NFL: Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter during a preseason game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
They say don’t put all your fantasy football eggs in one basket. OK, maybe no one says that. But most start ’em, sit ’em columns hand managers a buffet of five or six names at every NFL position.
This one doesn’t. Below is one start ’em and one sit ’em at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end, eight players total, each pick made and defended. Every call attempts to run against at least part of the industry consensus, so the reasoning matters as much as the name here.
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Quarterback start ’em and sit ’em for Week 1
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to throw the ball during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Start: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Chicago at Carolina kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, and the Bears open the year without Kyler Gordon, Coby Bryant and Dallis Flowers, all on injured reserve. Chicago allowed 227.2 passing yards per game last season, 22nd in the league, and gave up at least one passing touchdown to 15 quarterbacks.
Carolina’s fourth-year passer threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2025 while adding 216 rushing yards. Because the Panthers are home underdogs by more than a field goal, Young should throw often. Projections have him near 17 fantasy points.
Sit: Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
If you’re considering Cousins, you’re probably in rough shape and have to start him. But let me explain. Miami at Las Vegas reads as the easiest matchup on the board, which is why Cousins keeps turning up in streaming columns. But the 38-year-old threw for fewer than 200 yards in 5 of his final 7 starts with Atlanta last season and averaged 205.5 passing yards per game.
He hasn’t cleared 20 fantasy points against anyone other than Tampa Bay since Week 7 of 2023. Klint Kubiak will lean on Ashton Jeanty, and the receiver room is the thinnest in the league. Rostered in under 5 percent of leagues for good reason.
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Running back start ’em and sit ’em for Week 1
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs for a 32-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.
Start: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
New York at Tennessee is the best running back matchup of the week. The Jets allowed 139.5 rushing yards per game in 2025, 29th in the league, and surrendered more fantasy points to running backs than any other defense. A back cleared 16.7 PPR points against them in 6 of their final 7 games.
Pollard closed last season as the RB10 from Week 14 through Week 17, averaging 113 rushing yards and 17 PPR points. Tyjae Spears handles passing downs, but the Titans are 1.5-point home favorites and Pollard gets the early carries.
Sit: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington at Philadelphia sets up badly for a runner who needs a lead. The Commanders are 5.5-point underdogs, and Croskey-Merritt caught only 9 passes on 13 targets as a rookie, so he vanishes once his team starts throwing. Rachaad White arrived specifically to handle passing downs after catching 40 of 42 targets in Tampa Bay.
The second-year back also missed the final two preseason games with a groin injury. In two meetings with the Eagles last season, he managed 21 carries for 54 yards and 11.4 combined PPR points.
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Wide receiver start ’em and sit ’em for Week 1
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (3) runs after the catch.
Start: Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland at Jacksonville gives Meyers a defense that should be playing from behind all afternoon, since the Jaguars are 8.5-point home favorites. The former Raider is off the final injury report after a limited week with the thumb he jammed on August 19.
He finished 2025 as the overall WR17 once he landed in Jacksonville, then posted a 22.6 percent target share and 54.7 receiving yards per game from Week 13 on. Cleveland defends the perimeter well, so most columns are fading him, but Meyers wins underneath and from the slot.
Sit: Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Arizona at Los Angeles is the worst wide receiver matchup on the board. The Chargers allowed 179.9 passing yards per game last season, fifth in the league, gave up just 16 passing touchdowns and let only 3 players top 100 receiving yards all year.
Harrison caught 41 passes for 608 yards and 4 scores in 2025 while averaging 7.2 fantasy points per game, 48th among receivers. Trey McBride and Michael Wilson both command targets, and Wilson just signed a 3-year, $75 million extension. Jacoby Brissett is throwing the ball.
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Tight end start ’em and sit ’em for Week 1
NFL: New York Giants OTA
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) and wide receiver Isaiah Likely (9) talk during organized team activities.
Start: Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
Dallas at New York closes the Sunday slate at 8:20 p.m. ET, and Likely should finish second on the Giants in targets. The 6-foot-4 Coastal Carolina product signed a 3-year, $40 million deal to follow John Harbaugh from Baltimore, and New York carries only 4 wide receivers on its 53-man roster.
Malik Nabers is still working back from a torn ACL, so the middle of the field belongs to the tight end. Matt Nagy ran heavy two-tight-end sets in Kansas City. Projections put him seventh at the position.
Sit: Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Mayer is the most added player of the week because Brock Bowers had a meniscus trim on September 8. Still, Miami at Las Vegas isn’t as automatic as it looks. The Notre Dame product owns a career high of 328 receiving yards in a season, and 89 of those came in a single game, the only time he has cleared 50 yards.
He averaged 6.0 targets across 4 games without Bowers last year, which is a streamer’s workload rather than a starter’s. Some rankings have him 37th among tight ends.
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Matt De Lima
Matt De Lima brings 15+ years of elite sports media experience to the table. From covering the gridiron to the hardwood, this Virginia Tech graduate has established himself as a versatile editor and writer for heavy hitters like Sports Illustrated and DraftKings. A twice-nominated FSWA finalist, Matt combines a digital-first philosophy with an eagle eye for breaking news, consistently delivering the engaging coverage today’s audience demands across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and beyond.
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