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
Start’em
Troy Franklin is in the midst of a breakout season. Franklin is the WR32 in fantasy points per game with top-26 weekly finishes in three of his last four games. Franklin has been giving Courtland Sutton a run for his money, leading the team with a 20.3% target share while averaging 42.5 receiving yards per game with 1.50 yards per route run and a 23.2% first-read share (tied for the team lead). Franklin leads the team in red zone targets (14) and deep targets (16). Franklin is tied for fifth in the NFL in red zone targets. This week, he faces a Kansas City pass defense that, since Week 5, has had the ninth-highest single-high rate (56%). Against single high, Franklin is second on the team with a 22.1% target share with 1.80 yards per route run and a 24.1% first-read share (second on the team). Franklin should have another strong week. Since Week 6, Kansas City has allowed the fifth-most PPR points per target and the fourth-highest passer rating when targeted to perimeter wide receivers.
Since assuming a starting spot in Week 6, Tez Johnson has been the WR21 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he has had a 15% target share with 47 receiving yards per game, 1.55 yards per route run, and a 14.8% first-read share. None of those metrics are eye popping. What has carried Johnson’s fantasy value has been touchdowns, with four in his last four games. Johnson has been getting plenty of high-leverage usage to suggest he can continue to ride the lightning with four red zone targets and three deep targets in his last four games. Buffalo has the ninth-highest two-high rate in the NFL (54.7%). Since Week 6, against two high, Johnson has had a 20% target per route run rate and 1.98 yards per route run. Johnson is a solid flex play again this week against a Buffalo secondary that, since Week 6, has ranked 15th in PPR points per target allowed to perimeter wide receivers.
Christian Watson is a high upside flex play this week. Since his return in Week 8, he has operated as the team’s field stretcher with 50% of his 12 targets coming downfield and Watson logging a 25.8 aDOT. Since Week 8, he has had a 10.9% target share with a 38.2% air-yard share, 2.29 yards per route run, and a 13.8% first-read share. Since Week 8, the Giants have had the second-highest single high rate (69.8%). Since his return, Watson has had a 16% target per route run rate and ranked second on the team in yards per route run (2.58) against single high. Watson’s downfield role will come in handy this week against a secondary that has allowed the fifth-most deep passing yards per game and the 11th-highest passer rating to downfield targets. Watson should have a strong game against a secondary that, since Week 6, has allowed the seventh-most PPR points per target and receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers.
Calvin Austin hasn’t been a strong fantasy producer all season, but he does have three top-36 finishes in weekly scoring this season among wide receivers (WR16, WR31, WR35). Austin has a 16.5% target share with 33.9 receiving yards per game, 1.37 yards per route run, and a 21.5% first-read share. Austin has three red zone targets and seven deep targets this season. Austin missed the last meeting with the Bengals with a shoulder issue. With DJ Turner following D.K. Metcalf, Austin should see Cam Taylor-Britt (66.7% catch rate and 133.9 passer rating allowed) and Dax Hill (77.8% catch rate and 113.3 passer rating allowed) all day, which should lead to a fruitful stat line. Austin is a strong flex play this week.
Jayden Higgins is the only other Houston wide receiver (outside of Nico Collins) who has any type of fringe flex viability. Last week, Xavier Hutchinson had a 51% route share and didn’t draw a single target. Christian Kirk and Jaylin Noel logged 44.9% and 32.7% route shares. In Week 10, Higgins had a 49% route share, which isn’t great and was fourth on the team, but he had a 15.6% target share, a 22% air-yard share, finishing with a 29% target per route run rate, 42 receiving yards, 1.75 yards per route run, and a 16.7% first-read share. Higgins also had two red zone targets and a deep target. I hate Houston’s deployment of their wide receivers so much this season. It makes me furious. Higgins is a risky flex play that could pay off this week. Since Week 6, the Titans have allowed the fifth-most receiving yards per game and the second-most PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.
Last week, Tyler Lockett ranked third on the team with a 65.7% route share but he led the way with a 22.2% target share while having 44 receiving yards, 1.91 yards per route run, and a 21.1% first-read share. He immediately stepped up as the number two option in the passing attack behind Brock Bowers which is quite telling about Tre Tucker if Lockett could hop him in the target pecking order so quickly. Lockett is a surprisingly strong flex play this week against a Dallas secondary that since Week 6 has allowed the second-most PPR points per target and the second-highest passer rating when targeted to slot receivers.
Since Week 7, Parker Washington has been the WR18 in fantasy points per game with a 21.9% target share, a 34.2% air-yard share, 58.3 receiving yards per game, 1.68 yards per route run, and a 25% first-read share. In those three games, Washington has had four red zone targets and five deep targets. Last week, he ran 55.2% of his routes from the slot. I expect him to continue to be the team’s slot receiver until Travis Hunter returns. Washington remains a strong volume-based flex option. Since Week 6, the Chargers have faced the eighth-fewest slot targets, but they have allowed the 14th-most PPR points per target to the position.
Sit’em
The last time these two teams met, D.J. Turner (2025: 47.4% catch rate and 78.4 passer rating allowed) shadowed D.K. Metcalf on 78.1% of his routes, holding him to four targets, two receptions, and 45 scoreless receiving yards in his coverage. I expect Turner to be in Metcalf’s back pocket again this week. Metcalf is the WR29 in fantasy points per game with a 19.9% target share, a 38.6% air-yard share, 1.95 yards per route run, 55.8 receiving yards per game, and a 25.5% first-read share. He has nine red zone targets and ten deep targets this season. Metcalf was the WR42 in weekly scoring his last time out against Cincy. I wouldn’t expect a big game from him this week.
Quentin Johnston‘s usage has bounced back over the last two games despite not having monster fantasy days. Since Week 9, he has had a 21% target share, a 22.9% air-yard share, 47.5 receiving yards per game, 1.42 yards per route run, and a 27.3% first-read share. This week isn’t the matchup to continue to ride with Johnston, though, if the Jaguars deploy two high. Jacksonville has utilized two high with 50-70.8% of their defensive snaps in six of their nine games. They do have three single high heavy games as well, so if they go single high heavy, then Johnston would lead the team in the passing game. It’s a risk to fade Johnston this week, but if Jacksonville does lean on two high, he won’t be heavily involved. Against two high, Johnston has a 15% target per route run rate (fifth on the team) and only 1.14 yards per route run (fifth on the team). Since Week 6, Jacksonville has allowed the fourth-most PPR points per target and the ninth-most receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers. Jacksonville’s outside corners have struggled, which could also help Johnston. He’s a volatile player this week who could be feast or famine.
Keenan Allen has seen his usage dip since Week 8 with a 54.9% route share, a 16.1% target share, 34.7 receiving yards per game, 1.68 yards per route run, and a 15.8% first-read share. In those three games, he has had one red zone target and two deep targets. Since Week 8, he has been the WR74 in fantasy points per game. It has been a tough run out for Keenan Allen during crunch time in the fantasy season. Jacksonville has utilized two high with 50-70.8% of their defensive snaps in six of their nine games. Allen has led the team with a 24% target per route run rate against two high while ranking second in yards per route run (1.88). This is a good bounce-back spot for him if the Chargers increase his playing time this week, but there’s an equal possibility that they keep him in this new part-time role and it caps his ceiling in Week 11. Since Week 6, Jacksonville has allowed the fourth-most PPR points per target and the ninth-most receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers.
Last week, Jerry Jeudy hit a lot of first-time milestones for the 2025 season. His first top 24 weekly finish of the season (WR11). He scored his first touchdown of the season. Jeudy also managed more than 70 receiving yards for the first time. Do I think this is the beginning of Jeudy’s reemergence? Naw, I wish I could say yes, but I can’t. With Dillon Gabriel under center, Jeudy has had a 20% target share, 30.6 receiving yards per game, 0.90 yards per route run, and a 27% first-read share. In those five games, Jeudy has six red zone targets and three deep targets. If you want/need to flex Jeudy this week, I get it, but let that be related to the plus matchup and not that you’re chasing last week’s fantasy points. Since Week 6, Baltimore has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game and the sixth-most receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers.
Since Rashee Rice‘s return, Xavier Worthy hasn’t finished higher than WR38 in weekly scoring (WR47, WR38, WR57). Since Week 7, Worthy has had a 17.5% target share with 37 receiving yards per game, 1.21 yards per route run, and a 24.3% first-read share. In those three games, Worthy has had two red zone targets and three deep targets. Worthy is a sit this week. Since Week 8, Denver has had the fourth-highest two-high rate (63.7%). Against two high, Worthy has disappeared this season with a 16% target per route run rate and 0.67 yards per route run. Since Week 6, Denver has allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.
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