Start Em’ Sit Em’ Week 6

Another week, another platoon of injuries leaving fantasy owners questioning, “who do I start now?” Odell Beckham Jr. was always a lock for me, Bilal Powell was just coming off some great games, DeVante Parker was supposed to have a big game last weekend. I hear you, its tough and the injury plague is one factor we can never prepare for. Fortunately you’re not alone in the quest to set the perfect lineup, you’ve got the wild wild west of information which is the internet as your partner in crime. And fortunately enough you’ve corralled your noble steed here to check out who is worthy of a spot in your lineup and who should ride the bench. Well without further ado…

Start Em’ QB:

Deshaun Watson has now officially established himself as a top tier quarterback after posting back to back games with 5 TDs. The first game against a Titans secondary that has proven to be inept and Marcus Mariota going down is one thing, but to come back and do it again against the Kansas City Chiefs? That’s something else. He has shown his ability to keep drives alive and just send it downfield to his capable receiving duo of Hopkins and Fuller. This week he draws a favorable matchup against the Cleveland Browns who have yet to win a game this year and still have a lot of questions at the quarterback position, but can defend the run well. Look for Watson to be involved heavily early in this game, just hope he gets a lot of production in the first half, because the second half will most likely be a lot of Lamar Miller and clock draining.

Sit Em’ QB:

Eli Manning so far has a record this season of, wait for it… wait for it… wait for it… yep if you thought that you had as many NFL wins as Eli Manning so far this season you’d be right, cause its 0, nada, zilch, nien, goose egg. Guy isnt even on the board yet. Straight up the Giants are 0-5 this season and the tank is on baby. After this team made it to the post season and embarrassed themselves, you’d think Ben McAdoo, Eli, and OBJ would be back for blood this season, but they’ve proven to be one of the worst teams in the NFL and their defense isn’t bad. Also incase you missed it last week, OBJ, Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall, and even Dwayne Harris, yeah Dwayne Harris who spends the majority of the Giants’ offensive snaps on the bench got injured. Does anyone even know the next guy up on the depth chart? Most people probably don’t, but it’s Roger Lewis, who is actually a sneaky good DFS option or one week flyer if you’ve been plagued by the injury bug or got a bunch of guys on bye. Coupling the fact that this team has been garbage all season and we don’t even know who is going to suit up on Sunday for Eli to throw to, I’m looking elsewhere this week. Further, if things weren’t bad enough they get to travel to Denver to play one of the best defenses in the league. If Eli is in your lineup put him on the bench, no better yet drop his ass and get some guy that actually might have a hope of producing some actual results for you.

Start Em’ RB:

C.J. Anderson has had a solid start to the season with the exception of one week where he split time with Jamaal Charles. Last week the Broncos were on a bye, but before that Anderson got back on track with 20+ touches and over 100 total yards from scrimmage. This week, as you know the Broncos host the New York football Giants who look more like the New York football Pipsqueaks. Refer back to my last take and you will see why there will be plenty of opportunity for Anderson to run. The Broncos are most certainly going to go up early in this game and I picture the entire second half being a series of runs for C.J. Hopefully he gets the opportunity to find the endzone, but the Broncos will end up going with more run plays than pass plays so look for Anderson to be heavily involved. He should easily be good for over 100 scrimmage yards, just hope he can sneak his way in for 6 in this matchup.

Sit Em’ RB:

Legarrette Blount has actually been somewhat consistent the last three weeks as the Eagles early down back after two rough starts. During the preseason there were a lot of questions about how productive Blount would be in this Eagles offense. However, injuries have opened up the door for Legarrette as Darren Sproles went down, and it’s not looking great for Wendell Smallwood to suit up Sunday. This leaves Legarrette as the clear-cut no.1 back for Philly, but I’m still not expecting Blount to have a great game this week as he faces the Panthers tonight in BofA Stadium in Charlotte. Blount faces off against one of the stingiest run defenses, as they have not allowed a single running back to eclipse more than 50 rushing yards with the exception of Mark Ingram who managed 56 on the ground. If you gotta roll with him, pray for a goal line carry to bail him out of a mediocre performance tonight.

Start Em’ WR:

Terrelle Pryor has not exactly delivered the kind of returns fantasy owners were expecting when they drafted him. That being said he is still tied for the most targets on that roster alongside Chris Thompson. The chemistry is still a work in progress but last week Pryor reeled in 3 of 5 targets for 70 yards and a TD which was his first good outing of the season. The Redskins got a bye last week with an opportunity for Cousins and Pryor to continue to work on things. This week presents a really nice opportunity for Pryor to have a breakout game as the Skins face off against the 49ers who have allowed the 10th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Cousins generally starts off cold and then improves over the season, look for this week off to rejuvenate this offense as they should be poised to run things Sunday in D.C.

Sit Em’ WR: 

Sammy Watkins with the exception of one game this season has been abysmal since joining the LA Rams. After the first couple of ok games, we saw Watkins emerge in week 3 against San Fran reeling in 6 balls on 7 targets for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. And thats the last we’ve heard from Sammy Watkins for the most part. In the last two games Watkins had 1 catch for 17 total yards. There has clearly been some frustration on his part and the rapport with Jared Goff just isn’t there. Until we see this change, he needs to ride the bench. There still is some upward potential long term, but right now until he proves he deserves a spot in your lineup he shouldn’t be in it.

Start Em’ TE:

Jordan Reed has not been able to get much going this season as the perennial injury bug has reemerged for Reed. However, after the Skins bye, Reed is not on the injury report and should be all systems go this Sunday. On paper he doesn’t draw the best matchup as he faces the 49ers who have technically allowed the fewest points to opposing TEs this season. But that being said the 49ers haven’t faced a TE like Reed yet. I think this is a huge opportunity for the entire Redskins offense to get back on track as they host the struggling 49ers this Sunday.

Sit Em’ TE:

Kyle Rudolph just hasn’t been the touchdown monster we all know and love so far this season. With only two touchdowns in 5 games and no game with more than 45 receiving yards, Rudolph hasn’t been the same weapon he once was. Questions at the quarterback position definitely don’t help out Rudolph either, although it was Keenum who threw Rudolph’s second TD of the season last week which could be good news for Rudolph owners. That being said he faces off against the Packers who have allowed the second fewest points to TEs this season. I think with inconsistent production, some question marks at QB, and the bad matchup leads me wanting to look elsewhere for a TE this week.

By: Nicholas Rizzo @nicholasrizzo1