Fantasy football managers know that every lineup decision can make or break a week, and choosing the right players to start or sit is where championships are won. With the 2026 NFL season underway, matchups, stats, and trends are more important than ever. From favorable matchups and scoring trends to players you should avoid in tough spots, my weekly positional start and sit guide is built to give you an edge.
Want your start/sit questions answered within minutes? Join the Blitz Community for free fantasy football advice all season long.
Wide Receivers to Start
Quentin Johnston LAC
Quentin Johnston’s Week 1 box score was ugly, but I’m going right back to him against Las Vegas. Johnston caught only two of six targets for 17 yards against Arizona, but the opportunities were considerably more encouraging than the production. FantasyPros charted Johnston with seven true targets when including a penalty-erased opportunity, and he ran a route on 83.3% of Justin Herbert’s dropbacks. More importantly, most of Johnston’s opportunities came after Ladd McConkey left the game with a rib injury. McConkey was clearly Herbert’s top option before getting hurt, but he opened Week 2 by missing Wednesday’s practice and is currently day-to-day. With KeAndre Lambert-Smith already on injured reserve and McConkey’s status uncertain, Johnston could suddenly find himself operating as one of Herbert’s primary receivers.
That’s a role I’m willing to chase against Las Vegas. The Raiders generated plenty of pressure in Week 1, but Johnston doesn’t need ten short-area targets to pay off because his fantasy value has always been tied heavily to explosive plays and touchdowns. He scored eight touchdowns in each of the previous two seasons and averaged 14.4 yards per reception in 2025. Tre Harris is going to remain involved and actually ran the same number of routes as Johnston in Week 1, so I’m not treating Johnston like some suddenly guaranteed WR1. The combination of an 83.3% route rate, six official targets, and the possibility of McConkey missing the game gives him considerably more opportunity than his 17-yard opener suggests. If McConkey sits, Johnston becomes one of my favorite upside WR3/flex plays of Week 2. If McConkey returns close to full strength, Johnston becomes a more volatile flex rather than someone I’m forcing into my lineup.
Stefon Diggs WAS
Stefon Diggs didn’t play a traditional full-time role in his Washington debut, but almost everything he did when he was on the field makes me want him in my lineup against Dallas. Diggs led the Commanders with nine targets against Philadelphia and turned them into four receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. According to PFF, Terry McLaurin ran a route on 92.1% of Washington’s passing plays while Diggs was at only 65.8%, which would normally concern me. The difference is what happened when Diggs actually ran a route. He was targeted on 36% of them, while FantasyPros charted him with a 26.5% official target share, a 33.1% air-yard share, and a red-zone target. Washington clearly made a point of getting him the football even without treating him as an every-down receiver.
Dallas is exactly the matchup where I’m willing to trust that involvement. The Cowboys allowed Jaxson Dart to complete nearly 80% of his passes with three touchdowns in Week 1, and Washington should have a much easier time moving the football than it did against Philadelphia. Diggs’ role also gives him multiple ways to win. His 9.2-yard average depth of target in Week 1 wasn’t dependent entirely on low-percentage deep shots, and the touchdown showed Washington is willing to look his way in scoring situations. I would obviously feel better if his route participation jumps closer to 80%, and that’s something I’ll be watching closely. But nine targets on limited routes against Philadelphia are difficult to ignore. In a much better matchup against Dallas, I’m starting Diggs as a WR2/flex with legitimate touchdown upside.
Chris Godwin TB
Chris Godwin only caught four passes for 40 yards in Week 1, but his usage looked much more like that of a weekly fantasy starter than the final box score suggests. Godwin was immediately treated like a full-time player, running 32 routes and playing 49 of Tampa Bay’s 57 offensive snaps. That’s the biggest thing I wanted to see after the injuries that disrupted so much of his previous two seasons. Tampa Bay wasn’t easing him back into the offense. He remained primarily a slot receiver, lining up there on more than half of his snaps, and caught all four of his targets. The concern was how those targets were used. Godwin was primarily used underneath and accounted for very little of Tampa Bay’s air-yard production, so we’re going to need more meaningful opportunities for the ceiling to return.
I’m willing to bet on the volume improving against Cleveland rather than assuming Week 1’s four-target total represents his new normal. Cleveland isn’t an easy matchup on paper, and I’m not selling it as one. What I like is Godwin being essentially a full-time player immediately after entering the season with questions about how Tampa Bay would manage his workload. He’s still a reliable underneath and intermediate option for Baker Mayfield, particularly when pressure forces the ball out quickly. A receiver playing nearly every offensive snap in a good offense isn’t somebody I want to bench because he happened to draw only four targets in the opener. I’m starting Godwin as a WR3/flex and expecting his target volume to move upward in Week 2.
Wide Receivers to Sit
DK Metcalf PIT
DK Metcalf’s Week 1 usage was actually excellent, which is what makes this sit uncomfortable. Metcalf led Pittsburgh with 10 targets against Atlanta but turned them into only four receptions for 40 yards. There wasn’t much question about who Aaron Rodgers wanted to feature when throwing to his wide receivers, and that target volume is encouraging for Metcalf’s season-long outlook. I’m not treating one inefficient performance as evidence that his role has disappeared. The issue this week is what could be one of the toughest individual cornerback matchups on the slate.
Christian Gonzalez is the reason I’m willing to consider sitting Metcalf despite the target volume. New England has consistently trusted Gonzalez against opposing No. 1 receivers, and according to NFL matchup analysis, Gonzalez aligned across from Metcalf on 36 of 44 routes when Seattle played New England in 2024 and held him to three receptions for 24 yards on those direct matchups. That doesn’t guarantee New England uses Gonzalez the exact same way this week, especially with Carlton Davis also available in the secondary, but Metcalf should see plenty of difficult coverage regardless. Ten targets keep him firmly in the playable range, so this isn’t somebody I’m benching for a random waiver-wire receiver. If I have another strong WR2 or flex option, however, I’m willing to avoid the matchup and leave Metcalf on the bench for one week.
Tee Higgins CIN
Tee Higgins is another player I’m sitting because of the matchup rather than anything fundamentally wrong with his role. Higgins caught three of six targets for 59 yards against Tampa Bay and ran 30 routes, good for an 81.1% route rate. The production wasn’t great, but his usage remained valuable. PlayerProfiler charted Higgins with 117 air yards, while PFF had his average depth of target at 25.2 yards. He also nearly came down with another long reception in the second half before losing control as he went to the ground. Those are all reasons I’m not worried about Higgins over the rest of the season. He’s still operating as Cincinnati’s primary vertical complement to Ja’Marr Chase.
Week 2 is where I’m considerably less interested. Houston allowed 36 points to Buffalo in the opener, so I’m not going to pretend this defense suddenly looks unbeatable, but its personnel and pass rush create a much different challenge for Cincinnati. Joe Burrow is also dealing with back tightness, and Higgins’ downfield role requires Cincinnati’s protection to hold long enough for those deeper routes to develop. That creates more volatility than I want from a receiver who saw only six targets in Week 1. Higgins can obviously beat this recommendation with one deep completion or touchdown, but if I’m deciding between him and another legitimate WR2, I’m willing to avoid the combination of a difficult road matchup, Burrow’s health situation, and Higgins’ reliance on lower-percentage downfield opportunities. This is a one-week sit, not a change to how I view Higgins for the rest of the season.
Carnell Tate TEN
Carnell Tate’s NFL debut gave me plenty to like for the future, but I’m not willing to put him into my lineup against Philadelphia yet. Tate caught four of six targets for 38 yards against the Jets, and the lack of production wasn’t because Tennessee kept its rookie on the sideline. He played 88% of the offensive snaps and ran 33 routes for a 94.3% route participation rate. He also tied for the team lead with six targets, and his 31.6% first-read target share was the best on the Titans. That’s outstanding usage for a rookie in his first NFL game. The problem is that Tennessee’s passing offense couldn’t turn any of it into meaningful fantasy production. Cam Ward struggled, Tate didn’t receive a red-zone or end-zone target, and his six opportunities resulted in only 38 yards.
Philadelphia is a terrible spot to bet on that changing immediately. Tate primarily plays outside, putting him in position to see plenty of Quinyon Mitchell. RotoBaller’s matchup data has Philadelphia among the league’s toughest defenses for outside wide receivers, and Mitchell has already established himself as one of the more difficult individual matchups on the perimeter. I don’t need much more than that to be cautious with a rookie receiver playing in an offense that still has plenty to prove. None of this changes how much I like Tate’s underlying role. A rookie immediately earning a 94.3% route rate and team-leading first-read share is exactly the type of usage I want to chase over the course of the season. I just don’t want to chase it against Philadelphia. Keep Tate on the bench in Week 2 and revisit him when the matchup improves.
