Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Saquon Barkley will not be featured. All player matchups are based on PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings..
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Gould is back with the Niners after a tumultuous offseason, so he's still well on the fantasy radar as a potential top-10 kicker. He should have a nice start to the season against the Buccaneers, who allowed a league-high 54 extra points last year. This could be a high-scoring game, so Gould should get his opportunities to produce.
Fairbairn was a fantasy star last season, leading all kickers in points (9.9 PPG) while nailing 88.1 percent of his field-goal attempts. He's in a good spot in Week 1, as the Texans head to New Orleans to face the Saints in what could end up being an absolute barnburner. That makes Fairbairn a potential top-10 option on Monday night.
Myers (very quietly) finished fourth in fantasy points last season, but he's still a free agent in more than 75 percent of NFL.com leagues. I'd add him and start him if you need a kicker, as he'll face a Bengals defense that surrendered more fantasy points to home kickers (11.13 PPG) than any other team in the league a season ago.
Maher ranked as a top-10 kicker in fantasy leagues last season, and he figures to be in that mix again behind what should be a productive Cowboys offense (especially with Ezekiel Elliott back from a holdout). Surprisingly, Maher is a free agent in more than 70 percent of NFL.com leagues. So if you need a kicker, go get him.
Start 'Em:Harrison Butker at Jacksonville Jaguars, Jake Elliott vs. Washington Redskins
Sleepers:Matt Gay vs. San Francisco 49ers, Austin Seibert vs. Tennessee Titans
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Boswell is coming off a brutal season that saw him hit on just 65 percent of his field-goal attempts while finishing 25th in fantasy points among kickers. I'd keep him on the sidelines for the Steelers' season opener against the Patriots, who allowed an average of just 6.31 fantasy points per game to opposing booters last season.
Vinatieri's stock took a tumble when the Colts lost Andrew Luck to retirement. That's not a surprise, as the Colts' offensive totals have all declined in the past without him leading the charge. That means fewer chances for Vinatieri to produce. He's also facing a Chargers defense that allowed the fifth-fewest points to kickers in 2018.
Bailey appeared to be on thin ice this offseason when the Vikings traded for Kaare Vedvik, but the veteran ultimately won the job heading into Week 1. Still, it's tough to trust a kicker who hit on just 75 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2018 for the second straight year. I'd keep him on the sidelines, even in a home matchup vs. Atlanta.
Rosas ranked sixth in fantasy points among kickers a season ago, but that was then and this is now. In Week 1, he'll face a Cowboys defense that allowed an average of just five fantasy points to visiting kickers. Dallas also allowed just 10 field-goal conversions in those eight games, so Rosas is a hard fade for me this weekend.
Sit 'Em:Daniel Carlson vs. Denver Broncos (Mon.), Randy Bullock at Seattle Seahawks
Busts:Matt Bryant at Minnesota Vikings, Brandon McManus at Oakland Raiders (Mon.)
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. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
