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 Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Byes:Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Gould should be considered a virtual must-start kicker this week in what is a plus matchup against the Rams. Their defense has struggled to stop enemy kickers, allowing 12 field-goal attempts and an average of 10 fantasy points per contest to the position.
Slye is coming off a four-point stinker in last week's win over the Jaguars, but I'd keep him active in a plus matchup against the Buccaneers. Their defense has allowed 12 field-goal attempts, 11 conversions and are tied for the most points allowed the kickers.
Fairbairn had his best fantasy performance of the season last week with 13 points in a win over the Falcons. He'll remain a solid play this week too, as the Chiefs have given up 11 field-goal attempts, 11 conversions and an average of close to nine points a game to kickers.
Gay has scored nine or more fantasy points in three of his last four games, including a nine-point performance against this week's opponent, the Panthers. Overall, Carolina has allowed 13 field-goal attempts and an average of almost nine points per game to kickers.
Start 'Em:Matt Bryant at Arizona Cardinals, Mason Crosby vs. Detroit Lions (Mon.)
Sleepers:Zane Gonzalez vs. Atlanta Falcons, Randy Bullock at Baltimore Ravens
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Boswell has scored nine or more fantasy points in four straight games, but he's still a fade for me against the Chargers. The Steelers could have a tough time moving the football with Devlin Hodges under center, and the Bolts have given up four points a game to kickers.
It might be time to cut ties with Elliott in fantasy leagues, as he's scored seven or fewer fantasy points in all five games. He has a tough matchup ahead too, as the Vikings have surrendered four field-goal makes and an average of 4.7 fantasy points a game to kickers.
Lambo has been solid in fantasy leagues, scoring eight or more points in all but one of his first five games. He could put up a stinker this week though, as the Saints have been tough on kickers. In fact, they've surrendered four field-goal conversions after five weeks.
McManus produced a solid 10 fantasy points last week in a win over the Chargers, but I wouldn't chase the points against the Titans. Their defense has allowed just four field-goal attempts (three conversions) and an average of fewer than four points per game to kickers.
Sit 'Em:Austin Seibert vs. Seattle Seahawks, Jason Myers at Cleveland Browns
Busts:Matt Prater at Green Bay Packers (Mon.), Brett Maher at New York Jets
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!
