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 LeSean McCoy will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Note: All starts and sits in this column are based on NFL.com's standard scoring system (non-PPR).
Start of the week
Adam Vinatieri at Jacksonville Jaguars: To put it simply, Vinatieri has owned the Jaguars in his career. Over this last seven games against this AFC South opponent, the future Hall of Famer has converted on multiple field-goal conversions five times. In his last three games versus the Jags, Vinatieri has put up a combined eight field goals. That includes two contests in Jacksonville.
Start 'em
Dan Bailey at St. Louis Rams: Bailey is coming off a monster game, scoring 16 fantasy points against the Tennessee Titans. He should continue to shine this week in St. Louis, as the Rams have allowed an average of 12 fantasy points per game to kickers this season. What's more, Bailey has kicked a combined nine field goals in his last three indoor games. Keep him in your lineup this week.
Blair Walsh at New Orleans Saints: Walsh is an attractive option this weekend in what could be a serious shootout in New Orleans. During his career, Walsh has kicked inside domes 20 times. In those games, he's converted 40 field goals, with 12 contests where he's scored multiple times. The Saints have also been bad vs. kickers in 2014, so Walsh is a nice choice.
Sleeper alert - Shayne Graham vs. Minnesota Vikings: Graham, who is a free agent in more than 70 percent of NFL.com leagues, is a nice option for in Week 3. The veteran booter has converted on multiple field-goal attempts in six of his last seven games inside a dome. That includes three games with at least three field-goal conversions. Graham is playing in the Superdome.
Sit of the week
Nick Novak at Buffalo Bills: Novak has had a nice start to the 2014 campaign, posting a combined 19.00 fantasy points in his first two games. However, this week's matchup in Buffalo is difficult ... the Bills have allowed an average of just six fantasy points per game to kickers so far this season. Against what is an underrated defense, Novak could find scoring opportunities to be limited.
Sit 'em
Shaun Suisham at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have been tough on kickers, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to the position after two weeks. If there weren't enough reasons to bench Suisham, then chew on this little nugget. In his last six road games, Suisham has made fewer than two field goals four times. That total shrinks to once in his last five road games against NFC opponents.
Sebastian Janikowski at New England Patriots: Once an elite fantasy kicker, Janikowski can no longer be trusted as a legitimate starter. He's also been mediocre at best in recent road games against AFC opponents. In fact, Janikowski has failed to make even one field goal in four of his last six such contests. That doesn't bode so well in Week 3, as he and the Raiders travel to New England.
Owners beware - Mason Crosby at Detroit Lions: In 2013, Crosby hit on five field goals in a win over the Lions. Aside from that game, however, he has had very little success against Detroit ... especially on the road. In fact, Crosby has made one field goal in three of his last four games in the Motor City. Crosby has also missed 30 percent of his field-goal attempts there since 2009.
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**!
