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:Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Woods put up zero catches a week ago, and his lone points were on a run that resulted in a touchdown. Still, I'd keep the faith in the Rams wideout in a plus-matchup in Atlanta. The Falcons have allowed seven touchdowns and the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers lined out wide, which is where Woods has run 61 percent of his routes.
You might look at this week's matchup against the Vikings and consider it unfavorable at first, but the opposite is true. Minnesota has actually given up five touchdowns and the sixth-most fantasy points to receivers who line up wide, which is where Golladay has run 82.7 percent of his routes. Keep rolling with Golladay this weekend.
Gallup has averaged more than 17 fantasy points per game, and he's third in the league in yards per game among wideouts. With or without Amari Cooper, Gallup is a great start against the Eagles. No team has allowed more touchdowns and fantasy points to receivers lined out wide, which is where Gallup has been 81.8 percent of the time.
Ridley has scored 14-plus points and a touchdown in four of his first six games, and a matchup against the Rams makes him a strong flex option this week. Los Angeles just lost CB Aqib Talib to IR, and their defense has allowed seven touchdowns to receivers who line out wide. In what will likely be a scoreboard scorcher, I'd start Ridley.
Brown has produced double-digit fantasy points in all but one of his first five games, and he's in a good spot to make it six of seven when he faces the Dolphins. Their defense has allowed five touchdowns and the seventh-most fantasy points to receivers lined out wide, which is where Brown has run over 75 percent of his routes this season.
Start 'Em:T.Y. Hilton vs. Houston Texans, D.J. Chark at Cincinnati Bengals
Sleepers:Allen Lazard vs. Oakland Raiders, Auden Tate vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Anderson went off against the Cowboys last week, scoring 23.5 fantasy points in a surprising win. I wouldn't chase the points, though, as he'll face the impenetrable Patriots pass defense next. New England has given up just one touchdown and the second-fewest fantasy points to wideouts, so Anderson is likely to struggle this week.
Robinson is a tough player to sit during the bye weeks, so consider this a warning of sorts. He could be matched up up against CB Marshon Lattimore and a Saints defense that has held the last three opposing No. 1 wideouts to a combined 91 yards and 17.1 fantasy points. That includes Mike Evans, who had zero points in Week 5.
McLaurin has been a touchdown machine, and chances are you have to start him with four teams on a bye. Just keep in mind that the Niners have given up just 5.6 catches and the eighth-fewest fantasy points to receivers who line out wide. That's where McLaurin runs most of his routes. As a result, the rookie's ceiling won't be very high this week.
Williams has scored a decent 12-plus fantasy points in two straight games, but he's also failed to score even one touchdown all season. Now he'll lose some red-zone looks to Hunter Henry, and a matchup against the Titans is a difficult one. Their defense has allowed the second-fewest catches to visiting wideouts after six weeks.
A popular preseason breakout candidate, Westbrook is getting plenty of targets but has averaged a minuscule 2.16 fantasy points per touch. He has also failed to score a touchdown since Week 1, and his 46.6 yards per game leaves much to be desired. The Bengals have allowed just 4.3 catches per game to slot wideouts this season.
Sit 'Em:Corey Davis vs. Los Angeles Chargers, DeVante Parker at Buffalo Bills
Busts:Alshon Jeffery at Dallas Cowboys, Marvin Jones at 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!
