Every week fantasy football owners are confronted with difficult lineup questions. Who should you start, and who should you sit? That’s what many are left asking, often with little help. It’s good you landed here, as we can help each week using our Who Should I Start tool. Simply type in several players that you are deciding between per position or for your flex and we will let you know who the experts would start and who they would sit.
Here’s a look at the toughest start and sit decisions of the week along with our expert’s advice.
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Start Gardner Minshew (QB – JAC) or Jameis Winston (QB – TB)?
81% of Experts Would Start Minshew
Minshew
It was good to see Minshew get back on track last week, as he’d had two lousy games in a row. His 23.96-point performance against the Jets was easily the biggest game they’d allowed all year. Now bringing his headband and mustache to London, what could possibly go wrong? The Texans defense allowed him 18.12 fantasy points the last time they played, and as crazy as it sounds, that was the second-lowest total they’ve allowed this year. We’ve watched 6-of-8 quarterbacks post at least 20 fantasy points against them, including Derek Carr last week who threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns on just 30 pass attempts. The best part about all of this for Minshew? These are the numbers they’ve allowed with J.J. Watt. He suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8 and that’s certainly not going to help a front-seven that lost Jadeveon Clowney this offseason. Even with Watt, they were generating just a 5.78 percent sack-rate, which ranks as the 11th-worst in football. The Texans were without their three starting cornerbacks in Week 8, which certainly didn’t help against the Raiders, but you have to wonder if they rush them back knowing their bye week is right after this game. We’ll pay attention to that as the week goes on (I’ll update here), but regardless, Minshew has the looks of a solid streaming low-end QB1 in this matchup whose ceiling would go up if Watson can throw some points on the board.
Winston
After a slow start to the season, Winston has now finished as a top-16 quarterback in each of his last give games, which have included three top-10 finishes. Some will worry about the two interceptions last week, but Bruce Arians came to bat for him after the game saying neither of them were his fault. Now heading into a matchup with the Seahawks in a game that has the highest total on the entire slate, Winston has the looks of a good streaming option. They’re no longer a defense you need to be concerned with, as they’ve allowed 6-of-8 quarterbacks finish as the QB14 or better. The only two quarterbacks who failed to hit that mark were Mason Rudolph and Teddy Bridgewater, two backup quarterbacks, though both of them were able to throw multiple touchdowns. The Seahawks have allowed a solid 7.52 yards per attempt this year, which isn’t a massive number, but looking at the quarterbacks they’ve played, it’s a pretty high number. They’ve played (in order) Andy Dalton, Mason Rudolph, Teddy Bridgewater, Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and Matt Schaub. There are just two of them who rank inside the top-16 quarterbacks on a points per game basis. Both Dalton and Schaub were able to throw for more than 415 yards, while Goff tallied 395 yards. Knowing the Bucs are struggling to run the ball and that Seahawks opponents average 37.8 pass attempts per game, Winston has the look of a mid-to-low-end QB1 who’s offered a solid floor the last five weeks.
Start Royce Freeman (RB – DEN) or Jordan Howard (RB – PHI)?
53% of Experts Would Start Freeman
Freeman
Freeman has only averaged 56 scrimmage yards per game over the last two games, but he has scored in each. He’s a low-upside RB2 but should provide some consistency if you’re hurting on a rough bye week.
Howard
We don’t know the availability of Sanders after he hurt his shoulder in last week’s win over the Bills, so stay tuned for updates. The snap counts for Howard over the last five weeks have been as solid as it gets for an Eagles running back (33-29-40-23-53), and you now have the revenge narrative against his former team. The Bears run defense without defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has been… well, not good. Over those last three games, they’ve allowed 311 rushing yards on 74 carries (4.20 yards per carry) with six rushing touchdowns. Keep in mind they’d allowed just five rushing touchdowns over their previous 20 games. Knowing the Bears offense is struggling to put points on the board, the Eagles should be able to run the ball a lot in this contest. Combining the Bears struggles to stop the run, with Sanders’ injury, with Howard coming off a season-high 23 carries, and the fact that he’s received nine of the 12 available carries inside the five-yard-line, he has the looks of someone who can be played as a high-end RB3.
Start Adrian Peterson (RB – WAS) or Frank Gore (RB – BUF)?
76% of Experts Would Start Peterson
Peterson
We see flashes of the old Peterson at times but in the end, he’s just a volume running back playing on a bad team. The Bills are a great defense, but if there’s one weakness, it’s against the run. There have been eight different running backs who’ve totaled at least 60 yards on the ground against them, which amounts to more than one per game. I’ve mentioned this stat before, but for good reason: Under Sean McDermott, the Bills have now allowed 42 rushing touchdowns in 39 games. If there’s a goal-line opportunity for the Redskins, who are projected for just 13.5 points, Peterson is going to get it. The other good news is that under interim head coach Bill Callahan, Peterson has averaged 20.3 opportunities and has finished as a top-28 PPR running back in all three games. We watched power-back Jordan Howard rush for 96 yards and a touchdown against them last week, though he plays in a much better offense behind a much better offensive line. Peterson should be in the middling RB3 conversation, though he’s not someone who comes with a high ceiling.
Gore
Gore seems to be ceding work to Devin Singletary since the rookie’s return from injury. He’s a low upside option unless Singletary gets injured or something drastically changes in the Bills offense.
Start John Brown (WR – BUF) or Tyrell Williams (WR – OAK)?
86% of Experts Would Start Brown
Brown
I was prepared to wipe away the Eagles game with Brown after we found out there were 40 MPH winds but seeing him finish inside the top-36 was a pleasant surprise. We haven’t had a shortage of fantasy relevant receivers against the Redskins, as they’ve allowed 13 of them to finish as top-40 options against them. The issue is that just three of them have come over the last three games since they’ve been under Bill Callahan. That’s due to a lack of pass attempts, as they’ve faced just 47 pass attempts over the last two weeks. The Redskins aren’t going to be use anyone to shadow Brown, as they’ve simply played sides with Josh Norman struggling. Brown lines up on Quinton Dunbar’s coverage about 50 percent of the time, who’s been their best cornerback in coverage this year. He’s allowed just a 57.6 percent catch-rate in his coverage while allowing just 10.7 yards per reception. Needless to say, he’s kept the play in front of him. The lack of targets to go around against the Redskins is the biggest problem, though. Given the solid floor Brown has had while totaling at least four receptions and five targets in every game, you have to plug him into lineups as a WR3, even if the matchup isn’t ideal. The craziest part is that Brown hasn’t hooked up with Allen for more than a 38-yard reception yet.
Williams
He returned to the lineup in Week 8 and to no one’s surprise, he scored a touchdown. He’s scored a touchdown in every game he’s played, which stands at five games. The Texans were incredibly shorthanded last week, allowing Williams to tally 91 yards and a touchdown, but he finished with just three catches for his third game in a row. There’s a big wildcard for Williams in this game, and his name is Darius Slay. He was forced to leave the game in Week 7 and then miss Week 8 altogether, which happen to be the two games the Lions allowed four passing touchdowns apiece. If Slay is out, it pushes Mike Ford into the starting lineup and forces Rashaan Melvin to deal with opposing No. 1 receivers in coverage. Melvin has allowed three touchdowns on 10 targets with Slay out of the lineup, but has allowed no touchdowns on 32 targets with Slay in the lineup. If Slay is ruled out, Williams can be played as a WR3 in a plus-matchup. If Slay is able to make it back from his hamstring injury, Williams would be nudged down into WR4 territory and no longer someone you need to play.
Start Michael Gallup (WR – DAL) or D.K. Metcalf (WR – SEA)?
74% of Experts Would Start Gallup
Gallup
It was unfortunate for Gallup to have his worst game of the year against the Eagles prior to their bye, as it left a bad taste in owners’ mouths. Combine that with a weak performance against the Jets where Cooper was out much of the game, and you have owners willing to bench him. Should you be one of them? Well, not against the Giants who’ve now allowed 12 different wide receivers who’ve finished top-40 against them, especially when Gallup will see rookie DeAndre Baker quite a bit in coverage, a cornerback who’s allowed 71.8 percent of passes be completed in his coverage with 13.1 yards per target and a touchdown every 7.8 targets. Gallup may not be the WR2 that fantasy owners thought they had, but he should be in lineups as a solid WR3 with top-12 upside in this matchup.
Metcalf
We knew he was due for some touchdown regression to the mean, though the two touchdowns he scored last week were based on mistakes by the Falcons, as their defense simply forgot to cover him on one play and weren’t ready on the other play. He’s seen at least five targets in 6-of-8 games this year, and now going into a game with the Bucs where the attempts should be up, Metcalf has some serious appeal. They’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, which has included 13 wide receivers who’ve posted 10.8 or more PPR points against them through just seven games. Vernon Hargreaves is the cornerback he’ll see in coverage over 60 percent of the time, a former first-round pick from 2016 who’s been a bust. Over the course of his four-year career, he’s allowed a massive 69.7 percent catch rate and 13.6 yards per reception. He’s also allowed two touchdowns in his coverage over the last give games. The process approach says that Metcalf has top-15 upside this week and should be in lineups as a WR3.
Start Eric Ebron (TE – IND) or Darren Fells (TE – HOU)?
80% of Experts Would Start Ebron
Ebron
Ebron has produced when called upon. The Steelers have allowed top-12 tight end performances in 4-of-7 games this year, including the TE1 performance to Hunter Henry when he posted 8/100/2 against them in Week 6. They’ve had a brutal schedule to this point, which has to be taken into consideration, as the four tight ends who’ve performed well against them were Henry, Will Dissly, George Kittle, and Mark Andrews, all stud tight ends. Despite that tough competition, they’ve allowed a below-average 7.04 yards per target. The reason they’ve allowed so many fantasy points is due to the four touchdowns they’ve allowed to the position. We know that’s Ebron’s territory, so he’s the one I’d say should be the high-end TE2 here, though it’s probably going to be Doyle because that’s just how the tight end position works.
Fells
While this continues to be a timeshare between Fells and Jordan Akins, it’s Fells who’s been having success on a semi-regular basis. He’s now tallied at least 69 yards or two touchdowns in three of his last four games, and currently sits as the TE8 in PPR formats. What a year it’s been, eh? The Jaguars are coming off a game in which they allowed Ryan Griffin to score two touchdowns while racking up four catches for 66 yards. The odd part is that they haven’t been a great matchup for tight ends this year, as the Fells/Akins combo combined for just three catches for 34 yards in their Week 2 meeting against them. Despite allowing that performance to Griffin, they’ve allowed just the 17th-most points to the position. Fells still has yet to see more than three targets in back-to-back games, which makes him far from a sure thing, though this is the reality of streaming the tight end position in 2019. He’s a middling TE2 but not one who’s in a smash spot or anything.
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