You have lineup questions, we have lineup answers -- at least we hope so. Start 'Em, Sit 'Em is here to help fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. And you know what is a good move? Starting Ja'Marr Chase. But that's too obvious, so you won't see such simple analysis here. Instead, we're exploring more debatable situations. And if you can't find a player you are looking for, please check out the latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats come from NFL Pro, Next Gen Stats or NFL Research.
Start 'Em
The Falcons scored 25 fantasy points and finished as the top-scoring defense against the Giants last week. They had three sacks and three takeaways. Defenses have scored double digits against the Giants in three of their last five games. In two of the three games that Drew Lock has started, the opposing defense scored at least 17 fantasy points. It’s worth chasing the week-altering type of performances we have seen the Giants give up.
The Bengals went off for 18 fantasy points last week against Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Browns. Cincinnati racked up five sacks, three takeaways and only allowed six real-life points. DTR’s 7 percent interception rate is higher than Jameis Winston's (4%). So not only has he thrown picks at a higher rate, but he takes a lot of sacks and is less of a threat to score points. Yeah, it’s worth taking a shot at a big fantasy day with the Dolphins defense in championship week.
Spencer Rattler has played the majority of snaps in four games this year. In those four games, the opposing defense has scored 17, 20, 12 and 17 fantasy points. Said defense has finished top three in every one of those weeks. If you watched the Saints play on Monday Night Football, you know to stream against them. The Raiders have not been that effective for fantasy, but they have three or more sacks in three of their last four games. The upside makes them worth taking a shot on this week.
The Titans have allowed the second-most fantasy PPG to opposing defenses this season and the third-most in the last month. They made a QB change to Mason Rudolph ahead of last week's game, and he proceeded to throw three picks against the Colts. We have seen a number of real big fantasy days allowed by the Titans. That upside has the Jaguars defense in play as a streaming option this week.
Sit 'Em
The Broncos are the top-scoring fantasy defense on the season. But as we saw last week, that does not always translate in every matchup. I fear that could be the case again against the red-hot Bengals offense. Cincy has four or more offensive touchdowns in four of its last seven games and at least three in all of them. The floor is low, and there’s not much upside for a defense against Joe Burrow and Co. The Broncos' past successes don't count for fantasy points, unfortunately.
The 49ers defense is not the reliably dominant unit we've known them to be. They have scored double-digit fantasy points just twice this season. They scored -1 points last week in Miami. This week, they have a date with the buzzsaw that is the Detroit Lions. Jared Goff has shown this season he can have success outdoors. Last week in the stinging Chicago cold, he threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions routinely score more than 30, even 40 points. There is no way you should start a defense against them in championship week.
The Jets defense has a lot of talent, but it has not led to a lot of fantasy success. They have scored six fantasy points or fewer in five of their last six games. This week, they face the Bills, who they managed just two fantasy points against in Week 6. Oh, and you may have heard that Josh Allen is the MVP favorite and the Bills offense has been scoring a ton of points on a weekly basis. Stay away from the Jets.
The Vikings offense just keeps humming along. They have allowed just 3.3 fantasy PPG to opposing defenses in the last month, the eighth-fewest in that span. Sam Darnold has thrown multiple TD passes in five of his last six games. He threw for three touchdowns against the Packers in Week 4. Green Bay finished with seven fantasy points in that game. The Packers have been effective for fantasy purposes as of late, but this matchup has the potential to be a back-and-forth score-fest. I would stream elsewhere this week.
