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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 Justin Jefferson. 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. Unless otherwise noted, all stats come from NFL Pro, Next Gen Stats or NFL Research.
Start ‘Em
Pollard has been awesome for fantasy purposes this season. He typically plays around 65 percent of the snaps, but he saw close to 75 percent of the snaps in Week 6 with Tyjae Spears banged up. Pollard is averaging 19 touches per game and he has topped 15 carries in four of his five games. He has rushed for 80-plus yards in three of his five games and has a touchdown in two straight. Oh, and he has a fantastic matchup against Buffalo. The Bills have allowed the second-most fantasy PPG — as well as the most targets, catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs — to RBs. Pollard is a must-start RB1 this week.
Hubbard remained hot last week. He has averaged 20.7 FPPG since Andy Dalton became the Panthers’ QB1 in Week 3. Hubbard has scored at least 15 fantasy points and rushed for at least 90 yards in all four of those games. Plus, he remains heavily involved in the passing game with at least four targets in each of his last five games. The Commanders have allowed 5.3 yards per carry to RBs, second-most in the league. They have allowed explosive runs at a league-high 19 percent clip. Every other team is at 15 percent or lower. Keep riding the hot hand here.
Robinson sat out last week’s game with a knee injury. He missed arguably the toughest matchup for a RB against a physical Ravens defense. In his absence, Ekeler struggled on the ground but got going through the air. Robinson has scored double-digit fantasy points in all five of his games, providing a safe floor. If he plays, I expect that to continue in a fantastic matchup against the Panthers, who have allowed the most rushing yards and a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns to RBs. No other team has allowed more than eight rushing TDs to RBs. In total, the Panthers have given up the most FPPG to the position. Robinson is a must-start if he plays. Ekeler is a Flex option if Robinson plays and a must-start if Robinson sits.
Last week was one to forget for Conner. He had to leave the game to get his ankle treated at one point. Then he had a fumble, as the Cardinals were blown out by the Packers. He finished with just 6.6 fantasy points and wasn’t even the top scoring RB on his own team. However, Conner has still been too good to get away from. He has scored 14 or more fantasy points in four of six games and cleared 18 points three times. It’s a difficult matchup, but I’m sticking with him if he’s healthy.
Mixon has started and finished two games this season — he has averaged 27 FPPG in those two contests. Mixon rushed for 100-plus yards and scored three touchdowns in those two games. He sees a lot of volume as the Texans’ lead back when he’s healthy, and he remains a big-play threat. C.J. Stroud’s ability to throw deep opens up so much underneath for Mixon. The Packers have a middle-of-the-pack defense against RBs, but they have allowed a running back to score 15-plus fantasy points in two of their last three games. Just call him Must-start Mixon right now.
Stevenson missed Week 6 with a foot injury, but head coach Jerod Mayo has said it isn’t considered a long-term issue. So, hopefully he can suit up this week in London. Antonio Gibson failed to do much in Stevenson’s absence last week, so expect the bulk of the work to continue to go to Stevenson when he’s healthy. The Jaguars have really struggled against RBs, allowing a running back to top 15 fantasy points against them in all but one game this season. You will have to monitor his health, but if Stevenson plays this week, start him. Gibson would be an upside Flex option if Stevenson sits.
Sit ‘Em
Let me be clear here: Do NOT sit Jones for just anyone. If you have another reliable option on your roster that you can plug in, go ahead and do it this week. The Lions are one of the toughest matchups for a running back in 2024. They have allowed the third-fewest rushing yards and the fewest receiving yards to backs this season. In total, they have allowed the third-fewest FPPG to RBs. Jones has been very good this season, but we did see him struggle a bit in a tough matchup against the Niners earlier this season. Plus, he’s dealing with a hip injury. Play it safe if you can.
Etienne missed time in Week 6 due to a hamstring injury, and he finished with just -1 yards. He has been too inefficient to trust. He has yet to reach 15 fantasy points in a game this season and has seven or fewer in two of his last three games. He has routinely been outproduced by Tank Bigsby on the ground. The floor and ceiling have become very low. Even in a favorable matchup, it is tough to trust him. Plan on being without him one way or another this week.
A new threat emerged for White while he was out last week with a foot injury. In his place both Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker went off, and they could see more work as White had been struggling even before his injury. From Weeks 2-5, White had only one more carry than Irving, and it was Irving who had been more productive and saw the goal-line work. Even more concerning is a decrease in pass-game usage for White. In his last four games he just 13 targets, 11 catches and 52 receiving yards. He scored less than 11 fantasy points in all four of those games and averaged just eight FPPG in that span. Plus, the Ravens are elite against the run. They have allowed the fourth-fewest FPPG to RBs. With Irving continuing to impress and Tucker coming off a massive game, plan on keeping White on the bench this week.
Singletary was useful in fantasy before he was injured largely because of the volume he saw. Whether he’ll continue to see the same usage when he returns must be in question after what Tyrone Tracy Jr. has shown in the past two games. Tracy should eat into Singletary’s workload, and he could quickly take over lead-back duties if he keeps playing so well. The Eagles are a middle-of-the-pack defense against RBs, but that’s impressive when you consider they have already faced Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs and Alvin Kamara and allowed only one total touchdown to the position. I would avoid Singletary in this one even if he’s healthy.
Chubb has a chance to return from injury this week and play in a game for the first time since early last season. It will be a great moment for Browns fans and really all NFL fans whenever he takes his first snap. The league is better when Chubb is playing. However, he is coming back from a severe knee injury. Will he look like his old self? How much work will he initially see? I know you have waited a long time to put him back in your lineup, but keep an eye on his status and remain patient. I would not start Chubb until we see how he looks when he’s back in action.
It looked like things were starting to come together for Williams and then they came crashing back down in Week 6. He still led Broncos running backs with 68 percent of the snaps on Sunday, but he had just six carries and a fumble. Last week was his second week with fewer than five fantasy points. He has topped 12 points in only one game. The floor is low and we rarely have seen the ceiling. Plus, Denver is on the road on a short week and the Saints are a tough defense. Get away from Williams this week.
It was nice to see Warren return from injury in Week 6, but that does not mean you need to start him in fantasy. Warren played 34 percent of the snaps with six carries, seven routes and three targets. He finished with just 18 yards. Perhaps he’ll see a larger workload as he shakes off the rust, but he seems like a clear secondary option behind Najee Harris right now. The Jets have been tough on RBs, allowing the 10th-fewest FPPG to the position. Until we see Warren utilized more, you can’t trust him.
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