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.
Byes:Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Brady was a bust candidate for me last week, and he was even worse than expected with a 3.7-point stinker in Buffalo. He will rebound in a big way this week, however, as he'll face a Redskins defense that's surrendered 10 touchdown passes and more than 21 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Look for Tom to be terrific again.
Prescott put up a stinker last week, but I'd still trust him against the Packers. Green Bay's defense has been awful against the run, which means good things for Ezekiel Elliott. In turn, that will allow the Cowboys to utilize play action often. Prescott ranks in the top four in passer rating using play action in 2019, so expect a solid stat line.
I admit, Murray's last few games haven't been great. Still, his floor is around 16 points and I think he'll be better when the Cardinals face the Bengals. Not only is their defense allowing almost 19 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks, but Cincinnati can't stop the run either. That's good news for the versatile rookie in this road matchup.
Winston is a hard quarterback to figure, but hie's coming off a big stat line in L.A. and has a nice matchup next on the schedule. Their defense has allowed over 24 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks, so Winston is a worthwhile option if you're lacking at the quarterback position or are playing in a fantasy super flex or 2-QB league.
Believe it or not, but Brissett ranks ninth in fantasy points among quarterbacks and is the lone player with multiple touchdown passes in every game. He'll remain a viable option against the Chiefs, who have surrendered an average of 276.5 passing yards and almost 20 fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks after four weekends.
Start 'Em:Carson Wentz vs. New York Jets, Matt Ryan at Houston Texans
Sleepers:Andy Dalton vs. Arizona Cardinals, Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Cleveland Browns (Mon.)
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Mayfield has lived in the sit 'em portion of this column, and I'm keeping him here until further notice. This week he'll be in the Bay Area to face a Niners defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards and an average of fewer than 13.5 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks after three games. Beware Baker this week.
Jones was a popular streamer a week ago, and he failed to meet expectations with a 12.3-point stinker in a win over the Redskins. This week, I'd keep Danny Dimes on the sidelines against a Vikings defense that's surrendered an average of just 239.8 passing yards and 15.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Mariota is coming off an impressive, 23.3 fantasy point performance in a win over the Falcons. I wouldn't chase the points, though, as he next faces a Bills defense that just held Tom Brady to under four fantasy points. Quarterbacks also have a terrible 64.3 passer rating when facing Buffalo, so Mariota is a hard fade this weekend.
The Giants have allowed over 20 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, so Cousins is a viable streamer, right? Not so much. He's failed to score 13 fantasy points even against the Raiders a few weeks back, and game script could mean a lot of Dalvin Cook in the second half ... and not much passing. Fade Cousins again.
Carr has struggled in the stat sheets, scoring fewer than 16 fantasy points in each of his first four games. He'll be lucky to hit that mark this week, as a matchup against the Bears is anything but favorable. Their defense has allowed just four touchdown passes and an average of 11.9 fantasy points to field generals in 2019. Keep Carr in park.
Sit 'Em:Joe Flacco at Los Angeles Chargers, Kyle Allen vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Busts:Philip Rivers vs. Denver Broncos, Gardner Minshew at Carolina Panthers
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!
