Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em: Commanders' Jayden Daniels poised for productive NFL debut

The NFL season kicks off on Thursday, which means it's almost time to set your first fantasy football lineup for 2024.

Considering virtually all fantasy managers are rolling out the starting lineup they locked in on draft day, there's little reason to recommend whether you should start or sit some of the NFL's most notable names.

With that in mind, here's what to do regarding several FLEX options and streaming candidates who you may be on the fence about plugging into your starting lineup in Week 1. 

Quarterbacks

Start: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders 

Commanders at Buccaneers / 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday

Although there's obvious risk involved in starting someone who's never played a regular-season snap, Daniels' rushing upside provides him with a relatively safe floor, along with considerable upside. To put into perspective the type of dual-threat talent Daniels is, the No. 2 overall pick is the only quarterback in FBS history with at least 12,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a career.

Last season, Tampa Bay, which allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, only gave up 234 rushing yards to the position but did surrender six touchdowns, the second-most among teams. 

Other starts: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions; Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Sit: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers 

Jets at 49ers / 8:15 p.m. ET Monday 

Purdy was one of the biggest steals in fantasy drafts last season, averaging 19.2 fantasy points per game en route to a QB6 overall finish. Even so, while the 49ers boast one of the NFL's top offenses featuring a star-studded cast of skill position players, it'd be wise to bench Purdy if you have another viable option at quarterback.

The Jets return a majority of last season's starting defense, which allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (12.2) and the third-fewest passing yards in the NFL (3,182). Additionally, there's no telling how the 49ers will perform, considering RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Brandon Aiyuk and LT Trent Williams have barely practiced this offseason. 

Other sits: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys; Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns 

Running backs

Start: Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos 

Broncos at Seahawks / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

A potential breakout candidate this season, Williams has a favorable matchup ahead against the Seahawks despite the fact that the Broncos offense isn't particularly exciting for fantasy purposes.

Seattle's defense should be more effective this season after the team hired former Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as head coach and drafted DT Byron Murphy II in the first round. However, the unit still allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs last season (21.9). Williams should make for a quality FLEX option or low-end RB2, especially since he offers more pass-catching upside after Denver released RB Samaje Perine. 

Other starts: Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins; Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans 

Sit: Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers 

Raiders at Chargers  / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

The Chargers backfield could prove to be a valuable committee in fantasy football, as the team will lean on a run-first offensive approach under HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman. Nevertheless, it's best to leave both Edwards and Dobbins on the bench this week simply because it's impossible to predict who will be Los Angeles' lead back. The two former Ravens are listed as co-starters on the depth chart, therefore you closely monitor the backfield splits in this contest to help determine future lineup decisions. 

Other sits: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals; Devin Singletary, New York Giants 

Wide Receivers

Start: Tank Dell, Houston Texans 

Texans at Colts / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

The 2023 third-round pick is slated to be Houston's No. 3 wideout, so there is some risk that comes with inserting him into your FLEX spot. Nonetheless, as a key contributor to an explosive offense who is playing in a game with the third-highest projected point total on this week's slate (48.5), Dell is worth the gamble. Given his strong rapport with QB C.J. Stroud, Dell should receive plenty of targets, and it's possible he could finish as a WR1 if he finds the end zone. 

Other starts: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks 

Sit: Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers 

Panthers at Saints / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

There are much worse starting options than Johnson, QB Bryce Young's presumed new No. 1 target. Still, seeing as though the lowly Panthers offense has a projected point total of 18.5, the former Steeler probably doesn't offer week-winning upside against New Orleans. Not to mention that the Saints were a difficult matchup for opposing wideouts last season, allowing the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game (19.2) and sixth-fewest receiving touchdowns (12) to the position. 

Other sits: George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers; Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs 

Tight Ends

Start: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Patriots at Bengals / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

If you punted on the tight end position during your draft or are in need of some insurance for Atlanta's Kyle Pitts, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, Henry is a worthy streaming candidate. Even though the Patriots will likely have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, Henry figures to be one of the top targets in the passing attack.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, New England is an 8.5-point underdog against the Bengals, which suggests that the team will be forced to throw the ball frequently. Henry could be the Patriots pass-catcher who benefits the most from such an outcome, given that Cincinnati allowed the most receptions (107), second-most receiving yards (1,080) and fourth-most fantasy points (142) to opposing tight ends in 2023. 

Other starts: Tyler Conklin, New York Jets; Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Sit: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders at Chargers  / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

Bowers, the 13th overall pick in this past April's draft, has more than enough talent to enjoy a successful career, though he could struggle to make an impact in his NFL debut.

Not only is Bowers playing in a Gardner Minshew-led offense where he'll compete for targets with wideouts Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but he also has an injury concern. Bowers returned to practice on Wednesday after being sidelined with a foot injury he suffered in Las Vegas' first preseason game. HC Antonio Pierce sounded optimistic about Bowers' Week 1 status when speaking to reporters last week, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Raiders limited the rookie's workload. 

Other sits: Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers; Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans