• Start Bo Nix: The Denver Broncos rookie has been a consistent fantasy starter over the past two months, and the matchup with the Cleveland Browns won’t be enough to slow him down.
• Sit DeAndre Hopkins: From a fantasy perspective, the Kansas City Chiefs have rotated their receivers too much to count on Hopkins each week.
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Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
Deciding who to start or sit in fantasy football can be as simple as checking PFF's rankings and choosing the higher-ranked player. This start-sit column goes a step further, examining why a typical starter might struggle in a given week or why an overlooked player could perform well. While usual starters often remain the best choices, we also focus on those borderline players worth considering.
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QUARTERBACKS
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Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Nix endured a slow start to the season, but since Week 5, he’s averaged 21.3 fantasy points per game, ranking fourth among quarterbacks. He ranks in the top six in passing and rushing attempts for quarterbacks in that span. Along with his excellent volume, his 83.3 PFF overall grade places eighth at the position.
The Broncos face the Cleveland Browns this week. Cleveland has the third-highest team pass-rush grade and the second-worst team coverage grade. Most of their pressure comes from Myles Garrett, who boasts the highest PFF pass-rush grade this season among healthy edge defenders. Luckily for Nix, he almost always lines up on the defense’s right side, placing him against Garett Bolles. Bolles has the third-highest PFF pass-blocking grade among tackles this season.
While Garrett will inevitably put some pressure on Nix, leading to a few lower-quality throws, that heat should also produce a higher scramble rate for Nix. He scrambles on 13% of his dropbacks when under pressure compared to 5% without pressure. From a fantasy perspective, this should allow Nix to fare better than the average quarterback against the Browns' defense.
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