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.
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Quarterbacks to Start
Kyler Murray MIN
Kyler Murray is one of the more controversial quarterback calls of Week 1, but I’m willing to start him immediately in Minnesota. We only saw five games from Murray last season before a foot injury ended his year, and the results weren’t particularly impressive. He ranked near the bottom of the league in yards per attempt, average depth of target, and big-time throws. The reason I’m willing to throw most of that away is how dramatically his situation has changed. Murray now gets Kevin O’Connell calling the offense with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson around him, easily one of the best collections of receiving talent he has played with. The rushing floor also never disappeared. Murray averaged 34.6 rushing yards per game in his five starts last season, and throughout his career he has consistently been able to create fantasy production with his legs even when the passing numbers aren’t there.
Green Bay isn’t an easy matchup on paper. The Packers allowed the sixth-fewest yards per attempt and ninth-fewest fantasy points per dropback to quarterbacks last season; the benefit is that Micah Parsons will not be suiting up for this game. I’m putting more weight on Minnesota’s offensive environment and Murray’s rushing upside than his five-game sample from Arizona last season. We have watched O’Connell consistently create efficient quarterback play, and Murray gives this offense a dimension on the ground that Minnesota hasn’t had at the position. He doesn’t have to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns to give us a strong fantasy performance. If the passing efficiency improves with Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson while Murray adds another 30-40 yards on the ground, there is a very realistic path to a QB1 finish in his Vikings debut.
Jaxson Dart NYG
Jaxson Dart is another quarterback I’m willing to be aggressive with because his fantasy production as a rookie was much better than his reputation entering Year 2. Once Dart became the Giants’ starter last season, he finished as the QB7 in fantasy points per game. Remove his disastrous one-point performance against Minnesota in Week 16 and he averaged 22.5 fantasy points per game across his other starts. The biggest reason was his rushing. Dart averaged seven carries and 40.6 rushing yards per game, finishing behind only Justin Fields in rushing yards per game among quarterbacks. He wasn’t surviving exclusively on his legs either, ranking fifth in fantasy points per dropback and 10th in hero throw rate. Now Malik Nabers is trending toward returning after Dart essentially played his entire rookie season without him, giving the Giants’ passing game a legitimate No. 1 receiver again.
Dallas spent heavily to fix its defense this offseason, adding Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant, Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs, so I’m not expecting the Cowboys to remain one of football’s worst pass defenses. They still have to prove those additions completely change what we saw down the stretch last season. From Weeks 12-18, Dallas allowed the most fantasy points per dropback, second-most yards per attempt, and fifth-highest completion percentage over expected. Dart also faced Dallas in the 2025 finale and produced 230 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding another 32 yards on the ground without Nabers. There is legitimate concern that the Giants could scale back some of his designed rushing after the concussion issues from his rookie season, but I’m not projecting that entire part of his game to disappear. A quarterback who can give you 35-40 rushing yards before we even account for his passing production is difficult for me to sit in this matchup.
Trevor Lawrence JAC
Trevor Lawrence finally gave us the fantasy season we’ve been waiting for in his first year with Liam Coen. He finished 2025 as the QB6 in fantasy points per game and averaged more than 18 fantasy points for the first time in his career. More importantly, Lawrence got better as the season went along. From Weeks 12-18, he was the QB1 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he ranked third in yards per attempt, fifth in passing yards per game, third in hero throw rate, and second in passing touchdowns among 30 qualifying quarterbacks. The nine rushing touchdowns he scored last season are almost certainly going to regress, but the rushing usage itself wasn’t a fluke. Lawrence ranked fifth among quarterbacks in red-zone carries per game, while his 8% designed-run rate and 29% share of Jacksonville’s carries inside the five were both his highest marks since his rookie season.
The matchup looks much different than it would have a year ago. Cleveland allowed only 167.2 passing yards per game in 2025, but the Browns traded Myles Garrett to Los Angeles after he led the NFL with 23 sacks. Cleveland received Jared Verse in the deal, so this isn’t suddenly a defense I’m treating as a pushover, but removing arguably the most dominant pass rusher in football changes the ceiling of this matchup. Lawrence also enters Year 2 in Coen’s offense with Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, and Brenton Strange around him. I’m expecting some season-long regression from the rushing touchdowns, but that’s completely different from fading Lawrence in Week 1. We’re getting a quarterback who finished last season playing the best football of his career, has legitimate rushing upside, and now draws Cleveland without Garrett. I’m starting Lawrence confidently.
Quarterbacks to Sit
Patrick Mahomes KC
Patrick Mahomes is probably the most uncomfortable sit on this list because we’re talking about one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen. This isn’t me suddenly fading Mahomes for the entire season. It’s about what we’re asking him to do in his first game back. Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in Week 15 last season and is now on track to start just nine months later. Before the injury, he was still producing strong fantasy numbers, but a significant portion of that value came from a career-high 6.6 rushing attempts and 30.1 rushing yards per game. He led quarterbacks in scrambles per game, and that’s the part of his production I’m most hesitant to immediately project back to the same level. His passing efficiency also wasn’t vintage Mahomes, ranking 18th in yards per attempt, 24th in adjusted completion percentage, and 30th in catchable-target rate among qualifying passers.
Then we get to the matchup and, more importantly, the offensive line. Denver allowed the second-fewest yards per attempt, second-lowest passing success rate, sixth-lowest passer rating, and sixth-fewest EPA per dropback last season. Mahomes may now have to deal with that defense without starting left tackle Josh Simmons, who is dealing with a back injury and has a good chance of missing the opener. If Simmons can’t go, undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson is in line to make his first NFL start protecting Mahomes’ blind side. Starting guard Trey Smith has also been dealing with a hip issue. Mahomes has reportedly looked good throughout his recovery, so I’m not treating this like he’s being rushed back before he’s ready. My concern is what happens when a quarterback nine months removed from major knee surgery faces an elite defense behind a compromised offensive line. Mahomes can obviously make this take look ridiculous because he’s Patrick Mahomes, but there are enough quarterbacks with cleaner Week 1 situations that I’m willing to sit him.
Jayden Daniels WAS
Jayden Daniels still has one of the highest fantasy ceilings at the position because of his rushing ability, and that’s what makes him such an uncomfortable player to put in the sit section. We saw that floor even during an injury-plagued 2025 season. Daniels missed 10 games with multiple injuries, but in his four full games he still averaged 20.2 fantasy points, nine rushing attempts, and 44 rushing yards per game. Extrapolated across the season, that rushing average would have ranked second among quarterbacks. That’s why I’m not telling you Daniels has to be benched regardless of your alternatives. If you drafted him as your only quarterback, you’re probably still starting him. But if you have another legitimate QB1 option on your roster, this is one of the few weeks where I’m willing to consider sitting Daniels.
Philadelphia is about as difficult of a spot as Washington could have drawn to begin the season. The Eagles finished fifth in pressure rate last year while allowing the sixth-fewest yards per attempt, second-lowest passer rating, and third-lowest passing success rate. Their secondary now includes Riq Woolen alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and Washington has to deal with that defense without Laremy Tunsil, who is out for an extended period after tearing his triceps. That leaves Brandon Coleman protecting Daniels’ blind side against a front featuring Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Jonathan Greenard. Washington is also transitioning to David Blough’s offense, adding another unknown entering Week 1. Daniels’ rushing ability can erase all of these concerns with a couple of big plays, but the combination of Philadelphia’s defense, Washington’s protection issues, and a new offensive system makes his floor lower than we’re accustomed to seeing.
Brock Purdy SF
Brock Purdy has consistently been a better fantasy quarterback than people give him credit for. Over the last three seasons, he has finished as the QB5, QB10 and QB6 in fantasy points per game, and last year he ranked sixth in passing yards per game, ninth in yards per attempt and third in fantasy points per dropback among qualifying quarterbacks. Kyle Shanahan’s offense has consistently created efficient opportunities for him, and Purdy has enough mobility to add fantasy points when plays break down. That’s why this isn’t a season-long concern at all. There are going to be plenty of weeks where Purdy is comfortably inside my top 10 quarterbacks. Week 1 just isn’t one of them.
The Rams were already a solid pass defense last season, allowing the 11th-fewest yards per attempt, ninth-lowest passer rating, and 14th-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Then they added Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson this offseason. San Francisco’s pass-catching situation adds another layer of concern. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season, Christian Kirk is on injured reserve, Mike Evans missed much of camp, and George Kittle is returning from a torn Achilles. I trust Purdy and Shanahan over the course of the season, but this is a brutal combination of an upgraded defense and uncertainty surrounding his weapons. There are too many quarterbacks with cleaner paths to a strong Week 1 performance for me to force Purdy into my lineup.
