2024 NFL Week One Sunday & Monday Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Picks: Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Kyren Williams, etc.

(Athlete: Saquon Barkley Source: inquirer.com Photograph by David Maialetti/Staff Photographer, Date: September 7th, 2024)

As the NFL season kicks off, here are some week one Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em players. Heading into Sunday and Monday, two games have been played already, with the Chiefs beating the Ravens and the Eagles beating the Packers in Brazil.

Notable performances include Xavier Worthy, Isaiah Likely, and Saquon Barkley, whose value will skyrocket heading into Week Two.

Start ‘Em QB

(Athlete: Jared Goff Source: dazn.com Photograph by Grant Halverson/Getty Images, Date: January 17th, 2024)

After leading the Lions to the NFC Championship Game in 2023, Jared Goff looks to start the season strong against the Rams in Week One.

Goff and the Lions defeated the Rams 24-23 in a thrilling Wild Card game in 2023. Goff was brilliant, completing 22-of-27 passes for 277 yards, a touchdown, and a 121.8 passer rating. His 10.3 yards per pass attempt was the best of his 2023 season.

In 2023, the Rams’ pass defense ranked 21st and they have not made significant improvements after losing Aaron Donald to retirement and replacing their secondary with many veterans.

Also, the linebacker room is concerning since losing Ernest Jones in a confusing trade with the Titans. The Rams now have to trust Christian Rozeboom, who went undrafted in 2020 and has just five career starts to his name plus Troy Reeder, a five-year vet who has started six games over the past two seasons.

Finally, Jared Goff also has a better Score+ than Stafford by three points, highlighting that he is the better option and is more likely to perform well.

Therefore, it is a favorable matchup for Goff* against the Rams and **he is a must-start.

Sit ‘Em QB

(Athlete: Aaron Rodgers Source: people.com Photograph by Elsa/Getty, Date: September 11th, 2023)

After a disastrous 2023 season where he only played four snaps, Aaron Rodgers will face the San Francisco 49ers during Monday Night Football. It will be his first regular season game after he tore his ACL in 2023, raising some questions about his performance.

Still, Rodgers is a proven QB with multiple MVPs who can dominate another team.

However, the advanced metrics are unfavorable for Rodgers and the Jets, who ranked lowest in touchdown percentage of scoring plays while the 49ers were second-best. The Jets also had the lowest rate of touchdown percentage in the red zone while the 49ers had the highest.

The Jets also only converted 26% of touchdowns in 2023, the lowest rate for any team in the NFL since 2015. The 49ers also outperformed the Jets in Off. Yards/Play and Opp. Plays/Game, reinforcing their likeliness to defeat the Jets.

Albeit these metrics occurred when Rodgers was not QB for the Jets, it is not a convincing case that 41-year-old Rodgers will play at an MVP-caliber level in his first game back.

Rodgers also took a step back in 2022 after the Packers traded away Davante Adams, demonstrating that he may not be the player he used to be.

Finally, Brock Purdy’s Score+ is 10 points higher than Rodger’s, bolstering the argument that Aaron Rodgers is a must-sit for Week One against the 49ers.

RB Start ‘Em

(Athlete: Kenneth Walker Source: profootballnetwork.com Photograph by Jonathan Lange, Date: August19th, 2023)

Facing the Broncos in Week One, Kenneth Walker and the Seattle Seahawks look to defeat the team that gave up the second-most fantasy points to opposing RBs in 2023.

Similarly, the Broncos were the worst run defense team in the NFL last season and they will play the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Week One.

The Broncos also have no star defensive linemen, suggesting that Kenneth Walker can dominate the run game in Week One.

Finally, Kenneth Walker has a score+ of 65.82, ranking higher than stars Aaron Jones and Tony Pollard, accentuating his potential to outperform in Week One.

Therefore, Kenneth Walker is a must-start RB against the Broncos, who have one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

RB Sit ‘Em Pick

(Athlete: Kyren Williams Source: si.com Photograph by Kyle Terada/USA TODAY, Date: October 15th, 2023)

Facing the toughest run defense against running backs in 2023, Kyren Williams and the Rams have a lot of work to do to defeat the Lions in Week One.

Although Kyren Williams broke out in 2023, becoming a League-Winning sleeper with his teammate Puka Nucua, he has a very unfavorable matchup against the Lions in Week One.

The Lions also have stars Aidan Hutchison and Alim Mcneil on the defensive line, who will cause Williams to have a subpar game. The Lions also boosted their weaknesses on defense during the 2024 offseason, so the Rams’ offense will struggle, giving Williams fewer opportunities.

Williams also did not play any of the 2024 preseason, making his early-season workload share with hyped-up rookie Blake Corum ambiguous.

Therefore, Williams is a must-sit during Week One against the Lions despite being one of the best RBs in the NFL.

Start’ Em WRs

(Athlete: Nico Collins Source: si.com Photograph by AP Photo/Eric Gay, File, Date: December 3rd, 2023)

Heading into his Week One matchup, Malik Nabers and the New York Giants will face the Vikings, who had the fourth-worst defense against wideouts in 2023. The Vikings also allowed 17 touchdowns to Wide Receivers last year.

Nabers is a gifted WR who will be Daniel Jones’s top option against the Vikings, ensuring he will receive many targets.

Nabers has great potential to break out against the Vikings and prove he is a WR1 heading into Week Two.

Similarly, Nico Collins and the Texans will face the Colts during Week One. Collins performed tremendously against the Colts in 2023, scoring 62.1 fantasy points in two games.

Although the Texans traded for Stefon Diggs, a superstar WR, Collins is still the WR1 for the Texans and should get ample targets from C.J. Stroud.

Collins also ranks as the 8th highest Score+ receiver, surpassing his 19th WR rank for Week One, highlighting the fantastic potential for fantasy managers to earn many points.

Accordingly, Malik Nabers and Nico Collins are must-starts during Week One and may have fabulous performances.

NFL 2024 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week One Summary

Week One matchups will start the 2024-2025 NFL season off spectacularly, but some players will not perform well while others are must-starts!

The QB Start ‘Em choice is Lions QB Jared Goff since he plays a poor Rams’ defense who have lost Aaron Donald and ranked 21st in pass defense in 2023.

The QB Sit ‘Em player is Jets QB Aaron Rodgers because he is 41 years old and is coming off a torn ACL injury. He also faces a top defense in the 49ers and likely will underperform.

The RB Start ‘Em pick is Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker as he faces one of the worst defenses in the Denver Broncos, ranked as the second-worst run defense in the NFL.

The RB Sit ‘Em pick is Rams RB Kyren Williams because he faces the toughest run defense in the Lions and has a questionable workload split with promising rookie Blake Corum.

The WR Sit ‘Em players are Giants WR Malik Nabers and Texans WR Nico Collins because they face poor pass defenses. They are also both WR1 on their respective teams and are sure to receive many targets.

Be sure to start or sit these players if you have them or pick them up!

(SportAI Inc TM)

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