NFL Week 1 fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em

San Francisco 49ers QB Trey Lance should get off to a great start against a rebuilding Bears defense.
New York Jets rookie RB Breece Hall should eventually become a fantasy starter, just not in Week 1.
The Philadelphia Eagles pass offense should have a big day against the Lions, which includes DeVonta Smith seeing enough big plays to start him.

Deciding who to start or sit can be as easy as looking at the PFF rankings and starting the player ranked higher. This start’em, sit’em column digs a step deeper, looking into why someone you might typically start might not have a good week, or why someone overlooked might have a good week. In many cases, it’s the usual starters who should star, but we want to explore the borderline players too.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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QUARTERBACKS

START

TREY LANCE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Lance is facing a Bears defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season.
He is tied for the most projected rushing TDs by a quarterback at 0.5.
He averaged 9.6 yards per attempt last season without pressure, 4.8 yards per attempt with pressure.
The Bears' 231 pressures last season were third-fewest among all teams.
Chicago lost four of their seven players who produced double-digit pressures last season.

JOE BURROW, CINCINNATI BENGALS

He is reportedly good to go at 100% after rupturing his appendix in July.
Burrow is projected to finish among the top six in passing yards and passing touchdowns this week.
He scored five touchdowns in his two games against the Steelers last season, finishing QB10 and QB15 in those games.
When Burrow was under pressure against the Steelers, he completed one pass to a Bengal, two interceptions to Steelers and was sacked twice.
The Bengals offensive line is arguably the most improved heading into the offseason.