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
Respect the specs! Anytime you have a good, but conservative offense, the kicker is going to play a huge role. We saw it on Sunday against the Bears when my guy Rodrigo was brilliant. He’s currently fourth among kickers, averaging 11.25 fantasy points per game. The Browns have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to kickers this season. It’s like a dream matchup. And I still can’t believe there was a dude in my League of Record who dropped him. Oh wait, it was one of the other Bears fans. Makes sense.
It’s been a wild ride for Gostkowski this year, as he nearly blew the Week 1 game at Denver with multiple missed kicks. But now he ranks second amongst the position, averaging more than 13 points per game. The game against the Bills should be a good one. A very tough contest. The Bills have allowed the 13th-most total yards per game this season. Now, we’re in a weird spot where we have a bunch of shares of Derrick Henry and we want him to punch it through on the goal line. But a few stops wouldn’t hurt for Gostkowski, either.
Gould has been good this season, ranks right in the middle of the field with just over eight points per game. The 49ers offense is getting close to being on all cylinders again. George Kittle was back last week and made a huge impact. Still, despite the injuries, the 49ers are still a top-12 scoring team and Gould should be a safe option, especially against the Dolphins.
The problem with the Seahawks offense is that it’s too good most of the time. Russell Wilson is out there cooking up touchdowns. It’s like having a high-end chef like Robert Irvine out there. He’s only working on the main course. He’s not worried about the small plates. He wants the touchdowns. But this week, the Seahawks face the Vikings who have allowed the most fantasy points to kickers this season.
I’d also take a run at the other kicker in the game mentioned above. The Seahawks have allowed the most yards per game this season (476.8 yards per game). They are allowing more than 27 points per game as well. Maybe just stop Dalvin Cook a few times from getting into the end zone and force Bailey to kick the ball and we’re cool.
Sit 'em
Bullock has been one of the highest-scoring kickers in the game this year, as he has averaged close to 12 fantasy points per game this season. The matchup is really tough, however. The Ravens have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to kickers this season (4.75) and allowed just four field goals made on the entire year.
I’m sure one huge game against the Denver Broncos in prime time put him on your radar. Despite that, he’s still ranked 17th at his position with 7.75 fantasy points per game. He’s had seven points or less in three of his four games this season. Plus, it’s the Jets offense which pretty much speaks for itself.
Sanders is currently tied for 10th among all kickers with a healthy 8.75 fantasy points per game. But this is really a tough matchup against the 49ers. It’s funny, we couldn’t wait to get Dolphins into our lineups last week. So if you streamed Sanders against the Seahawks, put in a little extra effort to stream a kicker this week.
He’s currently 29th among kickers, so he shouldn’t be on your radar. He’s already missed two field goals this season, which is tied for second in the league. And the Patriots offense didn’t look great without Cam Newton. Coach Bill Belichick was non-comital to his quarterback position early in the week. And really, there is no news that could change my mind about this. Unless the Patriots acquired Aaron Rodgers, but I doubt that is happening.
