Week 1 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Advice on Top Fantasy Football Stars in Opening Games

After weeks of preparation and anticipation, it's finally here: the 2021 NFL season. The first kickoff of the year is set for Thursday night, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys face off at Raymond James Stadium.

You'll need to decide which players from the Bucs and Cowboys to play in fantasy lineups before then. But as for the rest of your team, there will still be a few more days to make roster decisions.

If you have Tampa Bay or Dallas players, you'll likely want them in because this could be a high-scoring matchup with talented playmakers on both sides. However, not every choice will be that easy in Week 1.

With at least three more days before most of the NFL kicks off, here's some start/sit advice for several key players heading into the opening week of the season.

Start 'Em: Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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The 49ers are going to be sizable favorites to win their season opener against the Detroit Lions, who could be in for a tough 2021. San Francisco's defense is healthy and likely to shut down Detroit's offense, and that could create a situation in which the 49ers are running the ball a lot (which shouldn't be a surprise for Kyle Shanahan's offense anyway).

There's been some hype for rookie Trey Sermon heading into the season, and rightfully so. He's a talented running back who could eventually have a big role in the 49ers' offense. But maybe not quite yet, especially considering they still have Mostert to rely on.

Mostert was a solid player when healthy last season, but injuries limited him to eight games. Now, he's heading into Week 1 of 2021 as San Francisco's starting running back with a favorable matchup. It should be a recipe for a ton of success.

This is an easy decision to make this week. Put Mostert in your lineup and watch him rack up the yards. Perhaps Sermon will start to take away some of his touches later in the year, but that won't be an issue in the season opener.

Sit 'Em: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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Williams could be on the cusp of a breakout season. He's mostly just been a big-play threat over his first four NFL seasons, and that's made him an unreliable fantasy option. But that could change in a new-look Chargers offense that is likely to excel with quarterback Justin Herbert at the helm for a second season.

Maybe not this week, though. Los Angeles' offense has a tough Week 1 road matchup at Washington, which should again have a top-tier defense. Kendall Fuller is back to lead Washington's secondary, and he'll now be paired with William Jackson III, who signed with the team during the offseason, to form a strong cornerback duo.

One is likely to be on Keenan Allen, and the other will be on Williams. And while Allen may be talented enough to overcome a difficult matchup, it's likely going to be tougher for Williams to do so.

There will be times this season when Williams is a strong fantasy option, but this isn't one of them. Leave him on the bench and play receivers who are either top-tier stars or have more favorable matchups.

Start 'Em: Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers

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It shouldn't matter that the Panthers have a new starting quarterback heading into 2021 in terms of Anderson's fantasy production. In fact, it may even help him build off the impressive numbers that he put up last year, his first in Carolina.

That's because Anderson already has a history with Sam Darnold, as the two were teammates on the New York Jets for two seasons from 2018-19. And during that span, Anderson had 1,531 yards and 11 touchdowns in 30 games. He's gotten better since then, too, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in 2020.

Coincidentally, the Panthers are hosting the Jets on Sunday afternoon. It should be an opportunity for Darnold to impress against his former team, as New York's defense may have improved over the offseason, but it's still not a unit capable of completely shutting down its opponents.

If Darnold airs it out, plenty of balls are going to be going to Anderson, because he'll likely be relying on him heavily as he adjusts to this new offense. Anderson is a must-start player in Week 1 if he's on your roster.

Start 'Em: Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

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Higbee didn't finish the 2020 season with terrible numbers (521 yards and five touchdowns), but he wasn't a great fantasy performer. Three of his five touchdowns came in a Week 2 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. And he had less than 40 receiving yards in eight of his 15 games.

But there have been changes to the Rams' offense that should benefit Higbee in a big way. Gerald Everett is gone, so Higbee is the clear top tight end for Los Angeles. That's a good spot to be in, considering Matthew Stafford is now the Rams' starting quarterback.

Stafford had no trouble getting the starting tight end involved in the offense during his time in Detroit. In fact, T.J. Hockenson turned into one of the best tight ends in the league while catching passes from Stafford over the past two seasons.

It's time for Higbee to turn into a starting-worthy tight end in fantasy. He should get off to a good start, too, considering he's facing the Chicago Bears, who allowed 13 touchdowns to tight ends last season.