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Looking for some lineup advice? You’ve come to the right place. First, go through every game on the schedule right here to find out who Dave is starting and sitting for all 28 teams on the schedule. Then, check out Dave’s Cheat Sheets — PPR is here, while Non-PPR is here — for start and sit calls for every relevant Fantasy player.
Panthers at Steelers
Sneaky Sleeper
The Steelers are on fire, averaging 31 points per game during their four-game win streak. Their best matchup on the board this Thursday will be against the Panthers’ linebackers and safeties, who have given up a slew of numbers to tight ends. How juicy is it? Over the last four games, the Panthers have allowed five touchdowns, 11.4 yards per catch and a 71 percent catch rate to the position. And it’s not like one or two defenders are to blame — Mike Adams and Luke Kuechly gave up touchdowns last week; Jermaine Carter the week before; David Mayo and Eric Reid before that. McDonald and Jesse James have played roughly the same amount of snaps of late, but McDonald is running significantly more routes and has more targets and catches over the last two weeks. McDonald is an excellent plug-and-play tight end off waivers, though I’d still prefer to go with David Njoku and Eric Ebron over him.
Saints at Bengals
Sit Him
We got lucky with Smith last week — he scored, but had just two catches for 23 yards on three targets in a Saints game that saw them rack up 346 yards and 45 points. Two tight ends had more targets than Smith. Adding to Smith’s travails is a Bengals secondary that features quality (but not perfect) cornerbacks in Dre Kirkpatrick and William Jackson. Unless he does more than dabble in a few slot snaps, he’s probably not going to live up to expectations. It doesn’t help that the Saints’ typical MO when they’re away from home and outdoors is to run the football. That’s exactly what you should expect on Sunday, leading to a limited workday for Smith.
Sneaky Sleeper
Watson’s 90 percent catch rate and two touchdowns over his last three games would look better if he didn’t have a targetless outing in Week 7 at Minnesota. But that was a tough matchup in a game where Drew Brees attempted just 23 passes — the matchup against the Bengals is much better, even if Brees’ pass attempt expectation isn’t very high. Strong safety Shawn Williams has been part of the reason why tight ends have scored twice and averaged 12.9 per catch with an 83 percent catch rate against the Bengals since Week 6. Watson is worth streaming.
Falcons at Browns
Start Him
There’s no doubt Ridley remains a big-play dependent Fantasy receiver, but at the very least it was good to see the Falcons remember he was still on the team. Coming out of the bye, Ridley was targeted a season-high nine times at Washington, piling up six catches for 71 yards, including a 40-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Better yet, six of the nine targets came in the first half and three of them were deep passes. The Browns secondary is ripe with injury concerns — E.J. Gaines was put on injured reserve, and top cornerback Denzel Ward might not play. Ridley should continue to see a nice dose of work and is a candidate for another big play or two to help put points on the board.
Start Him
New Browns offensive coordinator joked last week that he planned to get the ball in Johnson’s hands 45 times. While Johnson didn’t handle it quite that much, he was good for a season-high nine receptions and 10 touches. Defenses that play a bunch of zone coverage are ripe for the picking on short passes to running backs, and the Falcons are exactly that kind of defense. It’s a big reason why running backs have averaged a league-high 8.5 receptions and third-highest 64.3 yards per game against them. Expect Johnson to deliver in PPR, and he’s not a bad flex option in half-PPR or non-PPR.
Lions at Bears
Sit Him
Theo Riddick‘s return didn’t quite deal a heart-punch to Johnson’s playing time, but it sure limits his potential as the Lions revert to a three-headed running attack. Johnson’s still the main ball carrier, but he’ll still hand over short-yardage and goal-line work to LeGarrette Blount and obvious passing situations to Riddick. That means Johnson won’t be of much help to your team unless he breaks several long runs and/or lucks out with a touchdown. You shouldn’t count on either versus Chicago — they’ve allowed two runs of 20-plus yards on the season, and gave up their first rushing score of the year last week to … drumroll, please … Nathan Peterman. It’s among the toughest defenses to run against, and Johnson will split work against them in two of his next three games. Aim for another rusher if you can.
Cardinals at Chiefs
Start Him
The Cardinals will probably play from behind for most of this matchup at Kansas City. Just a hunch. That’s been the case for much of this season and it should fuel Fitzgerald to succeed based on volume. He should see a barrage of targets — he’s had at least eight in three straight, including 12 in his first game with new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. The Chiefs’ cornerbacks have been playing well lately, notably slot corner Kendall Fuller, but it shouldn’t keep Fitzgerald from being good for a minimum of 80 yards with a chance to score given the scoreboard chasing involved.
Patriots at Titans
Start Him
It was extremely encouraging to see Lewis emerge from the bye with a season-high 84 percent snap rate, especially in a game the Titans were leading in the second half. It sure seems like they’re shifting away from Derrick Henry (season-low 20 percent snap rate), though he’s still the obvious goal-line guy. We won’t see Henry much if they’re playing from behind either, and that’s the expectation for this game. Armed with an impressive 89 percent catch rate, Lewis has a great shot at racking up receptions while the Titans play from behind (and even when they opt for the no-huddle offense). Tack on a dozen or so carries (he’s notched that in three of his last four) and Lewis should hit 100 total yards for the third straight game. The Patriots have allowed 4.3 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per reception to running backs on the season.
Risky Non-PPR Starter
Of the 11 touchdowns allowed to receivers by the Titans this year, only one went to a receiver who lined up inside. Titans slot corner Logan Ryan‘s only touchdown allowed came when he played on the outside of the formation, not in the middle. As you might expect, Edelman runs nearly all of his routes in the slot. It’ll be fun to see ex-Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan tango with his former teammate, but it’s Edelman’s low ceiling in non-PPR combined with the challenging matchup that makes him risky. Josh Gordon has the much better matchup against the Titans’ weak outside corners.
Redskins at Buccaneers
Start Him
If he can’t get it done this week, he’ll never get it done. Reed has an outstanding matchup against a Bucs squad that simply can’t match up with tight ends. Their linebackers struggle in coverage and their safeties aren’t capable coverage guys. In their last six games, the Bucs have allowed a 73.6 percent catch rate to tight ends with a touchdown to the position in five of them. Reed’s snaps declined last week, but not his pass routes run. With at least six targets in three of his last four, here’s hoping he and Alex Smith connect for a touchdown.
Sneaky Sleeper
The Redskins are massively depleted at receiver and offensive line. That means Alex Smith will have to get rid of the ball quickly, even against the Buccaneers so-so pass rush. Harris is a perfect target for Smith after riding hot in the slot last week (12 targets for a 10-124-0 line against the Falcons). Harris’ specific matchup figures to be either struggling rookie nickelback M.J. Stewart or off-the-scrap-heap defensive back Javien Elliott, who in minimal play over three seasons has allowed a 100 percent catch rate on 22 targets against. Harris is a plug-and-play sleeper receiver perfect for those Fantasy owners missing a starter because of the byes. I’d use him ahead of Anthony Miller, Tre’Quan Smith, DJ Moore and Marquise Goodwin. He’s also $3,900 on DraftKings and $5,900 on FanDuel.
Bills at Jets
Start Him
I was wrong on him last week, but I won’t be scared to start him again in what should be a favorable setting. This starts with the Bills offense. They’ve been outscored 157-46 in their last six games, losing five. Their ineptitude puts their defense in bad spots and ultimately gives life to opposing offenses. To that end, a running back has scored and come through for at least 11 Fantasy points in each of their last three (4 of 6 also), and backs have totaled at least 20 rushes against Buffalo in five of those six games. Crowell isn’t the Jets’ only runner, but he is the one dominating early-downs and goal-line work. Use him as a No. 2 rusher ahead of the likes of LeSean McCoy, Kerryon Johnson, and any Raiders runners in non-PPR leagues.
Jaguars at Colts
Start Him
Risky Starter
The most concerning part about Ebron’s outlook doesn’t have as much to do with the Jaguars as it does the Colts’ tendencies when Doyle is healthy. In three games together this season, Doyle has dwarfed Ebron in snaps played (195 to 72), routes run (105 to 50), targets (22 to 12), catches (15 to 10), and yards (150 to 114). The singular difference is Ebron coming through with a touchdown in every game; Doyle’s scored once. The hunch is that the Jaguars will primarily pin safety Tashaun Gipson on Ebron and use linebackers on Doyle. None of those matchups will scare the Colts, but unless Indy changes how it uses Ebron, he’s a risky, touchdown-dependent Fantasy starter. Doyle provides a higher floor and figures to see easier coverage to boot.
Chargers at Raiders
Start Him
The Raiders cut their best remaining pass rusher and are coming off a game where Nick Mullens ripped them for three touchdowns. Technically, this is the Chargers’ fourth-straight game on the road, but it shouldn’t matter. Rivers has at least two touchdowns in every game this season and should find good yardage against the Raiders, who have allowed 262.6 pass yards per game. Oakland has given up over 300 yards through the air once this season — to Rivers, who hit them for 339 in Week 5.
Sneaky Sleeper
Strictly a boom-or-bust Fantasy receiver, Williams has cashed in for at least one touchdown in three straight games (one in the red zone, three from 29-plus yards out) despite a very limited target share. Expect the Chargers to take some deep shots with Williams against the Raiders, who are tied for second with nine pass plays of 40-plus yards allowed.
Risky Starter
It’s true that the Chargers have allowed a touchdown to a tight end in three straight and four of their last five games. Their last game where they didn’t allow a tight end score? Week 5 versus Oakland! If that doesn’t furrow your brow, consider that Cook has racked up 20 yards or fewer in three of his last four while his target share has dipped from 35 in his first four games to 15 in his last four games. The Raiders offense is a big mess; Derek Carr has minimal time to throw and seems to bump into pass rushers for unnecessary sacks. Until the Raiders develop some consistency, no one should confidently start Cook.
Seahawks at Rams
Start Him
The Rams offense is legendary, but their pass defense is a sieve. That makes for a juicy matchup for any offense going up against them. In the last four games, Los Angeles has allowed eight deep pass plays of 30-plus yards and 16 deep pass plays of 19-plus yards. That doesn’t count catch-and-run plays — there were seven of those for at least 20 yards. Lockett is the Seahawks’ best deep threat and is absolutely worth starting given the Rams’ weak pass defense numbers. He’s second on the Seahawks in end-zone targets with five (David Moore has six but dropped two last week) and should see a lift in targets given the matchup.
Dolphins at Packers
Start Him
That’s right — off the waiver wire and into the lineup. Miami’s pass defense looked like world beaters last week against the Jets, but before then they gave up 16.1 yards per catch and seven touchdowns to wideouts over a five-game stretch. It’s assumed that Davante Adams will draw Xavien Howard in coverage, leaving Valdes-Scantling to contend with Miami’s depleted secondary (rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick figures to either play safety or stick to the slot). Aaron Rodgers talked up getting the ball to Adams more after last week’s loss but won’t forget about MVS’ big plays. He’s a great flex and good-enough No. 2 receiver this week.
Cowboys at Eagles
Start Him
Tate’s expected to primarily work the slot for an offense lacking a consistent run game but set with a great gunslinger. Sound familiar? It’s what Tate did for the last three seasons or so in Detroit! Now he’ll do it in a more efficient offense — and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take the top off defenses with a couple of deep targets week in and week out. Tate crashed the Cowboys for an 8-132-2 back in Week 4 when he was with the Lions and should hound slot cornerback Anthony Brown for a solid game on Sunday.
Giants at 49ers
Sit Him
It seems like the 49ers just aren’t comfortable giving Matt Breida a ton of work. He’s had over 15 touches once this season (Week 8 at the Cardinals), and it was the first time in his career he had even that much work. He totaled 42 scoreless yards in that one. Candidly, Breida looks pretty good running the ball, but isn’t actually producing much with his opportunities, averaging 3.1 yards per run in his last three games. Alfred Morris will take some of the rushing work, and you know he’ll clean up at the goal line. Maybe having a little extra time off will help his ankle, and maybe playing a bad Giants run defense will help open up some running lanes, but his track record of touches and injuries make Breida a giant risk.
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