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| Wednesday, September 7, 2022 |
| Everyone's favorite breakout QB, Trey Lance, gets the nod as Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week in what should be a pretty tremendous matchup against the Bears to open his first season as a full-time starter. |
| And all he has to do to live up to that billing is what he did the last time he got an opportunity to start, in Week 17 against the Texans. He had 23.1 points in six-point-per-pass-TD leagues, and while you're hoping for a little better than that in a best-case scenario, you'd take it. Of course, Lance did that while taking primarily backup snaps for much of his rookie season, in an offense that wasn't tailored to him in the way we expect this year's 49ers offense to be. |
| And this is a Bears defense that ranked 23rd in scoring last season with 31 passing touchdowns to just eight interceptions, and they lost Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks this offseason, which is only going to make them even leakier. They really only faced three rushing quarterbacks last season, and Tyler Huntley and Russell Wilson both topped 40 rushing yards against them -- I'm expecting at least that much from Lance. You can read about why Jamey tabbed Lance for the honor as well as the rest of his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em picks here , and the rest of this evening's newsletter has plenty of other picks for each position. |
| Tomorrow morning, you'll get your typical Fantasy Football Today newsletter, featuring Dave Richard's Start/Sit picks, my bold predictions for the 2022 season, and a preview of Thursday night's season opener between the Rams and Bills. |
| But for now, here's who Jamey is starting and sitting this week: |
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| Quarterback Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford |
| "It's the ultimate revenge game for Wilson, who starts his Broncos tenure with a trip back to Seattle. He spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seahawks, and this homecoming should be successful for him. I expect Wilson to put on a show against his former team, and he could easily be the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 1." |
| Sit 'Em: Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers |
| "It sounds like Burrow will be fine following the appendectomy he had in late July, but he missed a lot of practice time in August. I'd be nervous trusting him against the Steelers, and he averaged just 19.5 Fantasy points per game against Pittsburgh last season. He did have multiple touchdowns in each outing against the Steelers, but he averaged just 181 passing yards per game over that span. Burrow is just a low-end starter in Week 1." |
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| Running Back Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Travis Etienne and Dameon Pierce |
| "The status of Colts star linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back) could determine if Pierce is good or great for this week. You should be starting him regardless given his expected role as the lead running back for the Texans. He has 20-touch potential, and hopefully, Houston uses him in the passing game. Leonard missed Week 16 last year against the Cardinals, and Chase Edmonds went nuts with 16 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, along with eight catches for 71 yards. Hopefully, Pierce could have a huge game as well if Leonard is out." |
| Sit 'Em: Cam Akers and Breece Hall |
| "I hope that I'm wrong by putting Hall in this spot, and in full disclosure, I'm starting him in several leagues. I drafted him to be a No. 2 running back, and I hope he can overcome some of the negatives working against him. For starters, I don't want to see Michael Carter play ahead of Hall, and that could be the case for the Jets based on the preseason. And in a secondary role against a good run defense for Baltimore, you should only consider Hall as a flex at best. He'll have big days this season, but if you can sit him this week then that's the right move." |
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| Wide Receiver Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jerry Jeudy |
| "Courtland Sutton is a must-start Fantasy receiver in all leagues this week against the Seahawks, and Jeudy isn't far behind. You want pieces of the Broncos passing game in your lineup this week for Russell Wilson's return to Seattle, and Jeudy should start his breakout third season with a big outing in Week 1. Wilson is going to provide plenty of fireworks this week, with Sutton and Jeudy leading the way." |
| Sit 'Em: Drake London and Amari Cooper |
| "London is ready to go after suffering a knee injury in Atlanta's first preseason game against Detroit. While we hope he makes plenty of plays -- this week and all season -- let's give him at least a week before starting him in the majority of leagues. The Saints defense is tough, and London hasn't proven to have a strong connection with quarterback Marcus Mariota yet. At best, use London as a low-end No. 3 receiver in three-receiver leagues." |
| Tight End Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Cole Kmet |
| "I'm going to start Kmet despite the tough matchup, and we'll see if he can take advantage of 49ers safety Jimmie Ward (hamstring) being out. Last year, Kmet faced San Francisco in Week 8, and he was limited to three catches for 24 yards on six targets. I'm expecting him to be much better than that in the rematch, and Kmet should be a prime target for Justin Fields all season. " |
| Sit 'Em: Tyler Higbee |
| "I liked Higbee coming into Week 1 when Bills safety Jordan Poyer (elbow) looked like he was going to be out. With Poyer in, and Buffalo having question marks at cornerback without Tre'Davious White (knee), look for Matthew Stafford to challenge the perimeter instead of the middle of the field. Buffalo has been among the best teams at defending tight ends under coach Sean McDermott, and Higbee could be asked to block a lot in this matchup. He could find the end zone, but the Bills allowed just three touchdowns to tight ends in 2021." |
| DST Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Dolphins vs. NE |
| "All we've heard for weeks in training camp is how the Patriots offense has struggled. The offensive line has been a mess, Mac Jones has been inconsistent and the receivers have struggled to make plays. It could be that the Patriots defense is just that tough in practice. Or, maybe, having Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator is a bad idea. Either way, the Dolphins DST is a good play this week at home, and I consider this unit a top-10 Fantasy option in all leagues." |
| Sit 'Em: Cowboys vs. TB |
| "The Cowboys DST was amazing in 2021, but one of the worst games for this unit was Week 1 at Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in that game but also allowed 31 points and 431 total yards, with no sacks. We'll see how Tampa Bay's revamped offensive line holds up in this matchup, but I'm not trusting the Cowboys DST in a matchup against Tom Brady." |
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