Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Byes:Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
The Colts defense draws the best matchup of the week, at least on paper, as they'll host the Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Miami has allowed four sacks and committed 2.1 giveaways per game this season, so Indianapolis will be a highly-added D/ST streamer.
Baltimore put up an impressive 13 fantasy points against the Patriots last week, making their defense even more attractive ahead of an upcoming game in Cincinnati and first-time starter Ryan Finley. If the Ravens D/ST is on the wire, go grab them off the wire now.
Buffalo ranked fifth among fantasy defenses a week ago, and an upcoming game in Cleveland makes this unit an attractive option again. The Browns have surrendered nearly three sacks per game, and defenses have averaged the fifth-most points against them.
The Saints defense has produced at least eight fantasy points in three straight games, and a home matchup against the Falcons makes them a solid option. Defenses have averaged more than nine fantasy points a game against Atlanta's struggling offense this season.
Start 'Em:Rams D/ST at Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers D/ST vs. Los Angeles Rams
Sleepers:Giants D/ST at New York Jets, Jets D/ST vs. New York Giants
Sit' Em
Sit of the Week
The Vikings defense has scored a combined 19 fantasy points over their last two games, but a matchup in Dallas doesn't bode well for another nice stat line. Defenses facing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys averaged 1.4 sacks and the fewest fantasy points in 2019.
Carolina has one of the top defenses in fantasy football, but a roadie against the Packers isn't favorable. In fact, defenses have averaged just one sack and one takeaway per game at Lambeau Field. In all, defenses have averaged four points against Green Bay.
Seattle's defense can be a viable matchup-based option in fantasy land, but this week's matchup in San Francisco makes it a fade for me. Defenses have averaged just 1.5 sacks and a mere five fantasy points per game vs. the Niners, so Seattle is a sit 'em this week.
The Browns defense put up just five fantasy points against first-time starter Brandon Allen a week ago. Not good. I would fade them this week, as defenses have averaged just 4.3 fantasy points against Josh Allen and the surging Bills offense over the last four weeks.
Sit 'Em:Titans D/ST vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Cardinals D/ST at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Busts:Chiefs D/ST at Tennessee Titans, Cowboys D/ST vs. Minnesota Vikings
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. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
