Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Opening Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions to Consider

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is already underway. With two games in the books, some fantasy managers may be looking to make up ground over the rest of the week.

Of course, picking the right lineups in Week 1 is always a challenge. Teams won't be exactly the same as they were the previous year, and some players may face entirely new roles. Managers can, however, make educated decisions by dissecting offseason changes, past performances and projected roles.

With these factors in mind, let's examine some of the best and worst plays for the remainder of the Week 1 schedule. All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions will host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in what should be one of the most fun games of the Week. Fans will get to see quarterbacks Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford face off against their former teams.

While both signal-callers should be viable starting options in Week 1, Goff is one of our favorite plays of the opening schedule. He still has a terrific group of pass-catchers—one that includes Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta—and a matchup against a suspect Rams secondary.

Los Angeles allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks last season, and it's dealing with injuries at cornerback. Derion Kendrick is out for the year with a torn ACL, while Darious Williams recently landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Expect Goff to put up big numbers in what very well could be an offensive track meet.

Sit: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Like Goff, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is a solid mid-level fantasy option who is best suited for a streaming role.

Purdy, who passed for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, is worth playing in favorable matchups and worth avoiding in bad ones. The New York Jets won't provide Purdy with an enticing matchup on Monday night.

The Jets' struggles in 2023 largely overshadowed the fact that they had a terrific defense. Only the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and New York is unlikely to be more vulnerable in 2024.

The 49ers also have some significant offensive question marks with receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams only recently ending their respective contract holdouts. San Francisco may not have the cleanest operation on Monday, and this is likely to be a defensive battle anyway.

Start: James Cook, Buffalo Bills

There are several reasons to love Buffalo Bills running back James Cook in Week 1. For starters, he's a capable dual-threat back who is likely to carry a high PPR floor into most matchups.

Secondly, the Bills may rely heavily on Cook early in the season. Buffalo has a new-look receiving corps, and if quarterback Josh Allen isn't quite comfortable with new targets like Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Keon Coleman, he'll likely turn to his backfield outlet quickly.

Lastly, the visiting Arizona Cardinals are carrying one of the league's more underwhelming defenses into the matchup.

Arizona allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs last season and it has some injury concerns along its defensive front. B.J. Ojulari is out for the year with a torn ACL, while rookie first-round pick Darius Robinson has been battling a calf injury.

Sit: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Like Cook, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is a solid dual-threat player who should provide a reasonable PPR floor in Week 1. However, he's a far riskier play than his Buffalo counterpart for a couple of reasons.

For one, it's too early to know exactly how new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith plans to split the backfield load between Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris was the starter last season, but Warren proved to be the more explosive back.

Warren also had just 51 fewer scrimmage yards than Harris despite seeing 74 fewer touches.

This week, the Steelers will be on the road against a very good Atlanta Falcons defense. Atlanta allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs last season and should see a decline under new head coach Raheem Morris.

Start: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Though he wasn't an elite fantasy receiver last season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans was consistently a starting-caliber option. He finished the year with 1,255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, and he rarely had disappointing weeks.

Of his 17 games in 2023, Evans either recorded four-plus receptions, 50-plus yards or a touchdown in 14 of them.

Evens is a must-start this week against the visiting Washington Commanders. Washington did little to upgrade one of the league's worst secondaries during the offseason and should again be susceptible to opposing receivers—only the Philadelphia Eagles allowed more fantasy points to the position last year.

The Commanders should also have an improved offense with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in the fold. That could lead to some offensive back-and-forth, which would give Evan repeated opportunities to make plays.

Sit: Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper was very similar to Evans in 2023. He wasn't an upper-echelon fantasy receiver, but it was usually hard to justify keeping him on the bench.

Cooper finished with 1,250 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

However, Week 1 is one of the rare matchups in which it's worth sitting Cooper. The Dallas Cowboys allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers last season, and Cooper is likely to regularly face Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs on Sunday.

The other issue for Cooper is that Cleveland's offense could see some significant growing pains in Week 1. Quarterback Deshaun Watson didn't see the field in the preseason, and the Browns have big questions at offensive tackle—Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones all suffered season-ending injuries in 2023.

It'll be hard for Cleveland to generate any big plays against Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and the Dallas pass rush.

Start: Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks

Managers who didn't secure top fantasy tight ends like LaPorta and Travis Kelce may face weekly decisions involving mid-level starters like Noah Fant of the Seattle Seahawks.

Fant, who had only 414 receiving yards and no touchdowns last season, is far from a weekly must-start. However, he's a decent streaming option in the right matchup. The visiting Denver Broncos will provide a matchup that favors Fant in Week 1.

Denver allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends last season, and they parted with standout safety Justin Simmons this offseason. The Broncos do have a standout cornerback in Patrick Surtain II, who may limit top Seattle receiver DK Metcalf.

Fant is still a bit of a gamble in Week 1 because we don't know exactly how he'll be used by new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. It's worth noting, however, that Washington Huskies tight end Jack Westover ranked third on the team with 46 receptions under Grubb last season.

Sit: Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton was another matchup-dependent streaming option in 2023. This week, however, is not an ideal matchup for him.

The Buccaneers are likely to attack Washington's suspect secondary instead of regularly feeding the ball to their tight end. It was a strategy many teams used against the Commanders last season, which led to them allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

While Washington didn't do much to address its secondary, it did add linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu in free agency.

Managers who have Otten rostered as a potential 2024 streamer should look elsewhere in Week 1.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.