Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Cousins has been one of the more underrated quarterbacks in fantasy land since Week 5, as he's scored 19-plus fantasy points in all but two games in that time. He's a virtual must-start this week, facing a Lions defense that's made Mitchell Trubisky look like a world beater. Also, Cousins beat Detroit for a solid 29.2 fantasy points in Week 7.
Wentz looked like a former MVP candidate last weekend in Miami, posting three touchdown passes and 24.4 fantasy points. He's a worthwhile option for owners this week too, as he'll face a Giants defense that's surrendered an average of 329 passing yards and the third-most fantasy points to opposing home signal-callers this season.
Tannehill has scored 19-plus fantasy points in all but one game as the Titans starter this season, and this week's matchup in Oakland makes him a solid streamer. The Raiders have allowed an average of 275.6 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing field generals, so Tannehill is well worth a look.
Darnold put up a real stinker in the stat sheets last week despite a great matchup against the Bengals, but he had produced 21-plus fantasy points in his previous three games. I'd still stream him against the Dolphins, who have allowed 29 touchdown passes and the third-most fantasy points to enemy field generals this season.
Mayfield was a sit 'em in Pittsburgh last week, and he finished with his worst stat line (8.04 fantasy points) since Week 5. I'd get him back into your lineups this week though, as he'll go against a Bengals defense that's allowed 10 total touchdowns and an average of more than 20 fantasy points per game to home quarterbacks this season.
Start 'Em:Aaron Rodgers vs. Washington Redskins, Jameis Winston vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sleepers:Ryan Fitzpatrick at New York Jets, Kyle Allen at Atlanta Falcons
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
This being the first round of the playoffs, I can't in good conscience advise anyone to start Ryan. He hasn't scored more than 16.6 fantasy points since Week 6, and he's had more turnovers than touchdowns in his last five games. So, even in a matchup that might go high against the Panthers, Ryan is simply too difficult to trust at this point.
Rivers is coming off his best fantasy performance since Week 7, and he had just 16.6 points. Next on the slate is a game against the Jaguars, who have allowed eight touchdowns and just 16.7 fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks on their home field. Game script could also be an issue for Rivers, who needs to be benched.
Garoppolo had a stinker last week, scoring just 9.1 fantasy points in a rain storm against the Ravens. This week he faces the Saints, who have given up an average of fewer than 18 fantasy points points per game to field generals in New Orleans. There's a chance this could be a shootout, but Garoppolo is a risk for fantasy fans regardless.
Carr had been a viable streamer based on the matchups a few weeks ago, but he's now failed to score double-digit fantasy points in two straight games. He's a fade for me this week as well, as the Titans have surrendered just six touchdown passes, an 81.4 passer rating and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to home quarterbacks.
The mustache is back! Minshew is once again the starter in Jacksonville, but I wouldn't start him in fantasy leagues this week. He's got a difficult matchup, as the Chargers have allowed fewer than 14 fantasy points to enemy signal-callers this season. Minshew might be useful as a streamer in future playoff weeks, but he's a sit 'em here.
Sit 'Em:Jacoby Brissett at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Eli Manning at Philadelphia Eagles (Mon.)
Busts:Drew Brees vs. San Francisco 49ers, Jared Goff vs. Seattle Seahawks
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
