Each Friday, Mike Johnson tackles lineup and trade dilemmas pulled from the OWS X. Real questions, real context, and actionable advice to guide you through the toughest calls of the week.
Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Ja’Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!
I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!
Question 1 :: Start two (PPR): Jaylen Warren, Calvin Ridley, Travis Hunter, or Jordan Mason? (PSUBALTFAN)
Answer:: I would say lock in Ridley for his home opener and a matchup he should find more room in than last week in Denver. Then, I am going to say no to Mason first, as it is a full-PPR league and the team seems likely to use Aaron Jones for most of the RB receiving work. The Falcons’ run defense also looked solid last week, so it isn’t a spot that screams high efficiency for Mason. Travis Hunter is tempting facing the Bengals, but it is hard to trust the role after his coach said he would play more defense this week. Warren showed his versatility last week and clearly has Aaron Rodgers’ trust, but he’s also working in a timeshare. Ultimately I think it is a coin flip between Hunter and Warren, with the state of your team and matchup being the deciding factor. Hunter has the higher upside, and if you think you might need a ceiling performance from that spot to pull off the victory, go with him. If you just need a solid outing, Warren might be your guy.
Question 2 :: Start two (PPR): Jaylen Waddle, Garrett Wilson, Tetairoa McMillan, & Emeka Egbuka (Brooks Truck)
Answer :: Waddle is his team’s third option and battling a shoulder injury while they struggle to get things going. I will eliminate him to start. Wilson is going to have a massive target share this year and this is a game that is likely to be low-scoring or have the Jets playing from behind…. let’s pencil him in. For the last spot, we have McMillan or Egbuka. The way McMillan was deployed in Week 1, he will have tough matchups with the Cardinals boundary corners this week and Egbuka should be busy again in a game where the Bucs may struggle to get their running game going. I’d say go with Wilson and Egbuka.
Question 3 :: I was wondering your take on who to start in my 2 Flex spots (PPR, 12-man league): Juwan Johnson, Kyle Pitts, Xavier Legette, Darnell Mooney, Rhamondre Stevenson (Bebo30)
