Fantasy Football Start’em or Sit’em: Week 1

15 NFL games are being played over the next two days and the majority of fantasy football lineups are still being formulated. Managers have tough decisions to make about which players to put in starting lineups, take them out, and place them back in. The decisions on which players to start and which players to bench never get easier. Here are a couple of decision guides for Week 1.

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Start: Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are going to have to find an option at running back to replace the suspended Alvin Kamara for at least three games. They also drafted TCU rookie Kendre Miller in the draft, who is most likely the team’s long-term option. However, most analysts and fantasy managers alike wrote off Jamaal Williams last season. Despite that, Williams ran for 1,066 yards and a massive 17 touchdowns behind David Montgomery and the Lions offensive line. With Miller dealing with injury concerns, Williams should be a lock for the majority of the groundwork in the bayou.

Sit: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

With four wide receivers on the board in the NFL Draft this offseason, the Seattle Seahawks went to the clock and selected Ohio State product Jaxon Smith-Njigba over Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers, and Quinten Johnston. Many think JSN will be the best of the four this season and that could possibly be. However, Smith-Njigba underwent surgery on a broken wrist earlier in the preseason putting his week one debut in jeopardy. Now being in line to play, it will be enticing for fantasy owners to start JSN; however, despite being healthy, let’s not easily forget that he will still be competing with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf to usable targets. I would sit JSN in week one and see where it goes from here.

Start: Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

Tyler Higbee is going to be the top option on a depleted Los Angeles Rams team heading into this first week of the season. Last year, Higbee finished as a top 10 tight end, and he will get the majority of the targets tomorrow with the absence of Cooper Kupp due to injury. In the games last year that Higbee saw more than eight targets, he finished as the fantasy tight end nine at the lowest and as high as the top tight end in the week. He is also going against a Seattle linebacker corp that will not be able to keep up with him in the middle of the field.

Sit: Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers was one of the most drafted late-round quarterbacks in fantasy football this year. Many project him to finish as one of the best in the league again this year as the Jets make a projected run in the NFC playoffs. However, starting his season against the defense that allowed the least amount of points to opposing quarterbacks last year. Rodgers’ decline will also play a factor as will the new team, head coach, scheme, and receiving corps. I’m not saying Rodgers will be a terrible play this season, but a matchup versus the Bills is one where he needs to find himself on the bench.

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