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

To start or to sit—that is the question capable of transforming fantasy football managers into fantasy football champions.

There are a handful of stars who belong in fantasy lineups on a weekly basis. We won't bother mentioning them here, as no one needs convincing to play Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey or Julio Jones.

Move to the fringes or your starting lineup, though, and the debates can send you any direction. Is it better to play the higher ranked player with the trickier matchup or the less-heralded player facing the more generous defense? Well, there isn't a catch-all answer, as it depends on preference and might change from one situation to the next.

We'll help tackle three of the toughest questions on the board with a trio of start or sit recommendations for the 2020 NFL season opener.

Start: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (vs. New York Jets)

While 22 quarterbacks passed for more yards than Allen last season, only five finished with more fantasy points. That's because Allen supplemented those passing numbers with 510 rushing yards and nine rushing scores. For reference, that was more rushing yards than James Conner and Kerryon Johnson and more rushing touchdowns than Melvin Gordon II, Nick Chubb, Chris Carson and Lamar Jackson.

Just off that information alone, Allen is less fringe-y than you might think. Plus, with Stefon Diggs now added to the offense, Allen's passing numbers should be trending up.

He might get to a point sooner than later where he's an automatic weekly starter, but he isn't seen as such just yet. Maybe an inviting matchup against a rebuilding Jets defense changes that.

New York was middle-of-the-pack against fantasy quarterbacks last season (17th), but that was before the team traded away Jamal Adams and saw C.J. Mosley opt out of the campaign. Look for Allen to take advantage of the Jets' defensive losses and perhaps deliver a top-five performance at the position.

Sit: Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at New Orleans Saints)

For my money, I'm buying Fournette's season-long stock as the most productive running back in Tampa. The fourth overall pick in 2017 is loaded with physical tools, and he'll finally have a formidable passing attack around him.

But it could be a slow start for the 25-year-old.

For starters, he doesn't have the cleanest path to playing time yet. The Bucs overhauled their running back group this offseason, drafting Ke'Shawn Vaughn and signing LeSean McCoy. Then, when Fournette came onboard, Tampa coach Bruce Arians made clear Ronald Jones II was still "our guy."

Even if Fournette was looking at a sizable role, this a brutal matchup for running backs. The Saints allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position last season.

In other words, all signs point to staying away from Fournette—for now.

Start: A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans (at Denver Broncos)

While Tennessee stampeded through the stretch run last season, the fantasy world became captivated by Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill.

But Brown, then a second-rounder, quietly had his break-out party, too.

He had at least five targets in four of his last six outings. In each of those contests, he finished with at least four receptions for more than 100 yards. He had five touchdown catches in those games, too, plus a 49-yard rushing score in one of the others.

He gives this offense an explosive element, and he should have a chance to make explosive plays against Denver's defense. The Broncos will be without Von Miller (ankle) for the season, and Bradley Chubb could be limited while working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 4 of last season.