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 that could be perceived as fringe that could propel your lineups for weekly wins.
As always, if you have any questions or don't see your players 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
Cam Skattebo vs. NO (Projected FPTS – 13.6): Skattebo’s fantasy relevance has dropped significantly since Jaxson Dart’s injury. He’s had three single-digit performances and has not had a finish inside the top 15 at his position. You can point to the lack of broken tackles or his explosive run rates, but he’ll have an opportunity to get right in Week Six against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed the most rushing yards per game (133.4) and a 48.9 percent run success rate. They’ve given up the third-most yards after contact per carry (3.8), and through five games, seven opposing running backs have reached double-digit fantasy points (five have scored 17-plus).
Jaylen Warren @ TB (Projected FPTS – 17.0): Over the last three weeks, Warren has played like a top-five running back, scoring a combined 73 fantasy points and receiving almost a 50 percent touch share. It’s expected that Rico Dowdle will return to the lineup this week, but head coach Mike McCarthy has said Warren has earned the workhorse role. The Steelers will take on the Buccaneers on the road, and on paper, the matchup isn’t too favorable for RBs. Tampa Bay has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position, but Warren has been too elite to sit and should be started.
Rhamondre Stevenson vs. NYJ (Projected FPTS – 15.8): Stevenson is coming off his two best fantasy outings of the season. Teammate TreVeyon Henderson left their last game with an ankle injury, which will give Stevenson more opportunities. With that in his favor, Stevenson will face the Jets, who allowed Jahmyr Gibbs and Kyle Monangai to steamroll them over the past few weeks. Expect the Patriots’ lead back to finish in the high-end RB2 range.
Honorable Mentions: Javonte Williams @ GB; Emanuel Wilson @ DEN; Braelon Allen @ NE; D’Andre Swift @ ATL; MarShawn Lloyd vs. DAL; Ashton Jeanty vs. BUF; Jacory Croskey-Merritt @ SF.
Sit ’Em
Jeremiyah Love vs. LAR (Projected FPTS – 12.0): Love’s production this season has been concerning for fantasy. Not only is he losing snaps and touches to Tyler Allgeier in the Cardinals’ backfield, but he’s averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Over the last two weeks, he’s combined for 8.7 fantasy points, and he’s been held to eight points or fewer in three of his last four games. This week the rookie takes on the Rams, who are stingy against running backs. Only two RBs this season (Christian McCaffrey and James Cook) have eclipsed 13.8 fantasy points against them. Until Love can build some consistency and stay healthy, I would avoid starting him.
Bhayshul Tuten vs. HOU (Projected FPTS – 12.2): Despite the lack of touchdowns on his stat line, Tuten has been very efficient in his first year as the Jaguars’ starting back. The lack of touchdowns is a little concerning and hurts his fantasy ceiling, but that alone isn’t a reason to bench him. However, this week Tuten will face the Texans, who’ve allowed the fourth-lowest explosive run rate and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. That is something worth worrying about. If you have another option at RB, or if he’s your usual flex, I would go with a different choice.
J.K. Dobbins vs. SEA (Projected FPTS – 8.9): Dobbins is coming off a season-best 15.4 fantasy points in a revenge game against the Chargers. With that, it’s time to take Dobbins back to the bench, because he will not replicate a game like that for a while. Besides his most recent game, he’s combined for 20.5 fantasy points in the other four games this season. He also lacks any sort of pass-catching opportunities with RJ Harvey in the fold. He has a tough matchup this week against the Seahawks, who’ve allowed just one running back to go over 14.5 fantasy points and opposing backs to rush for only 3.6 yards per carry.
Lowlights: Bucky Irving vs. PIT; Omarion Hampton @ KC; Tyler Allgeier vs. LAR; Alvin Kamara @ NYG; Woody Marks @ JAX; Quinshon Judkins vs. BAL; Tony Pollard @ IND.