NFL Fantasy Start Em, Sit Em: 20 Players to Start or Sit in Week 1

NFL Fantasy Start Em, Sit Em: 20 Players to Start or Sit in Week 1

The NFL season will be here in a couple of days. You've likely been staring at your fantasy football roster for the last few days, trying to figure out your lineup for Week 1.

It's known that Week 1 is always the most difficult because it's a pure guessing game with some teams and players. We've just got to make educated guesses on who will perform and see a lot of reps in Week 1.

Here are my thoughts on which players to sit and start for Week 1 in fantasy football.

Quarterbacks To Play in Week 1

1. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

You might have Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels as your starting quarterback. That's fine. Those two should be elite quarterbacks down the line. However, starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 is always a gamble.

Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford have exciting matchups and a proven track record.

Mayfield will throw against a Washington defense at home. He earned 4,044 yards last season with 28 touchdowns and just ten interceptions. Most importantly, he got contract extensions for himself and Mike Evans.

Meanwhile, how often has Matthew Stafford had Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy simultaneously? You can absolutely consider taking advantage of that with a matchup against his former team, the Detroit Lions.

Matthew Stafford struggled at times in 2023. Will he come on strong in Week 1 against his old team? Make sure you're hammering Stafford prop bets at DraftKings right now

Quarterbacks To Sit in Week 1

3. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

I'm excited to see what Caleb Williams will bring to the table. I just don't think it's worth starting him in Week 1. Let's get a sample size and see what he's capable of. You don't want to start the season with a few losses and then have to rally back to make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, I don't love Dak Prescott's matchup in Cleveland. He's already coming off an injury and a career season. Can he duplicate that season? I don't think so.

Finally, I don't feel comfortable giving Justin Herbert the start, knowing he's coming off finger surgery, with Jim Harbaugh as his head coach. It feels like the Chargers will be a run-heavy offense, hurting Herbert's fantasy value.

Running Backs To Play in Week 1

6. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

7. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

8. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings

I thought James Conner added some real momentum last season. He finished the year with 208 carries and added 1,040 yards with seven touchdowns. To put that into perspective, he was 21st in carries but ranked 6th in rushing yards. Overall, the Arizona offense should be much better this year than last year with Marvin Harrison Jr. at wide receiver.

Chuba Hubbard is the lead back for the Carolina Panthers. It also won't be taken away from him with Jonathan Brooks still on the IR. With his potential volume of 20+ carries in Week 1, he's a solid flex option for your squad.

Ultimately, Aaron Jones never got going last season with the Packers. His injuries held him to just 142 carries for 656 yards. Still, he also caught 30 receptions and added another 233 yards in the air. Jones could be a real factor as Minnesota's leadback, especially in PPR formats.

Running Backs To Sit in Week 1

9. Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Devin Singletary, New York Giants

We're just waiting for the moment when Zack Moss loses the starting job to Chase Brown. With the hype around Brown in Cincinnati's camp, it's going to happen very quickly.

For Devin Singletary to be worth it, he must score touchdowns. However, the Giants won't be doing much of that this year.

Wide Receivers To Play in Week 1

11. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

12. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

The Philadelphia Eagles struggled in the secondary last season. Meanwhile, Christian Watson is poised to have a big season with the Packers as long as he stays healthy. While this is a weird matchup in Brazil, with both teams staying in their hotel, they'll be prepared and ready to go. Philadelphia's secondary just won't have what it takes to get stops.

The Bills will take on Arizona's defense. While they added Max Melton in the secondary, Arizona's defense was one of the worst last season. Shakir should be the lead receiver for the Bills this year as the No. 1 receiver on the depth chart.

Wide Receivers To Sit in Week 1

13. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

14. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

15. Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers

The last time Stefon Diggs reached 100 receiving yards was on October 15. Now, he has changed teams and is with the Texans, who have a more crowded receiver room than his former team's.

Rome Odunze is also in the same spot. He's a rookie for the Bears, who will compete with veterans D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen for reps in Week 1.

Finally, Joshua Palmer certainly has the potential to be a big-time contributor to the Los Angeles offense this year. He saw 18 targets in his last two games for the Chargers. However, Los Angeles figures to be a run-first offense, and I still want to make sure Justin Hebert is fully healed before relying on anyone in that Chargers passing game.

Tight Ends To Play in Week 1

16. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

17. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

If you're streaming tight ends this year, Tyler Conklin could be a solid option for Week 1. Conklin finished last season with 61 catches and 621 receiving yards. Now he's back as the No. 1 tight end with Aaron Rodgers under center. That could only help his stats.

Taysom Hill against the Carolina Panthers defense should be fun. The Saints typically used him in 40% of snaps last season, but he had at least one target in 15 of 16 games and rushed the ball at least three times in 11 games. His versatility should make him a TE1 against the Panthers this weekend.

Can Taysom Hill step up and deliver in Week 1? Well, FanDuel is the place to bet on Hill props right now!

Tight Ends To Sit in Week 1

18. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

19. Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots

20. Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Let's wait and see how Brock Bowers is used in the Las Vegas offense with Max Meyer already at the tight end spot.

Meanwhile, Hunter Henry could miss Week 1 with an injury. Austin Hooper and Jaheim Bell would be replacements. But keep Henry out of your lineup, even if he does play.

Finally, Dallas Goedert is beginning the season with an oblique injury. Other streaming options feel more safe right now.

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