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:Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Goff didn't play great football last week, but he did enough to score 25 fantasy points in a win over the Falcons. I'd keep him in your starting lineups again, as a battle with the Bengals is next. Their defense has allowed an average of 22.6 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and their top two cornerbacks are dealing with injuries.
Allen put up a strong stat line last week, scoring 21.7 fantasy points in a win over the Dolphins. I'd ride him again this week, as he has a great matchup against the Eagles up next. Their defense has allowed a 100.6 passer rating and more than 23 fantasy points per game to home quarterbacks this season, so Allen is a fine option this week.
Stafford has developed into one of the best draft bargains in fantasy drafts, throwing two-plus touchdown passes four times in his first six games. I would start him against the Giants, as no defense has allowed more fantasy points to home quarterbacks. The position has also averaged 373 passing yards per game against Big Blue.
Tannehill looked good in last week's win over the Chargers, and he's now in the streaming conversion against the Buccaneers. Their defense has given up the most passing yards and over 20 fantasy points per game to opposing home quarterbacks, which bodes well for Tannehill's chances of putting up a second consecutive useful line.
Fantasy owners looking for a nice streaming option or DFS starter should look to add Rudolph to their lineups. He has a tremendous matchup against the Dolphins, who have allowed 20-plus fantasy points to all but one of the six quarterbacks they've faced. Rudolph, coming back from a concussion, is in a great spot to succeed.
Start 'Em:Aaron Rodgers at Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady vs. Cleveland Browns
Sleepers:Derek Carr at Houston Texans, Gardner Minshew vs. New York Jets
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Mayfield is back after a bye week, and he's back as the sit of the week among quarterbacks, too. He has a brutal road matchup next on the schedule, as the Patriots have allowed one touchdown pass and an average of fewer than six (not a misprint) fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks at Gillette Stadium. Mayfield is a hard fade this week.
Rivers finished with a nice stat line last week, scoring 21.2 points in a loss to the Titans. I'd still fade him this week, however, as a road game in Chicago awaits. While the Bears defense hasn't been great, it's still allowed just six touchdown passes and an average of fewer than 15 fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks in 2019.
Brissett is one of the top quarterbacks in the league in touchdown passes, ranking fourth with 14 despite already having a bye week. Still, I don't love this week's matchup against the Broncos. Their defense has given up just two touchdown passes and an average of fewer than 11 fantasy points per game to home quarterbacks.
The last time we saw Winston, he was throwing five interceptions with a lost fumble in a London loss to the Panthers. I'd keep the erratic field general on the bench this week, as he faces a Titans defense that's allowed an average of 251 passing yards and fewer than 15 fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks so far this season.
Garappolo's value as a sleeper last week was washed away in what was a monsoon in a win over the Redskins. Next up is a difficult matchup at home against the Panthers, who have allowed an average of fewer than 15 fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks. At best, Jimmy G is an option in two-quarterbacks or super flex leagues.
Sit 'Em:Kyle Allen at San Francisco 49ers, Mitchell Trubisky vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Busts:Carson Wentz at Buffalo Bills, Sam Darnold at Jacksonville Jaguars
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!
