week 1 onslaught of the Green Bay Packers can’t be repeated. Well, maybe not a beat down to that extent with such efficiency, but huge production from Jameis seems closer to a probability than an outlier at this point. On just 20 attempts, he threw for 148 yards and five touchdowns. Despite these eye-popping numbers there may have been two even more important factors. Taysom Hill was essentially a nonfactor and Winston did not turn the ball over. This game was a massive step for Fantasy owners in having confidence in his job security and full control of the offense. If you grabbed him late, you may have stolen a potential QB1, we already know the upside is there. Kareem Hunt (RB) Cleveland Browns In most leagues, Hunt was drafted as an RB3/FLEX option, but he’s got a good shot at producing RB2 or better numbers in Week 2. Hunt was in on 28 snaps for Cleveland in Week 1, just three fewer than Nick Chubb. Always a red-zone threat, Hunt rushed for a score against Kansas City and snagged all three of his targets. This week, the Browns are 12.5-point home favorites against Houston. This should set up for plenty of favorable game scripts for both Nick Chubb and Hunt, who roasted the Texans for 132 total yards the last time he faced them. Fire up both Browns’ backs in this excellent matchup. Melvin Gordon (RB) Denver Broncos Javonte Williams saw 14 carries to Melvin Gordon’s 11 last week, but that’s not something to be overly concerned about. Don’t get me wrong, this is going to be a committee, nonetheless, Gordon is the starter and leader of the committee, last week’s game just never felt overly competitive and the team leaned on the younger back in the second half. I’d expect the carries to generally be flipped most weeks with Gordon also getting the majority of the passing work. Week 1 Gordon rushed for 101 yards, a TD, and caught all three of his targets for 17 yards while Williams rushed for 45 yards and lost four yards on his only target. This week the Broncos go up against the Jaguars who are just atrocious. They barely looked like a football team last week and got blown off the field by the Houston Texans. Both these running backs should go nuts, but Gordon is the top Fantasy back in Denver as of now Marquez Callaway (WR) New Orleans Saints Despite an offensive explosion from the Saints Week 1, Callaway had very little impact grabbing just one of his two targets for 14 yards. Low output was always expected from Callaway in the opener going up against a very tough matchup against Packers’ cornerback Jaire Alexander. While two targets may look alarming we have to remember Winston only threw 20 passes and his two targets led all Saints’ wide receivers tied with Deonte Harris. This week the Carolina Panthers are a much better matchup for wideouts and it’s very unlikely the game script will lead to so few attempts in the passing attack for New Orleans. He was a sit for me Week 1, but I wouldn’t mind flexing him Week 2. Courtland Sutton (WR) Denver Broncos With Jerry Jeudy going down and Sutton having a quiet Week 1, most of the talk in Denver has been about Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler. Make no mistake, Sutton is the WR1 in Denver with Jeudy out for about six weeks. Sutton only caught one of his three targets in the opener for 14 yards. Look for a huge uptick in targets this week against a terrible Jacksonville defense. Sutton was always expected to be eased into the offense, but with Jeudy out there’s no more time for that. He will step up as the top guy in this passing attack and has a great matchup to do so. With a better matchup and a void at WR1, Sutton should be slid into your flex this week. Jakobi Meyers (WR) New England Patriots Meyers is the WR1 in New England and should be a weekly start in PPR leagues. He saw nine targets Week 1 and caught six passes for 44 yards. While the numbers aren’t gaudy, he was going up against arguably the best secondary in the NFL in Miami led by cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. This week he takes on the Jets. The Pats are coming off a loss and are going to beat the breaks off of the Jets. Mac Jones’ passing style is going to be a quick-strike attack. This fits Meyers’ profile perfectly. Look for him to be peppered with targets weekly and him to have a big role in embarrassing the Jets this week. Juwan Johnson (TE) New Orleans Saints I spent the majority of this article telling you what you saw last week wasn’t real. Quite the opposite with Johnson. He should only get better. His two TDs were a Fantasy owner’s dream, but his three targets and 21 yards may look this look flukey, especially in such a blowout. However, I as well as other Fantasy experts that followed the Saints all summer projected a breakout for Johnson and he looks like the better pass-catching tight end for the Saints, particularly in the red zone. With more passes being thrown by Winston I predict he sees more targets and I also believe he will wrestle more targets away from Adam Trautman as the
Fantasy Football Starts and Sits: Week 1
Assembling a championship-winning fantasy football roster in the draft is only half the battle. Now, knowing which of your players to start and who to sits on a weekly basis is the best way fantasy football managers can improve their
Here are some undervalued players to consider starting and others to sit in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Start…
Get Our Week 1 Starts and Sits!
RESERVED FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Fantasy Football: Week 13 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em
In his Week 13 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em, fantasy football expert Mark Deming analyzes what the data for the easiest and toughest matchups.
Fantasy Football: Week 12 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em
Fantasy Football Expert Mark Deming analyzes what the data is saying about who to start and sit in Week 12!