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.
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice
Michael Penix Jr. (QB – ATL): 23% Rostered
- Next Opponents: MIA, @NE, @IND
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: If the last two Falcons’ primetime games have taught us anything, it’s that this team is legit. The Falcons’ defense has been playing at an elite level, allowing a league-low 155.3 passing yards per game. On the other side of the ball, we have one of the league’s best receivers and running backs, plus a strong offensive line. Considering that Michael Penix Jr. has only started nine NFL games, his poise in big moments has been impressive. Last week, we saw that he isn’t afraid to use his legs in the right moments, and he can stabilize the team’s run-first approach. Penix does not possess a high ceiling for fantasy, but his floor is sturdy in large part because of the weapons around him.
Mason Taylor (TE – NYJ): 39% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @CIN, BYE, CLE
- True Value: $3
- Desperate Need: $5
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Well, the Jets squandered another plus matchup for Mason Taylor in Week 7. Taylor finished with only a 14.7% target share, three receptions and 31 receiving yards, as quarterback Justin Fields played poorly enough to be benched. If Tyrod Taylor is the starting quarterback moving forward, the Mason Taylor train might get back on track. In Weeks 4-5, Taylor was the TE11 and TE8, respectively, in weekly scoring. In Weeks 4-6, Taylor had a 22.2% target share, 44.7 receiving yards per game (1.41 yards per route run) and a 22.4% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. Taylor could return to the TE1 realm this week against a Cincy defense that has surrendered the third-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC): 3% Rostered
- Next Opponents: MIN, @TEN, PIT
- True Value: $3
- Desperate Need: $5
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: In Week 6, Oronde Gadsden II became the Chargers’ full-time tight end with a 69.2% route share, a 21.1% target share, 68 receiving yards (2.52 yards per route run) and a 31.6% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. He even saw an end-zone target. He was the TE12 for the week. Gadsden made that look like a weak-sauce box score in Week 7. He destroyed the Colts in comeback mode with a 77% route share, a 16.3% target share, 164 receiving yards and a score. I’m not expecting these types of numbers weekly from him, but Gadsden could easily be a TE1 again this week. Minnesota has allowed the 10th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to tight ends.
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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.
