It’s an exciting time in the fantasy football streets, because “Fantasy Football Start/Sit with Oliver Fox” has now boldly gone where most mediocre TV pilots never dare to go: episode two.
Today, we will have another blurbtacular time with a whole variety of interesting, uninteresting or downright appalling start/sit options, but as these intros will get stale quick, I’ll try to do a new gimmick each new week; today, what happens if you have too many good players to start?
It’s a great problem to have, but we’ve all wound up with four good-to-great wide receivers and zero competent running backs or two tight ends we like more than our other flex options. My advice? 1. Never flex a tight end, because you’re just playing with volumetric fire there, and 2. Play your best players each week. I’m serious; don’t get cute, don’t chase “upside,” and unless you have the literal 13th and 14th best wide receivers, it won’t be a total crapshoot to figure out who’s better.
One not-all-that-important-but-could-be-moderately-important note: Week 4 of the NFL season features our first London game between the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT, so I would recommend getting your start/sit decision-based ducks in a row on Saturday if you live on the West Coast and have a fringe decision in that game. I doubt you’re going to be living and dying with Rachaad White’s questionable status, but … someone probably is. I’ve intentionally included a few players from that game just to be sure. On with the blurbs!
Start: WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
In a departure from last week's triple sit, we’re starting this column out with a Chicago Bears start … and then a double sit, but we’ll get to that. Chicago’s quarterback situation remains murky even though Case Keenum utterly balled out on Monday Night Football, but Burden appears to be in line for the kinds of manufactured touches that make kings in fantasy. Touches that are, as of now, not going anywhere near Colston Loveland or Rome Odunze.
There’s a weird Kalif Raymond subplot that’s slowly consuming the Chicago Bears season in that he’s been indisputably better than both Odunze and Loveland, and until last week he was outdoing Burden as well. I wouldn’t necessarily go out and fire up Raymond in this economy, but if he’s out there on waivers … Maybe go grab him? Either way, start Burden.
Sit: WR Rome Odunze and TE Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
…and don’t start these two. Until further notice. I said Loveland was a buy low last week, and … well, he’s probably still a buy low. Maybe a buy lower. But three weeks is starting to be a sample; his snap share decreased in Week 3 without Caleb Williams and a more run-heavy script, and I would be looking for other options. Odunze is such a strange player to project; he’s clearly the number one receiver in terms of snap share, but he’s just not getting enough looks or turning them into enough yards. Until the QB situation stabilizes, Odunze is on your bench. Don’t drop him though — let’s be sensible.
Start: QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
After two weeks, it looked like it was Bryce Young’s world and we were all just living in it. That didn’t necessarily happen last week, but now it is time to do what every fantasy quarterback dreams about as a kid: facing the 2026 Detroit Lions defense. In three games against Tyler Shough, Josh Allen and Geno Smith, the Lions injury-laden defense has been sliced, diced, minced and all other forms of culinarily chopped into Michelin Star fantasy production. It’s time for Bryce Young to eat.
Young is not a quarterback who was drafted in many leagues, though he may have been picked up after his sterling first two weeks. If he’s still available, or if you were the person who picked him up, kindly put Bryce Young in your lineup for all of our sakes.
Start: QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
…if Puka Nacua is playing. If he’s not, this could go either way. I nevertheless feel like I’m taking crazy pills with Stafford, whose arm remains his team’s best chance of doing anything offensively. I know, I know there is no rushing upside, but the Eagles just got obliterated by Case Keenum of all people. You’re telling me that Matthew Stafford can’t do better than Case Keenum?!
This isn’t an analytically rooted start; the Eagles defense is not, on paper, a plus opponent for fantasy quarterbacks. This is rooted instead in my idiot monkey brain belief that the Eagles’ defensive front can actually stop the run and will force the Rams to pass all day. If Nacua is out, again, I’m rethinking this. If he’s playing, fire up Stafford.
Sit: RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Wooooooah loser alert: someone hates fun! Yeah, we have one unfun “sit” call each week; last week it was Denzel Boston, which was mostly right. Kamara is a living fantasy legend, and with the injury to Travis Etienne Jr., he figures to be the actual starter in whatever sense of the word that can still exist for 2026 Alvin Kamara. But Kendre Miller will figure in, as will CJ Donaldson, both of whom commanded a major chunk of snaps in Etienne’s absence.
I would love a vintage Alvin Kamara PPR masterclass as much as the next guy. But (Rick Pitino voice) Derek Carr is not walking through that door. Noodle-arm Drew Brees is not walking through that door. Tyler Shough is not going to dink and dunk 12 cheap catches for Kamara like his glorious predecessors would. It’s such a tempting start, but I advise other options.
Sit: RB RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
I don’t draft, roster or play running backs that don’t play more than 40 percent of the snaps on their real-life team; it is what we call self-care. J.K. Dobbins is the starter and will get most early down work, and Tyler Badie is going to play no matter how mad it makes fantasy managers think. Even with Jonah Coleman out, this is still the most insufferable backfield by committee we have right now, and I’m staying away. Harvey is talented, but much like Treveyon Henderson on the Patriots (who is such a sit I didn’t even put him on the list), talent doesn’t mean you get in my lineup. You have to play more.
Start: WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
There are bad cornerback rooms, and then there’s the current state of the Carolina Panthers cornerback room, which just lost both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson to injured reserve. They have no chance of guarding Lions pass catchers on Sunday Night Football, and I’m upgrading the lot of them. Unless you are swimming in tight end options, you were probably already playing Sam LaPorta and lord knows you’re playing Amon-Ra St. Brown, who I’d project to score 22.4 billion fantasy points on Sunday.
Williams is your fringe case, but steel your heart and do it. I’ve said my piece on Jamo, and he’s the fantasy football equivalent of a .220 hitter who never walks but mashes 40 home runs every year. A maddening experience to be sure, but one you repeatedly live with because of the talent and the highs. This is my pick for a high, so run it.
Start: RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets
If you spent the required free agency budget or high waiver pick on Braelon Allen this week, chances are you are planning to start him, but if you somehow weren’t … go for it! As with most backup running backs, you’re playing a sketchy game; they’re often talented, but there’s also often a reason they’re a backup. But Allen? We don’t care about any of that, because he has played 84 of 88 non-Breece Hall snaps this season for the New York Jets. Isaiah Davis will figure in with Hall out, but Allen might actually play more than Hall has been playing. Don’t overthink this.
Sit: TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Sit him, drop him, move on to better things, start a podcast, whatever you want. In a contract year last season, Pitts had a very solid 88 catches and 900 yards. Now with said contract in hand, through three games Pitts has two catches for 20 yards and is thus on pace for 11 catches and 112 yards if he plays 17 games this season. Brock Bowers had 10 catches for 116 yards in Week 3.
There are reasons I suggested waiting on tight end, and … this, uh, this was the reason. I’m not saying you can drop Kyle Pitts; I’m saying you should drop him. You arguably must drop him, because you’re just carrying around a player you will never want to start at any point this year. The only reason for hope is that Michael Penix Jr. singlehandedly fixes the Atlanta offense; but he already did that in Week 3 … and Pitts got none of it.
Start: WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
I probably don’t have to do too much convincing on this one, so I shall not: Start Michael Wilson. I swear to God Jacoby Brissett somehow throws 55 passes every single game, and Wilson has taken the number one receiver spot on this team by the scruff of the neck and now has it in a headlock. Start Michael Wilson this week, next week, and every subsequent week.
Sit: RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Woooooah dude that’s my second-round pick you’re talking about! You heard me; sit Omarion Hampton until he proves he’s even the starter in this backfield, let alone someone you can use in fantasy. Alec Ingold, the team’s fullback, played more snaps than Hampton did last week, and Hampton is barely playing over my aforementioned 40 percent figure; Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal are very much a part of this offense … which is playing the Seattle Seahawks. Play someone else. Don’t do this to yourself.
Sit: WR Stefon Diggs, Washington Commanders
A pair of London-bound wide receivers before we go: I’m fading the Commanders this week in what I feel like could be a major hangover game after they beat the Seahawks last week. They’re going abroad, and how much do you want to gamble on Marcus Mariota passing enough to justify playing more than just Terry McLaurin in this offense?
That’s not to say Diggs isn’t valuable; I actually think he’s a worthwhile player to invest in this season, just not this week. I like his role on this squad as the "hey, can someone please get open?" guy; it’s the player the Patriots desperately need right now, and maybe his impact on Drake Maye wasn’t negligible even in his limited role.
Start: WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
The Commanders secondary cannot guard a parked car let alone Josh Downs in London. As long as Alec Pierce is sidelined, Downs is in my lineup and I’m not thinking twice about it, the target volume is simply too high to ignore.
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