Welcome to Fantasy Life's Start/Sit column, where John Laghezza and Gene Clemons dig deep with non-obvious, outside-the-box lineup advice. John's a numbers guy, Gene is a literal football coach — what more could you ask for?

Dive fully into the data behind your biggest start/sit dilemmas with our Start/Sit Tool, giving you player vs. player comparisons and judgments on who the best start is!

RBs To Start: Tyler Allgeier, Miles Sanders… and more

Using a weighted mix of over a dozen different advanced stats on each side of the balI, I reverse-power-ranked every defense in the league — all to point fantasy gamers of any league size toward the right start/sit answers this weekend.

1. Falcons (at SEA) — Atlanta’s boasting one of the best RB tandems in the game today and those traits should be on full display again this weekend. Seattle’s run-stoppers have played small so far, one of only two teams to allow +5.0 yards/rush, +1.8 yards before contact/rush, and seven +20-yard carries on the season. Bijan Robinson’s a weekly no-brainer but you can go back to the well with Tyler Allgeier this Sunday, too.
2. Panthers (at WAS) — Jayden Daniels and the Commanders continue acting as a true gift to fantasy football — from all sides. Washington’s interior D struggles to stop the run, and now could be without as many as three starting DEs. Expect Carolina’s scheme to feature the ground game so the defense can stay rested against a highly efficient WAS offense. Chuba Hubbard is ascending to RB1 status, in line for a third top-5 RB finish this season — and the deepest leaguers may even consider Miles Sanders as a desperation play.
3. Broncos (at NO) — New Orleans has allowed over 100 points in just three weeks on the back of one of the NFL’s worst rush defenses. Over the last month, these Saints rank 30th or worse in rush yards (169), yards/rush (5.9), yards before (2.8) and after (3.2) contact per rush, +20-yard carries, and rushing TDs. Blow the dust off Javonte Williams for a Week 7 start.

QBs/WRs/TEs: “Start DeMario Douglas aggressively”

1. Patriots (at JAC) — Drake Maye shined at points in his debut against a very tough HOU defense, instantly elevating multiple pass catchers into fantasy viability. This one’s especially fun because Patriot WRs remain widely available. Start DeMario Douglas aggressively. He could be a universally rostered must-start by Monday — the Jaguars' pass defense sits dead last in passing yards allowed and defensive EPA/dropback.
2. Buccaneers (vs BAL) — Get your popcorn, the circus is coming to town. Only three teams played to a combined average game score of 53, and two of them clash Sunday in Baltimore. Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin were always must-starts — but this is the week to reach deeper in the pantry for Cade Otton and Sterling Shepard.
3. Broncos (at NO) — I rattled off some of the awful Saints defensive stats but it doesn’t stop with the front-seven. New Orleans allowed three +310 yard passers in four games and their bottom-5 tackle rate has directly led to a league-worst 7.2 yards after catch per reception. Courtland Sutton needs to start just about everywhere but my sneakiest deep FLEX start’s Devaughn Vele.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Start Tyrone Tracy Jr. RB, Giants

Sometimes when you're looking for a player to start and you have limited options in a deep league, you must be willing to charge directly into the belly of the beast. That’s what starting Tyrone Tracy Jr. against the Eagles represents. Not because the Eagles defense has been lights out this year — but because of all of the things that surround this game: the return of Saquon Barkley, the Eagles needing to establish dominance in the NFC East, and the recent news that the team will be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury. 

Ask yourself a question — of all of the fringe starters you have on your roster, who has the best chance to cobble together a decent fantasy game regardless of the game script? Tracy brings value as a runner and pass receiver and if you are in a PPR — or even half-PPR format — his upside could be tremendous. Take a look at last week, he only rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown but he added six catches for 57 yards. That 16 points in a standard league is good but the 19.7 in half-PPR and the 22.7 in full PPR is even better. Even if you took away the touchdown, he still scored double digits. 

If you loaded up on receivers early this draft season, you're learning a hard truth: running back depth is sparse. If you have Tracy, you picked him up off waivers, so the fact that he is even a fringe starter is a positive for your team. On paper this is a favorable matchup. The Eagles are allowing 146 yards on the ground and even if Devin Singletary returns, Tracy's work in the previous two games should have carved out a role in the Giants offense. Yes this looks like a game with crazy circumstances, but these are the types of games that produce the most interesting results. Tracy could go out and stand toe to toe with Barkley. That would make for a memorable performance. 

Avoid These RBs

1. Buccaneers (vs BAL) — Baltimore’s a combination of all the worst traits to have to run against. First, the actual run defense suffocates their opposition, ranking top-3 in defensive rush EPA/play, rush yards allowed, yards/rush, yards before contact/rush, and success rate. Then you have Lamar Jackson on the other side of the ball scoring nearly 30 points a game, accelerating game scripts. Fantasy gamers will mostly be starting Bucky Irving (and maybe even Sean Tucker) after Sunday’s breakout — but I’m looking elsewhere wherever possible.
2. Lions (vs MIN) — Detroit’s checking a lot of the same boxes as Baltimore. The Lions do a great job clogging running lanes and the offense does the rest. I’m not sure what’s more impressive, the fact that only Kenneth Walker reached 80 rushing yards (no one else over 50) or that not a single RB posted a dozen carries since Kyren Williams in Week 1. I know very few gamers can afford to sit David Montgomery or Jahmyr Gibbs but there’s been two separate weeks neither finished top-12 at the position and Sunday could make it three.
3. Steelers (vs NYJ) — Najee Harris finally rewarded fantasy gamers after breaking the league’s longest active carry:TD drought — but it may be time to quit while you’re ahead. NYJ’s run D ran a month-long stretch of dominance, number one in yards/carry and defensive rush EPA/play. Yes, Gang Green looked a little sketchy against the Bills at times but I think that's a function of accounting for Josh Allen. Now Pittsburgh’s preparing us for the debut of Russell Wilson. Yay. Sit Najee Harris if possible and Jaylen Warren everywhere else.

Avoid These QBs/WR/TEs

1. Steelers (vs NYJ) — Josh Allen just marked the first QB to throw for multiple TDs against the Jets, who have yet to allow a single opposing QB pass for over 231 yards. And we’re getting Russell Wilson managing an Arthur Smith offense averaging 167 yards through the air? No thanks, I’d like to wait and be surprised before starting anyone in black and yellow this weekend. Sit George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth if you can find a league-average replacement.
2. Colts (vs MIA) — Miami’s defense remains their last redeeming quality right now and frankly this unit’s undersung — a good example of where defensive scoring stats can mislead. This MIA offense sans-Tua creates too many short fields to weigh points too heavily. From a rate standpoint, the Fins sit top-3 in pressure rate, passing yards allowed/game, snaps/splash play, and +20-yard completions. Plus Indy struggled to throw with Anthony Richardson under center, making the Colts’ pass catchers too volatile and prone to bust this weekend. Sit Michael Pittman and Josh Downs if you can.
3. Saints (vs DEN) — Even though I just finished a pretty encouraging video thread on rookie QB Spencer Rattler, this has disaster written all over it. Not only will New Orleans be missing superstar WR Chris Olave but now breakout WR Rashid Shaheed’s set to miss significant time for knee surgery. The Broncos defense would’ve been in a good spot anyway but now it could get ugly. Sit all your Saints.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Sit Alvin Kamara RB, Saints

The entire Broncos defense has played lights out all season. The Broncos have managed to produce a 3-3 record even with Bo Nix cosplaying as a bargain basement Tim Tebow. Compound that with the fact that the Saints' two top receivers will likely miss the game — and tell me where the Broncos defensive attention will be placed. You guessed it, Kamara. 

If I can guess what their thinking is, Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson do not strike fear in their hearts but they know they need to account for Kamara. Expect multiple defenders to be focused on him throughout the game. If the Saints are going to have success it will not be because Kamara is lighting it up. That would almost be a fireable offense. Who is the other explosive element left for a rookie quarterback to throw the ball to? Exactly. If you have other options, if you can afford to do it, then you should let Kamara sit this one out. 

John's Parting Thought: Let’s Go To The Circus

Simply put, winning weekly fantasy matchups is all about attaching yourself to the highest scoring games. Check out this beauty (you may have to zoom in a little):

When I’m in a pinch this is my favorite image when in need of a thousand words. I charted the entire league’s points scored with points allowed for a simple reference:

Gene’s Parting Thought 

Always remember that the touchdown is king in any fantasy format and as much as we try, touchdowns are not predictable. If you think about my bold prediction, start, and sit from last week it perfectly illustrates my point. My bold prediction was to start Mark Andrews. Thanks to a 13-yard passing touchdown, he finished TE3 in standard and half-PPR formats and TE6 in full PPR. My bold prediction was to sit Terry McLaurin and it was not a bad idea. He finished the game with six receptions for 53 yards. The problem is two of those receptions were a six-yard touchdown and a seven-yard touchdown. That changes the entire perception of his performance. These are the small margins involved in bold predictions. Enjoy the carnage!