The 2024 NFL season is finally here! You've drafted your teams and now it's time to set your Week 1 lineups.
Jamey Eisenberg has all the Start 'Em & Sit 'Em insight you'll need to make sound decisions at quarterback ahead of Week 1, right here. His Waiver Wire column can also direct you to the best options that may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 1 numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 1 projections over at Sportsline.
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QBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Murray didn't have his best game in Week 1 at Buffalo with 16.2 Fantasy points, but there were some positives, including 57 rushing yards. He only passed for 162 yards and a touchdown, but playing the Bills on the road isn't easy. He's back home against the Rams, and I still trust Murray as a must-start quarterback in all leagues. Last year, he scored 22.4 Fantasy points against the Rams in Week 12, and hopefully he can replicate that level of performance this week.
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Daniels looked like a Fantasy star in Week 1 at Tampa Bay with 28.2 points behind 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with 184 passing yards. This will be his first home game for the Commanders, and he should excel against the Giants. It would be great if Daniels -- or Brian Robinson Jr. -- can end Washington's 22-game drought without a 100-yard rusher, and Daniels came close last week to accomplishing that feat.
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Prescott managed Dallas to a win last week at Cleveland with 179 passing yards and a touchdown, but he should perform better this week at home against the Saints. In his last five home games in the regular season in 2023, Prescott passed for 1,650 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions, and he added 66 rushing yards and a touchdown. He scored at least 21.9 Fantasy points in each outing and averaged a whopping 33.3 points over that span. He also has scored at least 23.6 Fantasy points in four of his past five home openers, so this is a great setup for Prescott in Week 2.
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Mayfield struggled against Detroit at home last season in Week 6, but he's been a different quarterback since then. He just scored 37.7 Fantasy points in Week 1 against Washington, and he's now scored at least 20.3 Fantasy points in seven of his past eight games going back to last season, including the playoffs. The Lions held Matthew Stafford to 16.7 Fantasy points last week, but I expect Mayfield to stay hot in Week 2. It helps that the expected point total for this matchup is the highest of the week at 51.5, and Mayfield should do his part to light up the scoreboard.
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The Buccaneers secondary is a mess with Zyon McCollum (concussion), Bryce Hall (leg), Josh Hayes (ankle) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) all getting injured in Week 1 against Washington. That should allow Goff to rebound from a subpar performance against the Rams in Week 1 when he scored just 13.4 Fantasy points and play like a top-10 quarterback in Week 2. He scored 26.4 Fantasy points at Tampa Bay last year in Week 6, and Goff has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in 16 of his past 22 games at home going back to 2021.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Stafford only scored 16.7 Fantasy points in Week 1 at Detroit, but he passed for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He did that with his offensive line falling apart, and Puka Nacua (knee) left the game as well. Nacua is out for Week 2, and the offensive line is still an issue, but Stafford is still worth using as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues. This is a great matchup against the Cardinals, who allowed Josh Allen to pass for 232 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 (he also added 39 rushing yards and two touchdowns). And last year at Arizona in Week 12, Stafford passed for 229 yards, four touchdowns and one interception for 31.4 Fantasy points.
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Fields is expected to start in Week 2 with Russell Wilson (calf) still banged up, and hopefully Fields can do enough to solidify himself as the starter for the rest of the season. In Week 1 at Atlanta, Fields didn't have to do much with 156 passing yards and 57 rushing yards for 11.9 Fantasy points. The last time he faced the Broncos in Week 4 last year with the Bears, Fields had 335 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and he ran for 25 yards as he scored 35.9 Fantasy points. It would be great if he could do that again in Denver this week.
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I didn't expect Purdy to have a big game against the Jets in Week 1, and he scored 10.3 Fantasy points because he failed to throw or run for a touchdown. He should improve this week against the Vikings, even though Purdy struggled at Minnesota in Week 7 last year when he only scored 14.8 Fantasy points. The Vikings played an inept offense last week against the Giants, but this is a big step up in competition against the 49ers, who have an implied total of 26 points this week. I like Purdy as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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QBs to Sit
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Williams struggled in his NFL debut in Week 1 against Tennessee when he was held to 93 passing yards and just 15 rushing yards for 7.2 Fantasy points. The Titans might prove to have one of the better pass defenses in the NFL this season, but Williams definitely looked like a rookie making his first start. Things might not improve much in Week 2 at Houston, and Williams is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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I expected Lawrence to have a big game in Week 1 at Miami, but he was held to just 13.3 Fantasy points with 162 passing yards and one touchdown, along with 8 rushing yards. I'm hopeful for better production in Week 2 against Cleveland, but the Browns defense just held Dak Prescott to 13.5 Fantasy points in Week 1. Lawrence scored 23.4 Fantasy points at Cleveland in Week 14 last season, but I need to see him post a quality stat line at this point before trusting him in one-quarterback leagues. At best, Lawrence is a mid-range starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Smith did OK in Week 1 with 19.8 Fantasy points against Denver, and I expect him to be OK at best in Week 2 at New England. I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues this week. The Patriots just held Joe Burrow to 8.1 Fantasy points in Week 1, and this New England defense might be better than we thought. It was a long time ago, and Smith is a different quarterback since then, but his last two trips into Gillette Stadium in 2013 and 2014 with the Jets resulted in a combined 440 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
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Rodgers looked rusty in his return to action from last year's Achilles injury in Week 1 at San Francisco, and he scored just 10.6 Fantasy points. That was against a good defense on the road, but it won't get any easier this week at Tennessee. The Titans defense, which upgraded their secondary and coaching from last year, just held Caleb Williams to fewer than 100 passing yards and 7.2 Fantasy points. Rodgers should do better than that, but he's only worth using in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Cousins did not have the debut the Falcons or Fantasy managers were hoping for in Week 1 against Pittsburgh when he passed for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and scored just 8.2 Fantasy points. Rust was likely a factor since this was Cousins' first game since suffering his Achilles injury, and facing the Steelers defense didn't help, even at home. We'll see if things improve in Week 2 on Monday night, but playing in prime time hasn't always worked out well for Cousins. The Eagles will pressure Cousins, and he needs to prove himself first before Fantasy managers can trust him. He's a questionable option even in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues this week.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
I'm hopeful Tee Higgins (hamstring) can play in Week 2 at Kansas City, and that would help Burrow, who should be considered a low-end starter at best in one-quarterback leagues. He scored 8.1 Fantasy points in Week 1 against New England, which was worse than Bryce Young, Will Levis, Kirk Cousins and even Tyrod Taylor. Burrow should play better in Week 2, and he has a solid track record against the Chiefs with 732 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, as well as 56 rushing yards and a touchdown in two career meetings in the regular season. But until Burrow looks like himself again, I would rather start Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff ahead of Burrow in all leagues.
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Who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising running back could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 2 Fantasy rankings for every position, plus see which RB comes out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
