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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 Patrick Mahomes. But that’s too obvious, so you won’t see the reigning MVP 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
Fields exploded for 282 yards and four touchdowns through the air in Week 5, with another 57 yards on the ground. He finished with 32.98 fantasy points and the QB1 finish on the week. He has thrown for 617 yards and eight touchdowns while scoring 60.88 fantasy points over the last two weeks, returning to cheat code form. Now he gets the Vikings, who have allowed the 10th-most yards and fifth-most touchdowns through the air this season. They have allowed the ninth-most fantasy PPG to QBs. Fields is returning to must-start status.
A start in this space last week, Cousins threw for 284 yards and two scores against the Chiefs, finishing with 19.86 fantasy points — edging out Patrick Mahomes in that same game. Cousins has now scored more than 19 fantasy points in three of his last four games. He has displayed a high ceiling and has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in every game. And he’s topped 280 passing yards in all but one game — showing he also brings a safe floor. This week, he gets the Bears, who have allowed the most passing yards and second-most passing touchdowns this season. All but one QB has topped 22 fantasy points against them — the one who didn’t, Baker Mayfield, hit 18.38. Cousins needs to be started this week.
Last week, I had Burrow as a sit. I advised benching him until he started to look like a healthy Burrow again. Well, he started to look like a healthy Burrow last Sunday in Arizona. He threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, scoring 23.38 fantasy points. But it wasn’t just the stats. He was able to move around the pocket and avoid pressure at times — he even scrambled to pick up a first down on one play. He has talked about feeling healthier and it showed last week. He has a tougher matchup this week against the Seahawks, a team that can generate more pressure than the Cardinals, so understand that the floor may not be all that high. But Burrow looked like Burrow again last week, so you can go back to starting him.
I had Purdy as a sit last week due to the tough matchup against the Cowboys. He went out and threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns, posting a season-high 26.08 fantasy points. He has now averaged 22.56 fantasy PPG over the last three weeks, with 20-plus in each of them. He had been off to a bit of a slow start, but that’s to be expected with him working back from offseason surgery. He’s excelling in this 49ers offense and has the best weapons in the league at his disposal. I know the Browns are a tough matchup, but so were the Cowboys. At this point, you just have to stick with Purdy.
IF YOU NEED DEEPER OPTIONS:
Matthew Stafford threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his first game with Cooper Kupp back. He now has two high-end receivers to throw to, with strong tertiary options, as well. He has proven to be more of a safe-floor QB, but his ceiling is certainly higher with Kupp back and healthy. And he has a great matchup this week against the Cardinals, who have allowed the fourth-most passing yards and the sixth-most touchdowns in the NFL. Dak Prescott is coming off his worst game of the season and had been held under 15 fantasy points in four of five. But this week’s matchup has him in play as a streaming option. The Chargers have allowed an average of 328 passing yards per game and also have an offense that could put up points, meaning Prescott and the Cowboys won’t be able to take their foot off the gas. A matchup where Dak’s forced to throw, against a beatable defense? This is exactly what we have been waiting for with Prescott.
Sit ‘Em
You might think I’m mad, and perhaps this prediction might backfire on me, yet there are several factors that do not favor Goff this week. To start with, this is an away game. Even though I typically don’t pay much heed to home/road splits, Goff’s stats are notably different. Since the last season, his average fantasy points per game at home stand at 22, compared to 12 on the road. He’s scored an average of 2.5 passing touchdowns in 11 home games, a stark contrast to 0.7 per game on the road during this period. His two poor performances this year were also during away games. For added confidence, the Bucs have only conceded 243 passing yards and one passing touchdown per game in 2023. If you have another player who you believe in, it might be worth considering them instead.
Watson has topped 20 fantasy points in two of three games, but he has yet to reclaim his old, fantasy-dominant self. And according to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, he remains day-to-day with a rotator cuff contusion. If he’s able to go on Sunday, he will have his hardest task yet, facing the tough 49ers defense. San Francisco gets pressure at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL (40 percent). So far this season, Watson has the fourth-lowest passer rating when under pressure, ahead of just Jordan Love, Daniel Jones and Ryan Tannehill. He has the third-lowest completion percentage versus pressure, too. The Niners just shut down Dak Prescott, and Joshua Dobbs (of course) is the only QB to top 14 fantasy points against them so far.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: Watson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against San Francisco.
In three of his last four games, Howell has scored over 19 fantasy points, and recently had his best fantasy season effort. You might be contemplating a stream this week, but I would advise against it. The Falcons have proven to be tough opponents for QBs, with them only allowing an average of 199.2 passing yards per game. They have also only conceded seven passing touchdowns in five games. Additionally, their matches are typically slow-paced and low-scoring. Howell is unlikely to be constantly passing as he did last week. Unless you’re planning to dive deep this week, I would suggest you steer clear.
Carr recently had his best fantasy performance as a Saint, which was also his first game of the season with multiple touchdowns. However, he only managed to score 15.7 fantasy points. His performance range has been quite limited, with a low floor and not much higher ceiling. His next game is against the Texans, a team that has allowed only three passing touchdowns in five games and a league-low of 18 since last season. They also only give up 233 passing yards per game. There are certainly better options to consider for streaming this week.
