Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the weekly NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Sleeper alert features an under-the-radar player who could produce good numbers. Owners beware features a regular fantasy starter who could fail to meet expectations based on the strength of his opponent. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Start of the week
Tom Brady at Houston Texans: Remember just a few weeks ago when fantasy owners had to consider putting Brady on the bench? Well, he has his weapons back and his fantasy value is now on the rise. He should post a nice stat line against the Texans, who have allowed 18-plus fantasy points to two of the last three quarterbacks to face them in Houston. (Maximum value: High QB1)
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Start 'em
Nick Foles vs. Arizona Cardinals: You might see this matchup and think it's bad on paper, but the Cardinals have actually allowed an average of right around 17 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks on the road this season. Foles has also been too hot to bench, unless of course you have one of the elite quarterbacks in fantasy football. (Maximum value: Mid QB1)
Philip Rivers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: You might look at this seemingly bad matchup against the Bengals and cringe, but take a look at this little nugget. While Cincinnati has been quite tough on quarterbacks at home (9.2 fantasy PPG), their defense has surrendered an average of over 18 fantasy points per game to the position on the road. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
Andy Dalton at San Diego Chargers: Dalton hasn't been the most consistent quarterback in the world, but he can make some noise in the stat sheets when the matchup is favorable. That's the case this week in San Diego, where the Chargers have allowed an average of nearly 20 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks on their home field. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
Sleeper alert - Josh McCown at Minnesota Vikings: McCown has done a wonderful job filling in for an injured Jay Cutler, and fantasy leaguers need to take notice. In fact, he's a viable starter in a road game against the Vikings -- no home defense has surrendered more fantasy points (22.9 PPG) to quarterbacks than the Purple People Eaters. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
Sit of the week
Matt Ryan at Buffalo Bills (Toronto): Ryan has gone from fantasy star to a major risk who is being dropped in some leagues. The Bills pass defense can be vulnerable, but overall it's allowed quarterbacks an average of just under 16 fantasy points per game. Considering Ryan's poor offensive line as well, he's just better left on the bench. (Maximum value: High QB2)
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Sit 'em
Russell Wilson vs. New Orleans Saints (Mon.): It's tough to bench a solid signal-caller like Wilson when he's playing at home, and you shouldn't do it unless you have a viable alternative. Just keep in mind that this week's opponent, the Saints, have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points (13.8 PPG) to opposing quarterbacks on the road. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
Eli Manning at Washington Redskins: This is a great matchup on paper, but can you trust the untrustable 2013 version of Eli Manning? He's also been awful in his career against the Redskins -- the veteran has 14 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions overall and has thrown one scoring strike or fewer in 16 of his 17 career meetings with them. (Maximum value: High QB2)
Mike Glennon at Carolina Panthers: Glennon was in the sleeper portion of this column last week, but fantasy leaguers should look to avoid him this week in Carolina. Few teams in the league have been tougher on opposing quarterbacks at home, as the Panthers have surrendered an average of just 11.1 fantasy points per game to the position. (Maximum value: Mid QB2)
Owners beware - Andrew Luck vs. Tennessee Titans: Luck has failed to throw for multiple touchdowns in each of his last three games, including a Week 11 start against the Titans when he was held without a scoring strike. So while it's tough to bench Luck when he's playing at home, keep in mind that Tennessee is plain tough on quarterbacks. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
