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 vs Cleveland Browns
Despite suffering a severe knee injury last season, Burrow has shown no signs of his knee being an issue. He has averaged 19.6 fantasy points per game, scoring 17.6 or more fantasy points in all but one game this season. Over the past three weeks, Burrow has averaged 315.3 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and 23.3 fantasy points per game, scoring at least 20.3 in every contest. Tomorrow, Burrow takes on a Browns team that has struggled to stop quarterbacks recently. Over the past four weeks, the Browns have given up an average of 270 passing yards, 2.8 passing touchdowns, and 24.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have given up the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks during that span. Burrow has top-three upside this week.
START: Daniel Jones vs Las Vegas Raiders
Even without several of his starting wide receivers and offensive linemen, Jones has played well for fantasy owners this season. He has averaged 17.1 fantasy points per game this season, scoring 16.1 or more fantasy points in 75 percent of his matchups. More importantly, Jones has scored over 21 fantasy points in almost half the games this season. Meanwhile, the Raiders have also given up 18.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over their past five games, giving up at least 18.3 fantasy points in all but one contest. In their past two games, the Raiders gave up 570 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and 41.8 fantasy points to Teddy Bridgewater and Jalen Hurts. After getting destroyed by those two quarterbacks, Jones should have a strong performance against the Raiders.
SIT: Ryan Tannehill at Los Angeles Rams
Tannehill has been the ultimate hot or cold quarterback this season. In the two matchups against the Indianapolis Colts this season, Tannehill has averaged 21.3 fantasy points per game. By comparison, Tannehill has averaged only 15.7 fantasy points per game in his other six games, scoring over 19 fantasy points once. Unfortunately for Tannehill, he won’t play the Colts again this season and has to face the Rams tomorrow night. They have held quarterbacks to only 16.8 fantasy points per game this season, giving up one or fewer passing touchdowns in over half their games. Over the past three weeks, quarterbacks have averaged only one passing touchdown and 11.8 fantasy points per game against the Rams. Fantasy owners can put Tannehill back on the waiver wire, where he belongs.
SIT: Justin Fields at Pittsburgh Steelers
The rookie had the best game of his career last week, scoring 25.3 fantasy points. However, he has thrown for over 185 yards in only one game this season. Fields has also only thrown three touchdowns this season as the starter. Meanwhile, the Steelers have held quarterbacks to only 12.8 fantasy points per game since Week 5, the second-fewest in the NFL. More importantly, they have held quarterbacks to only 11 rushing yards per game this season, giving up more than 11 rushing yards only once to Josh Allen. Last week 16.3 of Fields’ 25.3 fantasy points came on the ground. The Steelers won’t let the rookie run all over them, leading to Fields scoring under 15 fantasy points.
SLEEPER: Tua Tagovailoa vs Houston Texans
Since returning from a rib injury, Tua has averaged two passing touchdowns, 275 passing yards, and 21 fantasy points per game, scoring at least 15 fantasy points in every contest. Over the past three weeks, Tua has been the QB4, ahead of quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray. While he was on the sit list last week because of the matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Tua has a great matchup this week. The Texans have allowed quarterbacks to average 20.4 fantasy points per game this season. They have allowed quarterbacks to throw three touchdowns and over 260 passing yards in two straight games. Even without Will Fuller and DeVante Parker in the lineup, Tua has enough weapons around him needed to finish the week as a top-12 quarterback.
SLEEPER: Tyrod Taylor at Miami Dolphins
After missing the past six games with a hamstring injury, Taylor will start tomorrow against the Dolphins. In the only game he has played start to finish this season, Taylor had 291 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 23.6 fantasy points. Furthermore, Taylor scored 16.5 fantasy points against the Browns in Week 2 before leaving the game at halftime with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have allowed quarterbacks to average 21.6 fantasy points per game this season. They have given up at least two passing touchdowns and 16.5 or more fantasy points to quarterbacks in 75 percent of their games. Starting Taylor is far from a sexy move. However, he has a great matchup and offers a safe floor for those who need a bye week replacement.
Running Backs
START: Devontae Booker vs Las Vegas Raiders
Since taking over for Saquon Barkley in Week 6, Booker has averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game. Booker averaged 17.3 touches for 86.7 scrimmage yards, finishing as the RB15 during that span. This week Booker takes on a Raiders defense that has struggled to slow down running backs this season. They have given up an average of 25.8 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, giving up at least one rushing touchdown in over 70 percent of their games. Over their past four games, running backs have averaged 115 rushing yards and 27.7 fantasy points per game against the Raiders. With Barkley out again this week with an ankle injury, Booker is in line for another solid fantasy performance.
START: Kenyan Drake at New York Giants
Over the first five weeks of the season, Drake averaged only 6.5 fantasy points per game. However, he has turned into a productive fantasy player since the change at head coach. Over the past two games, Drake has averaged 11.5 touches for 76 scrimmage yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 19.1 fantasy points per game, finishing as the RB6 during that span. Coming off the bye week, Drake has a great matchup tomorrow. Over the past four weeks, the Giants have given up the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs, giving 27.2 fantasy points per game. They have also given up an average of 149.3 scrimmage yards and 1.3 touchdowns per game to running backs during that span. Fantasy owners can start Josh Jacobs and Drake tomorrow with confidence.
SIT: Damien Harris at Carolina Panthers
Last week marked the third game in a row that Harris finished with at least 80 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and 14 fantasy points. Since Week 6, Harris has averaged 95.7 rushing yards, 1.3 rushing touchdowns, and 19 fantasy points per game, finishing as the RB4 during that span. However, Harris will face arguably his most difficult challenge this season tomorrow against the Panthers. They have held running backs to the second-fewest fantasy points, giving up only 17.1 per game. Furthermore, they have held running backs under 65 rushing yards in half their games this season. With no role in the passing game, Harris will likely finish with under 10 fantasy points in this game.
SIT: James Conner at San Francisco 49ers
Conner has averaged 15.2 fantasy points per game this season when he finds the end zone. By comparison, he has averaged only 5.3 fantasy points per game without scoring a touchdown. Of his 92.2 fantasy points scored this season, 52.1 percent of them have come on touchdowns, making Conner a touchdown or bust fantasy player. Meanwhile, the 49ers have given up only five rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. They also held Conner to only 29 rushing yards in their Week 5 matchup. Conner had a season-low five carries and 22 rushing yards last week. If not for two rushing touchdowns, he would have finished with only 2.2 fantasy points. Given the matchup this week, Conner belongs on the bench.
SLEEPER: Jeremy McNichols at Los Angeles Rams
With Derrick Henry out for the next several weeks with a foot injury, Adrian Peterson and McNichols will pick up the slack in the backfield. However, Peterson only signed with the team on Monday. While Peterson should be 100 percent ready for this game, McNichols will be the pass-catching back. Even with Henry healthy, McNichols is second on the team with 21 catches. He has averaged three catches per game, pulling in three or more in over half his games this season. Tomorrow night McNichols faces a Rams team that has given up the eighth-most catches to running backs this season, giving up 6.1 per game. He will finish this week with at least five catches, making him a flex option in PPR leagues.
SLEEPER: AJ Dillon at Kansas City Chiefs
Against the Arizona Cardinals last week, Dillon had a season-high 16 carries and touched the ball on 21.9 percent of the plays. While he finished with only 7.8 fantasy points, Dillon did that without scoring a touchdown or receiving a target. Unfortunately for the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers won’t play in this game. Replacing him will be Jordan Love, making his first career start. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have given up an average of 83.9 rushing yards and 25.1 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, including 93 or more rushing yards in half their games. Expect the Packers to focus on the running game in this game to limit how much they put on Love’s shoulder while keeping Patrick Mahomes off the field.
Wide Receivers
START: Emmanuel Sanders at Jacksonville Jaguars
Last week Sanders disappointed his fantasy owners, scoring zero fantasy points on four targets. Despite failing to catch any of his targets, fantasy owners shouldn’t panic. One, Sanders led the team in snaps, playing 77 percent of the snaps. Two, it was the first game since Week 2 that Sanders scored under 13 fantasy points. Tomorrow Sander should bounce back against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Jaguars have given up 41 or more fantasy points in five of their past six games. Over their past two games, the Jaguars have given up an average of 17 catches for 165 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 45.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Sanders are all must-start players this week.
START: Hunter Renfrow at New York Giants
Renfrow is the typical go-to PPR flex option. He has averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game this season, scoring 10.7 or more fantasy points in all but one game. More importantly, Renfrow has averaged 7.3 targets per game this season, seeing at least six in all but one contest. Meanwhile, the Giants have given up an average of 38.1 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. They have given up an average of 14.3 catches for 173 receiving yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 41 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past month. Now that Henry Ruggs is no longer with the team, Derek Carr will have to rely on Renfrow even more moving forward, starting tomorrow.
SIT: DeVonta Smith vs Los Angeles Chargers
The rookie wide receiver has struggled this season, averaging only 10.1 fantasy points per game. Smith has struggled this season despite a 21.7 percent target share. He has scored under six fantasy points in half of the games, averaging only 4.3 fantasy points per game in those contests. More importantly, Smith has averaged only 2.7 catches on 5.3 targets for 6.2 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks. Unfortunately for Smith, tomorrow’s matchup against the Chargers is far from ideal. They have held wide receivers to only 26 fantasy points per game this season, the fewest in the NFL. The Chargers have also given up only three touchdowns to wide receivers this season. Until Hurts breaks out of his slump throwing the ball, fantasy owners can’t start Smith.
SIT: Marvin Jones vs Buffalo Bills
Like the entire Jacksonville offense, Jones has been inconsistent this season. He started the season averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game over the first three weeks. However, Jones has struggled since then, averaging only 10.1 fantasy points per game, scoring under nine fantasy points in 75 percent of those games. Fantasy owners need to leave Jones on the bench tomorrow as the Bills have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They have held wide receivers to only 26.4 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the Bills have given up only one receiving touchdown to wide receivers since the opening weekend. This week, fantasy owners should avoid starting any Jacksonville wide receivers.
SLEEPER: Van Jefferson vs Tennessee Titans
With DeSean Jackson released and Tutu Atwell on injured reserve, Jefferson should see an uptick in snaps the rest of the season. Jefferson has averaged 4.9 targets per game this season, seeing six or more four of his past six games, including two straight. Over the past two weeks, Jefferson has averaged 13.1 fantasy points per game, good for the WR18 in that span. Meanwhile, the Titans have given up the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, giving up 47.5 fantasy points per game. They have also given up at least 64 fantasy points to wide receivers in nearly half their games this season. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are must-start players this week, while Jefferson offers flex appeal for those with bye week issues.
SLEEPER: Rashod Bateman vs Minnesota Vikings
In his first two career games, Bateman played an average of 64 percent of the snaps, finishing second only to Marquise Brown. More importantly, his 12 targets in those games were only one behind Mark Andrews for second on the team. Bateman has averaged 3.5 catches for 54.5 receiving yards and nine fantasy points per game in those games. However, tomorrow he has an excellent matchup. The Vikings have given up over 40 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. More importantly, they gave up 325 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 63.9 fantasy points to the Dallas Cowboys wide receivers last week without Dak Prescott. Fantasy owners show feel confident starting both Brown and Bateman tomorrow against the Vikings.
Tight Ends
START: Dallas Goedert vs Los Angeles Chargers
Since the Philadelphia Eagles traded Zach Ertz to the Cardinals, Goedert has turned into a must-start tight end. In those two games, Goedert has been the TE5, averaging 4.5 catches for 71 receiving yards and 12.6 fantasy points per game without scoring a touchdown. This week Goedert has an excellent fantasy matchup against the Chargers. They have given up 17.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. They have also given up at least one touchdown to tight ends in over 70 percent of their games, including four of the past five. More importantly, the Chargers have given up 19 or more fantasy points to tight ends in two of their past three games. Goedert has top-three upside this week despite the inconsistent play at quarterback.
START: Jared Cook at Philadelphia Eagles
Over the past four games, Cook has averaged 5.5 targets and 10 fantasy points per game. He scored two touchdowns during that span, finishing with at least 12.5 fantasy points in the games he saw more than five targets. Tomorrow, Cook is in a great position to end the week as a top-10 tight end. The Eagles have struggled to slow down tight ends, giving up 17.4 fantasy points per game to the position this season. They have given up six touchdowns to tight ends over the past six weeks, giving up 19.9 fantasy points per game during that span. With the defense focused on Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, expect Cook to have his way tomorrow against the Eagles.
SIT: Dalton Schultz vs Denver Broncos
After his breakout season last year, Schultz has played well this year, averaging 12.6 fantasy points per game. However, Schultz had a season-low two catches for 11 receiving yards and 3.1 fantasy points last week. Unfortunately, things aren’t looking good this week for Schultz. The Broncos have held tight ends to only 7.8 fantasy points per game this season, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. They are also only one of four teams this season not to surrender a touchdown to tight ends. Furthermore, the Broncos have held tight ends to under 5.5 fantasy points in half their games this season. After holding Darren Waller and Andrews to an average of 11.3 fantasy points per game this season, Schultz will be lucky to finish this game with more than five fantasy points.
SIT: Pat Freiermuth vs Chicago Bears
While Freiermuth was a popular waiver wire addition this week, he has a bad matchup on Monday night. The Bears have held tight ends to only 6.7 fantasy points per game this season, the second-fewest in the NFL. They have also given up only one touchdown to the position this season. More importantly, the Browns have held tight ends under 10 fantasy points in every game since Week 1, including only 8.5 to Waller in Week 5. Despite averaging seven targets per game since the season-ending injury to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Freiermuth has failed to finish with over 58 receiving yards in any game this season. While fantasy owners shouldn’t play him this week because of the matchup, Freiermuth has top-10 upside for the rest of the season.
SLEEPER: Tyler Conklin at Baltimore Ravens
Last week Conklin made the streamers list and finished the week as a top-10 tight end, scoring 10.7 fantasy points. He has scored 10 or more fantasy points in two straight games, averaging four catches on six targets for 64 receiving yards and 10.4 fantasy points per game during that span. Meanwhile, the Ravens have given up an average of 19.5 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, the most in the NFL. The Ravens have allowed tight ends to average 1.5 touchdowns and 20.3 fantasy points per game over their last two matchups. While Conklin won’t finish the week with over 20 fantasy points, he is the top tight end on the waiver wire for fantasy owners looking for a bye week replacement option.
SLEEPER: Dan Arnold vs Buffalo Bills
In the four games since joining the Jaguars, Arnold has averaged 7.8 fantasy points per game. More importantly, he has averaged 5.3 catches on 7.7 targets for 53 receiving yards and 10 fantasy points per game over the past three contests. Last week, Arnold finished as a top-three tight end, scoring a season-high 14.8 fantasy points. Meanwhile, the Bills have held tight ends to only 9.2 fantasy points per game this season. However, tight ends have been targeted the second-fewest times per game (5.6) this season against the Bills. When they have faced a fantasy-relevant tight end, they have given up 13 fantasy points per game to the position. For fantasy owners in deeper leagues, Arnold is an excellent bye week replacement for T.J. Hockenson and others.
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