I’m going to go out on a limb and say that former Ohio State wide receivers read last week’s start/sit article.
Foolishly, I advocated for players like Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave to ride the fantasy pine for the week if possible. All props to Fields for quickly going through his progressions in week one and decisively leading an NFL offense!
Still, one week does not make a fantasy season.
Fields wasn’t the only pleasant surprise at the quarterback position from week one. Aaron Rodgers stepped through the Steel Curtain Tardis looking like a much younger man with the 4 TD statline to match.
Let’s not forget to give Daniel Jones his flowers! Danny Dimes looked fantastic as the Colts flattened the hapless Dolphins.
Now, can we trust quarterbacks like Fields, Jones, and Rodgers moving forward? Time will tell!
As for the other 15 games, who can you start? Who can you sit? Roto Street has the answers!
Quarterback Starts
Jordan Love vs. Washington Commanders
Love was crisp and efficient in week 1 and is now prepared to dance with the Commanders’ defense that shut down Russell Wilson last week. But is that really something to write home about? Mr. Limited failed to lead a single touchdown drive and, if it hadn’t been for Malik Nabers being that dude, the Giants might have gotten goose egged.
I expect sparks to fly and offenses to shake off some more of that offseason rust.
The Commanders’ secondary allowed the most 300+ yard passers in the NFL last season, and I expect Love to cross this threshold, perhaps getting Matthew Golden rolling in the process?
Drake Maye vs. Miami Dolphins
Maye is in line for a major get-right game after Danny Dimes carved up the Dolphins.
Last week wasn’t an ideal start, even if the rapport that developed last season with Kayshon Boutte appeared to carry over. Still, in a win, the Patriots aired it out 46 times, which bodes well for Maye’s usage week-to-week.
Expect Maye to put up big numbers on offense, maybe with a multi-TD outing as well? He should have all day to work in the pocket as the Dolphins generated pressure at a bottom-five rate in week one.
Other QB starts: Kyler Murray vs. CAR, Dak Prescott vs. NYG
Quarterback Sits
Bo Nix vs. Indianapolis Colts
Nix appeared to be dealing with a bit of a sophomore slump after turning into a league-winner in 2024.
A three-turnover outing almost became four if the defense hadn’t dropped what would have been Nix’s third pick of the day.
Last season, the Colts ranked in the top 10 in limited QB fantasy scoring, and that might have carried over into 2025. Then again, maybe the Dolphins offense is just that bad?
Still, Nix projects to be in the middle of the pack this week unless the offense jives early. Other QBs would be well worth streaming over Nix.
Jared Goff vs. Chicago Bears
Not to take away from the Packers outstanding performance in week one, but the Lions offense looked like it had just gotten off the tilt-a-whirl and wandered through a mirror maze while wearing beer goggles.
There was no flow, just dysfunction.
The offensive line looked to be in complete disarray, and the Bears generated a lot of pressure against the Vikings on Monday.
Even though the game is in Detroit, the risk of sitting Goff at home is minimal. Until the Lions offense purrs like the pridful king of the offensive jungle it was last season, Goff is not a must-start.
Other QB sits: CJ Stroud vs. TB, Aaron Rodgers vs. SEA
Running Back Starts
Travis Etienne vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Jaguars saw enough with what they had in Tank Bigsby to feel comfortable trading him to Philadelphia for a pair of late-round picks. Etienne reminded everyone how dynamic he can be on the field.
Liam Coen’s system is tailor-made for Etienne to thrive. After taking 62% of the team snaps, he turned that into over 40% of the team’s total offense. A 71-yard tote up the sideline solidified his role as the leadback in Coen’s fantasy factory.
The Bengals yielded over 25 fantasy points to a Browns backfield that didn’t have Quinshon Judkins. Not to mention Dylan Sampson gashed them in the receiving game.
This makes Etienne a must-start in week 2.
Breece Hall vs. Buffalo Bills
Last season, the Bills were a fantasy breeding ground for opposing running backs, especially through the air.
Hall and Fields are licking their proverbial chops at this matchup, and after seeing what Derrick Henry just did to them, who can blame the Jets tandem?
Oh, and did I mention that Hall obliterated the Bills in his career? In a 2024 matchup, Hall went for 169 yards and has averaged over 15 fantasy points per game against the Bills.
Start Hall and thank me later.
Other RB starts: Tony Pollard vs. LAR, Zach Charbonnet vs. PIT
Running Back Sits
Nick Chubb vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chubb looked surprisingly decent in week one. That burst that made him such a deadly running back is long gone. But he still showed good vision and ran decisively and efficiently.
However, he’s going up against the defensive front that just stopped Bijan Robinson in his tracks on the ground. With Chubb unlikely to catch a high number of passes, he’s not likely to replicate Bijan’s receiving excellence.
With Houston’s single-ply offensive line leaking defenders through, it’s hard to envision a good day for Chubb that doesn’t involve falling forward into the end zone.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Green Bay Packers
This game projects to be more of an aerial attack, with much of the ground game coming as Micah Parsons forces Jayden Daniels out of the pocket a lot.
Bill could benefit from dumpoffs as Daniels looks to avoid taking sacks, but Austin Ekeler projects to be the primary beneficiary for RB passing work.
The Packers defense swarmed all over the field last week and looked scary fast. Not something I’d want to bet the house on, but Bill’s explosive playmaking could still make him a viable flex play with the possibility of a touchdown.
Other RB sits: RJ Harvey vs. IND, Isiah Pacheco vs. PHI
Wide Receiver Starts
DeVonta Smith vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In what could be a high-scoring affair, Smith could be in line for a healthy dose of targets. Especially after watching the Chiefs defense swallow the Chargers ground game whole.
While it’s hard to contain Barkley forever, the matchups suggest that Jalen Hurts will do more damage with his arm.
PFF noted that Philadelphia loves throwing to wide receivers when facing man coverage, and the Chiefs ran a heavy dose of man coverage in week one.
Justin Herbert just passed the ball all over the yard, and the Chiefs hapless pass rush has no chance of getting the better of the Eagles stout offensive line.
With Goedert questionable for week two with a knee injury, Smith is in line for a big boost in production.
George Pickens vs. New York Giants
The Pickens hype train kind of sputtered out of the gates. Despite Dak’s strong week one showing, the two struggled to connect on multiple deep shots.
While Lamb dominated the targets, commanding 40.6% of the aerial attack, Pickens was targeted over 33% of the team’s end zone targets and 30% of the third down targets. He was also the first read on 15% of dropbacks.
Dallas may jump out on the Giants early and force Wilson on the pine in favor of Jaxson Dart, which would likely limit Pickens’ target share.
But the Giants defensive play-calling still makes Pickens a good WR3 flex play, lining up in man at an above-average clip. In 2024, Pickens averaged more than 2.9 Y/RR against man coverage and likely would be one of the favorites for end zone targets again.
Other WR starts: Travis Hunter vs. CIN, Calvin Ridley vs. LAR
Wide Receiver Sits
Jaylen Waddle vs. New England Patriots
Last week, Tua managed only 114 yards and one score with a pair of picks. It got ugly. Fast. That was only one of the troubling trends emerging in Miami.
Looking at Waddle’s game logs, it was found that he has eclipsed 50 receiving yards in only 4 of his last 15 games.
Despite being a talented wide receiver and a weapon in the open field, the Waddle-Tua connection appears to be severed.
Waddle has finished as a WR2 or better in just 30% of his games since 2023. That’s not cutting it. Waddle is a big name only at this point until he and Tua get their chemistry back or something changes.
Jerry Jeudy vs. Baltimore Ravens
Jeudy could be game-scripted into a strong fantasy outing. This one projects to get ugly fast for the Browns.
And maybe Jeudy has a bit of a point when he said there were “no challenges” when talking about the upcoming game against Baltimore. He crushed the Ravens secondary last season.
Maybe the surprising Bengals pass rush forced Joe Flacco to focus on the short game. Still, Jeudy didn’t exactly command the target share fantasy players had hoped for in week one.
He and Cedric Tillman both saw a 17.8% target share, while Harold Fannin paced the Browns with 20%.
If the Ravens jump on the Browns early, Jeudy might be able to replicate last season’s numbers against the Ravens. It’s just not something I’d bet on for anything other than a flex play.
Other WR sits: Cooper Kupp vs. PIT, Michael Pittman vs. DEN
