Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 4: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Fantasy football doesn't just humble you on a weekly basis, it can downright confound you. This week, after starting Victor Cruz for the first two weeks and getting a total of eight fantasy points for my troubles, I decided to sit Cruz due to the New York Giants' anemic passing attack. 

And Cruz responded with 16 fantasy points. Sigh.

But hey, that's how it goes, right? This isn't an exact science, after all, and at the end of the day all you can really do is gather as much information as possible to make an informed decision. After that, it's in the hands of the fantasy gods.

So below, I tried to gather that information for you on six fringe starters to help you decide whether you should start them or sit them. Here's to hoping you don't get Cruz'd.

Start 'Em: Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears

The oft-erratic Jay Cutler has been quite good this season, and his 58 points after three weeks puts him fourth among quarterbacks. Perhaps most impressive has been the fact that he's thrown eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. 

Of course, when you have Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett to throw to, you're living on easy street. 

This week, Cutler faces a Green Bay defense that gave up 17 fantasy points apiece to Russell Wilson and Geno Smith before both the Packers and Detroit Lions forgot how to play offense last week and Matt Stafford managed a meager three fantasy points. Expect Cutler to do a bit better than that.

The Bears are going to exploit Green Bay's mediocre run defense, there's no question about that, but if they are able to successfully move the ball on the ground Cutler should be able to hurt the Packers down the field with the play-action passing game. As Marshall and Jeffery continue to get healthier, Cutler's numbers should only inflate. 

Sit 'Em: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

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For years now many fans have been begging the Cowboys to run the ball more and take some of the pressure off of Tony Romo's shoulders. That has seemingly been the game plan this season, but in the process Romo has seen his fantasy value take a dip. 

The Cowboys are currently third in the NFL in rushing (156.7 yards per game) but just 24th through the air (206.7 yards per contest), and they've run the ball 95 times as opposed to attempting 89 passes. That has left Romo 24th in the quarterback rankings in standard-scoring leagues and he's yet to exceed 15 fantasy points for owners.

For the 2-1 Cowboys, the question has to be, "Why mess with a good thing?" Despite his fumbling woes DeMarco Murray has been an absolute stud and leads the NFL with 385 rushing yards and is tied with six other players in the league lead in rushing touchdowns with three. 

It's possible the Cowboys will look to open things up a bit and exploit a ho-hum New Orleans Saints secondary, but it seems even more likely that the team will continue to pound the rock and look to play ball-control football to keep the ball out of Drew Brees hands. Given his shaky start for fantasy owners, it's far safer to bet on the latter.

Start 'Em: Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings

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Matt Asiata may not be a very good running back, but he has three things going for him:

1. Opportunity: He's very clearly the top dog in Minnesota's backfield at the moment and will see a healthy dose of touches. He has 25 carries the past two weeks, as opposed to four for Jerick McKinnon.
2. Matchup: The Falcons are giving up 25.7 fantasy points per week to opposing running backs, 30th in the NFL.
3. Desperation: Marshawn Lynch, Andre Ellington, Montee Ball, Zac Stacy, Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill, Ben Tate, Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell are all on bye this week. There's a pretty good chance that if you have Asiata, you have no choice but to start him.

Asiata isn't a sexy selection, no, but the Falcons allowed Mark Ingram to gash them for 18 fantasy points in Week 1 (Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson had eight apiece as well) and Giovani Bernard went for 22 in Week 2 (Jeremy Hill added 15 for good measure). Asiata should have a very nice week.

Sit 'Em: Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, RB, Detroit Lions

In Week 1, Maurice Jones-Drew had two fantasy points and Darren McFadden had one. In Week 2, Eddie Lacy had five fantasy points. On Monday night, Matt Forte managed just seven. What do all of these players have in common?

They were all facing the New York Jets, the league's stingiest defense to opposing running backs. The Jets are allowing just 5.3 fantasy points per week to opposing backs, tops in the NFL. As if it wasn't confusing enough trying to figure out which Lions runner was more likely to have a big week, now owners also have to consider New York's staunch run defense. 

My advice? Sit them both. If I had to choose one to play, it would be Reggie Bush, but it seems far more likely Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson will target one of the league's weakest secondaries and throw the ball at every opportunity. Bush or Bell might sneak away with a touchdown, but expect both their overall touches and fantasy points to take a hit this week.

Start 'Em: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

So this Kelvin Benjamin fellow is pretty good, huh?

Thus far, Benjamin has 36 fantasy points after three weeks, putting him at No. 6 in the wide receiver rankings. Even better, he faces a Baltimore Ravens defense this week that is giving up 23 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers per week, 26th in the NFL.

And honestly, who else on the Panthers is going to share in those points? Jason Avant? Nah. Jerricho Cotchery? Puh-leese. Philly Brown? Great name, no game.

There might be one tiny concern for Benjamin owners, and it's the fact that both of his touchdown receptions this year were thrown by Derek Anderson. But don't fret, because last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers Cam Newton still hit him seven times for 80 yards, and in the past two weeks he's been targeted 19 times.

In other words, the rookie wide receiver with the penchant for the spectacular will continue to get plenty of opportunities to produce. 

Sit 'Em: Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts

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The Colts have a lot of weapons on offense, so the rock was always going to be shared between a large number of players. But Reggie Wayne owners have to be absolutely fretting that the veteran wide receiver has less fantasy points (17) than Dwayne Allen (22), Hakeem Nicks (20) and T.Y. Hilton (18).

And that's not even counting Ahmad Bradshaw, whose 12 receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns have been good for 29 fantasy points through the air. Suffice to say, Wayne is starting to feel a bit like the forgotten man in Indy.

That might be putting the cart a bit in front of the horse, as Wayne has been targeted 25 times, second only to Hilton's 28. And the veteran has proved to be a reliable target for Luck in the past. Still, the Colts seem to be developing New Orleans Syndrome for fantasy owners, i.e., the tendency to spread the ball around in the passing game enough to make the team's wide receivers unpredictable and volatile fantasy commodities. 

Oh, and while I'm busy causing major anxiety for Wayne owners, consider that the team faces a Tennessee Titans team this week that is allowing just 16 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, sixth in the NFL. The Titans are far less stingy against the run, however, and the Colts have already shown a willingness to pound the rock if the game plan calls for it this season.

In other words, the warning signs for Wayne are starting to outweigh his pedigree. At least for the time being, the future Hall of Famer deserves a spot on your fantasy bench.

All points totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard-scoring leagues.

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes too. It's more fun than Andy Dalton and Johnny Manziel playing receiver.