As we pass the halfway point of the fantasy football regular season, it's crucial to utilize all the information available to make the right decisions. This is the time of year where contenders separate themselves from the pretenders, and making the correct sit/start decisions goes a long way toward securing a spot in the fantasy playoffs.
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DEFENSIVE LINE
START: DI KENNY CLARK, GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. ARIZONA CARDINALS
Benching top-tier talent at the defensive tackle position because of a few “down weeks” is a good way to miss out on the rare big games from the position. Interior defenders like Clark are among the most volatile commodities in IDP — even Aaron Donald is not immune to a down week, as we saw in Week 7. But sticking with the talent will lead to better results than trying to chase points from less trustworthy options.
If you abandoned Clark after a couple down weeks in Weeks 4 and 5, then you missed out on a two-sack performance in Week 6. Now, coming off arguably his best pass-rushing day of the season, we don’t want to miss another potential big game in Week 8. Clark put up a season-high seven pressures in Week 6 against one of the best pass-blocking units in the NFL in Washington, earning a 77.0 pass-rush grade for his efforts. Clark now has 29 pressures on the season — second among all interior defenders and just five behind Donald.
While the Cardinals rank among the top-10 in pass-blocking grade so far this season (68.8), Kyler Murray leads all quarterbacks in sacks where the quarterback is at fault (8). Clark should also have plenty of opportunities lined up against Cardinals starting right guard Josh Jones, who owns just a 43.9 pass-blocking grade on the year and is coming off a season-low 15.4 pass-blocking grade against the Texans in Week 7. Start Clark with confidence in Week 8, and not just because the defensive tackle position doesn’t provide many better options.
SIT: ED JASON PIERRE-PAUL, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
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