• Start Chase Brown: The Cincinnati Bengals running back has been one of the most explosive runners in the NFL this season, and the Bengals could run a lot this week.
• Sit Caleb Williams: While the Chicago Bears rookie has played better in recent weeks and has a good matchup on the surface, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense should fare well against Williams.
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Estimated Reading Time: 14 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
START
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fields is off to a great start this season. His 18.1 fantasy points per game rank 11th among quarterbacks, and his 44 rushing attempts rank third most at the position. He has also improved as a passer, with his 73.0 PFF passing grade placing 12th as the highest mark of his NFL career.
Fields has excelled over the past two seasons against man defenses. He has an 8.6% big-time throw rate compared to a 1.8% turnover-worthy throw rate against man. His 11.1-yard average depth of target against man means he’s likely to attack the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense. The Raiders deploy man coverage at the eighth-highest rate in the NFL. They’ve allowed a catch on 53.7% of deep and intermediate passes against — the seventh-highest rate in the NFL. Las Vegas has also forced an incompletion on such plays only 11.1% of the time (eighth lowest).
Fields has the best matchup of the week, according to PFF’s strength of schedule tool. He should be able to make multiple big plays in the passing game, which is also good news for wide receiver George Pickens.
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