Week 1 is in the books! If week 1 led your teams astray, fret not, as we have 16 more to go! Let’s rebound from and/or build on the momentum from week 1 with some start-sit options for week 2.
After an exciting week 1, we now have some data to work off of! It is important to not massively overreact to week 1, but there still is information we can glean. If a trend continues (like the Giants OL struggling or the 49ers being run-heavy) then we can maintain expectations. However, are surprises (like the Dolphins allowing the least points to DTs and DEs) real? It may be too early to tell, or it could be an early key into how matchups play out. Now that we have some data we will also add a 3rd player to each position group!
Disclaimers! In this series, we will not name the stars like Myles Garrett and Roquan Smith (unless something causes one to be a sit). I will also do my best to avoid an absurdly deep cut former prospect that I love (if you follow the RoD PoD, you know I can tend to do this!) In this series I will be basing picks off of a balanced scoring system (like the IDP+ Invitational, which also boosts DTs and CBs to even their production out), to cover as many bases as possible! Please also note that mentions of previous finishes/points allowed comes from the IDP+ data suite. If you have a more complex league scoring system, these suggestions may serve as a baseline. For a more degenerate breakdown, jump into the Discord and chat with our stellar team! Now that the intro is done, let’s introduce the week 3 start-sit options!
Start: DT Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots
Williams was a quarter-point shy of finishing as a DT1 last week, ending with 19.25 points. For the second straight week, Williams faces a strong matchup. The Patriots surprised last week, but still allowed the 6th most points to DTs, despite the Bengals not having a player near Williams’ caliber. The Patriots were (and should remain) run-heavy, have a poor OL, and a largely immobile QB. This is a perfect recipe for a DT1 performance, with Williams building off a week with the most pressures among DTs. Williams sits just inside our top 12 DTs this week, but should firmly finish in that range.
Last week: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks. Finished with 11 points. 1 tackle (for loss), 1 QB hit, 1 safety.
Thank you all for taking the time and trust to read my start-sit article! I am honored and excited to go through this exercise each week and hope that I am able to help y’all win some matchups. I will not be perfect, but promise to give this my best each week and give well-thought and backed information. Feel free to reach out to chat with me about this (or anything else!) in discord or on X, where you can find me @JoeLow63. Please also check out my podcast, Ride or Dynasty (@RideorDynasty on X) with myself, Jameson Hutchison (@Jamesonrulez) and host JJ Wenner (@JJWenner) LIVE on X each Thursday at 6EST/4MT and in your podcast feeds Friday mornings!
