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
Texans D/ST at New York Giants: Turnovers are huge in fantasy football from a defensive perspective, so you want to target quarterbacks who turn the ball over often. That fits Eli Manning to a tee. In his last 18 games, the veteran has thrown 21 touchdown passes ... and 31 interceptions. The G-Men don't look all that comfortable in the offense of coordinator Ben McAdoo at this point, either.
Start 'em
Patriots D/ST vs. Oakland Raiders: The Patriots went to town on the Vikings last week, scoring one touchdown and 24 fantasy points in what was a blowout win. Next on the schedule is a date with the Raiders and rookie quarterback Derek Carr. Hmmm ... coach Bill Belichick against a first-year field general? Sign me up. The Pats should post top-10 numbers among defenses once again.
Bengals D/ST vs. Tennessee Titans: The Bengals (20.00 points) have one of the top 10 defenses in fantasy football after two weeks, and that status should only rise after a Week 3 contest against the Titans. As much as I liked Jake Locker last week, he can still be a bit prone to turnovers at times. That makes the Bengals even more attractive as a starting option in all formats.
Sleeper alert - Colts D/ST at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Colts are a bit banged up on the defensive side of the football, but this team is desperate for a win and should bring it's "A" game to Jacksonville. Opposing defenses have combined to score the most fantasy points in the NFL against the Jaguars, so the Colts are primed for a big week. This unit is still available in leagues.
Sit of the week
Steelers D/ST at Carolina Panthers: There was a time when the Steelers had one of the most valuable defenses in fantasy football. But that was then, and this is now. In 2014, Pittsburgh's defense has scored just three fantasy points after two games. Things don't look to improve against the Panthers, who have not been a very favorable matchup for owners who like to stream defenses.
Sit 'em
Jets D/ST vs. Chicago Bears (Mon.): The Gang Green defense was shredded by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week, and this week's matchup against the Bears isn't at all favorable. In fact, opposing defenses have scored a combined nine fantasy points against Jay Cutler and his offense in the first two weeks of the season. That includes the San Francisco 49ers, who had a big goose egg in Week 2.
Titans D/ST at Cincinnati Bengals: The Titans defense opened the 2014 season on a high note, scoring 14 fantasy points in a road win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, that success was short lived ... the Titans scored just six points in Week 2. Considering an upcoming road matchup against the Bengals is next on the schedule, the Titans aren't a viable option in Week 3.
Owners beware - Broncos D/ST at Seattle Seahawks: The Broncos have re-vamped their defense since losing the Super Bowl, adding the likes of DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward and Aqib Talib. Still, good things don't happen to NFL teams who visit the Pacific Northwest on offense or defense. With that in mind, this is one week where fantasy owners should beware of the Denver defense.
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 **@Michael_Fabiano** or send a question via **Facebook**!