You have lineup questions. We have answers. At least we hope. Start 'Em & Sit 'Em has helped fantasy managers for years make those pressing lineup decisions. And you know what is a good decision? Starting Patrick Mahomes. But that's too obvious, so you won't see that here. Instead here are some of the most-pressing questions. And, if you can't find a player you are looking for, please check out latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings right here.
Start 'em
The Chiefs were second in Week 1 with four sacks. And they have a huge opportunity this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, who still have some issues on the offensive line, even though they allowed just two sacks last week against the Bengals. The Chiefs were all over Deshaun Watson last week. And if K.C. gets up to a big enough lead (like I believe it will), then it’s going to force Tyrod Taylor into a pass-heavy game script that could lead to more turnovers. I’m not saying we’re going to see Justin Herbert in this game, either. But I’m also not saying it.
The Eagles lost Andre Dillard in training camp and you could see some of the issues in Week 1 against Washington, which got to the quarterback eight times. EIGHT TIMES. The Rams defensive front is still loaded with Aaron Donald. And I had to check to make sure I was seeing things correctly when I saw Leonard Floyd with a sack on Sunday night. Like where was that for the past couple of years??? Sorry, I should be a bigger person here. But seriously, Leonard. The Bears could have used you last year. In any event, the Eagles seem like a team to avoid because they are good. But with issues on the line, injuries to their wide receivers, I’m starting defenses against them.
The FT won a huge game against its division rivals on Sunday and congratulations to Washington. But a lot of the reasons we wanted to stream the Eagles against the FT still exists here. There really isn’t a formidable rushing attack, despite the fact Peyton Barber scored two touchdowns. And funny to point that out because he had more touchdowns than he had average yards per carry. Boom. Roasted. Dwayne Haskins is still a work in progress and threw for just 178 yards. The Cardinals defense looked good against the 49ers. Or at least good enough, so I would feel comfortable streaming them this week.
How about flipping this one? I know it seems a little out there because the Cardinals can put up a ton of points in a hurry. But that front of the FT is ferocious. Chase Young is somehow better than advertised and was the top-rated rookie in Week 1 according to Pro Football Focus. Also significant is the FT had eight sacks against the Eagles on Sunday, which is no surprise when you think of all of the first-rounders on the front line of that defense. The 49ers got to Kyler Murray just twice in Week 1, but if you can split the difference, you would have a pretty good game. Look, this is more out-of-the-box for bigger leagues. But I wanted to give you an option that wasn’t a basic pick.
The Buccaneers defense did a really nice job against Drew Brees in Week 1, holding him to some modest passing totals. You’re never going to sack Brees because he gets rid of the ball so quickly, but I would consider one sack a win there. Teddy Bridgewater is no pushover by any stretch. But there should be a better opportunity to create turnovers by the Bucs defense.
Sleeper: Vikings (at Indianapolis Colts)
Sit 'em
The Eagles were an industry pick last week, going up against the Washington FT. I know I felt like a genius when the Birds went up 17-0 and thought I would be cruising to a huge fantasy total from them. Then the unpleasantness happened. Well, unpleasant for Eagles fans and those who started them in in Week 1. The Eagles managed to score just three fantasy points against Dwayne Haskins (no disrespect). The Rams have averaged the fourth-most points in the NFL since 2018. So watch the Eagles get like double digits this week because that’s the way life works.
The Broncos have a very good defense, but Von Miller is out. Bradley Chubb wasn’t that noticeable on Monday night. But overall played well against the Titans, but still managed to put up just two fantasy points. The Steelers looked pretty good on Monday night. Well, as good as a quarterback coming off a year’s hiatus could be expected to play. I had Denver in a lot of spots before Miller went down with his injury. I gave them a one-week shot, but it looks like it’s time to move on.
The Cowboys are working on a new defense under first-year coordinator Mike Nolan. They didn’t score a lot of points against the Rams last week (four), which shows you that teams will be able to move on them a little bit. The Falcons were terrific on offense last week, as they gained 506 yards on the Seahawks, the second-highest total of the week.
The Seahawks are a very good football team. And I believe they are going to make the playoffs. But seeing the current version of the Legion of Boom is like watching a band that’s still touring with only one original member. The songs are still fun, but it’s not as great as it used to be. The Seahawks did manage six fantasy points against the Falcons in Week 1, which was good. I wouldn’t drop the Seahawks if you have them. They just wouldn’t be one of my top streaming options.
Not only is Miracle Mitch the highest-scoring quarterback of the 2017 NFL Draft in Week 1, but he didn’t turn the ball over against the Lions. Which might be the real miracle. One of the things that really stands out to me is the Bears offensive line has looked much better (scientific!) in the brief sample size.
