2014-2015 Start 'Em Sit 'Em (Week 8)

Start 'Em:

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs - Smith's seemingly unshakeable label as a "game manager" tends to keep him out of most fantasy football lineups. However, he has a great matchup this week against the Rams' defense and has been a remarkably solid fantasy performer thus far this year. Smith rarely throws interceptions and has a reputable 9 touchdowns over 6 games to this point. There are certainly quarterbacks who would deserve to start over Smith, but if you're in a position where you have been rotating quarterbacks week to week, Smith may be your man.

Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints - Ingram won't have inspired confidence in fantasy owners with his very poor showing last week, but you have to understand that he likely wasn't yet 100 percent. With a likelihood for more touches, and more effective touches at that, as well as a favorable matchup against a Packers' defense that has been fairly porous against the run, you would expect Ingram to have a good fantasy performance this week.

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks - Baldwin has already had his breakout week, with a monster performance last week against the Rams, so this may seem like an easy pick, but it's just too perfect a scenario for me to pass up. Baldwin is now the only qualified receiver on the Seahawks' depth chart, and he goes up against a Panthers' defense that has struggled to contain opposing wideouts. Additionally, you can be sure that Seattle will be playing angry after last week's loss at St. Louis, and will likely come out swinging. This week may prove to be the perfect storm for Baldwin, who should absolutely be in your starting lineup this week.

Sit 'Em:

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals - I hate to tell you to sit Dalton for the second time in the last few weeks, but I absolutely hate his matchup with the Ravens this week. Dalton proved last week how vulnerable he can be without his number one target, A.J. Green, and this week he'll be without Green again. He also goes up against a Ravens' defense that has been pretty impressive thus far, and did well against Dalton in week one with the exception of one long touchdown pass to the aforementioned A.J. Green. Sorry Bengals fans, but Dalton is a definite sit this week.

Anthony Dixon, RB, Buffalo Bills - There's lots that would point to Dixon having a good week this week, as both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are injured, making him the only serviceable back on the roster. However, he has a horrible matchup against a Jets run defense that is one of the best in the league. One would expect the Bills to keep the ball in the air on Sunday, so Dixon may not really get a chance to have an impact.

Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons - White blew up against the Ravens last week, but he has a much tougher matchup against the Lions' pass defense this week. Even though I believe White may be a good fantasy option by the end of the season, its unlikely that he'll be able to replicate his performance against the Ravens - there's just too much inconsistency right now with White. He may be worth flex consideration, but the reality is, there are other options at the position right now that will likely be better this week.

2014-2015 Start 'Em Sit 'Em (Week 1)

Start 'Em:

Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers - In many 8 or 10 team leagues, Kaepernick will have ended up as a high-end backup. However, this week he shouldn't be sitting on your bench, regardless of what quarterback you need to bench to make way for him in the starting lineup. Kaepernick is going up against a Cowboys defense that was one of the worst pass defenses in the entire NFL last season and did very little to improve that over the offseason.

Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints - The Saints' running back situation has been somewhat of a carousel over the last few years, with no one back able to cement himself as a reliable player at the position. This preseason, though, Mark Ingram has been dominant, and the 2011 first round draft pick is finally looking like he is going to live up to his potential. What's remarkable about this situation is that, despite the lack of premier running backs in the NFL, Ingram hasn't even been picked up in 100 percent of leagues. If he's still a free agent in your league, you need to pick him up NOW, and maybe even consider him for your RB2 or flex spot as he has a fairly easy matchup against the Falcons.

Marquise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars - Now that Cecil Shorts has been labeled as "out" for the game against the Eagles and Ace Sanders has been suspended for the first four games, Lee is the only half-respectable fantasy target for the Jags, and he's currently available in most ESPN leagues. You would have to be fairly desperate for a flex spot to pull this move, but he is going up against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL (that of the Philadelphia Eagles) and Chad Henne has to throw to someone, right? Right? RIGHT?

Sit 'Em:

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens - My honest pick for a "sit 'em" quarterback this week would have been Aaron Rodgers, but considering he already played and sorely underperformed, that would really be cheating. So, here I'll tell you to sit Joe Flacco, but only if you have a fairly strong backup. Flacco doesn't have a great matchup against the Bengals, but I doubt that he'll absolutely implode. Thus, proceed with caution when sitting Flacco, but, in many situations it would probably be the right move.

DeAngelo Williams, RB,  Carolina Panthers - Williams' yard totals should be decent enough this year, but with Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert, and Cam Newton taking away from his red zone carries, he doesn't really hold much value unless one of the others gets injured or he has a great matchup. This week certainly isn't a good matchup, as Williams will go up against a Buccaneers' run defense that was one of the better run units in the entire league last year.

Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions - Tate was a legitimate WR2 last season, but that was in Seattle, where other wide receiver options were often scarce. In Detroit, other wide receiver options will be anything but scarce, as the best wide receiver in the NFL, Calvin Johnson, will demand most of the targets. In games against weak pass defenses Tate might be worth a look, but he goes up against the Giants this week, who were actually fairly impressive on pass defense last season. Tate may end up being a solid spot-start wide receiver, but this week is one of those weeks when you should keep him on your bench.