Welcome back, readers! I am happy to return for a second year as The Sporting Tribune's fantasy football analyst. If you are new here, my mission is to help fantasy managers with any dilemmas or questions they may have through the course of the season to ultimately win their leagues. For the next 17 weeks, I will produce weekly fantasy content that will go over the waiver wire, rankings, and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em columns.
Being a fantasy manager often means having to make difficult roster decisions, but I aim to take some of the guesswork out of it with my Start 'Em and Sit 'Em column for every position. It goes without saying that I won't include obvious calls like "start Trey McBride" or "sit Tommy DeVito." Instead, I search for players who be could be perceived as fringe but have the upside to propel your lineups to weekly wins.
As always, if you have any questions or don't see your players on here, feel free to follow me on Twitter (X) – @JamesNewell96 and send me a message, where I typically respond in a timely manner.
Start 'Em
D'Andre Swift @ CAR (Projected FPTS - 13.1): Both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai deal with nagging injuries, but it's anticipated Swift will lead the backfield while Monangai finds his rhythm after missing a couple weeks of practice. Finishing as RB14 from the previous season, Swift has a relatively friendly matchup against the Panthers, who allowed 16 touchdowns and the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing RBs in 2025.
Jaylen Warren/Rico Dowdle vs. ATL (Projected FPTS - 11.3 / 10.7): The Steelers' most recent depth chart has Jaylen Warren as the team's RB1 with Rico Dowdle as the backup. While the split in carries is to be determined, I see Warren mainly as the third-down back with Dowdle taking the bulk of the carries. In any case, I see both RBs getting their fair share of work with a high opportunity to find the end zone against the Falcons in Week One. Atlanta's defense finished last season middle of the road in stopping the run, but they'll enter the season opener without a couple of their starters on the defensive line.
Tony Pollard vs. NYJ (Projected FPTS - 11.2): Historically, I usually encourage fantasy managers to avoid starting Tony Pollard. But if there was ever a more perfect matchup to plug him in, it would be this week against the Jets. A miserable franchise the year prior, the Jets surrendered the second-most touchdowns and the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. They also allowed the second-most rush yards after contact and the fifth-most explosive runs to the position. New York gave up 16 or more fantasy points to nine different RBs during their final eight games of last season. This all should equal a solid performance for Pollard.
Sit 'Em
Chuba Hubbard/Jonathon Brooks vs. CHI (Projected FPTS - 10.5 / 8.4): While Chicago was shaky at stopping opposing running attacks last season, I am not in favor of starting either Panthers back. Hubbard will enter Week One having missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, and Brooks hasn't participated in practice this week due to "general soreness." With health being a main reason to steer away, I would also hold off on starting either player until we see Carolina's plan for handling the committee.
Jeremiyah Love @ LAC (Projected FPTS - 11.6): It was a tough decision to put Love in my Sit 'Em category. This will likely be the only time I have him in this spot for the entire season. The reason isn't because I don't believe in his potential transcendent talent, but rather the matchup at hand. The Chargers last season surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points and the ninth-fewest rushing yards to the position. Los Angeles also gave up the sixth-fewest receptions and seventh-fewest receiving yards, and didn't allow a single receiving touchdown to opposing RBs. Additionally, Arizona has Love listed as the team's RB2 behind Tyler Allgeier, who signed during the offseason after backing up Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. With the uncertainty around the number of snaps he'll see this early in his career, together with the opponent, I would avoid starting Love, for at least this week.
MarShawn Lloyd @ MIN (Projected FPTS - 10.5): Fantasy managers should be thrilled to have Lloyd, presuming he will hold onto the Packers' starting running back job while Josh Jacobs sits on the Commissioner's Exempt List for the time being. However, I don't feel comfortable starting the former USC product in Week One against Minnesota. In situations like this, I would want to wait at least one week to see how the team will handle the workload in the running back room with Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson. The Vikings are definitely a team that can be attacked on the ground, but it is unclear how Matt LaFleur will approach the split in carries.