Welcome back to the Start Em or Sit Em series. A few notes, this series will more likely be about the middle of the road guys or sleepers you should start, or guys you should NOT start. If you have Christian McCaffrey or Zeke Elliot, you start those guys every week, no matter what. If you have a trash player, it’s an automatic sit for me. These are guys you’re just not sure about starting or sitting. That’s where I’m going to help you. Also, we will be asking on Twitter for any questions, and for Start Em or Sit Em, I will send you a video response of what I think! Let’s get into it.
Start Em Sit Em: QB
START EM:
Mitch Trubisky: Last week, I said never start Mitch Trubisky. So saying you should start him this week could be a slight overreaction. However, I’m willing to give him a chance. Sure, the Lions defense is not good, but he plays the least talented Giants. So, he could very well pop off again. I still think he is a fraud, but even conmen can have their day. Mitch Trubisky might be a sneaky good start here.
Jimmy Garoppolo: The 49ers offense isn’t centered around passing. But San Frans WRs are a good young group. With the 49ers facing the Jets, Jimmy G should have an easy time throwing the ball over them.
Matthew Stafford: I said that Matthew Stafford would be a good start last week; he did okay. Just not as well as I hoped. Now, I am doubling down on him. The Packers defense had trouble covering Adam Thielen last week. The Lions have Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. They should have a field day throwing the ball. The kicker is that the Packers are better than the Lions, so the Lions will practically throw all game.
SIT EM
Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben didn’t struggle, but he also wasn’t the greatest. It very well could have been just rust since not playing for almost a whole year. Now the rust is gone, hopefully, and he has another chance. But the Steelers play the Broncos. That’s not going to happen this week. Broncos D is stout, avoid Ben in this one.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: As far as I can tell, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the QB right now. That’s not so good for Dolphins fans. But for fantasy owners, Fitzpatrick starting is even worse. Not only did they play a tough defense last week, but they also play an even tougher one this week in the Bills. Until they start Tua, I’m not sure about this Miami Dolphins offense.
Carson Wentz: I love Wentz. I think he is one of the best QBs in the NFL. But, he had a rough showing against the Washington Football Team (LOL). Washington’s defense is underrated and super young, so give them credit. It doesn’t get any easier for Wentz as they play another excellent defense in the Rams. Aaron Darnold should keep Wentz up with nightmares.
Start Em Sit Em: RB
START EM:
Austin Ekeler: If you are convinced by last week’s showing that Ekeler is a fraud, don’t talk to me. I’m taking Week 1 with a grain of salt. The Chargers play the Chiefs this week. Although Houston got their ass beat by the Chiefs, the Texans did have a bright spot in David Johnson. Remember, this is old as dirt David Johnson, who Austin Ekeler is now miles better than. The rust is off, and Ekeler will be a go-to guy for the Chargers in a lot of situations.
Raheem Mostert: Much like Jimmy G above, the 49ers will have a good game against the Jets. Mostert had a good game against the Cardinals in a close game, in a blowout, he’ll be a fantasy stud.
Nick Chubb: Much like Austin Ekeler, if you believe a rough showing in Week 1 means time to dismiss Nick Chubb, you are troubled. The Browns faced Super Bowl hopeful Baltimore Ravens last week. Not only is their offense electric, but their defense is also stout too. The Browns were behind all game, and Chubb wasn’t used much. Now, the Browns face the Bengals, a significantly worse team. The Browns will run the ball all over the Bengals, and Nick Chubb will be back to top form.
SIT EM
David Johnson: I sort of alluded to it earlier, but David Johnson is not what he used to be. Despite an impressive showing against the Chiefs, I’m not buying any stock into David Johnson. Remember how I just said that Nick Chubb had a bad day against the Ravens? Expect that to be 10x worse with David Johnson. He will be a dud.
Benny Snell Jr.: This one is for anyone that noticed that James Connor didn’t get the job done, and the Steelers will probably roll with Benny Snell now. Good on you for paying attention but now, you’ll have to sit Snell this week. The Steelers play a stout Denver defense. Much like Big Ben, I don’t expect a lot of fantasy production on both sides. It should be an excellent defensive game.
Melvin Gordon: Much like Benny Snell Jr and Big Ben, I am also recommending that you sit Melvin Gordon as well. None of these guys look like good starts when they have a great defense against them. With good defensive teams like this, I don’t like the offensive players for fantasy.
Start Em: WRs
START EM
Emmanuel Sanders: With Michael Thomas out, Sanders is the clear #1 receiver in New Orleans. Add to the fact that the Raiders secondary is young (and frankly still questionable); Sanders should have a field day. He might lead all fantasy WRs after this one.
T.Y. Hilton: I thought Hilton would be more prevalent in the game against the Jaguars. That’s okay; he has another chance to be successful against the Vikings. The Vikings let Davante Adams have a field day against them. No, Hilton is not as good as Adams, but he still should have a good day or just a better day against the Vikings.
Julian Edelman: Edelman had a disappointing start to the season. It isn’t all his fault, though. Cam Newton was getting it done on the ground, and the Patriots defense was good enough to hold the Dolphins. Now, they play the Seahawks, this game will be closer, and the Patriots can’t always stop the Seahawks. The Patriots will HAVE to throw, and Julian Edelman is still the #1 there.
SIT EM
Cooper Kupp: I hate to say this because I have Kupp in two fantasy leagues, but I don’t like him very much this week. Even though the Eagles were a dud against Washington, Terry McLaurin had a bad day against them. With Kupp being the #1, Darius Slay should guard him, and it will be another rough day from Kupp.
DJ Chark: DJ Chark didn’t have a bad week last week. It was pretty good considering against the Colts Defense. Now, he has another tough test against the Tennessee Titans. DJ Chark is the #1 for the Jags; look for the Titans Defense to suppress him as much as possible.
DJ Moore: I was never on the DJ Moore hype. Even against the porous secondary of the Raiders, he wasn’t all that evident. Now they play the Buccaneers, who at least have a better secondary than the Raiders. The Buc’s secondary did well against the Saints considering. Look for DJ Moore to not be all that relevant again.
Start Em Sit Em: TEs
START EM:
Hunter Henry: I think the Chargers offense has a lot of rust. Tyrod hadn’t played a lot in a while. Hopefully, that rust is gone because they have the reigning Super Bowl Champions this week in the Kansas City Chiefs. They will probably be behind, so they will have to bring their A-game, or they’ll be blown out. Hunter Henry should be an essential part of that.
Evan Engram: Evan Engram is a helluva TE if he can stay healthy. The Giants play the Bears in a winnable game. Sure, Engram will be fighting for targets with the other Giants WRs, but he is by far the best receiving option they have. If they score, look for Engram to be the reason.
Jonnu Smith: This was one of my favorite sleepers this year. Now it is going to be known. The Titans play an easy defense in the Jaguars. With not many receiving options other than AJ Brown, Jonnu Smith should be relevant in fantasy this week.
SIT EM
Mike Gesicki: Much like Ryan Fitzpatrick, his receiving options will suffer too, that includes Gesicki. Against the tough Bills defense, Mike Gesicki is not a good start.
Chris Herndon: The Jets are bad this year, poor Sam Darnold. It doesn’t help that the Jets played the Bills and now play the 49ers this week. As far as TEs go, Chris Herndon should be pretty irrelevant this week for fantasy. I wouldn’t play him.
Dallas Goedert: Like Carson Wentz, I expect Dallas Goedert to have a hard time getting going this week against the Rams. The Rams did enough to suppress the Cowboys weapons; they should have an easier time with the Eagles options. Dallas Goedert is one of those options.
