Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Opening Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions to Consider
Week One in the NFL is underway and the significance of getting one's fantasy football season off to a strong start with the best possible lineups is key to ensuring a fruitful year.
It can be difficult to navigate which teams improved in what areas, and how your roster stacks up against them, but not impossible. Starting the right player, and sitting the wrong ones, will get any fantasy manager off and running in a game that can be as competitive as the football that plays out on the field every Sunday afternoon.
In preparation for a championship-winning fantasy season, here are the players to start and sit in week one.
Stats from Fantasy Pros unless otherwise stated.
Quarterbacks
1 of 4
Start: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Tua and the Dolphins head to Los Angeles Sunday for a game that has plenty of potential for high scoring a monster fantasy performances. With playmakers like Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, and Raheem Mostert at his disposal, Tagovailoa will have the opportunity to put up big numbers and re-establish himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in fantasy football.
It was only a season ago that he was consistently among the four best at the position over the first seven weeks of 2022 and finished with single fantasy points just once, a Week Three shellacking at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals.
His league-leading 124.1 passer rating on deep balls makes him a dangerous threat to uncork one downfield to any of his explosive wideouts.
Against a potent offense like the Chargers have, with elite QB Justin Herbert guiding it, the Dolphins will have to keep pace and score in bunches. That benefits Tua and Co., as well as any fantasy managers lucky enough to have them on their roster.
Sit: Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Rodgers was great in reputation alone a season ago. It is an inconvenient truth but the only place he was more disappointing on the field was in fantasy, where he rarely surpassed 300 yards passing and scored 20 or more fantasy points just once.
He was neither the prolific nor feared quarterback he had been so often over the course of his career and though there was a fracture in his right thumb that he played through, he never looked quite right even before that.
There is reason to be excited about his arrival in New York and the sheer volume of weapons he has at his disposal, but anyone expecting a return to form from a fantasy perspective right out of the gate should probably temper their expectations.
A new team, on a big stage, against a very good defense that is operating at full strength for the first time in over a year, is hardly an ideal recipe for a big-time performance. Add to that the fact that the Bills allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game, according to Pro Football Reference, and you have an unfavorable match-up for Mr. Rodgers.
Running Backs
2 of 4
Start: Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Two positions in, two Dolphins.
With Jeff Wilson on the IR for the first four games of the season, and rookie De'Von Achane battling injuries in the preseason, Raheem Mostert is the clear starter for the team and he could have a huge Week One.
The Dolphins play a Chargers team that gave up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs a season ago (23.1) and the second-most yards to that position (2,164).
If the Chargers are able to get a pass rush going against Tua, look for the quarterback to lean on Mostert, not only in the rushing game but with quick passes out of the backfield. Barring an injury, one issue that has faced him throughout his NFL career, he should have an electric start to his season, and make more than a few fantasy managers quite happy that they threw him in their starting lineup.
Sit: Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans
Jamaal Williams took the NFL by storm last season with 17 touchdowns for Detroit and, with Alvin Kamara suspended early this season, should receive his fair share of carries and opportunities.
He's just not a great start in Week One against a Tennessee Titans squad that allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. Even worse for Williams? The Titans allowed the fewest yards on inside carries, Williams' bread and butter.
The Titans allowed just six touchdowns to running backs and though the team is not the subject of much hype entering the season, Mike Vrabel is a defensive-minded coach that will have his team ready to resume its run-stuffing ways.
Wide Receivers
3 of 4
Start: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
Drake London disappointed early in his rookie season but much of that can, and should, be attributed to inconsistency at the quarterback position with Marcus Mariotta under center. When fellow rookie Desmon Ridder took over as starter, London saw a considerable uptick in his numbers.
He averaged 13.6 points per game with Ridder throwing him the ball and with a Week One game against a Carolina Panthers team that gave up the fourth-most points to opposing wide receivers a season ago, London is an intriguing match-up, if nothing else.
Much of his performance will be dependent upon two things: whether Ridder made strides this offseason and if the team integrates more passing in the offense or relies more heavily on the one-two punch of rookie Bijan Robinson and second-year back Tyler Allgeier.
Still, with a match-up as favorable as London vs. the Panthers, it is worth working him into your starting lineup.
Sit: Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Pittman showed flashes of brilliance a season ago but a rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson, and a Week One gameplan likely to feature heavy reliance on the running game, make him an uninspiring play against the Jaguars.
If Richardson's inexperience and the potential for him to take off running are not deterrents, the Jaguars' success against receivers a year ago should be.
Jacksonville allowed the 10th-fewest receiving yards in the NFL a year ago.
There will be opportunities for big plays, especially as plays break down and Richardson moves around the field, and Pittman will be the receiver he eyes first. Banking on that scenario to play out and hoping you get significant output from Pittman from it is a risky proposition and one you should not risk a Week One loss on.
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Tight End and Defense
4 of 4
Start: Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
The loss of Cooper Kupp for the Rams' opening game against divisional rival Seattle means quarterback Matthew Stafford will have to look elsewhere. Expect that to benefit Tyler Higbee, a veteran tight end with whom Stafford has solid chemistry.
A favorable match-up makes Higbee and attractive start for fantasy managers.
The Seahawks were the worst defense in fantasy vs. the tight end position a season ago, giving up 14.8 points a game.
While there have been offseason additions and alterations to help shore up a defense that was anything but what Seattle fans have come to expect from the team, the continued absence of safety Jamal Adams opens up the possibility for mismatches with Higbee on linebackers or outmatched DBs.
He is not an every-week starter at this point but do not be surprised if Higbee takes on a greater role in the Rams offense as long as Kupp remains sidelined and Stafford is forced to look for other playmakers outside of Van Jefferson.
Sit: Cleveland Browns Defense vs. Cincinnati Bengals
When it appeared as though Joe Burrow may miss time due to injury, the Cleveland Browns were a solid start for fantasy managers. Now that the newly extended QB is set to start the season under center, that is no longer the case.
The Browns have solid players on the defensive side of the ball, with elite pass rusher Myles Garrett leading the way and Za'Darius Smith, and Juan Thornhill joining him, but they will be tasked with shutting down an offense that includes Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and Joe Mixon, not to mention one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
If the pass rush can get there, the potential for turnovers and a respectable day for the Browns unit is attainable, but it will be a tough ask against one of the premiere offensive squads in the league.
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