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:Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Olsen has done a disappearing act in the stat sheets in recent weeks, but desperate times call for desperate measures. On the bright side, he has a great matchup this week against a Titans defense that has surrendered four touchdowns and a combined four top-nine fantasy tight ends in their first eight games. With Kyle Allen under center once again, I'd start Olsen as a potential top-10 fantasy option.
Smith was strong in the absence of Delanie Walker, posting 78 yards and one touchdown in a win over the Bucs. While he doesn't have a great matchup this week against the Panthers, George Kittle did just beat them for 14.6 fantasy points a week ago. If Walker is forced to miss another contest, Smith will remain a very viable streamer.
Brate was a disappointment in fantasy leagues a week ago, posting just three catches in the absence of O.J. Howard. I'd still stream him if Howard is out again though, as the Seahawks have allowed the fifth-most yards and the fourth-most fantasy points to enemy tight ends this season. Brate remains a free agent in most leagues.
Start 'Em:Eric Ebron vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Darren Fells at Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Sleepers:Dallas Goedert vs. Chicago Bears, Vance McDonald vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
You probably have to play Graham with four teams on a bye, but you don't have to like it. He's scored fewer than eight points in all but one of his last four games, and the potential return of Davante Adams will mean fewer targets. Also, the Chargers have allowed just one top-10 fantasy tight end in their first eight games of this season.
Witten is likely to be active in a lot of fantasy leagues based on what looks like a good matchup against the Giants. Keep in mind, though, that the G-Men have actually surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, and that includes just two touchdowns allowed. New York also held Witten to 15 yards in their season opener.
Rudolph has scored a combined 23.4 fantasy points over his last two games, but he's still failed to post 40 yards in all but one game this season. With Adam Thielen expected back from an injured hamstring, Rudolph is also very likely to see fewer targets in an offense that has mostly phased him out of the pass attack. Keep Rudolph sidelined.
Fant saw a season-high eight targets in his first game without Emmanuel Sanders, but he still produced just 26 yards in a loss to the Colts. Next up is a game where the Broncos will turn to Brandon Allen, who hasn't even attempted a regular-season pass this season. Even with four teams on a bye, Fant is a fade for me this week.
Sit 'Em:Benjamin Watson at Baltimore Ravens, Jack Doyle at Pittsburgh Steelers
Busts:Mark Andrews vs. New England Patriots, Trey Burton at Philadelphia Eagles
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!
