Start em or sit em? Fantasy football start or sit decisions can be excruciating. While it feels great to make the right call and cruise to fantasy glory, it hurts just as much when you have someone erupt while on your bench. You can use our Who Should I Start? tool to gauge advice from fantasy football experts as you make your lineup decisions. And you can also sync your fantasy football league for free using our My Playbook tool for custom advice, rankings and analysis.
Let’s take a look at a few polarizing players and what fantasy football expert Derek Brown advises. And you can find all of DBro’s fantasy football outlook in this week’s fantasy football primer.
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Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice
Josh Downs (WR – IND)
If you read the Primer last week and plugged in Josh Downs after reading my write-up, you enjoyed his WR15 for the week finish. While my pro-Downs prediction came true last week, his route share fell to 57.6%. He has crossed the 70% mark only once this season (Week 5). It’s incredibly frustrating, considering his talent, that the Colts are resistant to playing him in a full-time capacity. Overall, he has a 59.1% route share, an 18% target share, 36.2 receiving yards per game (1.85 yards per route run), and a 21.1% first-read share. This week, Downs faces a secondary that, in four of six games, has utilized single high with 51.1-59.4% of their defensive snaps. Against single high, Downs has seen his numbers slightly increase with an 18.8% target share, 2.15 yards per route run, and a 21.4% first-read share. Downs is flex-worthy this week, but I wouldn’t expect a repeat of Week 6. The Chargers have allowed the ninth-fewest PPR points per target and the 12th-fewest fantasy points per game (tied) to slot receivers. Downs is now in the concussion protocol. He didn’t practice on Wednesday. I’ll update his outlook on Friday, but he may miss this week’s game.
Kayshon Boutte (WR – NE)
Kayshon Boutte had a massive game in Week 6, but that was his first standout performance since his big game in Week 1. In Weeks 2-5, Boutte never had more than three receptions or 43 receiving yards in any game. Last week, Boutte was the WR4 in fantasy with a 19.2% target share, 93 receiving yards (two scores), and a 16.7% first-read share. This doesn’t project as another banner performance from Boutte. Since Week 3, Tennessee has had the second-highest two-high rate in the NFL (66.9%). Against two high, Boutte has a 7.3% target share, only 1.44 yards per route run, and an 11.8% first-read share. Sit Boutte this week. I know the matchup is good, but the coverage shell matchup screams stay away. Tennessee has allowed the eighth-most PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.
Tre Tucker (WR – LV)
Remove Tre Tucker’s monster Week 3 game, and he has a 15.3% target share with 42.2 receiving yards per game (1.35 yards per route run) and a 22% first-read share. In his five other games this season, he has three red zone targets and three top-36 weekly finishes (WR24, WR24, WR36). This isn’t the week to flex Tucker. Kansas City has allowed the 12th-fewest PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.
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