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 dive into our start/sit lineup advice and outlook for a few of the top fantasy football waiver wire pickups of the week.
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Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice
Kimani Vidal (RB – LAC)
Never wrong, just early. That’s what Kimani Vidal truthers will tell you after being too early on him last year. To be fair, the truthers may have had a point, as Vidal exploded for 124 rushing yards on 18 attempts Sunday against the Dolphins. Going into the week, Hassan Haskins was projected to be the lead back in Omarion Hampton‘s absence. But Vidal took the role and didn’t look back. The second-year ball-carrier from Troy out-snapped Haskins 43-20, and untouched him 21-7. Hampton is supposed to return this season, but his IR stint will keep him out until at least Week 10. It’s important to recognize that Vidal’s big game came against a Miami defense that allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for more than 200 yards the week prior. However, if Vidal continues to get the vast majority of snaps and touches, he can be an RB3/Flex option for fantasy, at the very least.
Bam Knight (RB – ARI)
Surprise. Bam Knight is the lead back in Arizona. Despite Michael Carter playing 58% of snaps in Week 5 and finishing as the RB11 in half-PPR scoring for the week, the Cardinals apparently didn’t appreciate his 18 carries for 58 yards. Knight led the charge this week, playing 37 snaps to Carter’s 32, with Emari Demercado playing only three snaps. Knight carried the ball 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown on Sunday versus the Colts and added one catch for 20 yards. Knight has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. Although Knight’s weekly upside is limited to the productivity of the offense, quarterback Kyler Murray has a good chance to return next week. Knight is a solid Flex play as long as Trey Benson (knee) remains out of the Cardinals’ lineup.
Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF)
With Jauan Jennings obviously not 100% while he is still dealing with a few injuries, Kendrick Bourne has operated as the 49ers’ clear No. 1 WR over the last two games. This week, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall could return, which would knock Bourne down the target pecking order. But until Kittle and Pearsall step back on the field, Bourne is the guy in the 49ers’ passing offense. In Week 5, Bourne was amazing, with a 22.4% target share, 142 receiving yards (3.74 yards per route run) and a 25% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. Against the Buccaneers in Week 6, Bourne smashed again with a 23% target share, five receptions and 142 receiving yards. He’s a strong Flex play until the 49ers get back to full strength (or at least close to it).
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
