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. All starts and sits are based on standard scoring leagues. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and LeSean McCoy will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Byes: Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Seattle, St. Louis
Start 'Em
Bailey has been on fire, scoring a combined 26 fantasy points over his last two games. I'm looking for his success to continue against the Saints, who have given up the second-most fantasy points (11.33 PPG) to opposing kickers this season. Bailey has also converted on a combined nine field goals attempts in his last three homes games.
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Crosby has had a slow start to the season, ranking just 24th in fantasy points among kickers. However, this weekend's matchup against the Bears should be good for what ails him. In fact, Crosby has converted on two or more field-goal attempts (seven total) in three of his last four games against the Bears. Go ahead and get him active this weekend.
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Vinatieri hooked you up with an impressive 14 fantasy points last week, and I like him to produce once again ... this time against the Titans. In his last five games against this AFC South opponent, Vinatieri has converted on all 14 of his field-goal attempts. He's also nailed at least two field-goal conversions in all five of those contests.
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Novak has been a bit inconsistent to start this season, but he's still a tremendous fantasy option in Week 4. That's due in large part to a nice matchup against the Jaguars, who have given up more fantasy points to opposing kickers (12.33 PPG) than any other team in the league after three weeks. Look for Novak to post a nice line.
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Sit' Em
Gould has long been a reliable fantasy kicker, but he's subject to the matchups at this stage of his career. And if we've learned one thing, it's that he is no lock to produce solid stat lines versus Green Bay. In fact, Gould has converted on one or fewer field-goal conversions four times in his last six games against this NFC North opponent.
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Walsh was solid last week, scoring nine fantasy points in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. However, this week's game against Atlanta isn't a favorable one. The Falcons have allowed an average of fewer than seven fantasy points per game to kickers this season. What's more, Walsh hasn't made a single field goal in his last two outdoor contests.
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You might not know it, but Carpenter has been one of the two best kickers in fantasy football this season. Still, a matchup in Houston makes him far less favorable this weekend. The Texans have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points (4.67 PPG) to opposing kickers, so Carpenter isn't in line for a huge stat line this week.
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Tucker scored 11 fantasy points last week against the Steelers, but don't be shocked if he doesn't produce similar totals against the Panthers. Not only has Carolina been tough on opposing kickers (5.33 PPG) this season, but Tucker has also converted on one or fewer field goals in three of four career home games against the NFC.
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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**!
