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
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
Since Week 4, Kenneth Walker has averaged a 43% snap rate with 39 of the 72 running back carries, and had a 26.9% route share (4.6% target share). He has averaged 14 touches and 77.7 total yards, with only six of the 19 running back red zone carries. It’s been tough to watch him lap Zach Charbonnet in every efficiency metric conceivable, and Seattle still utilizes Charbonnet so much and as their goal-line back. Walker has finished as the RB27, RB26, and RB43 in weekly scoring in those games, as he has scored zero touchdowns. Walker ranks second in explosive run rate and fifth in missed tackles forced per attempt. Walker should have another efficient day on the ground this week. If he can get into the end zone, he could post RB2 numbers in Week 7. Houston has allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game and the 12th-lowest explosive run rate, but they have also managed the third-lowest stuff rate with the fourth-highest missed tackle rate, the 11th-highest yards after contact per attempt, and given up the second-highest success rate to zone runs (Walker 57.7% zone).
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WAS)
Bill looks to have taken over as Washington’s primary ball carrier and leader of the backfield. Last week, Bill played 66.7% of the snaps with Chris Rodriguez active, handling 17 of the 19 running back carries with a team-leading 40% route share (3.8% target share). Last week, Bill handled the team’s only red zone carry. Over the last two games, he has averaged 17 touches and 109 total yards. Among 50 qualifying backs, Bill ranks third in explosive run rate and seventh in yards after contact per attempt. Bill should have a nice day this week against a Dallas run defense that has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game, the fifth-highest explosive run rate, and the 13th-most yards after contact per attempt.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight (RB – ARI)
Last week, we got word about an hour before kickoff that Knight was going to take over the Arizona backfield as the team’s starter for Week 6. Knight finishes as the RB15 in weekly scoring with 12 touches and 54 total yards (one score). He handled three of the five running back red zone carries while playing 48.6% of the snaps with a 25.5% route share (4.5% target share). He could be the team’s lead back again this week. His per-touch numbers haven’t been great, with only a 7% missed tackle rate and 1.60 yards after contact per attempt. He’ll need a touchdown to pay off again this week as a flex play. Green Bay’s run defense remains elite, giving up the fewest rushing yards per game, the second-lowest explosive run rate, and the sixth-lowest yards after contact per attempt.
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