NFL Start Em’ Sit Em’ Week 1 2018-2019
The NFL season is here and that additionally means it is time to play Fantasy Football. As millions of people are scrambling to set their weekly lineups, we at Maryland Sports Blog decided to give our “start em and sit em’s for thr week. Before we begin, credit to Matt Bachota for coming up with the players to start and sit for this week.
Quarterbacks:
Start: Andy Dalton and Tyrod Taylor
As both of these quarterbacks may be sitting on your respective waiver wire’s, both Bengals Quarterback, Andy Dalton is matching up against a weak Colts defense, as they lost Cornerback, Vontae Davis and have not improved much at all on the defensive side on the ball. Additionally, when playing the Colts, last year, Dalton recorded 18.72 fantasy points at home in the rain. In addition to, Dalton threw 25 touchdown passes, along with 3,320 passing yards last season. Lastly for Dalton, he has weapons such as Joe Mixon, A.J. Green, and Tyler Eifert at his disposal to throw the ball to. On the other hand, Browns Quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, is playing a weak secondary in the Steelers defense and shined in Buffalo with weapons like Lesean McCoy and Charles Clay. Also, if you add Taylor’s throwing and running, you could rack up fantasy points with both, whereas a Quarterback like Drew Brees won’t have as many rushing yards unlike Taylor. Lastly for Taylor, he has Wide Recievers, Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon to throw to, and who are proven veterans in the NFL.
Sit: Marcus Mariota and Patrick Mahomes
For starters, Titans Quarterback, Marcus Mariota is in my opinion, starting a trap game against the Miami Dolphins. Next, Mariota has running backs Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis which takes the pressure off him to throw for more than 30 attempts. Expect the Titans to continously run the ball as the Dolphins front seven continues to show signs of struggle giving up 110.5 yards per game on the ground according to ESPN from last season. Afterward, at 4:25 PM, we will see the 2018 debut of Patrick Mahomes as he faces a loaded defense in the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes will have to play against a tough secondary as well, as he additionally has to worry about defensive end, Joey Bosa chasing after him. Lastly, Mahomes can rely on Running Back, Kareem Hunt to move them down the field if they struggle through the air.
Running Backs:
Start: Alex Collins and Joe Mixon
First, Ravens running back, Alex Collins, matches up against an awful Bills defense with little to no talent. Additionally, Collins ended the season strong with 6 rushing touchdowns in the last 7 games of the 2017 regular season. Next, Bengals Halfback, Joe Mixon, will face a weak Colts front seven as with Andy Dalton. Expect Mixon to get at least 15-2o touches on the ground, and at least targeted through the air three-five times through the course of the game.
Sit: Lesean McCoy and Jordan Wilkins
Bills Halfback, Lesean McCoy faces a top 5 Ravens defense and is currently dealing with off-field issues. Additionally, the Ravens led the league in turnovers last year, so sit McCoy. Second, Jordan Wilkins has the potiental to back up Marlon Mack, and even if he gets rushing attempts, he will face the likes of Geno Atkins and Vontaze Burfict.
Wide Recievers:
Start: Golden Tate and Keelan Cole
With the Lions playing the Jets on Monday Night Football, Golden Tate will face a terrible Jets secondary and shall explode with at least one touchdown and 60 recieving yards with Quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing to him. On the other hand, the Jaguars have lost Marquise Lee and Keelan Cole gets the opportunity to fill those shoes and will expect to get a lot of playing time and passes thrown to him. Lastly, Cole had a stretch of four games late last season where he recorded at least 10 points in each of them, and a 24 point game against the Houston Texans.
Sit: Pierre Garcon and Kelvin Benjamin
First, Pierre Garcon plays against the Vikings defense in which holds Xavier Rhodes, a proven shut down Defensive Back. Additionally, Garcon dropped the ball too many times to be getting a lot of throws targeted at him for today’s game. Next, Kelvin Benjamin faces the Baltimore defense which will force pressure on Quarterback, Nathan Peterman, and have the recieving core on lockdown with Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson. In addition to, Benjamin will have to be guarded by the Ravens number one Cornerback, Marlon Humphrey for most of the game.
Tight Ends:
Start: Jordan Reed and Trey Burton
Although Jordan Reed has dealt with previous injuries, expect Quarterback, Alex Smith to give him a lot of targets as he used Travis Kelce in Kansas City efficiently. Next, Trey Burton will face an aging Packers Linebacker core and will at least recieve 10 targets from Mitch Trubisky as he also has a tendency of throwing to Tight End’s. Lastly, both Tight End’s are expected to have huge seasons for their respective teams as long as they stay healthy.
Sit: David Njoku and Antonio Gates
First, David Njoku will have to play in wet weather as there is a 100% chance of rain in Cleveland for the game. Additionally, Njoku will likely be guarded by Linebacker, T.J. Watt and he did not record a ton of fantasy points which makes it risky to start him. Next, Antonio Gates was recently signed and will most likely not be completely like the old self and will play worse. Lastly, Gates had an up and down season last year as he recorded more than 10 points in just one game.
Kickers:
Start: Wil Lutz and Matt Prater
First, the Saints are playing the worst passing defense from last season which gives Wil Lutz plenty of chances to score points for your teams. Additionally, Lutz had 7 games in which he recorded 10 points or more. Next, Matt Prater is proven to be one of the best kickers in the NFL, and will also have many opportuinites to kick in points. Lastly for Prater, he had 17 points or more in 2 games out of 16.
Sit: Harrison Butker and Dustin Hopkins
Chiefs Kicker, Harrison Butker, will have to hope that the Chiefs can move down the field to get opportunities to kick in fantasy points for owners. In addition to, Butker had a good season last year because of a proven Quarterback in Alex Smith at the helm. Redskins Kicker, Dustin Hopkins, will likley get less points because of a decent Cardinals defense, and an unproven Redskins offense.
Defenses:
Start: Ravens and Saints
Both the Ravens and Saints will play against terrible offenses, so expect tons of fantasy points from them. Additionally, they’ll face Quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Nathan Peterman, who are both below average at this point.
Sit: Bears and Texans
Sitting the Bears and Texans is safe because they’ll be facing the two best Quarterbacks in the league in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Lastly, Brady and Rodgers are both projected for more than 20 points, so it’s safe to not even considering Chicago and Houston to start.
Again, credit to Matt Bachota, Perched on the Gridiron, and @Asuchdeve(my twitter handle) and @mbhershey2(Matt’s twitter handle) on twitter for contributing to the article.
