Fantasy Football IDP Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Week 1 (2024)

Thursday Night Football was a blast. The Chiefs and Ravens started the season off in the right way. Xavier Worthy and Isaiah Likely will likely be the talk of fantasy land, and deservedly so, but there are many more storylines to unpack, including on the defensive side of the ball. Chris Jones was causing havoc all game, Jaylen Watson stood up in coverage, Roquan Smith had seven total tackles and a pick, and there was a David Ojabo sighting as he notched one of the Ravens’ two sacks on the night.  Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.

Fantasy Football IDP Start/Sit Week 1

Start em

Omar Speights (LB – LAR)
Speights looks to be in line for a near every down role for the Los Angeles Rams. The rookie impressed all offseason, and with Ernest Jones being traded, the UDFA will get all the snaps he can handle. He is an LB3 for Week 1 but is expected to put up LB2 numbers. Ernest Jones was a star in this role, and while no one expects Speigths to have a Jones like impact as a rookie, Speights projects to be a very valuable contributor for Week 1 and beyond. Start him over other LB3 types as a borderline LB2 option.

Dorian Williams (LB – BUF)
Williams is listed as the starter for the Bills and should see more snaps than Nicholas Morrow in the opener. Williams is a solid LB3 play for Week 1, even if the presence of Morrow lowers his floor and caps some of his upside. The Bills have a vested interest in developing Williams, but if the defense struggles because of him again, they will quickly move to the veteran. The Bills linebackers have a plus matchup this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals, who will offer up plenty of tackle opportunities for Williams and fellow starter Terell Bernard.

Nakobe Dean (LB – PHI)
Nakobe won the starting middle linebacker job over Devin White, and by virtue of the fact that he will be wearing the green dot for the Eagles, it will likely take a string of poor performances for him to lose a stranglehold on the job, especially with White not traveling with the team for Week 1. Dean has already proven to be an LB2-level producer, and he could enter the LB1 conversation if he can take another step forward. Treat him as an LB2 with LB1 upside for Friday night’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Damar Hamlin (S – BUF)
Damar Hamlin beat out rookie Cole Bishop for the starting free safety job. The prevailing thought once Bishop was drafted was that he would be handed the job, but the Bills feel more comfortable with Hamlin as the Week 1 starter. Bishop will keep heat on Hamlin, but Hamlin is flex starter worthy for Week 1. If he plays 85 or percent or more of the snaps, he will enter the DB3 conversation for Week 2. Start Hamlin as deep league flex/DB4.

Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA)
After falling behind Jaelan Philips, Bradley Chubb, and Andrew Van Ginkel over the last couple of seasons, Ogbah is set to take on a near every down role for the Dolphins in Week 1. He will lose time to Chop Robinson eventually but for as long as Phillips is on a snap count and Bradley Chubb remains sidelined, Ogbah should see all the snaps he can handle. Start him as a DL3/4 where needed.

Sit em

Ivan Pace (LB – MIN)
Pace was expected to get the green dot for the Vikings’ defense, but instead, it is Blake Cashman who got the tap to be the one relaying the plays. What this likely means is that when Henry To’oTo’o rotates in, it will be Pace and not Cashman who subs out. This will serve to limit Pace’s upside, all but torpedoing his chances at attaining LB1 status this season and possibly knocking him out of the top-24 conversation. Pace will likely still put up LB2-level numbers this season but has dropped from a potential top-15 option to more of an elite LB3 with obvious LB2 upside. Start him as an LB3 for Week 1, but if you had designs on starting him as your LB1 or LB2, you may want to look elsewhere.

Edgerrin Cooper (LB – GB)
Cooper remains a hold in dynasty leagues, but those in redraft leagues without extremely deep benches may want to cut him loose. Isaiah McDuffie has received the tap to start beside Quay Walker, and given that McDuffie has been solid in his spot starts in the past, it is likely that Cooper will have to force his way onto the field. McDuffie makes for a solid LB3/flex option for as long as Cooper is seeing fewer than 35 percent of the snaps. Fantasy managers should not be starting Cooper in Week 1 in any circumstances.

Darrick Forrest (S – WAS)
Quan Martin is listed as the starter alongside Jeremy Chinn. There is a strong possibility that Washington routinely uses three safety sets due to the versatile skill sets of Chinn, Forest, and Martin. However, Forest is no longer anything more than an upside stash while we wait for the snap division to play itself out this weekend. The Commanders have enough talent at linebacker with Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu that it will likely take rookie Mike Sanistrill struggling at nickel for the team to use three safeties at a high enough clip for Forest to be starter-worthy. Forest is a DB2 when he is on the field, but he should remain glued to benches or even be dropped altogether, depending on your league size.

Dax Hill (CB/S – CIN)
Dax Hill has been moved to cornerback. The Bengals now have Geno Stone to play alongside Vonn Bell while drafting Josh Newton this year and Jordan Battle in the third last year. Dax was versatile enough coming into the league that there were questions as to where he’d play, and with Mike Hilton at nickel, Dax will be starting on the outside. His tackle prowess will make him a low-end CB1 if he can show some consistency, but he should be viewed as nothing more than a DB4/5 until he proves he can be reliable in a fantasy setting following the position switch. Look elsewhere for Week 1.

Von Miller (DE/LB – BUF)
We all knew that Miller was going to be a rotational player for the Bills this year, but Buffalo’s initial depth chart has him listed as a backup to AJ Espenesa. The Bills are likely making a concerted effort to keep Miller healthy for a potential playoff run, so the days of viewing Miller as an IDP option outside of ocean deep leagues are probably done. Bench him if you play in deep 16+ team leagues, but for those in 12 team formats, the suggestion here is to look elsewhere altogether.

Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.