Who To Start, Sit, Scoop Up, And Not Sleep On For Your Week 1 Fantasy Lineup

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Finally, after months that felt like years, fantasy football is back. The usual nerves leading up to the draft resulted in an adrenaline dump of fantasy goodness, but then that sinking feeling hits you in the gut — who do you play? It’s Week 1, no one wants to lose Week 1. This season opens with plenty of questions, position battles and key players missing from their squads.

Fall is coming. We know this. You have to get off to a good start. Here are Week 1’s Start/Sits, Waiver pickups and Sleepers.

Start of the Week

Houston RB Lamar Miller. He’s going up against the Bears. The Texans want to show off their shiny new toy, and DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller may be falling down at the 2 after long, 40-YD gains.

Start/Sit

QUARTERBACK STARTS:

Tyrod Taylor: Baltimore still has a stout front seven, but TyGod to Watkins should be happening early and often. If the play breaks down, then you have those sweet rushing yards to fall back on. Last season, Taylor had 568 rushing yards in 14 games. Cam Newton had 636 in 16 games. Give Tyrod a few more TDs, and he’s made a huge leap.

Derek Carr: New Orleans gave up the most fantasy points to QBs last season. Play this man. Cooper is emerging, Crabtree is reliable, and above all — Carr looks like he’s coming into his own in his third season.

Kirk Cousins: Washington has no semblance of a running game and they’ll be playing from behind. You like that? I like that. Cousins will be forced to throw all day. He’ll have some interceptions, but he’ll have some touchdowns too.

QUARTERBACK SITS:

Cam Newton: Cam wants revenge for the Super Bowl, no doubt, but Denver gave up the fewest points to QBs last season and they have the home field advantage. There are plenty of decent QBs out there that you should play over Cam (see: Carr, Derek).

Andy Dalton: Left with few weapons after injuries and free agency, Dalton is in New York against a good pass D. Look for Cinci to assert the run.

Jay Cutler: What an awful preseason. Maybe there’ll be garbage time points, but don’t bank on it. Watt and Clowney should have their way with one of the worst offensive lines in the league.

RUNNING BACK STARTS:

Spencer Ware: Jamaal Charles is out, so get Ware in your lineup and he should do just fine for ya. Ware got a ton of work in the preseason, and we know the Chiefs will run it at the goal line, and last season, they had the 12th-highest red zone TD percentage.

Latavius Murray: Until DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard step up and take a huge chunk of Murray’s role in an actual NFL football game, I’m thinking this is the Murray show behind one of the best O-lines in the league.

RUNNING BACK SITS:

LeSean McCoy: Baltimore may be getting old, but they still have one of the best rush Ds in the league. LeSean has looked rejuvenated this offseason, but he still has a lot of wear on those tires. Let’s stay away and see what happens.

Carlos Hyde: Still possibly in concussion protocol by the time you read this and in a wonky San Francisco offensive situation. Just see how things shake out with ‘ol Carlos before putting him in your lineup.

Matt Forte: Wait to see what the Jets do with him before you play him. Cincinnati had a top-7 run defense last year and he may have limited touches in this new offense (and while coming off an injury).

WIDE RECEIVER STARTS:

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb: No defense was worse in coverage last year than the Jags, so you can fully expect Aaron Rodgers to chew up yards as he marches up and down the field. Myles Jack makes this crew better, but it’s week one.

Michael Floyd: John Brown briefly took to the field in the final preseason game, but that’s all he did. He was only in for a handful of plays and he’s having reoccurring headache issues and Larry Fitzgerald is banged with a “slight” MCL sprain. That means Floyd is the premiere receiver in one of the league’s best offenses in what could be a high-scoring game.

The Lions WR corps: The Colts, one of the worst defenses in the league (that’s injured to boot), against a pass-heavy Lions attack. Tate, Marvin Jones, Ebron, and even Theo Riddick (screw it, he’s a receiver) will rack up the catches.

WIDE RECEIVER SITS:

Kevin White/Alshon Jeffery: Worries about Alshon’s health and Kevin White’s lack of experience (as well as Houston’s D with Watt back) hamper this WR corps. Will Cutler get off any passes without pressure?

Emmanuel Sanders/Demaryius Thomas: The Trevor Siemian experiment begins. These guys could still be good in PPR, but hopefully they were drafted as your third WRs at best, so just stay away for now. The Panthers still have a great defense, even without Josh Norman.

Julian Edelman: Arizona’s defense, coupled with Jimmy G. under center and a whole slew of additional scrappy, white receivers for Belichick to enjoy (as well as Edelman’s injury history) could lead to fewer snaps until Tom Brady comes back.

TIGHT END STARTS:

Coby Fleener: He’s going to soak up some nice targets and he has a straight sexy DFS price. Yes, there are a lot of mouths to feed in New Orleans, but targets are available with no Ben Watson and Marques Colston. Fleener is big and open.

Jordan Reed: Washington. Pittsburgh. Touchdowns will be scored. Jordan Reed is a red zone monster and is a threat to catch a touchdown on any given week. If he’s healthy, you play this man.

Zach Ertz: He finished last year strong and the matchup is right, so if the Eagles back up the talk about Ertz having a career year as the de facto #2 behind Jordan Matthews, it should start in Week 1. Dude only got 7 red zone targets last year. Hopefully he’ll have more than that by Halloween this year.

TIGHT END SITS:

Jimmy Graham: I’m staying far, far away from Graham this year. Right now the Seahawks have him practicing, but he probably won’t play. He’s coming off a torn patellar tendon and even when healthy in Seattle, Graham will likely have limited snaps and limited looks on top of those snaps.

Martellus Bennett: Maybe Gronk plays decoy Sunday night and Bennett gets a bunch of work, but I’m playing wait and see on Gronk/Hernandez 2.0, especially in Arizona.

Virgil Green: Denver’s TE was a sexy sleeper pick for many, but there are better options out there. Just about anyone, in fact. The Panthers were actually near the bottom-third in the league last year against the TE, but… Trevor Siemian.

Waiver Wire

It’s Week 1, but there are a few people available on the waiver wire that may blossom into something worthwhile.

DAL RB Lance Dunbar: He’s coming back from injury, but he could be the exact safety valve Dak Prescott needs. He was only recently activated, so grab him now in PPR leagues and see how his situation shakes out in the coming weeks.

BAL WR Mike Wallace: There’s buzz out of Baltimore that Wallace and Flacco are pulling off the Dillon/Dutch Predator Handshake on the daily. Wallace will be a decent vertical threat and red zone option possibly maybe.

DAL QB Dak Prescott: What if he’s awesome and Tony Romo never sees another snap? This is how these things happen. Yes, he’s played incredibly well during the preseason (we’re talking about practice), but until he can get it done during a “real” game, he’s just a paper gangster. Still, he could be the key to you winning your DFS matchups.

Sleepers

BAL QB Joe Flacco: Buffalo’s defense is beat up, and maybe year 2 of Marc Trestman can do something for Flacco who has Perriman, Mike Wallace, Aiken and eventually Steve Smith.

NE QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Stranger things have happened, and the possibility of a Gronk red zone TD or James White busting off a screen are there.

CLE RB Isaiah Crowell: I can see the goal line work being real. Think of him as Cleveland’s Jeremy Hill.

CLE RB Duke Johnson: I can see the dump offs between the 20s being real. Think of him as Cleveland’s Giovani Bernard, making things happen in space.

NE WR Chris Hogan: Anything can happen in New England, and Hogan has looked sharp. Edelman is playing, but he’s coming off multiple surgeries. It’s probably best to stay away until Brady comes back, so stash him now.

NO WR Michael Thomas: The hype is reaching straight Brandin Cook levels for this big New Orleans receiver. Thomas can stretch the field and is a favorite to develop into something big in the coming months.

MIN WR Stefon Diggs: The Sam Bradford trade helps out Diggs, big time. He’s the second-best playmaker on Minnesota and could become a PPR and YAC machine.

PIT TE Jesse James: Heath Miller is gone. There’s no Ladarius Green, no Martavis Bryant, and Sammie Coates is still easing his way into the offense. Maybe James can carve out a role?

GB TE Jared Cook: Aaron Rodgers has done more with less, and it was looking like Green Bay wanted to use him in the pre-season.

DET TE Eric Ebron: Every pass catcher on Detroit should have an opportunity to make plays (see: wide receiver Starts).

Flex Options

TB RB Charles Sims: This is for the zero RB manager in PPR leagues. Doug Martin was used on just over 50% of rushing plays last year, and Sims is usually on the field for pass protection. He may not get the goal line work like Martin, but you can bet he’ll catch 3 to 5 passes with some big-play potential.

SEA WR Tyler Lockett: Percy Harvin 2.0? Despite Lockette being 3rd in the depth chart, his potential is undeniable. It’s like the end zone wants to welcome him with open arms, either on a special teams play or off a pass by Russell Wilson.

SD RB Danny Woodhead: Check down all day, baby. Melvin Gordon may have reasserted himself in the rushing game, but Woodhead still gets red zone looks and is a PPR beast. You can bet on 5 catches a game with him, like clockwork.

NE RB James White: Jimmy Garoppolo, meet your safety valve for the next 4 weeks. He was one of the sneakiest and most valuable PPR RBs in the league after Dion Lewis went down, and his stats extrapolated over a year of work would’ve made him a top ten back. He should be back, catching passes and who knows — he may even get a goal line carry because no one knows what Bill Belichick might do.

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