Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em – Week 1

Welcome to another highly anticipated season of fantasy football! The days may be getting shorter but the action is about to hit 100! Now that the draft season has come to an end, we start focusing on building a winning lineup each week. The first thing to do is throw all the ADP (average draft position) out the window. It is now useless and truthfully, no one cares when or where you drafted someone anymore. For Week 1, you’re mostly going to roll with the guys you drafted early. However, things still evolve every day and you may have some tougher start/sit decisions to make. That’s why Brendan and I are here. If you’re looking for that extra nudge to one guy or another, we’ll give you our best advice! – Benjamin Ditlevson

Week 1 start/sit advice is a little tricky. The best advice I can give in week one is to stick with what you have drafted. Don’t get cute this week. I’m looking at you, Benjamin. You drafted the players you drafted for a reason. Run with the players you picked, at least in Week 1, then really worry about who to start or sit. With that being said, you might have some mid-late round players in your lineup that give you cause for concern. Or maybe you have some wonky scoring in your league and might want to mess with the lineup. I hope we can help push you in one direction or another to make that decision. – Brendan O’Bryan

Quarterbacks

Start: Jameis Winston, Saints – Matt Ryan, Colts

I have been high on Jameis Winston all off-season. I feel like he has been working hard to put himself in this position and the Saints have put a talented roster around him. The Falcons have a talented defensive backfield, but Jameis should have all the time in the world to throw. He might throw a few interceptions, but Jameis will put up big numbers. – Brendan

What better way to start off your tenure with a new team than to face off with one of last year’s bottom-rung defenses? Matt Ryan is taking one more stab at a successful season with his new comrades in Indianapolis. Ryan started off 2021 with a better than 70% completion percentage in five of the first eight games. Things took a southward turn after that behind a poor offensive line and injured pass catchers left and right. At the very least, Ryan should have another good start to this season with a star-studded group of playmakers. – Benjamin

Sit: Dak Prescott, Cowboys – Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

The biggest knock on Dak Prescott in Week 1 is his lack of proven receivers. He’s got CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz, but it’s a hodge-podge after that. Jalen Tolbert is a rookie, and Michael Gallup and James Washington are out. The only other receiver who played last year is Noah Brown who caught 16 balls for 184 yards. You probably drafted Prescott as your QB1, but I’d grab someone else (like the two we just mentioned) who’s not playing against a tough Tampa Bay defense in Week 1. – Benjamin

My favorite sit from last year pops up in Week 1 this year. All the off-season hype on Tua Tagovailoa has been nothing but hype. Benjamin, did you see that “bomb” he threw against the Eagles in the preseason game? Man, it was painful watching him trying to put everything into the pass that just died midair. The Patriots have always given Tagovailoa a hard time, and that continues here. I have to disagree with Benjamin, you can’t sit Prescott. I completely agree with his points, but you can’t discount the effects of a healthy Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard in the backfield.  You can however and should sit Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will join you in a few weeks by sitting him in favor of Teddy Bridgewater. – Brendan

Running Backs

Start: Devin Singletary, Bills – Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons

First and foremost, I’m a homer. I love the Buffalo Bills and have to tell everyone that right off the bat. I haven’t always been high on Devin Singletary, but he took the lead role late in the season last year and looked great. All offseason the talk out of Buffalo is that they are going to run the ball more. Until we see otherwise, I think you have to give Singletary a good chance in your lineup and pop him in as a really solid Flex play. – Brendan

I’m really not surprised that Brendan went Buffalo here. I’m a fan of the guy, but I think Week 1 is going to be a little rocky for all involved in this battle. That said, give me the early-2021 fantasy darling in Cordarrelle Patterson. Tyler Allgeier is potentially going to be the back of the future in Atlanta, just not yet. While the young man becomes accustomed to the Pros, the wily veteran will do his thing. Plus, you can always count on a number of passing plays to Patterson which makes him extra good in PPR leagues. – Benjamin

Sit: Rashaad Penny, Seahawks – Breece Hall, Jets

Starting a running back for a team that is going to be forced into a lot of early and late passing attempts is not what I want to do to begin the season. Rashaad Penny was truly special at the end of 2021 with at least 135 rushing yards in four of the final five games. There’s just not going to be enough work for him against a punishing Denver defense that allowed the fewest rushing scores (9) and less than 1,900 rushing yards last season. Penny’s six catches in 10 games also don’t provide any enthusiasm for me. – Benjamin

The offseason darling isn’t even the starting back in Week 1 this year. Breece Hall is going to get his big splash plays, and he might even get a few this week, but I don’t think you start Hall based on the chance he might get one splash play. Especially not this week against the Ravens. – Brendan

Wide Receivers

Start: Jerry Jeudy, Broncos – Brandin Cooks, Texans

We have Russell Wilson going back to Seattle in Week 1. I can’t think of a bigger stage for Wilson to light up his former team. I think Jerry Jeudy might be a big beneficiary from Wilson as he matches up well against a weak Seattle secondary. Jeudy could put up some solid WR2 numbers or even better if he gets into the endzone. – Brendan

I really appreciate the “Revenge Game” narrative by Brendan. Wilson’s going to make his former team pay. My pick feels better, though. Brandin Cooks is a poor man’s Keenan Allen. That being a reliable year after year and the clear first option in the passing game. He’s administered over 1,000 receiving yards in six of the last seven campaigns with at least 80 catches five times. For some reason, Cooks gets snubbed every year leading up to fantasy drafts and savvy fantasy managers love that kind of value. Don’t be scared, play the sure thing. – Benjamin

Sit: Chase Claypool, Steelers – Tyler Lockett, Seahawks

I’ll die on this hill: Chase Claypool is in the wrong situation for his career. It started playing with the memory of Ben Roethlisberger. It has now turned to the resurrection of Mitch Trubisky. In an attempt to rejuvenate his career, Trubisky is going to focus on short, high-percentage passes for his single year in Pittsburgh. If it doesn’t work out, Kenny Pickett will get a shot and he’s much more of a field general than a YOLO signal caller. In a tough, divisional matchup against the Bengals, Claypool will get a few shots. Just a few. Go elsewhere for a solid fantasy option this week. – Benjamin

Both Benjamin and I have a similar argument for who we are picking, going on sub-par quarterback play for a reason to sit a good wide receiver. However, I would argue the Pittsburgh offense with Mitchell Trubisky is in a much better situation than Seattle. Geno Smith, need I say more? To be fair, I am higher on Lockett than I am on DK Metcalf in the Seahawk offense this season. However, I don’t think anyone could be thrilled to have a Seahawk wide receiver in their lineup this season. Combine that with Lockett being matched up with Patrick Surtain, and this could be a brutal week for Lockett. – Brendan

Tight Ends

Start: Dawson Knox, Bills – David Njoku, Browns

I think Dawson Knox gets a little forgotten about in this Bills offense, especially after what he did last year. He’s Josh Allen’s go-to receiver in the red zone and I could see him finding his way into the end zone in this game. The Rams’ defensive backs are going to have their hands full with the linebackers needing to be tracking Allen. This will soften up the underneath middle of the field. Knox is going to pose some issues this season and the Rams will find this out in Week 1. I do agree with Benjamin on his pick as well though! – Brendan

I’ll take that sweet Knox play all week long! I’m doubling down here with another forgotten tight end. David Njoku will be a very significant piece of the Browns’ offensive success in 2022. Jacoby Brissett is a quarterback who leans on his tight ends. In 2017, he targeted Jack Doyle 108 times. In 2019, Doyle and Eric Ebron saw a combined 124 targets and nine touchdowns. Njoku is going to be a goldmine of tight-end production with Brissett at the helm. – Benjamin

Sit: Cole Kmet, Bears – Mike Gesicki, Dolphins

This Bears offense just has dumpster fire written all over it. I love some of the players, but just have a hard time starting any of them until I see the production on the field. Combine that with the 49ers being really good against opposing tight ends, and I would stay away from Cole Kmet this week. – Brendan

To put it simply, there are too many weapons in Miami. Between Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Chase Edmonds. I don’t see enough of a target share to be had for Mike Gesicki. This could be a season-long problem, especially with the offensive scheme of Mike McDaniel that doesn’t really mesh with Gesicki’s play style. There are at least 24 other tight ends I would roll with for fantasy. – Benjamin

Don’t forget to hit us up on Twitter with any of your lineup questions. We hope you enjoyed our version of starts and sits with a “Faceoff” twist. You can find Benjamin @FFRabbitDad and Brendan @OBryanBren. If you have a question, we will give you some guidance. After all, we want you to win!

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