Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the weekly NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Sleeper alert features an under-the-radar player who could produce good numbers. Owners beware features a regular fantasy starter who could fail to meet expectations based on the strength of his opponent. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and Arian Foster will not be featured in this column. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Start of the week
Lawrence Tynes at Baltimore Ravens: Tynes gave fantasy owners a big, fat stocking full of coal (zero points) in last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but that shouldn't keep you from starting him against the Ravens. This unit has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing kickers at home this season.
Start 'em
Sebastian Janikowski at Carolina Panthers: Janikowski kicked a lot of fantasy footballers into their league's championship, scoring a ridiculous 19 fantasy points against the Kansas City Chiefs. He should remain active in Carolina, as the Panthers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing kickers at home.
Dan Bailey vs. New Orleans Saints: Who is the top-scoring kicker in fantasy football over the last four weeks? It's not Stephen Gostkowski, Janikowski or even Matt Prater. It's Bailey, who has averaged 10 fantasy points in that time. In what should be a shootout against the Saints, Bailey remains a nice option.
Sleeper alert - Shayne Graham vs. Minnesota Vikings: A free agent in close to 75 percent of leagues on NFL.com, Graham has developed into a top-10 option at his position. In fact, he's scored the fourth-most points among kickers in the last four weeks. Graham is a very nice choice at home against the Vikings.
Sit of the week
David Akers at Seattle Seahawks: The top-scoring kicker in fantasy football in each of the last two years, Akers has fallen out of the top 10 in 2012. This week he has a very unfavorable matchup against the Seahawks, who have allowed fewer fantasy points to kickers than any other NFL team this season.
Sit 'em
Greg Zuerlein at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Remember when "Legatron" was the hottest name among fantasy football kickers? Well, he's scored eight or more fantasy points just twice in his last 10 games. Zuerlein also faces a Bucs defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to kickers at home in 2012.
Phil Dawson at Denver Broncos: Dawson is having a nice fantasy season, but he's been a bit too inconsistent to start in recent weeks. In fact, he's scored fewer than nine fantasy points in three of his last four games. The Broncos have been tough on opposing kickers this season, so Dawson is someone to bench.
Owners beware - Blair Walsh at Houston Texans: Walsh had one of the best fantasy performances from a kicker in recent years last week, posting 24 fantasy points. So while he is tough to bench in most leagues, keep in mind that the Texans have allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing kickers overall.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
