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

As fantasy draft season finally comes to a close, and NFL regular season kicks off, every fantasy owner still has that little bit of hope that this is their year. But as it does every season, the difference between making the playoffs and ending in the consolation brackets will come down to the non-stars you can find each week that break out.

Whether it's players you draft as sleepers or midseason pickups that you can stream for a given week when your workhorse is out, finding the right fill-in is key. 

For Week 1, here’s who you should be in your lineup and who should be riding the pine.   

Start 'Em

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Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland

Mayfield was on a tear to end last season, and he has a chance to establish himself as a legitimate top-10 fantasy quarterback this year. He likely won't get the volume of some of his counterparts because of the success of Cleveland's rushing attack, but he is likely to have Odell Beckham Jr. in the lineup after last year's ACL injury.

Kansas City looks like it will be without All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, and the Chiefs allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season. 

James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville

With a competent quarterback—which Jacksonville is expecting Trevor Lawrence to be—Robinson could be one of the most dangerous all-purpose backs in the league. He racked up 1,414 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago, and the Texans defense (and team overall) is downright awful. 

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 

As a rookie last season, Aiyuk led the 49ers in targets, receptions, and receiving yards with George Kittle missing eight games because of injury. Kittle and receiver Deebo Samuel should each receive plenty of targets, but there's a lot of passing game success to go around against Detroit, which gave up the fifth-most fantasy points to receivers a year ago.  

Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland

Hooper's production did drop significantly from his final year in Atlanta (75 catches) to his first season in Cleveland (46 catches), but he's still a big, reliable target as Odell Beckham Jr. returns from injury.

The Chiefs were in the bottom third of the league last year in fantasy points allowed to tight ends, so Hooper could be in for a big day as the Browns likely play catchup with Kansas City's elite passing offense. 

Broncos D/ST

Denver's offense struggled mightily against the run last season, finishing 29th in yards per attempt allowed and 25 in total rushing defense. So why would they be a streaming candidate against Saquon Barkley and the Giants?

Their passing defense, for one. First-round pick Patrick Surtain II looked terrific in the preseason, and the rest of the secondary is finally healthy. If Von Miller can return to anything resembling his pre-injury form, the Giants' embattled offensive line could be in big trouble. 

Younghoe Koo, K, Atlanta

Koo missed just two field goals all of last season, and he was the highest-scoring kicker in the entire league. Atlanta did lose Julio Jones in the offseason, but adding stud tight end Kyle Pitts to play alongside Calvin Ridley (90 catches in 2020) makes Atlanta's offense dangerous to move the ball and get into Koo's range.

Sit 'Em

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Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans

There are few quarterbacks as hot-and-cold in recent memory as Winston, who threw for 5,109 yards in 2019 as a starter in Tampa Bay. He also threw a league-high 30 interceptions and took the Bucs out of as many games as he kept them in.

He now gets the reins in New Orleans after Drew Brees' retirement. He does have one of the best all-purpose backs in the league at his disposal with Alvin Kamara, but All-Pro wideout Michael Thomas is still out with an ankle injury, and Tre'Quan Smith is also expected to miss Week 1 with a hamstring injury. 

Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona

The Titans' defense was pretty terrible last season, so this would seem to make sense as a good streaming option. However, Edmonds is likely to share snaps with offseason addition James Conner, and quarterback Kyler Murray will also cut into the designed run plays.

If Arizona can get out to an early lead and force Tennessee to throw the ball, maybe Edmonds makes sense, but that doesn't seem likely. 

Kenny Golladay, WR, New York Giants

After making the Pro Bowl with Detroit in 2019, Golladay played just five games last season because of injury. He's hoping for a career reboot in New York after Matthew Stafford was traded to the Rams, but I'm not sure playing with Daniel Jones is going to do that.

Jones only threw 11 touchdowns in 14 games as a starter last season, and a healthy Saquon Barkley is likely to be the focal point of the offense on most downs. Add in the fact that Golladay will be facing a salty Denver secondary, and this just isn't a good option in Week 1. 

Anthony Firkser, TE, Tennessee

Firkser became a legitimate No. 2 tight end option last year behind Jonnu Smith, catching 39 passes on 53 targets. He had just one touchdown, though, while Smith hauled in eight.

He'll step into the starter role this year, so his production could see a nice bump, but the Titans did add Julio Jones and return a healthy A.J. Brown. Against a solid Arizona defense, it's hard to expect much production. 

Cardinals D/ST

Arizona was one of the better defensive units overall in the league last season, but their rushing defense struggled, finishing 25th in yards per carry allowed. And who do they get in Week 1? Rushing champ Derrick Henry, who racked up 2,027 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns last season. There are simply better options. 

Quinn Nordin, K, New England

The rookie has big shoes to fill after Nick Folk finished 26 of 28 on field goals and 30 of 33 on extra points last season. A large part of Nordin's success will depend on rookie quarterback Mac Jones and his ability to get New England into scoring range. With that uncertainty, other kickers are your best bet for this week.