Week three was a mixed bag as far as the Wayniac Nation experts Starts and Sits picks went. Fee, Dunton and Ted Reed took some gambles and missed, but J.D. and I were dead on. If you listened to J.D. and benched anyone in the Patriots backfield, you did ok as Vereen and Ridley COMBINED for a measly 12 points. If you started Pierre Thomas like he told you, then you got 15 points from your RB2 which is pretty stellar. Sits that made me look good were Jake Locker (who had less than 10 points), Vernon Davis (who was scratched) and Wes Welker (12 points). Starts that made me look like a genius were Knile Davis (19 points), Greg Olson (17 points), Alshon Jeffery (20 points) and Jay Cutler (23 points). So, it took a few weeks, but I told you we’d come around!

This week is the first week of byes, so, especially with teams like the Broncos and Seahawks off, filling the void is crucial. As Benny Smalls said, “This is a critical week for starts as there are six teams on byes. Trust your waiver wire skills and draft prep… translation: Dunton is screwed!” So who is out there worthy of a spot start with so many big names on the golf course this weekend? We got the answers for you, that’s why you clicked here after all, isn’t it?

Fee
Start of the Week – Kirk Cousins, QB. As good as the Giants looked last week (against your Texans, may I add Wayniac), Cousins looked equally as good. It is a great week for the young QB to continue his hot start against a Giants defense that I am still not 100 percent sold.
Sit of the Week – Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, RB. The Jets run defense is solid as they limited Matt Forte to 33 yards last week and Eddie Lacy to 43 yards the week prior. Stafford is going to to throw the ball all over the field. Don’t be lured in by the PPR. If all Bush and Bell are going to get you is receiving points, remember they will be splitting time on the field. It doesn’t seem worth it.

Dunton (please be sure to check out his Ryder Cup analysis published this morning!)
Start of the Week – Aaron Rodgers, QB. The Bears defense is banged up and he simply can’t be as bad as he was last week two times in a row. He told Packers fans to settle down and not worry so much yesterday. I believe him. Now, it’s time to put his money where his mouth is.

I also like Philip Rivers… against the Jaguars… in San Diego… any other questions?

Sit of the Week – Tom Brady, QB. Arrowhead is a tough place to play and he hasn’t shown much yet this year. As The Wayniac pointed out in yesterday’s Top Three Story Lines of Week Four piece, Brady has yet to eclipse 250 yards passing this season. Sorry Pats, fans. You may win this game, but Brady won’t be spectacular.

Ted Reed
Start of the Week – Reggie Wayne, WR. I like Wayne to bust out and have a big game at home against the abysmal Titans. Andrew Luck seems like he’s the best player in fantasy football right now and Wayne is his favorite target.
Sit of the Week – Frank Gore, RB. I’m going with a couple of old guys this week! I don’t like that Carlos Hyde is nearly an even split in touches and he looks like he is getting better and better. With the Eagles coming to town, you know it’s going to be a shootout, which means a lot of Kaepernick and more Hyde than Gore.

J.D.
It’s the first week of byes so now’s the time to start plugging in that sleeper pick that’s been hiding on your bench for the first three weeks.
Start of the Week– Matt Asiata, RB. The Falcons are heading into a trap game on the road after their impressive Thursday Night humiliation of the Bucs. The Vikings didn’t look as bad as they should’ve against the Saints and should move the ball against a poor Falcons’ front seven. It’s Teddy-Time in Minnesota and he will rely on establishing the run and safe screen passes to Asiata. I expect him to double his numbers from last week to give him over 70 rushing yards, 6 catches, and a score. Solid numbers for a RB2 or Flex play.
Sit of the Week – Vincent Jackson, WR. Insert Seahawks’ opponents’ number one receiver here… Wait, Seattle is on a bye? Let’s go with Vincent Jackson as the Bucs travel to Pittsburgh. V-Jax is missing practice this week with a fractured wrist. Problem is, he has to get on the same page with new (kind of) quarterback Mike Glennon. I don’t expect Tampa to do much offensively already against a good Steelers secondary, so combined with the QB situation and the injury, keep Jackson on the bench this week.

The Wayniac
Starts of the Week:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger – This just in. The Panthers defense is very good and the Buccaneers is not. Big Ben didn’t blow the roof off last Sunday night, but as long as he has Antonio Brown on the field, Big Ben is good for 20 points against lesser teams, even if the Steelers are going to run for 300 yards a game!

RB: Pierre Thomas – Thomas will remain active in the running game, despite losing carries to Khiry Robinson. It is the passing game in which he flourishes and there are very little backs better than him in that aspect. Thomas is certain for at least four dump-offs a game. If he steals some goal line carries as well like last week, Thomas could put up a huge week.

WR: Kelvin Benjamin – It doesn’t matter who is under center this week. Benjamin already had a 96-yard performance with Derek Anderson and he flourished with Cam Newton last week. This kid seems legit, and the Ravens defense is not.

TE: Jason Witten – It’s hard to imagine that Witten isn’t an automatic Start, but right now, it appears those days are fading. Sunday night could very well be a shootout, and if it is, Tony Romo will look for his favorite target often.

Defense: Steelers – Tampa Bay stinks. That is all.

Sits of the Week:
QB: Eli Manning – Eli has had two great weeks in a row. The king of inconsistency is highly unlikely to do it a third time, especially on the road.

RB: Bush/Bell – I have to agree with Fee on this one. The Rex Ryan led Jets don’t allow big rushing games. I’m sure one of them will sneak their way into the end zone on a screen, but that is a risky play.

WR: Dwayne Bowe – Minus 30 minutes in week one, the Patriots defense has been superb this season. With big name receivers like Demaryius Thomas, Percy Harvin, Wes Welker, Larry Fitzgerald and A.J. Green on byes this week, you will be digging deep to find a receiver. Bowe isn’t it.

TE: Zach Ertz – Ertz is pretty darn good and a reliable target, but San Fran is tough up the middle. The Eagles are so loaded everywhere that if one of Foles’ favorite targets is taken out of the picture, he has plenty of other mouths to feed.

Defense: 49ers – The Eagles offense is insane. I’m not sure that I would start the Seahawks defense against them right now.

Incidentally, depending on the scoring in your league, I think Teddy Bridgewater AND Blake Bortles are intriguing starts. They are going to make mistakes, so if your scoring system heavily penalizes for turnovers, you may want to use a wait and see approach. But if you get six points for a QB touchdown and not a big negative for turnovers, it may be fun to gamble with one of them this week.