There were plenty of surprises last week from Austin Ekeler and Randall Cobb posting big games to Amari Cooper and Kareem Hunt doing essentially nothing. If you were able to make the right start or sit decision on your one tough call, it may have been enough to get you above your opponent for the win. The same will be true this week so I’ve got all your start/sit questions answered for you through my rankings. You can tab through flex or even Superflex as well as half-PPR, PPR or standard leagues to help make the tough choices. None of these rankings are done for hyperbole, but are the actual order I would play them in if it were my own lineup. I’ll continue to update these multiple times every day as news comes in so feel free to relate back to this at any time until kickoff. Before we get to the rankings, I’ll explain four of the most controversial ones. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to let me know on Twitter. The shorter you keep it, the more I can get to. Good luck!
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Russell Wilson (QB #4 vs ECR #11)
Have we forgotten just how good this guy is? I get it, the offensive line is (still) terrible, Jimmy Graham moved onto Green Bay and Doug Baldwin is out, but this is a quarterback who has been top three at the position over three of the past four seasons. The only year he wasn’t was due to an injury that limited his mobility. The matter of the fact is that Wilson is as reliable as they come at the position and we ought to continue expecting that. He just posted 298 and 3 touchdowns at Denver so you should have minimal concerns versus the Bears.
Duke Johnson (RB #33 vs ECR #40)
Last season, Duke was among the most reliable half-PPR running backs in football. He finished with more RB2 weeks than both LeSean McCoy and Christian McCaffrey! Why everyone gave up on him after one rough week in a tropical depression is beyond me. I expect the same ole’ results week in and week out, especially this week versus a Saints defense that just gave up 48 points to a backup quarterback. The expect game script has Duke written all over it too.
Ryan Grant (WR #41 bs ECR #64)
It was only one game, but Andrew Luck was not throwing deep, or even intermediate ranged passes often. Rather, it was all check downs and crossing routes which is why Grant saw a team-leading 9 targets and 8 receptions. He may only be a mediocre receiver, but when you’ve got a QB like Luck, players like Grant can excel. I expect him to be a big part of the offense once again in what looks to be another high-scoring contest.
Benjamin Watson (TE #8 vs ECR #14)
Yes, I know Watson is as old as time itself, but he did manage to post top-12 tight end performances in both of his matchups versus the Cleveland Browns last season and that was with Joe Flacco. Now that he is with Drew Brees, who loves tight ends, I have no doubt Watson will post another big game against this defense that surrendered a remarkable 11 top-12 tight end performances last season. You can safely stream Watson in place of an injured Greg Olsen or Delanie Walker, and yes, he is the best streaming option at the position this week even over Jared Cook.
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