Quarterback Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks For Fantasy Football Week 1

SI Fantasy insider Michael Fabiano breaks down which quarterbacks you should trust and which you should avoid in Week 1 of the fantasy football season.

Start Em, Sit Em Quarterbacks: Week 1 /

Start ‘em, sit 'em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in a given week for fantasy football. This column will not cover elite players like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts or Patrick Mahomes. Instead, I'll look at the quarterbacks you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations.

For your final lineup decisions, be sure to also check out my weekly fantasy player rankings which will be updated daily!

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Fabs’ Top 10 Quarterbacks for Week 1

1. Josh Allen vs. Cardinals
2. Jalen Hurts vs. Packers (Fri.)
3. Patrick Mahomes vs. Ravens (Thur.)
4. Anthony Richardson vs. Texans
5. Lamar Jackson at Chiefs (Thur.)
6. C.J. Stroud at Colts
7. Joe Burrow vs. Patriots
8. Kyler Murray at Bills
9. Jordan Love at Eagles (Fri.)
10. Jared Goff vs. Rams

Complete Week 1 quarterback rankings can be found here.

Be sure to check out start 'em, sit 'em picks at other positions as well: Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Kicker & Defense

Week 1 Start ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Start of the Week

Anthony Richardson vs. Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): This might be low-hanging fruit, but it’s Week 1, folks! You start the players you drafted to be starters! And this happens to be a great matchup for Richardson. The Texans allowed the fourth-most points to visiting quarterbacks last season, surrendering 19.4 points per game. In all, five opposing field generals beat them for at least 17.7 points, including three who scored more than 21.

Start ‘Em

Jordan Love vs. Eagles (Fri. 8:15 p.m. ET, Peacock): Love was one of fantasy’s top field generals last season, and he’s got a great matchup to open the 2024 campaign. In a rare Friday game, he faces an Eagles defense that was smoked by quarterbacks last year. In fact, only the Washington Commanders surrendered more points. With a lofty over/under of 48.5, Vegas thinks this will be a high-scoring affair. I tend to agree, so start Love.

Jared Goff vs. Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Revenge! Goff is a solid option this week, as he faces the team that traded him a few years back, the Rams. In 2023, Los Angeles gave up the ninth-most points per game (19.9) to home quarterbacks. Speaking of being at home, Goff has averaged 19.4 points in his 25 regular-season games as a Lion at Ford Field.

Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Tagovailoa wasn’t very reliable last season, but he did average 17 points per game at home. Luckily, he opens in South Florida in a home game against the Jaguars. In 2023, no road defense gave up more points to enemy quarterbacks than Jacksonville (22.3 PPG). That’s good news for Tagovailoa, assuming his top wideouts are healthy, in a game that has an over/under total of 49.5 points.

Baker Mayfield vs. Commanders (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Mayfield surprisingly finished in the top 10 in fantasy points among quarterbacks last season, and an opening home game against the Commanders makes him a low-end QB1. Washington’s defense will have a new look under head coach Dan Quinn, but this unit did allow 19 touchdown passes and an average of more than 20 fantasy points per game to home quarterbacks last season.

QBs With Good Matchups

• Kyler Murray at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Trevor Lawrence at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Matthew Stafford at Lions (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)

Week 1 Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Dec 10, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws against the Denver Broncos during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / gary a. vasquez-usa today sports

Sit of the Week

Justin Herbert vs. Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): Herbert’s fantasy stock is already in doubt with a new, run-based offense and no real high-end options in the pass attack. Add that to a bad matchup against the Raiders, and Herbert is a risk this week. Las Vegas was quietly tough on quarterbacks last season, allowing an average of 14.6 points per game to the position. Vegas has the over/under at a low 41.5 points, which is also a concern.

Sit ‘Em

Kirk Cousins vs. Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Cousins is playing his first game since he tore his Achilles in the middle of last season, and he has a new offense and cast of characters around him. Those factoids could mean a slow start for the veteran, not to mention a bad matchup against the Steelers. Their defense allowed an average of fewer than 15 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks last season, so you might want to sit Cousins.

Brock Purdy vs. Jets (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Brock was “Purdy” good a season ago, finishing sixth in points among quarterbacks. He was also strong at home, averaging 19.5 points. The concern this week, however, is the matchup against the Jets and their tough defense. No team allowed fewer fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks last season, and home signal-callers averaged the fourth-fewest points (14.5 PPG) against them.

Deshaun Watson vs. Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Watson hasn’t been a reliable option for fantasy managers since his days in Houston, and this week’s game against Dallas is a tough one. Last season, their defense surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing home quarterbacks. This could be a defensive battle too, as Vegas has the over/under at 42, so I’d beware of starting Watson in anything but a Superflex league.

Aaron Rodgers at 49ers (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Rodgers is playing in his first contest since tearing his Achilles’ tendon four snaps into last season, and the matchup is brutal (at least on paper). In 2023, the 49ers defense allowed an average of just 206.9 passing yards and 290.1 yards of total offense at home. This could be more of a defensive battle than a high-scoring affair, so I’d beware of both Rodgers (and Purdy) as a result.

QBs With Bad Matchups

• Derek Carr vs. Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Sam Darnold at Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Will Levis at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox)

Don't forget to check out the top start 'em, sit 'em picks at other positions while you make your Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions too! Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Kicker & Defense