Welcome to the 4th 2023 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: Geno Smith, T-QB16 (18 Points).
The Seahawks, as predicted, demolished the Panthers, scoring 37 points. Unfortunately, it was mostly on the back of RB Kenneth Walker instead of Geno.
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, T-RB22 (9 Points).
The Lions were surprisingly slow offensively against Atlanta and Gibbs couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity he had, despite not looking that bad. He is a candidate to sit moving forward.
WR: George Pickens, T-WR37 (11 Points) and Christian Kirk, T-WR25 (15 Points).
Pickens is easily Pittsburgh’s best weapon. Anyone can see it. His route running and hands are so advanced. Pickett looked more confident, but they still couldn’t force feed the sophomore phenom. 11 points isn’t a disaster, but not a great performance either. Kirk, played fine, and got a big TD. With massive struggles from JAX WRs, he can step up more in the near future.
TE: Tyler Higbee, TE9 (12 Points).
Higbee was a nice safety blanket and got a cute double-digit performance on MNF, hopefully boosting some of you to a nice comeback W.
My Previous Sits:
QB: Jordan Love, T-QB7 (26 Points).
Love and the Pack were getting abused until Love woke up and not only delivered the big win, but also a great fantasy performance too. Unfortunate for me and those who sat or went up against him. He’s a safe start candidate for the R.O.S.
RB: Raheem Mostert, RB2 (45 Points).
Ugh. Mostert had 4 TD. Lol. Whatever. Next.
WR: D.J. Moore, T-WR30 (13 Points).
Moore and the Bears sucked and Moore got some garbage time points including a meaningless touchdown against the Chiefs second-teamers. Again, whatever.
TE: Hunter Henry, T-TE28 (3 Points).
Henry disappointed for the first time this season. Hooray!
I’m a harsh critic of myself, but I’d say I went 3/9 (33.3%) last week, and have a 11/25 (44.0%) total on the year.
So now, heading into Week 4, I’m hoping for a bounce back week. Here’s my advice:
Start ‘Ems (Who you should START this week)
QB: Brock Purdy, San Francisco
Purdy has been solid so far, seamlessly leading this stacked Niners team to Ws. This week I think he kicks it into fantasy overdrive and delivers a few TDs to Aiyuk and Kittle. Start him!
RB: D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia
It feels nuts to say, but D’Andre Swift has sustained fantasy upside?? The league’s second best in rushing yards this year thus far is somehow a must start heading into what might be a tough matchup against Washington. I trust his talent and solid performances to still perform well.
WR: Tank Dell, Houston and Darius Slayton, New York N
Dell is an electric rookie for the Texans who went off last week. Some are hesitant to play an unproven option, but Dell is the real deal. The other Houston WRs, besides Nico Collins, are veterans with little impact. Dell will continue to expand his role and his chemistry with fellow rookie C.J. Stroud. Slayton on the other hand has a good chance to take advantage of a porous Seahawks defense and stretch the field, which the Giants desperately need. This is a last-ditch play if you need it but it’s a shot I’d be willing to take.
TE: Cole Kmet, Chicago
It is so hard to trust Da Bears because they suck. But in a must-win, wake up game for Fields and Co., I think he consistently finds his favorite target from last season. If you need a fill in for the week, Kmet may be floating on waivers, as he’s available in 46% of Yahoo leagues, and he is just waiting to be inserted into your lineup.
Sit ‘Ems (Who you should SIT this week)
QB: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
The Jags have been super disappointing after last year’s explosion. Lawrence has not been bad at all. He has been making a lot of great throws, but his WRs have been historically bad and un-clutch. Lawrence has a tough matchup too in London against Atlanta’s restructured defense. Give him a breather on your bench this week.
RB: Breece Hall, New York A
Hall is in a weird spot right now. In Week 1 he was electric, and then the last two weeks he has been the exact opposite. If you’re in need of a RB2/FLEX, I would just look the other way. The exciting sophomore has not built enough of a role to be trusted yet, especially against a good Chiefs defense on SNF.
WR: Skyy Moore, Kansas City, and Deandre Hopkins, Tennessee
Moore draws a difficult start against the Jets, and given the very unclear breakdown of Chiefs’ pass catchers, I would opt for a different start at WR2/WR3/FLEX for your team this week. Additionally, Deandre Hopkins is someone else I’d sit. Hopkins might be a tough player to replace in your lineup, but it has to be done. Hopkins has been so-so in Tennessee from a fantasy standpoint, and the Titans are struggling to move the ball. Against a solid Bengals team hungry for success, Hopkins should find your bench.
TE: Jake Ferguson, Dallas
I am actually really excited about Jake Ferguson. This mini-breakout was something I had been predicting all off-season. But against a dynamite Patriots defense, I can not in good faith tell you to start Ferguson. Many people picked him up in the last week or two and are excited by his development; you wanna start him, right? Wait it out until he gets a more favorable matchup.
Thank you for tuning in. If you have requests for next edition, email me at [email protected]. Good luck this week to all!
