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You have lineup questions, we have lineup answers — at least we hope so. Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is here to help fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. And you know what is a good move? Starting Christian McCaffrey. But that’s too obvious, so you won’t see such simple analysis here. Instead, we’re exploring more debatable situations. And if you can’t find a player you are looking for, please check out the latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings.
Start ‘Em
There is nothing an indoor cat loves more than, well, being inside. After a strong showing on the road last week, Goff gets to return to his comfy confines at home in Week 11. Detroit’s QB has averaged more than 20 fantasy PPG at Ford Field this season. Chicago has allowed the fourth-most passing yards and second-most passing touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, the Bears actually have been very stout against the run lately, giving up the fewest rushing yards since Week 6. If they can slow down the Lions’ rushing attack, Goff will have to throw even more. He is a very reliable option at a time of year when not many quarterbacks are.
At this point, you need to throw the ROOKIE tag out when it comes to Stroud. He’s technically still rewriting the rookie record books, yes, but rookie QBs are so rarely viewed as fantasy must-starts. Yet that’s exactly what Stroud has become. He has piled up 826 passing yards and seven total touchdowns in his last two games combined. His 291.8 passing yards per game this season leads the NFL and is the most by a rookie through nine games in NFL history. He has a great chance to stay hot against the Cardinals, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy PPG to QBs. If you’ve managed to acquire Stroud, you very likely just cannot bench him.
I had Howell as a sit last week. That was a big swing-and-a-miss. Allow me to right my wrong this week. Howell, on the road against a tough Seattle secondary, threw for 312 and three touchdowns, scoring more than 24 fantasy points. Since Week 2, he has scored at least 17 in all but two games. Three times, he has topped 24 fantasy points. He leads the league in passing yards and is tied for fifth in touchdowns through the air. Howell is a reliable option with the upside for blowup games in the right matchups. He’s especially in play this week with the Giants on tap. The G-Men have allowed the sixth-most passing yards and eighth-most passing touchdowns since Week 6. Start Howell with confidence.
Last week, I said it was worth taking a wait-and-see approach with Kyler Murray, but that if he looked like himself, you’d have a weekly starter on your hands. Murray scored 17.26 fantasy points, throwing for 249 yards and adding 33 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. He also had a near-touchdown through the air that was ruled just short, just missed another on a deep pass to Marquise Brown and watched Clayton Tune vulture a tush-push rushing TD. Most importantly, Kyler looked every bit himself — a.k.a., the fastest dude on the field. I like to imagine everyone on the field is playing Mario Kart, and he’s the only guy with a mushroom. He is back to being an every-week starting option — and he also elevates both Michael Wilson and Rondale Moore back into the streaming conversation.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to score fantasy points … but maybe it helps! The Passtronaut has been thriving in his short stint in Minnesota, scoring at least 24.9 fantasy points in each of his two games. He has topped 22 fantasy points in three straight overall and has a rushing touchdown in four straight, dating back to his days with the Cardinals. Don’t overlook what he gives you with his legs: He has just one game with fewer than 25 rushing yards since Week 2, topping 40 rushing yards seven times in that span. To put that into perspective, 40 rushing yards equates to 100 passing yards in fantasyland. He has the second-most rushing yards and third-most rushing TDs among QBs. This week, he gets the Broncos, who have allowed a ton of production this season. He also could have Justin Jefferson back. Start Astro Boy this week.
Not only has Brock Purdy been a favorable fantasy option, but you also get to hit your best Paul Heyman impression any time he has a big play. With Deebo Samuel back in action last week in Jacksonville, Purdy had his full arsenal again and immediately got back over 20 fantasy points (for a fourth time this season). He threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns. After a couple down games, Purdy and the 49ers’ offense looked right again. Funny how that happens as everyone gets healthy. He remains a starting option this week against the Bucs, who have allowed the third-most passing yards this season and most since Week 6.
IF YOU NEED A STREAMER …
This is far from a slam-dunk option. But with many of the QBs we’ve been streaming blossoming into straight-up starts and the others drawing tough matchups, it’s simply not the best week to stream a quarterback. Meanwhile, Love is coming off his best fantasy game since Week 4. He threw for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns at Pittsburgh, marking his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season. But mostly, this is about the matchup. The Chargers are giving up the most passing yards per game this season. They’ve allowed the second-most fantasy PPG to QBs. You can almost certainly snag Love off the waiver wire and stream him.
Sit ‘Em
What do Tommy DeVito, Clayton Tune and Zach Wilson all have in common? They all scored more fantasy points than Lawrence in Week 10. While it was an especially bad outing for Jacksonville’s franchise QB, it wasn’t a one-week blip. He has reached 18 fantasy points once all season and routinely scores fewer than 15. The passer ranks 17th in yards, 22nd in touchdowns and 28th in EPA per dropback. He has completed just 55 percent of his passes against man coverage — and the Titans run man at an above-average rate. You should be able to find a better option this week.
Last week was a now-or-never game for Geno, and he came through with his best effort of the season, throwing for 369 yards and two touchdowns and scoring a season-high 24 fantasy points. There will be more weeks to use Smith, as he has a favorable schedule down the stretch, but he has struggled against the Rams historically. In Week 1, he scored just nine fantasy points with 112 passing yards. In the prior meeting (Week 18 of the 2022 campaign), he threw for 213 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Plus, don’t forget that he scored fewer than 14 fantasy points in the five games prior to the excellent Commanders matchup last week. Smith can hit the fantasy bench again.
Don’t look now, but Baker Mayfield is in the midst of a very solid season. He has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in three straight games, with more than 18 fantasy points in each. Just like Geno Smith did last season, Mayfield is really blossoming under Dave Canales’ watchful eye. Baker’s a reliable streamer in most matchups … but the 49ers are not that. San Francisco dominated Trevor Lawrence and the Jags last week and very much looked like the juggernaut we saw early in the season, correcting a shaky stretch before the bye. Stream elsewhere this week.
It’s been a rough go lately for Rams signal-callers. Stafford ranks 26th in the NFL with a 2.9 percent touchdown rate. He has averaged just 210 passing yards per game in his last four outings, after averaging 307 per game in his first four. Now he’s dealing with this thumb injury that, should he be active, could hamper him even further. If Stafford’s a no-go, Wentz is waiting in the wings with hopes of a Baker Mayfield-like resurgence under Sean McVay. Either way, you can find a better option on the waiver wire.
