I’m so happy to have fantasy football back!

We have a fantastic class of rookie quarterbacks, and a handful will start for their teams in Week 1. There are plenty of new faces starting across the league, so make sure to study all the rosters and depth charts before finalizing your lineups this week.

The Baltimore Ravens travel to the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the season on Thursday Night Football.

Which sleepers are you targeting this season?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

• QB C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans) – Stroud has a corps of talented receivers, and adding WR Stefon Diggs was a very underrated move. Stroud faces the Colts, who will have a load of young players in the secondary.
• WR Andrei Iosivas (Cincinnati Bengals) – It looks like WR Ja’Marr Chase could miss the season opener against New England. WR Tee Higgins will get increased targets, but Iosivas will see more snaps as well. I think he’s an incredibly talented receiver.
• TE Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons) – Injuries, and below-average quarterback play, should have killed Pitts fantasy value. We still think he can go, and will be an instant weapon for new Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
• RB De’Von Achane (Miami Dolphins) – I expect a big leap from Achane this year. Teammate RB Rasheem Mostert vultured some touchdowns away from him last year, but I still like Achane’s talent. I think he will have a successful outing against Jacksonville.
• QB Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) – Washington has had some studs on offense, but a bad offensive scheme and poor quarterback talent. Daniels was amazing at LSU, and I love the addition of veteran RB Austin Ekeler. He’s a dual threat and can rack up unorthodox numbers in fantasy.
• Dallas Cowboys Defense & Special Teams – Dallas travels to Cleveland on Sunday, and I’m not sold on the Browns offense. I expect a few interceptions from the Cowboys ball-hawking secondary.
• WR Cooper Kupp (Los Angeles Rams) – I realize that sophomore wide receiver Puka Nacua is the ‘sexy’ receiver for the Rams, but Kupp is the guy who will get your fantasy team a win. He’s going to get the volume to be a factor every single week.
• RB Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs) – Pacheco has been in a bit of a timeshare in Kansas City. He will go from a 60/40 split to closer to 80/20 with backup RB Samaje Perine. He was already getting all the redzone touches, but now he should also get more volume elsewhere.
• TE Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) – I’m expecting a bounce-back from Arizona’s offense. QB Kyler Murray has looked good in camp, and the addition of WR Marvin Harrison Jr., should allow more single-coverage elsewhere. He should be a consistent fantasy tight end this season.
• WR Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) – The Bills had a complete turnover at wide receiver this offseason. Some people are high on WR Khalil Skakir, but I’m more intrigued by the upside of Coleman. I like his size and he has good hands, so I think he will end up being the more valuable this year.
• RB J.K. Dobbins (Los Angeles Chargers) – (Deeper Leagues Only) The Chargers offense should look much different under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. I’m expecting a balanced offense, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he even went run-heavy. Gus Edwards and Dobbins worked well together (when healthy) in Baltimore. Dobbins is so gifted, but injuries have almost derailed his career. I’m looking for him to make a big comeback in 2024.
• New Orleans Saints Defense & Special Teams – The Saints hosts the Panthers on Sunday. The Panthers offense is still very young, and I don’t expect them to be very consistent to start the season. I’m expecting the Saints to force some turnovers. and pressure Panthers QB Bryce Young into some poor decisions.
• Tank Dell (Houston Texans) – Texans WR Nico Collins is WR1 in Houston, but sophomore receiver Tank Dell looked awfully good in his injured-shortened rookie season. It wouldn’t surprise me if his situation could become WR1a & WR1b for Collins and Dell.

SIT’EM

• RB James Conner (Arizona Cardinals) – Conner is more of a touchdown-dependent running back. The Cardinals have some better weapons in the passing game, so they could look for someone else in the red zone.
• QB Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets) – Rodgers is 40 years old and hasn’t played a snap in a real game in almost exactly a calendar year. Is he better prepared coming into this season? Yes, there’s no doubt that he has a better mental preparedness, but can his body execute those gameplans? I’m expecting a rough start to open the year against the Niners.
• WR George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Pickens is a talented receiver, but I’m not sold on the Steelers quarterback situation. I’d rather them go all-in with QB Justin Fields, but starting QB Russell Wilson is a downgrade for Pickens fantasy stock.
• RB Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens) – Henry is coming off his worst rushing average season since 2017. He was inconsistent, and was stuck in a bad offense. He’s in a much better situation in Baltimore, but he’s a non-factor in the passing game. I could see RB Keaton Mitchell stealing snaps from him when he gets off the PUP list later this season.
• QB Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) – The Cowboys will need a big season from Prescott. He has a mix of aging or unproven running backs behind him. He also has some issues at receiver with star WR CeeDee Lamb missing camp due to contract dispute and WR Brandin Cooks (knee) is currently listed as questionable. The Cowboys offense could get off to a rough start against the Browns.
• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks) – Seattle took a step back last season, and many point the fingers at QB Geno Smith, and RB Kenneth Walker III falling flat in his sophomore year. I don’t expect the Seahawks to improve greatly over a year ago. Smith-Njigba is stuck at WR3 in Seattle, and Smith isn’t talented enough to carry three receivers to good fantasy seasons.
• TE Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints) – I don’t understand why people are high on Hill every, single preseason. He will have two or three very good fantasy outputs a season, but he will make you look like a fool starting him most weeks. I’d rather start his teammate TE Juwan Johnson.
• Kansas City Chiefs Defense & Special Teams – I would normally be fine starting the Chiefs DEF/ST most weeks, but they have a tall task at home against the Ravens. I’d refrain from starting them this week and go with a streaming defense in Week 1.
• TE Johnny Mundt (Minnesota Vikings) – The Vikings are going to struggle to move the ball with QB Sam Darnold under center. I expect WR Justin Jefferson’s fantasy stock to take a big hit as well. The Vikings have a pair of tight ends that will see snaps, and Mundt is the guy you’d want, but only in deeper leagues this week.
• Tennessee Titans Defense & Special Teams – I’m not going to bash the Titans DEF/ST because I think the Chicago Bears are an offensive juggernaut, but I expect the Titans offense to leave their defense into some rough field positions on Sunday. I’d rather start the New York Giants DEF/ST over the Titans this week.
• WR Joshua Palmer (Los Angeles Chargers) – As I said earlier, I’m expecting the Chargers offense to be far less pass-heavy this season. The reason a guy like Palmer was able to show up on fantasy lists is due to QB Justin Herbert’s talent and their all-or-nothing passing attack.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.