*nice old man voice* Hello, and welcome to Football Absurdity. You are reading the first installment of Big Daddy Drix’s 2023 Start/Sit Spectacular. We truly hope you enjoy this series! Here is a primer on what to expect in these articles:
- QBs outside the top 12 in FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) that I have ranked inside the top 12 are labeled as “Starts”. Conversely, QBs inside the top 12 in ECR that I have ranked outside the top 12 are labeled as “Sits”. This will work the same way for TEs.
- For RBs and WRs, the cutoff is top 24.
- As a result of these rules, sometimes you will get a bunch of players at a certain position and sometimes you may only get one or two.
- Also, there will be a little blurb underneath each start of the week and sit of the week that will presumably be about the player listed. Maybe I’ll go off on a tangent about something else though, you can never be quite sure.
- If there is more than one player in a category, the others will be listed in a separate section.
- In future installments of this series, there will be an actual intro. I’m not just going to dive right into the starts and sits without some sort of greeting, that seems rude.
QB START OF THE WEEK: Daniel Jones, NYG vs. DAL (ECR: 14, my rank: 12)
Jones threw for more yards on average in his two matchups with Dallas than his season-long average. He also pitched in 45.5 yards per game on the ground against the Cowboys, a defense that looks great on paper but is prone to giving up big plays.
QB SIT OF THE WEEK: Dak Prescott, DAL @ NYG (ECR: 12, my rank: 14)
This one is simple: I think Brian Schottenheimer is a very poor offensive coordinator, and therefore I expect Dallas to struggle offensively until Schotty’s influence is reduced. The Giants are also a fairly strong defense that is familiar with Prescott and will vary their looks to keep him guessing.
OTHER QB SITS:
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA @ LAC (ECR: 9, my rank: 13)
RB START OF THE WEEK: Khalil Herbert, CHI vs. GB (ECR: 32, my rank: 23)
He’s the starting running back on a team that likes to run the football. He is also good (5.7 yards per carry on 129 attempts in 2022) and faces a below-average Green Bay run defense. I am starting Herbert over AJ Dillon and Jerick McKinnon in my home league.
OTHER RB STARTS:
D’Andre Swift, PHI @ NE (ECR: 33, my rank: 22)
Jamaal Williams, NO vs. TEN (ECR: 28, my rank: 24)
RB SIT OF THE WEEK: Rachaad White, TB @ MIN (ECR: 18, my rank: 31)
Oh, brother, this guy stinks! White averaged less than 4 yards per carry and less than 6 yards per reception last season. He is not explosive whatsoever, is a less effective pass catcher than Chase Edmonds, and projects as a less efficient runner than rookie UDFA Sean Tucker. Yes, he’s the projected starter and he caught a lot of passes last season, but White’s results are simply not good enough to be a lead back. I believe his usage will reflect that.
OTHER RB SITS:
Cam Akers, LAR @ SEA (ECR: 20, my rank: 25)
James Cook, BUF @ NYJ (ECR: 24, my rank: 30)
WR START OF THE WEEK: Mike Williams, LAC vs. MIA (ECR: 26, my rank: 21)
Some people call this man Mike “1,000 and 10” Williams, and you’re hearing it more and more folks, and I think you’re going to love what we see from Mike this season. Fantasy managers come up to me and they’re crying, and they tell me “Drix, thank you for your Mike Williams evangelism. No one is doing it like you.” And I tell them they’re right, and you’re welcome.
OTHER WR STARTS:
Christian Kirk, JAX @ IND (ECR: 30, my rank: 23)
WR SIT OF THE WEEK: Deebo Samuel, SF @ PIT (ECR: 20, my rank: 25)
The weather for this game is projected to be nasty. Pittsburgh’s defense is also capable of being nasty, as are Brock Purdy’s throws. Combine these factors and you’re left with a game script that doesn’t favor the wide receivers. Besides, I named Samuel as my biggest bust of the season, so I have to stick to my guns.
OTHER WR SITS:
Chris Godwin, TB @ MIN (ECR: 19, my rank: 27)
TE START OF THE WEEK: Gerald Everett, LAC vs. MIA (ECR: 14, my rank: 11)
Can you tell I’m high on the Chargers offense? Everett has a fantastic matchup against a Dolphins defense that does not cover tight ends well. He also had good underlying numbers last season and got a significant improvement at offensive coordinator when Kellen Moore replaced nepo baby Joe Lombardi. Everett will be playable often this season, and he should be in your lineups week 1.
OTHER TE STARTS:
Greg Dulcich, DEN vs. LV (ECR: 17, my rank: 12)
TE SIT OF THE WEEK: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN @ NO (ECR: 12, my rank: 18)
I hate this. It hurts my soul deeply. Chig is an incredibly fun player to watch, but he has a truly awful matchup against the Saints this week. New Orleans is more vulnerable on the outside than up the middle, which will limit Okonkwo’s opportunities in the open field. Don’t drop him, but you shouldn’t start Chig this week either.
OTHER TE SITS:
Dalton Schultz, HOU @ BAL (ECR: 11, my rank: 16)
[Header Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Daniel_Jones_vs_Washington_2020.jpg under CC BY SA 2.0]
