The best part about fantasy football is winning. The second best part is the draft. However, the draft has come and gone. Now fantasy owners struggle with the weekly decision about which players to start, which to sit, and which to use as a sleeper. To help with that, I will provide two starts, two sits, and two sleepers at each position every week. Be sure to reach out with any fantasy football questions you may have. Without further ado, let’s get started.
All stats are base on four-point per passing touchdown and PPR scoring.
Quarterbacks
START: Joe Burrow at New York Jets
Over the past four weeks, fewer quarterbacks have played better than Burrow. He has averaged 23.5 fantasy points per game, good for the QB3 during that span. He has averaged 2.4 touchdowns per game this season, throwing at least two in every game. More importantly, Burrow had his best game of the season last week, throwing for over 400 yards and scoring a season-high 26.6 fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, the Jets have struggled over their past two games, giving up an average of 364 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 23.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. After giving up a career-high 386 passing yards and 25 fantasy points to Mac Jones last week, Burrow will have no trouble picking apart this defense.
START: Kirk Cousins vs Dallas Cowboys
Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings are coming off their bye week and face a critical matchup against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Over the first six games this season, Cousins has averaged 2.2 passing touchdowns per game, throwing three touchdowns in half of the games. More importantly, Cousins has averaged 20.7 fantasy points per game, scoring 22 or more in 67 percent of his matchups. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have given up 20.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. They have given up an average of 311.2 passing yards and two passing touchdowns per game this season to quarterbacks. This game should be a shootout, leading to a top-10 finish this week from Cousins.
SIT: Tua Tagovailoa at Buffalo Bills
Amid the Deshaun Watson trade rumors, Tua had the best game of his career last week. He threw for 291 yards, four touchdowns, and scored 26.5 fantasy points against the Atlanta Falcons. The week before, Tua threw for 329 passing yards, two touchdowns, and scored 21.4 fantasy points against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, Tua takes on arguably the best defense in football tomorrow. The Bills have held quarterbacks to the fewest fantasy points per game this season, giving up only 11.2 per game. They have held quarterbacks to only five passing touchdowns this season. Furthermore, quarterbacks have scored under 13 fantasy points in 67 percent of their games this season against the Bills. As great as Tua has played recently, this week, he belongs on the bench.
SIT: Mac Jones at Los Angeles Chargers
Like Tua, Jones had a career performance last week. Jones finished with over 300 passing yards for the first time in his short career, finishing with 22.2 fantasy points. However, Jones has scored under 17 fantasy points in every other game this season. Meanwhile, the Chargers have held quarterbacks to only 15.3 fantasy points per game this season, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. They have held quarterbacks to under 14.5 fantasy points in 67 percent of their games. The Chargers have also held quarterbacks to one or fewer passing touchdowns in half their games this season. More impressively, they held Lamar Jackson to only 12.8 fantasy points in their last game. Fantasy owners looking for a bye week replacement need to avoid Jones and look elsewhere.
SLEEPER: Daniel Jones at Kansas City Chiefs
Despite missing his top three wide receivers and star running back last week, Jones scored 17.5 fantasy points against a tough Carolina Panthers defense. It marked the fifth time this season Jones has scored 16.5 or more fantasy points in a game. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have allowed quarterbacks to average 24.1 fantasy points per game, giving up 19.4 or more fantasy points to quarterbacks in all but one game this season. The Chiefs have also allowed quarterbacks to throw two or more touchdowns and score over 28 fantasy points in four of their past six games. If he gets back his top wide receivers for this game, Jones has top-five upside this week.
SLEEPER: Teddy Bridgewater vs Washington Football Team
Last week was an ugly performance from Bridgewater. Despite throwing two touchdowns, Bridgewater finished with only 13.8 fantasy points last week. However, Bridgewater has been solid for fantasy owners over the past three weeks, throwing at least two touchdowns in every game while averaging 16.9 fantasy points per game. More importantly, Bridgewater has scored 18.3 or more fantasy points in over half his games this season. Meanwhile, Washington has given up an average of 26.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, the most in the NFL. They have given up an average of 2.8 passing touchdowns and 28.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the past five weeks. For fantasy owners looking for a bye week replacement, grab Bridgewater off the waiver wire.
Running Backs
START: Damien Harris at Los Angeles Chargers
Despite Bill Belichick hating everyone’s fantasy football teams, Harris has played well this season, scoring 12.2 fantasy points per game. More importantly, he has rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games, scoring three touchdowns in that span. Meanwhile, the Chargers have struggled to slow down running backs this season, giving up an average of 132.3 rushing yards, 1.3 rushing touchdowns, and 28.4 fantasy points per game to the position. Furthermore, they have given up over 335 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 82.6 fantasy points to running backs in their past two games. After averaging 6.5 rushing yards per carry over the past two weeks, expect Belichick to run Harris into the ground tomorrow.
START: Darrel Williams vs New York Giants
In the two games as the starter this season, Williams has averaged 16 fantasy points per game. Despite only eight touches last week, Williams still managed to score eight fantasy points. Williams has four rushing touchdowns this season, including two over the past two weeks. More importantly, Williams has averaged one fantasy point per touch as the starter this season. Meanwhile, the Giants have allowed running backs to average over 25 fantasy points per game. They have given up an average of 111.6 rushing yards per game to running backs, giving up over 120 in over half of their games. While Williams won’t have over 100 rushing yards Monday night, fantasy owners should expect a top-20 finish this week.
SIT: Leonard Fournette at New Orleans Saints
Fournette has averaged 21.4 fantasy points per game over the past month, finishing as the RB3 during that span. The only running backs to score more fantasy points during that span were Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor. However, Fournette will face his most difficult challenge of the season tomorrow against the Saints. They have held running backs to only 18.3 fantasy points per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, the Saints have held running backs to only 55.5 rushing yards per game this season, giving up more than 73 rushing yards only once. More importantly, they have held running backs to under 11.5 fantasy points in half of their games this season. As great as Fournette has been recently, this week, he belongs on the bench.
SIT: Cordarrelle Patterson vs Carolina Panthers
Over the first four games of the season, Patterson averaged 6.8 carries per game. Then over the past two games, Patterson had 14 carries in both contests. However, Patterson’s fantasy production has dropped recently. After averaging 20.9 fantasy points per game over the first four games of the season, Patterson has averaged 16.3 over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the Panthers have held running backs to only 15.2 fantasy points per game this season, the fewest in the NFL. More importantly, the Panthers have held running backs to a league-low 2.7 catches per game. With Kyle Pitts stepping up his play, Patterson’s role on the team is shrinking. Fantasy owners should expect him to struggle this week against the Panthers.
SLEEPER: Zack Moss vs Miami Dolphins
Before the bye week, Moss had a season-low 5.9 fantasy points against the Tennessee Titans. However, he averaged 14.5 fantasy points per game before that matchup, scoring at least 12 fantasy points in every contest. Fantasy owners should expect him to bounce back tomorrow. The Dolphins have given up an average of 27.7 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, giving up at least one rushing touchdown in six straight games. They have also given up 107 rushing yards per game to running backs this season, giving up at least 109 rushing yards in over 70 percent of their contests. In Week 2, Moss scored 15.4 fantasy points and had a career-high two rushing touchdowns. Fantasy owners should expect at least 15 fantasy points this week from Moss.
SLEEPER: Kenneth Gainwell at Detroit Lions
With Miles Sanders on injured reserve, Gainwell and Boston Scott will man the backfield for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last week, Gainwell scored 14.1 fantasy points on only nine touches. More importantly, it is the third time Gainwell scored 12 or more fantasy points as a role player this season. Meanwhile, the Lions have given up 28.7 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, the fourth-most in the NFL. More importantly, the Lions have allowed running backs to rush for over 115 yards in over half their games this season. While Scott and Jordan Howard will help carry the workload, Gainwell will be the lead back for the Eagles moving forward until Sanders returns. This week, Gainwell has top-15 upside against a terrible Lions run defense.
Wide Receivers
START: Michael Pittman Jr. vs Tennessee Titans
With T.Y. Hilton out of the lineup, Pittman has stepped up as the No. 1 wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He has averaged 7.8 targets and 15.5 fantasy points per game without Hilton this season. More importantly, Pittman has scored over 20 fantasy points in just under half his games this season. Meanwhile, the Titans have given up the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, giving up 48 fantasy points per game. They have given up 10 touchdowns to wide receiver this season, giving up 226.1 receiving yards per game to the position. While Hilton is questionable to play this week, Pittman should have an impressive performance regardless if Hilton plays or not.
START: Chase Claypool at Cleveland Browns
The last time we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers on the field, Claypool struggled against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished that game with only two catches on seven targets and 3.7 fantasy points. However, Claypool has averaged 8.4 targets per game this season, seeing six or more in four straight games. More importantly, Claypool has averaged 15.4 fantasy points per game over his past three games despite the struggling performance against the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Browns have struggled to slow down wide receivers recently. They have given up 47 fantasy points per game to the position over the past three weeks. More importantly, they have given up six touchdowns to wide receivers during that span. Expect Ben Roethlisberger to look Claypool’s way early and often in this game.
SIT: Jakobi Meyers at Los Angeles Chargers
After starting the season strong, Meyers has regressed over the past three weeks. He has averaged only 10.1 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks, scoring under 9.7 fantasy points twice. More importantly, Meyers averaged 10.3 targets per game over the first four games of the season. By comparison, he has averaged only six targets per game over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, the Chargers have held wide receivers to only 25.4 fantasy points per game this season, the fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, they have given up only three touchdowns to wide receivers this season. With the Chargers struggling to stop the run, expect the New England Patriots to lean on the running game, further limiting Meyers’ upside.
SIT: Tyler Boyd at New York Jets
For years, Boyd has been a consistent PPR machine for fantasy owners. However, with the addition of Ja’Marr Chase, Boyd has become very inconsistent. Boyd has averaged only 10.1 fantasy points per game this season, scoring under eight fantasy points in over half of the games. Furthermore, Boyd has scored only 7.3 fantasy points per game in the contests with Tee Higgins in the lineup. More importantly, Boyd averaged 7.5 targets per game over the first four games this year. By comparison, Boyd has averaged only five targets per game over the past three games. Meanwhile, the Jets have held wide receivers to only 29.6 fantasy points per game this season. Boyd shouldn’t be in any fantasy lineup this week. Instead, he belongs on the waiver wire.
SLEEPER: Cole Beasley vs Miami Dolphins
Last season, Beasley was one of the more consistent PPR wide receivers in fantasy football. However, he has been very inconsistent this season, scoring under eight fantasy points in half the games. By comparison, Beasley has scored over 14 fantasy points in the other half of the games this season, averaging 18.9 fantasy points per contest. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have given up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, giving up almost 43 fantasy points per game to the position. Furthermore, the Dolphins have given up 235 receiving yards, 2.3 touchdowns, and 54.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past three weeks. With Dawson Knox out this week, Beasley will pick up the workload and have his way against the Dolphins.
SLEEPER: Laviska Shenault Jr. at Seattle Seahawks
While many had high expectations for Shenault this season, he has struggled, averaging only 9.8 fantasy points per game. He has also failed to find the end zone this season. However, things are starting to look up for Shenault. In his last outing, Shenault had a season-high 10 targets, finishing with 11.4 fantasy points. More importantly, Shenault has averaged 6.7 targets and 11.7 fantasy points per game over the past three games. Meanwhile, the Seahawks gave up an average of 43.2 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the first five weeks of the season. More importantly, wide receivers have scored 48 or more fantasy points in three of the past five games against Seattle. Starting Shenault might not be the sexiest move, but one fantasy owner should make.
Tight Ends
START: Tyler Higbee at Houston Texans
Higbee has been a solid fantasy tight end this season, averaging 9.1 fantasy points per game. More importantly, Higbee has four or more catches in four of his past five games, averaging 10 fantasy points per game during that span. Meanwhile, the Texans have given up fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season, giving up over 18 fantasy points per game to the position. They have allowed six touchdowns to tight ends this season, giving up at least one in four straight games. More importantly, tight ends have scored at least 15 fantasy points in all but one game against the Texans this season. Higbee has top-five upside this week against a struggling Houston defense.
START: Hunter Henry at Los Angeles Chargers
After a slow start to the season, Henry has picked up his play over the last month. He has scored a touchdown in each of the past four games, averaging 13.4 fantasy points per game during that span. Over the last month, Henry has been the TE7, scoring only two fewer fantasy points than Travis Kelce. Meanwhile, the Chargers have allowed tight ends to average 19.3 fantasy points per game, the second-most in the NFL. They have given up an average of seven catches for 97.8 receiving yards, one touchdown, and 23.3 fantasy points per game to tight ends over the last four weeks. Henry is in an excellent position to finish as a top-three tight end this week in a revenge game against his former team.
SIT: Ricky Seals-Jones at Denver Broncos
Since filling in as the starter for Logan Thomas, Seals-Jones has averaged 12 fantasy points per game, scoring 11 or more fantasy points in back-to-back games. More importantly, Seals-Jones has been second on the team in targets over the past three weeks, averaging 7.3 per game. However, fantasy owners might need to hit the waiver wire for a replacement tight end this week. The Broncos have allowed tight ends to average only 8.2 fantasy points per game this season, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. They have held tight ends to eight or fewer fantasy points in over half their games. More importantly, the Broncos haven’t given up a touchdown to tight ends this season. Depending on the options on the waiver wire, fantasy owners should bench Seals-Jones this week.
SIT: Jared Cook vs New England Patriots
In his first season as a Charger, Cook has been inconsistent. In the two games he found the end zone, Cook has averaged 15.8 fantasy points per game. However, he has averaged only 6.3 fantasy points per game in the other four games, scoring under six fantasy points in three of those contests. Meanwhile, the Patriots have held tight ends to the second-fewest fantasy points this season, giving up only 7.2 fantasy points per game. They have held tight ends to under five fantasy points in over 70 percent of their games this season. For fantasy owners looking for a bye week filler, don’t pick up Cook.
SLEEPER: C.J. Uzomah at New York Jets
Last week, Uzomah made the sleepers list at tight end, and it paid off for fantasy owners. While he finished fourth on the team in targets, Uzomah had three catches for 91 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 24.1 fantasy points. More importantly, Uzomah has averaged 3.3 catches for 54.3 receiving yards, 1.3 touchdowns, and 16.2 fantasy points per game over the past four weeks. Uzomah has played 79.2 percent of the snaps and finished as the TE3 during that span. Meanwhile, the Jets have given up an average of 16.4 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, including 18 fantasy points last week. Uzomah should have his second straight week with a top-five finish.
SLEEPER: Tyler Conklin vs Dallas Cowboys
Before the bye week, Conklin was in a groove, averaging 5.5 targets and 10.1 fantasy points per game over his past four games. During that span, Conklin averaged 46 receiving yards per game, totaling 70 or more receiving yards in two of those contests. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have given up over 60 receiving yards and 15 fantasy points per game this season to tight ends. Furthermore, the Cowboys have allowed tight ends to score 22.5 or more fantasy points in a third of their games this season. While Conklin is far from a sexy option at tight end, with Mark Andrews and Darren Waller on the bye this week, he might be the best streaming option available.
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