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 LeSean McCoy will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Note: All starts and sits in this column are based on NFL.com's standard scoring system (non-PPR).
Start of the week
Zach Ertz vs. Washington Redskins: Ertz has seen just 11 targets so far this season, but he still ranks seventh in fantasy points among tight ends as we head into Week 3. He should continue to see his targets rise moving forward, as Ertz has developed quite a rapport with Nick Foles. This weekend, the Stanford product faces a favorable matchup versus the Redskins and should stay active.
Start 'em
Greg Olsen vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Olsen had a fast start to the 2014 campaign, posting 14 catches for 155 yards with one touchdown in his first two games. His success should continue at home, where he's scored eight-plus fantasy points in five of his last six games. The Steelers have also allowed an average of 13.40 fantasy points to tight ends this season, which makes the matchup a good one for Olsen.
Kyle Rudolph at New Orleans Saints: Rudolph posted just 5.3 fantasy points last week, and he's recorded a mediocre 69 yards in his first two games of the season. Still, he's a good option in Week 3 against the Saints. That's due to his recent success on the road against NFC opponents. In his last four such contests, Rudolph has found the end zone three times. He's a top-10 option.
Martellus Bennett at New York Jets (Mon.): Bennett has a trend of finding a lot of success in September, as he has recorded an average of 50-plus yards per game and a combined eight touchdowns in his last 10 September contests (Bears -- six games, Giants -- four games). If you don't have an elite fantasy tight end, Bennett is well worth a start based on his overall September success.
Sleeper alert - Dwayne Allen at Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen, who is still a free agent in more than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues, is worth a look as a starter this week based on a favorable matchup against the Jaguars. Their defense has surrendered the third-most fantasy points (15.55 PPG) to opposing tight ends this season, including giving up 15.90 points to Niles Paul last week.
Sit of the week
Jason Witten at St. Louis Rams: Witten is very likely to be active in most fantasy football leagues this week, but don't expect him to post massive numbers based on a trend of mediocre totals away from home. In fact, he has put up a touchdown catch in just three of his last 15 road games against the NFC. Witten has also posted 60-plus yards a mere two times during those contests.
Sit 'em
Dennis Pitta at Cleveland Browns: Like Witten, Pitta will no doubt be active in countless fantasy leagues this week. Owners need to keep in mind that he has not been a reliable fantasy option on the road in his career. In fact, he's found the end zone just three times in 24 career roadies. That includes just two visits to the end zone in his last 10 games outside of the state of Maryland.
Delanie Walker at Cincinnati Bengals: Walker has been on fire in the stat sheets, posting 20.20 fantasy points last week and finding the end zone in each of his first two games of the 2014 campaign. However, this weekend's matchup in Cincinnati isn't at all favorable. In their last nine home games, all of which were wins, the Bengals allowed one or fewer touchdowns eight times.
Heath Miller at Carolina Panthers: Miller has been invisible for fantasy owners, posting a combined 4.10 points over the first two weeks. His luck is not likely to improve in Carolina, as the Panthers have allowed one or fewer touchdown catches in each of their last nine home games. Regardless, Miller needs to be on all fantasy benches until he starts to show some signs of statistical life.
Owners beware - Antonio Gates at Buffalo Bills: Gates has been on absolute fire for owners, scoring three touchdowns last weekend and looking like the fantasy superstar of old. And while he should be in most starting lineups in Week 3, keep this little tidbit in mind ... in his last five road games against the AFC, Gates has averaged just 40 receiving yards per contest and has scored only once.
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**!
