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
The Chargers did a pretty nice job against the Chiefs last week, at least for a while. And yes, they were shutting down Tyreek Hill, at least for a while. I like this matchup against the Panthers, though. The Chargers have averaged six fantasy points per game this season, that’s 12th in the league. They have allowed 36 total points this year. And what we’re looking at here is the sacks. The Panthers have allowed three sacks per game. Joey Bosa can get that on his own. (And because they played the Chiefs last week, the Chargers are probably on your waiver wire.)
Don’t get excited Titans fans, I don’t want to give you too much credit here. The Titans defense hasn’t been that good. But we’ve come to a point in our lives where we want to stream against the Vikings offense. Minnesota has averaged 278.5 yards per game this season, which is the third-worst in the NFL.
The Cardinals defense is among the league’s best, averaging 6.5 fantasy points per game. The Birds are doing a nice job getting to the quarterback this season, as they rank third in the NFL with seven sacks in two games. And they have the Lions, who have failed to find a groove offensively. I know they always talk about Matt Patricia wanting to install the Patriot Way in Detroit. But yeah, more like the Patriot League Way. Though that’s not fair to Bucknell and the rest of the Patriot League. My apologies guys.
You know the Texans are still having some trouble on the offensive line. Deshaun Watson (along with Carson Wentz) has been sacked a league-leading eight times this season. Now they have the Steelers, who are one of the top defenses in the league. They averaged five sacks per game. And the Texans have allowed an average of 11 fantasy points per game to defenses, which is the most in the NFL.
I mean, I guess at this point we can stop listing the “start your defense against the Jets” position because it’s become way too obvious. But I did want to give some credit to the Colts for being one of the top fantasy defenses this season. Their 9.5 fantasy points per game is tied for third in the league. As is their seven sacks on the season. The Jets have scored 30 points this season. Total.
Sit 'em
The Saints are one of the top defenses in the league. They have averaged close to 10 points-per in the opening two weeks of the season. But the Packers have the highest-scoring team in the league. And I’m shocked to find out that Rodgers has been sacked even once. I’m not sure I would want to drop the Saints, but I would not feel great starting them.
I feel the same way about the Ravens in this matchup, too. I don’t want to drop the Ravens. And you might not have the maneuverability to bench them, but this is rough. The Chiefs have averaged 28.5 points per game this season, which is not only eighth in the league. But seems kind of low, right? The big thing, like the Packers, you aren’t getting to the quarterback here, either. The Chiefs have allowed just two sacks this year.
The Rams have averaged just 5.5 fantasy points this season. And they are going up against the Bills who have done a pretty good job of putting up points this season. The Bills rank sixth in the NFL with 29 points-per. Josh Allen has been killing people for years with his legs. But his passing has gone to another level this season as he’s averaged 364.5 YPG this season. The most in the NFL.
The Seahawks defense kind of just operates in name only at this point. The uniforms look the same. You recognize a few names, but it’s just not the same. Like when the Four Horsemen added Paul Roma. Like, you’re still a Horseman. But, yeah. The Seahawks are allowing 485 YPG this season, that is the most in the NFL. Dak Prescott is coming off a huge game. This should be high-scoring for sure.
Speaking of operating in name only. Here come the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are one of those bands that you see at the state fair where they have one original member (if any) from the original lineup. The Vikings have just two sacks this season (third-fewest in the league) and only one takeaway (also third-fewest). This could be a long game for them.
Follow Adam Rank on Twitter at @adamrank.
