Welcome to the 11th 2022 edition of Fantasy Football: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Ems. Many students here at BHS are involved in fantasy football leagues. Many also fail to receive guidance on the important weekly decisions that may change the outcome of their matchups. I, along with guest analysts, will break down a handful of players at each position weekly and give you advice. Any readers with specific players they would like covered are encouraged to email to myself (at the end of this article) or other analysts. 

Here’s last week’s results: 

My Previous Starts:

QB: Trevor Lawrence, T-QB16 (18 Points).

In an embarrassing loss to Detroit, Lawrence was hampered with a foot injury and struggled to get the offense moving. That’s a loss on my part. 

RB: Jamaal Williams, T-RB26 (9 Points).

Of course it’s this week where D’Andre Swift finally reconquers his starting role. Swift finished as the RB4. But Williams played second fiddle to Swift, and had a mediocre outing where he still got a TD, but no receiving work and little rushing success. Poor pick from me. 

WR: George Pickens, T-WR89 (1 Point) and Garrett Wilson, T-WR8 (24 Points). 

Pickens was overshadowed by Dionte Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, and Najee Harris in a confusing way, as Pittsburgh’s offense wasn’t that bad. Not really sure how he played so little. Wilson, contrarily, went ballistic. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner(?) continues to make a case for being an every week must-start. 

TE: Tyler Conklin, T-TE37 (2 points). 

When I made this pick, I said the tight end position is wildly unstable. This week was the most gut-wrenching, blood-curdling, stomach-churning, abhorrent, egregious, nauseating week I have ever laid my eyes upon. The top scorer(s) were Noah Fant, Cade Otton, Evan Engram, and Greg Dulcich with a pretty distinguishing 14 points a piece. Not good players like Taysom Hill, Brevin Jordan, Connor Heyward (who?), and Chigoziem Okonkwo finished with similar totals to Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. This has nothing to do with Conklin, who followed the trend and put up an uncharacteristic yet unsurprising 2 points. I’m at a loss of words.

My Previous Sits: 

QB: Deshaun Watson, QB31 (6 Points).

This disgusting man had the lowest point total of any quarterback (besides Jimmy Garoppolo) who actually stepped on the field in Week 13. Good. He deserves to have a rough 2022 debut. A great pick on my part.

RB: Alvin Kamara, T-RB41 (5 Points).

In what has been one of my gutsiest picks of the year, I reaped the rewards as the Saints offense, especially Kamara, was bottled up for most of the game. Kamara finished the week with his worst performance of the year, 5 points. A win for me. 

WR: Treylon Burks, T-WR41 (9 Points) and Devin Duvernay, T-WR41 (9 Points). 

Burks scored a big touchdown, but got concussed on the play and that was his only play. It still got him a solid 9 points, but not enough to be a solid start. We hope he can recover quickly. Duvernay, on the other hand, turned 6 catches and 2 rushes into a measly 43 total yards under the stagnant offense of Tyler Huntley. Another bad start, but a good pick for me. 

TE: Jelani Woods, T-TE27 (4 points). 

I’m not proud of this pick. Read above at the Start ‘Em for tight end for more info.

I’m a harsh critic of myself, but I’d say I was a calm, cool, and collected 6/10 (60.0%) last week, and an eerily similar 51/82 (62.2%) total on the year. 

So now, heading into Week 14, here’s my advice:

Start ‘Ems (Who you should START this week)

QB: Jared Goff (Detroit)

Jared Goff and the Lions are so fun yet unpredictable this year. Coming off a nice 25 points outing where the Lions dominated, they face a weak Minnesota defense. Goff could have less than 10, or another 25+ week. If I were a betting man, I’d bet on the latter. Start Goff.

RB: D’Onta Foreman (Carolina) and Tony Pollard (Dallas)

Foreman seems destined to reach the end zone this week against a bad Seattle run defense. Foreman receives a sizable workload weekly, and he will finally capture a big week off said workload. Pollard faces the other Texas team, and will have his way against them alongside Ezekiel Elliott. Both Dallas RBs are good options this week, but I prefer Pollard. Pollard is a must start in any 12 team leagues or bigger. 

WR: Mike Evans (Tampa Bay) and Jameson Williams (Detroit)

Evans has been largely disappointing this year as a Round 2 or 3 pick in most leagues. The Bucs’ offense has been so stagnant this year. But do not bench your most successful WR. Evans will play well against the Niners. Stay firm with Evans in your lineup. Now, for Jameson Williams. The rookie had a handful of snaps (and no targets) in his debut last week off of an ACL injury he suffered in college. In hindsight, this may be a stupid pick from me, but I think what should be a high scoring game can result in Williams getting his first catch(es) and a touchdown. He is a desperation start this week, but with 6 teams on the bye, crazier ideas are out there. 

Sit ‘Ems (Who you should SIT this week)

QB: Mike White (New York A)

It pains me to say it, but sit Miracle Mike this week. The former Western Kentucky Hilltopper has a tough date in Buffalo with a great Bills defense. White has played well in his two starts, averaging 25 points, but he is not matchup proof against Buffalo. 

RB: James Conner (Arizona)

Last time I tried to bench Conner, he had 22 points. Fresh off his bye, he has a Monday Night matchup against the top run defense on the year, New England. So, I’ll try to justify his benching again. With Arizona’s star wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown both finally healthy and on the field alongside each other, the Cards will abandon the run game early and leave Conner largely unused. 

WR: D.J. Moore (Carolina) and Darius Slayton (New York N)

Moore has been quietly good this year, like always. With such a bad offense, I can’t trust him as he is matched up against Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Tariq Woolen. Likewise, the surprisingly very dependable Slayton has his pick of Pro Bowl cornerback, James Bradberry or Darius Slay, for who will shut him down in the Giants’ important NFC East matchup against the Eagles.

TE: David Njoku (Cleveland)

You may have noticed that I don’t have a start for tight end. That’s because I couldn’t give an honest opinion that would be any bit insightful. But, Njoku seems to be a solid bench this week. He has been a consistent contributor in the grand scheme of things at this position, but against a solid defense, sit him if you have other options. You probably don’t though. 

Thank you for tuning in. If you have requests for next edition, email me at [email protected]. Good luck this week to all!