Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Examining Fringe Fantasy Football Flex Starters

In fantasy football, championship teams are built around early draft picks. However, decisions involving these surefire must-start players rarely come into play. When a lineup decision results in a weekly win or loss, it almost always involves the back end of a roster.

You're going to start Christian McCaffrey, Patrick Mahomes and Julio Jones every time they're healthy. But the guys you're sorting through for your flex spot? That's a different story. There's usually a fair amount of shuffling going on there, and the wrong decision can cost you an otherwise winnable week.

Here, we'll examine 10 Flex options—running backs, receivers and tight ends—who sit outside the top 50 of FantasyPros' PPR Flex rankings. We'll identify five starters and five sit-worthy players from among these fringe starters and dig a bit deeper into some of the week's top decisions.

Start 'Em

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns at Baltimore

Hayden Hurst, TE, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle

Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears at Detroit

James White, RB, New England Patriots vs. Miami

Sit 'Em

Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas

Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets at Buffalo

Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco

Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins at New England

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans

Start 'Em: T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton might be viewed as a fringe starter heading into Week 1, but that isn't likely to be the case all season.

The four-time Pro Bowler is coming off a down season—limited by both injuries and a lackluster passing attack—but he is already developing a rapport with new quarterback Philip Rivers.

"We're just working hand in hand. He likes throwing to soft spots and I like finding the soft spots. In reality, we're kind of like a perfect match," Hilton said, per Kevin Hickey of Colts Wire.

The 30-year-old is likely to return to form as a WR2-caliber option if he can stay healthy. He's a fringe starter for now, though, and worth playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.

Jacksonville's playoff-caliber defense of 2017 is long gone, as are key players such as Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and Ronnie Harrison. Even with those names in the lineup, the Jaguars ranked 16th in passing defense and 21st in points allowed last season.

Rivers and Hilton should have an opportunity to feast in Week 1.

Sit 'Em: Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Cam Akers is poised to be a potential sleeper in 2020. He'll be worth playing if he can win the starting job, but he doesn't appear to be at that point quite yet and will likely be stuck in a committee for Week 1.

Longtime backup Malcolm Brown is listed as the first-team running back on Los Angeles' unofficial depth chart for Week 1. While this doesn't necessarily mean he will be the starter, it does suggest Akers will probably be in a time-share with Brown and second-year back Darrell Henderson.

On top of having a tricky situation, Akers has a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on hand. Last season, Dallas' defense ranked 11th in rushing yards and eighth in yards per attempt allowed.

With a questionable role and a challenging matchup, the 21-year-old is best left on the bench for the opening week of the season.

Start 'Em: Hayden Hurst, TE, Atlanta Falcons

It's usually not a great idea to rely on a tight end in the flex spot, but Hayden Hurst of the Atlanta Falcons could make for an exception in Week 1.

The 27-year-old has a favorable matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who are traveling cross-country and have a merely average pass defense.

A year ago, Seattle ranked 27th in passing yards allowed and 22nd in points allowed. While the addition of safety Jamal Adams should boost the second-level defense some, it isn't going to shut down Atlanta's potent passing attack.

Hurst is set to pick up where Austin Hooper left off in that offense. The Pro Bowler caught 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns last season, and these are the sort of numbers managers should expect from Hurst.

Seattle should get enough offense out of Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf and Co. to make this a fairly high-scoring game. Pass-catchers for both teams should benefit, and Hooper could approach triple-digit receiving yardage.