Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Final Advice Before Thursday Night Football
For fantasy football owners, the start 'em, sit 'em decisions kick into overdrive ahead of Thursday Night Football between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.
Plenty of top-tier names such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown will be on display, but it goes much deeper for owners who have a full weekend slate of games on the horizon.
It's best for owners to prepare in chunks each day rather than cram Sunday morning like a college kid. There's too much information, too many players and matchup breakdowns to procrastinate, so let's take a look at another dose of advice before the Steelers-Patriots dance gets underway.
QB
| Russell Wilson (at STL) vs. Ryan Tannehill (at WAS) | Ryan Tannehill |
| Tom Brady (vs. PIT) vs. Peyton Manning (vs. BAL) | Tom Brady |
| Matt Ryan (vs. PHI) vs. Andrew Luck (at BUF) | Matt Ryan |
| Philip Rivers (vs. DET) vs. Tony Romo (vs. NYG) | Tony Romo |
| Drew Brees (at ARI) vs. Sam Bradford (at ATL) | Sam Bradford |
| Carson Palmer (vs. NO) vs. Cam Newton (at JAC) | Carson Palmer |
Start: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (vs. NO)
Owners have the right idea when it comes to somewhat avoiding Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.
Palmer had an average draft position (ADP) of 11.10 as the 17th quarterback off draft boards this year, which makes sense provided Palmer is now 35 and played in just six games last year due to injury.
Still, this is a home contest for a healthy Palmer against a New Orleans Saints defense that surrendered the fourth-most points to quarterbacks last year.
Not only does Palmer have an elite supporting cast with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, the Saints will be without No. 1 corner Keenan Lewis. Palmer will have a field day in what could be a shootout.
Sit: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (at JAC)
This should be enough—owners will want to avoid Cam Newton this week because he's on the road and his starting wideouts are Ted Ginn and Corey Brown.
Bam.
Not enough? With Kelvin Benjamin out of the picture, some may figure Newton can still get it done with his legs. The problem is logic says the coaching staff will want to avoid this for fear of him getting hurt.
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't anything to sniff at, either. They ranked among the top 15 teams against quarterbacks on average and are at home for this contest.
It's not wise to pass on Newton each week, but this isn't a matchup to look at.
RB
| Jeremy Hill (at OAK) vs. Carlos Hyde (vs. MIN) | Jeremy Hill |
| Marshawn Lynch (at STL) vs. Mark Ingram (at ARI) | Marshawn Lynch |
| Jamaal Charles (at HOU) vs. C.J. Anderson (vs. BAL) | Jamaal Charles |
| Matt Forte (vs. GB) vs. Frank Gore (at BUF) | Frank Gore |
| Justin Forsett (at DEN) vs. Latavius Murray (vs. CIN) | Justin Forsett |
| Doug Martin (vs. TEN) vs. Alfred Morris (vs. MIA) | Doug Martin |
Start: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. TEN)
Doug Martin hurt fantasy owners last year by only appearing in 11 games, which would explain why he has an ADP making him the 17th back off draft boards.
It's important to let the past be the past in some situations, though, as Martin has looked healthy all preseason. Martin is still only 26 years old, and as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out, he looks like the workhorse once again:
Nobody would be silly enough to suggest Martin will go back to his rookie form in which he rushed for 1,454 yards and 11 scores, but an encounter with the Tennessee Titans bodes well.
The Titans allowed the second-most points to backs last year. This is a home game and the Tampa Bay offense looks more diverse than ever with rookie Jameis Winston under center, so bank on Martin announcing his return in emphatic fashion.
Sit: Alfred Morris, Washington (vs. MIA)
Alfred Morris may have been fantasy's 12th-highest scoring back last year, but over the course of the summer it looked more and more like he would no longer be a workhorse back in Washington.
As owners know, opportunities equal production at running back. The problem for Morris owners? Those opportunities won't be the same thanks to rookie back Matt Jones. Mike Jones of the Washington Post provided the details: "They plan on using Jones to complement Morris and envision the two as a physical tandem that will pave the way for balance and success on offense."
To top it all off, Miami went out and added a guy by the name of Ndamukong Suh in the offseason, so what looks like a somewhat favorable matchup based on numbers simply isn't.
WR
| Emmanuel Sanders (vs. BAL) vs. Randall Cobb (at CHI) | Randall Cobb |
| Odell Beckham Jr. (at DAL) vs. Julio Jones (vs. PHI) | Julio Jones |
| A.J. Green (at OAK) vs. Mike Evans (vs. TEN) | A.J. Green |
| Alshon Jeffery (vs. GB) vs. DeSean Jackson (vs. MIA) | Alshon Jeffery |
| DeAndre Hopkins (vs. KC) vs. Davante Adams (at CHI) | Davante Adams |
| Brandon Marshall (vs. CLE) vs. Jordan Matthews (at ATL) | Jordan Matthews |
Start: Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (at ATL)
It's time fantasy owners threw their full weight behind Philadelphia Eagles wideout Jordan Matthews.
The Vanderbilt product posted six double-digit performances last season as a rookie and ranked eighth among fantasy receivers in points per game in the second half of the season.
This year, Matthews has Sam Bradford under center and is the clear-cut No. 1 wideout with Jeremy Maclin gone. He hasn't been shy about his connection with Bradford, either, per the WIP Morning Show:
A potential Monday Night Football shootout with the Atlanta Falcons screams "breakout game." The Falcons surrendered the seventh-most points to wideouts on average a season ago, so keep Matthews in those lineups.
Sit: Brandon Marshall, New York Jets (vs. CLE)
It's Joe Haden time for New York Jets wideout Brandon Marshall, which means it's sit-him-on-the-bench time for fantasy owners.
Marshall resides in new surroundings this year, which isn't likely to be a good thing with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Outside of the questionable change of scenery, he struggled with injuries last year and failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2006, his rookie season.
Call this a snowball effect for Week 1. Marshall's in a bad situation and figures to line up across from one of the game's best in Haden. As a whole, the Browns ranked among the top 14 defenses on average against wideouts last year.
Marshall won't always be a weapon to avoid, but he is here in what should be a run-first affair.
TE
| Ladarius Green (vs. DET) vs. Jimmy Graham (at STL) | Ladarius Green |
| Martellus Bennett (vs. GB) vs. Delanie Walker (at TB) | Delanie Walker |
| Charles Clay (vs. IND) vs. Greg Olsen (at JAC) | Charles Clay |
| Jordan Cameron (at WAS) vs. Jason Witten (vs. NYG) | Jason Witten |
| Tyler Eifert (at OAK) vs. Kyle Rudolph (at SF) | Tyler Eifert |
| Travis Kelce (at HOU) vs. Heath Miller (at NE) | Heath Miller |
Start: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)
Before owners get up in arms and claim Jason Witten is an obvious pick, understand that nine players scored better than him at the position last season, a testament to just how unpredictable tight end can be.
Now for the good news. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants figure to engage in a shootout, and if there's one thing Witten is good at, it's torching the Giants. In fact, Witten has a whopping five scores in his last four games against the Giants.
It might be hard to trust Witten on a week-to-week basis these days thanks to Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams, but he must be in all lineups this weekend.
Sit: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (at HOU)
Owners seem to love Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, gifting him with an ADP of 5.07 with only four others drafted before him at the position. After his placing as one of the nine above Witten last year, it makes sense.
Just not this week.
Kelce might be a stud and finally free of fantasy shackles by the name of Anthony Fasano, but he won't be free of a J.J. Watt-led Houston Texans defense that allowed the second-fewest points to tight ends on average last year.
Again, Kelce might be in for a breakout year. He might even finish as the position's top scorer. But he needs to sit on the bench this week.
All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of September 9. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. All ADP info courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator.
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Eagles Stole WR Lemon from Steelers")
.jpg?w=600 "Lemon 'Shocked' by Eagles")
