As always, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em is geared toward helping fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. You won't see "start Jahmyr Gibbs" here. Instead, I'm exploring the players closer to the perceived fringe and aiming to optimize your lineups for another weekly win! Importantly, the new "Start of the Week" and "Sit of the Week" are the calls I have deemed the most notable in each category, not necessarily the most necessary players to start or sit.
Also, you'll see quite a few references in this year's column to NFL Pro, and the insights it provides through Next Gen Stats data dashboards, matchup evaluations, All-22 film, and the uniquely trained Fantasy AI Assistant. You can get access to all those tools yourself with an NFL+ Premium subscription!
P.S. Feel free to follow me on X -- @MattOkada -- or Instagram -- @mattokadaNFL -- and hit me with your questions, congratulations or complaints throughout the year.
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Without backfield mate TreVeyon Henderson (ankle injury) in Week 1, Stevenson handled 75 percent of the running back carries, caught five of six targets for 44 yards (tied with DeMario Douglas for most catches on the team) and scored 14.5 fantasy points. If Henderson returns this week, I still like Stevenson as the Pats' lead back and a PPR play against Pittsburgh, which surrendered 31.3 fantasy points to Bijan Robinson in Week 1.
Notable starts
Swift tagged the Panthers for 32.4 fantasy points to finish as the RB5 in Week 1. He’s freshly extended and a key cog in one of the league’s top offenses. Swift is a borderline must-start and might soon be too obvious for this column.
After scoring three scrimmage touchdowns and 28.9 fantasy points on 23 touches in Week 1, Montgomery draws a Cincy defense that allowed 20.3 points to Bucky Irving on just 15 touches. The first-year Texan should start in every fantasy league and is arguably a top-10 RB for Week 2.
Irving finished as a borderline RB1 last week against Cincy and is right back in the starter conversation for the Bucs' home opener versus Cleveland.
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
The Browns offense was a disaster in Week 1, and Judkins was the primary victim from a fantasy perspective. He totaled just 33 rushing yards on 12 carries. His 2.8 yards per carry, 25 percent success rate, -0.25 EPA/carry and zero explosive runs all positioned him among the least effective running backs in Week 1. It’s hard to see Judkins or this offense getting much better in the immediate future. Against Tampa Bay, which held Chase Brown to 3.5 yards per carry in the opener, Judkins should ride the pine.
Notable sits
Love scored a respectable 13 fantasy points in his NFL debut. However, he was out-touched 19 to 13 by Tyler Allgeier and has a terrifying matchup against the Seahawks this week. He’s a fringe Flex, at best.
Yes, Etienne caught six passes in the second half to produce a decent fantasy stat line in Week 1, but he also split carries with Kendre Miller (who scored the Saints’ lone rushing touchdown) and Alvin Kamara could return from injury this week. New Orleans' backfield situation is too murky to trust right now.
Pollard split snaps nearly 50-50 with Tyjae Spears in Week 1 and totaled just 34 yards on eight touches in an insipid Titans offense. Unfortunately, Pollard cannot be started until something significant changes for Tennessee.
While Dowdle was heavily involved in the offense in Week 1 -- playing 58 percent of the snaps and earning 13 opportunities to fellow RB Jaylen Warren’s 16 -- Dowdle was horribly inefficient, averaging just 1.6 yards per opportunity (fewest among 44 players with 10-plus touches). Against the Patriots, Dowdle should not be in your lineup.
Lloyd made last week’s Sits as I evaluated the Week 1 backfield split with Chris Brooks in Josh Jacobs’ absence. While Lloyd led the team with 13 carries, Brooks outsnapped him 37 to 30 and Lloyd averaged just 2.6 yards per opportunity (second-fewest among players with 10-plus touches). He scored 3.7 fantasy points. Sit him until further notice.
