You have lineup questions. We have answers. At least we hope. Start 'Em & Sit 'Em has helped fantasy managers for years make those pressing lineup decisions. And you know what is a good decision? Starting Patrick Mahomes. But that's too obvious, so you won't see that here. Instead here are some of the most-pressing questions. And, if you can't find a player you are looking for, please check out latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings right here.
Start 'Em
Get ready to see this name all year. Dude was the most-consistent kicker last year as he scored the most-fantasy points per game. Missed just two field goals, though his miss against the Chiefs kind of cost me a title. But I couldn’t be mad. He kind of got me there in the first place. You’ve likely seen all sorts of Eagles and Falcons already on this week, might as well keep that going. Start Jake Elliott , too.
A lot of people thought it might have been a gag that I keep going to Rodrigo last year, but dude was on fire during his rookie season. He ranked sixth as the position. And this year, the Colts offense should be good. But not too good. You don’t want to be in a Harrison Butker situation where the offense is too good and you’re settling for a bunch of extra points. I’m not sure the Colts are going to have that problem.
I don’t know if you paid attention to the kicking competition down in Carolina this year. Because, why would you? But the Panthers went from having Joey Slye as a lock at the position to trading for Santoso. They traded for him. When do you ever trade for a kicker? The NFL rarely has trades, but we had a kicker trade? But I don’t know. If the Panthers are so confident, then I’m going to have to assume that I should be that confident, too. I mean, do you want to doubt Matt Rhule? And the Jets allowed the third-most points to kickers last year. Got that, nerds?
Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai is a disciple of Vic Fangio. And what that means is that we’ll see a bunch of bend-but-don’t-break defense. I do actually see the Bears holding the Rams to a few field goal attempts in the early going. Maybe the Rams will be leading 9-0 by the time Justin Fields comes in to take over for the Bears. Still, it’s a high-scoring offense that should lead to some opportunities. Gay should be a solid start every week.
Bass was strong during his rookie season, taking advantage of ample opportunities with the explosive Bills offense. They have a tough matchup this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Bills should be a threat to score every time they touch the football. In addition to extra point chances, there could be some additional field goal attempts.
Sit 'Em
The Chargers are going with a new kicker this year in Vizcaino. But I have one steadfast rule in fantasy. Never go with the Chargers kicker. I mean, first of all, you had Younghoe and let him go so I can’t trust your judgement. And I know I probably don’t have the stats to back this up, but it always feels like the Chargers kicker finds a way to blow it. That might be more anecdotal than anything, but it’s a rule.
A lot of times you leave your fantasy draft without a kicker because you’re going to stream one later. Dan Campbell did that this year. No, not in his fantasy draft. He did it for the actual Detroit Lions. I mean, respect for the shout out to fantasy football. But dude, I think you’re going to want to fill that spot. And he did, claiming Seibert off waivers. Campbell said that he was going to go for two a lot and go for it on fourth down in a radio interview. Partly in jest, I’m sure. But Seibert fills in for Randy Bullock and Zane Gonzalez, who were released at the end of August.
The Raiders have one of the top offenses in the NFL, but the Ravens were the very best last season at limiting their opponents kicker, a league-leading five points per game on average.
This was a tough one. Nick Folk booted four field goals in the last game against the Dolphins last season, but that seemed like a weird fluke. Compare that to the just three extra points he kicked in the season opener last year and the truth is like somewhere in the middle.
This seems kind of mean. But it’s out of respect. I honestly feel like the Vikings are going to score 28 point on Sunday, which would mean just four fantasy points for the kicker. I know that also sounds ridiculous. And it’s also ridiculous we still do kickers in fantasy. I mean, Younghoe and Rodrigo are two of my favorite players. But it’s just so maddening.
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