Week One was as chaotic as it always is. Now it’s our job to cut out the noise and figure out what matters or not. Don’t chase touchdowns - chase meaningful stats like snaps or targets. That’s how we save ourselves from panicking and missing out on good weeks after bad weeks.

So that’s what we are going to try to do with this article every week. We are going to look at the data, look at the matchups, look at the injury report, and figure out who is a good start vs. who you SHOULD actually panic on. 

Who Should You Start in Fantasy Football This Week?

One thing that will always remain true with this article or any of our content is that it is more satisfying when you go with your heart or your gut or whatever body part wills you to make the most fun decisions. Fantasy football is SUPPOSED to be fun. And it’s more fun when YOU make the decisions. That said, I’ve been using my pesky brain over here to come up with some reasons why you should or shouldn’t start some of the guys sitting on the fringe of lineups. So here is my fantasy football lineup advice for those guys.

 

 

 

Week 2 Quarterback Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Start: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

We just aren’t going to let one down game scare us off from a player we believe in that we used meaningful draft capital on. Last year the Seahawks only scored 13 points in a loss to a division rival, then went on to win the Super Bowl. Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers should be just fine, and they have a premium matchup this week against the Raiders. If they look terrible against the Raiders this week, NOW we worry. 

Start: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

I’m a little surprised where folks have Dart ranked this week after what they saw in week one. Forget the three passing touchdowns - this dude just ran ELEVEN times. Eleven. Quarterback is completely broken, and anyone willing to run even five times a game has a good floor. Folks are nervous about the Rams matchup, but Myles Garrett is out, and Aaron Donald wasn’t ready to play last week coming out of retirement, so I’m actually not super worried.

Sit: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

I know folks are excited to add and start Tyler Shough. But there are two things to keep in mind. One is that the game script was not normal last week. The shootout plus overtime led the Saints to run 90 offensive snaps and drop back 67 times. A normal game has 63 offensive snaps on average - not pass plays, just snaps. The other issue is that this matchup vs. Baltimore is a tough one. The Saints actually have the 7th lowest implied point total of any team this week. So Shough is more of a stash than a guy you plug in right away. 

Sit: Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

I know the advice in the Waiver Wire article was to make Malik Willis a priority for QB-needy teams. Any time a QB is willing to run, he’s worth a stash for us. But it’s still a little early to just throw this guy right into lineups after he scrambled around against the Raiders. If he can find his way to fantasy relevance against a 49ers defense that looked good last week, now we consider whether we start leaning into the mobile upside of Willis. It would help our confidence in him a lot if he were to throw a touchdown pass this week.  

Week 2 Running Back Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Start: Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings

We had actually already written up why we were benching Jordan Mason regardless of this thumb issue. Now he’s on IR, so there is no question about it. The thing about Aaron Jones is that he’s never really been bad, only hurt. He has chronic shoulder and hamstring issues that cause his ADP to be low, but on a weekly basis, this guy is generally a pretty good start. There is a potential shootout matchup here with the Bears, which actually makes him a great start. And Demond Claiborne becomes a stash. 

Start: Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Week one, we basically said sit all Commanders running backs. Not only did we not know how the work would be divided, but it wasn’t even a good matchup. Not only did JCM get double the carries that Rachaad White got, but he ran 13 routes to 16 for White, which we will take. This is a more favorable matchup against Dallas, so we feel better about actually starting Croskey-Merritt moving forward. 

Sit: J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos

Hyped rookie Jonah Coleman did not play, which was good news for the Broncos. The bad news is that they did not look great, which led to a negative game script. And that saw RJ Harvey play more snaps (26 to 22) as he skews pass downs. The Jaguars were the number one run defense last year and shut down Quinshon Judkins in a big way this week, despite Dylan Sampson leaving the contest. In fact, this matchup has the number one vs. number two run defense facing each other from last season, so it could be more of a passing affair regardless. 

Sit: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

The usage for Jaylen Warren in Week One makes me extremely nervous. RB coach Ramon Chinyoung said that the game plan for each week might dictate who plays more or less, which already puts us in the dark. In Week One, Rico Dowdle played 39 snaps to only 25 for Warren, with Dowdle being trusted to pass block on 9 snaps with zero for Warren. Warren might have outscored Dowdle this week, but the situation could lead to inconsistency week to week. Plus, this matchup with the Patriots could be a bit of a slog for Pittsburgh as they are 5.5-point underdogs in a game with only a 41.5-point over/under. 

Week 2 Wide Receiver Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Start: DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

There is a little overreaction going on with Smith to the point where I saw someone in the Fantasy Alarm Discord say a leaguemate actually DROPPED Smith in their league. That is insane. I get the urge to punish guys by benching them for a bad week but Smith’s 88% route participation this week was exactly what you want to see from the Eagles WR1. I expect a much better game against the Titans this week, so leave him in there. 

Start: Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs may not have delivered in the box score, but he passed a crucial test for us this year. We wanted him to go from being a pure slot guy to a full-time player and, so far, he has. Not only did he play 31 slot snaps, but he also played 17 snaps out wide, which is the most he’s ever played. That saw him lead the team in routes run. Now we just need to hope that holds as Alec Pierce gets ramped up, but Keenan Allen is not a full-time guy at this stage, so I feel good about Downs. He’s a guy I’m buying in trades too. 

Start: Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers

I’ve always believed in the talent of Tre' Harris. That’s why I have a ton of dynasty shares of him. But the issue is this scheme primarily uses 2 WR sets, and they have Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Or they did, at least. McConkey now has a rib issue that saw him leave the game last week and has him questionable for this week. Them adding Marquez Valdes-Scantling is not a good sign. Because of that injury, Tre' Harris actually LED the Chargers in routes run last week with 31 to 30 for QJ. That makes him an interesting start in deep leagues. 

Sit: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Remember how we said Josh Downs “passed the test”? Well, Jayden Reed failed it. It was Christian Watson and Matthew Golden on the field for two WR sets, with Reed relegated to his typical slot work. The upside will once again be capped for Reed most weeks unless that changes, so now super pumped on starting him, even against the Jets. 

Sit: DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

DK Metcalf plays almost exclusively out wide. The highest-paid cornerback in the league, Christian Gonzalez, also plays almost exclusively out wide. You see how that might be a problem here with the Patriots playing the Steelers this week? We are trying not to start Metcalf where we can avoid it. 

 

 

 

Week 2 Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Start: Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz is not a guy I historically love. Just not really the kind of athlete we target. But don’t tell that to the Texans because they basically used him as their WR2. In fact, he ran nearly 70% of his routes from a WR spot. This week he gets a premium matchup against the Bengals, so I’m willing to start him over some pretty big names like Kyle Pitts and Harold Fannin this week. They just don’t have anyone throwing them the ball. 

Start: Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

We’ve been the highest on Goedert this year than we have ever been before. And that’s because he’s always been stuck behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But this year there is no A.J. Brown (not even for the Patriots, as it turns out). So Goedert has much worse target competition in Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon. This week against the Titans, Goedert ends up being a pretty reliable play. 

SIT: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

I am a Pitts “truther”, as the kids say. But even I can see the truth right now. The truth is that Cooper Rush is completely unable to push the ball even 10 yards downfield. He had a WIDE OPEN Kyle Pitts down the stripes and missed by a mile. He threw a pick-six trying to dump it down to Bijan Robinson. No Pitts for me unless I see him go absolutely OFF one of these weeks or the QB changes. This Seahawks team is a bad place to hope for that. 

SIT: Harold Fannin, Cleveland Browns

Same problem here with Fannin. You might need to start these guys if there is nothing out there on the wire. But if someone like Schultz is there, I’m starting him over both Pitts and Fannin. I don’t have either ranked top 12 this week. Not after what we saw last week - how could you?

SIT: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

We had Kittle as a sit last week for the same reason. He rushed his way back after major, major surgery. But that doesn’t mean he’s good to go. Kittle only played 30 of a possible 65 snaps last week, and he only ran 17 of 37 routes, which is ~46%. When T.J. Hockenson came back off his injury, it wasn’t until the fourth week back that he played a full snap share. Kittle is on ice for me wherever possible until he runs at least 60% of the routes in a game. 

Week 2 D/ST Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Start: Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST

The Buccaneers play the Browns this week. That’s it, that’s the analysis. 

SIT: Detroit Lions DST and Buffalo Bills DST

In many cases, I’m just starting any defense I drafted early enough. I wouldn’t have spent up on them if I didn’t believe in them. So I’m not dropping the Broncos or Jaguars who are playing each other. I will, however, drop the Lions or Bills who are playing each other this week. I don’t want to start them, and I’m not going to roster two defenses in Week Two of the NFL season. Just not how I play. 

 

 

 

How To Handle The Toughest Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Decisions?

This is actually simpler than you’d think. Because Fantasy Alarm has three different ways for you to handle your tough start-sit decisions:

  • Weekly Rankings - I do these rankings personally every week and keep them updated based on the news and rumors
  • League Sync - Sync up your actual league to our systems so you can receive custom advice for your own settings. 
  • Start/Sit Tool - Plug in the two players and see what our projections and matchup analysis have to say.