Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Opening Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions to Consider

The first week of the 2019 NFL season is underway. For fantasy football participants, this means that it's time to get back into the swing of roster management.

No matter how well you drafted, properly managing your roster from week to week will maximize your chances of reaching the postseason. Some players are obvious must-starts—you're not sitting Le'Veon Bell, even against a tough Buffalo Bills defense—but others are not.

For lower-tier starters and flex options, it's all about finding the right matchups. Here, you'll find some of the best and the worst of Week 1.

Quarterbacks

Must Start

1. Deshaun Watson at New Orleans Saints

2. Patrick Mahomes at Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Drew Brees vs. Houston Texans

4. Carson Wentz vs. Washington Redskins

5. Russell Wilson vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Start 'Em: Josh Allen at New York Jets

In large part because of his scrambling ability, Bills quarterback Josh Allen became a solid fantasy option toward the end of the 2018 season. He remains so in the opening week of 2019.

Allen opens on the road against the division-rival New York Jets. While the Jets have some notable defensive talent up front—including first-round rookie Quinnen Williams—their defense is not a shutdown unit. In 2018, New York ranked just 25th in total defense, allowing an average of 380.4 yards per game.

While the Bills aren't likely to attack exclusively through the air, this isn't a matchup they can simply grind away on the ground either. With guys such as Bell, Sam Darnold, Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa on the roster, New York will put up points.

This won't be a shootout, but Allen will have to do his fair share offensively. Expect around 200 passing yards, 60-70 rushing yards and a couple of touchdowns. It's that ground work that makes Allen worth the start.

Sit 'Em: Derek Carr vs. Denver Broncos

Will we see an improved Derek Carr in 2019? Perhaps, but Week 1 is not the time you want to rely on him in fantasy. The Oakland Raiders are hosting the rival Denver Broncos, who are still loaded with defensive talent and now have a defense-minded head coach in Vic Fangio. 

Oh, and the Broncos have a pair of pass-rushers named Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. They're going to make things difficult on Carr early and often.

Carr and the Raiders also won't have former No. 1 wideout Antonio Brown, who has been released from the team amid a string of controversy:

With Brown gone, the Broncos will be able to play more single coverage and bring more pressure up front.

This is a game Oakland should try grinding out on the ground. That's good for rookie running back Josh Jacobs, not good for Carr.

Running Backs

Must Start

1. Christian McCaffrey vs. Los Angeles Rams

2. Saquon Barkley at Dallas Cowboys

3. Alvin Kamara vs. Houston Texans

4. Dalvin Cook vs. Atlanta Falcons

5. Nick Chubb vs. Tennessee Titans

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Start 'Em: Chris Carson vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Last April, the Seattle Seahawks used a first-round pick on former San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny. At some point, he could take over as Seattle's lead back. For now, though, Chris Carson remains the guy, and he's a safe start at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Will Carson see all of the snaps against Cincinnati? Probably not. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has made it clear that the backfield situation will remain fluid.

"There's plenty of chances for those guys to battle back and forth," Carroll said Wednesday, per Liz Mathews of Seahawks Wire. "We'll go in the direction that we need to go in based on how they perform."

However, Carson should see the bulk of the carries against a Bengals defense that allowed an average of 137.8 yards per game last season, fourth-most in the NFL.

Penny is a solid option in PPR, but Carson is worth starting in all formats.

Sit 'Em: Kalen Ballage vs. Baltimore Ravens

Miami Dolphins running back Kalen Ballage was worth taking a flier on in most formats because he may eventually emerge as a starter in 2019. He saw limited action last season but was impressive when he got opportunities.

Though Ballage only had 36 carries in 2018, he averaged 5.3 yards per rush. He also had a 123-yard outing in Week 15.

Ballage is not a good play in Week 1, however, for a couple of reasons. For one, Miami appears set to lean on Kenyan Drake in the running game.

"We're looking forward to getting him a lot of touches this week," head coach Brian Flores said of Drake, per Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.

Secondly, the Dolphins are going against a Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed just 82.9 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry last season.

Wide Receivers

Must Start

1. DeAndre Hopkins at New Orleans Saints

2. Michael Thomas vs. Houston Texans

3. Mike Evans vs. San Francisco 49ers

4. JuJu Smith-Schuster at New England Patriots

5. Keenan Allen vs. Indianapolis Colts

Start 'Em: Kenny Golladay at Arizona Cardinals

While Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford isn't widely considered an elite signal-caller, he is still one of the league's more prolific passers. Last year was a down year, and Stafford still threw for 3,777 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Stafford should find success against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, which is why his top target, Kenny Golladay is a safe start. Golladay is coming off a 1,000-yard season and is hoping to become an even bigger piece of the Lions offense in 2019.

"I for sure, like any receiver would say, I can be a 100-catch guy," Golladay said ahead of the season, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Golladay should feast against a Cardinals defense that won't have top cornerback Patrick Peterson for the first six weeks of the season.

Sit 'Em: Corey Davis at Cleveland Browns

Golladay has a favorable Week 1 matchup. Tennessee Titans No. 1 wideout Corey Davis does not. The Titans open the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns.

While much of the offseason hype surrounded Cleveland and its new-look offense, it's the Browns defense that could spell trouble for Tennessee on Sunday. The Browns have a fearsome defensive front, headlined by the likes of Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson.

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is going to have few opportunities to get comfortable in the pocket.

Davis is likely to draw Browns No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward in coverage for much of the game. While Davis will have a size advantage on the 5'11" Ward, the 2018 Pro Bowl cornerback is both physical at the line and sticky in coverage.

Expect a decidedly average game from Davis this week.

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Need more help with your fantasy football lineup? Matt Camp solves your fantasy problems live on B/R Gridiron's new show, Your Fantasy Fire Drill. Download the B/R app now to submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.