Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Examining Fringe Fantasy Football Flex Starters

For months, fantasy football managers have tried to decide who to draft for their rosters heading into the 2022 season. Now that that's happened, they'll pore over those players and figure out who should be in the starting lineup and who should be on the bench in Week 1.

There's not much time left to think about it. The NFL season begins Thursday night with a Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Rams matchup, and the rest of the opening-week slate will unfold Sunday and Monday.

The majority of fantasy-relevant players are healthy at the start of the year, and all 32 teams will be in action this week. So managers may have quite a few different lineup combinations to consider.

Here's some start/sit advice for several fringe flex players heading into Week 1.

It seems highly unlikely Miles Sanders is going to go a second straight season without scoring a touchdown.

Given how many times he touched the ball last year (137 carries and 26 receptions in 12 games), it was a bit bizarre that the 25-year-old never got into the end zone.

Some fantasy managers may not have been as high on him heading into this season for that reason, along with the possible growing roles for Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott in the Eagles' backfield. But for now, Sanders is the clear starting running back in Philadelphia entering a Week 1 road matchup against the Detroit Lions.

The Lions allowed 379.8 total yards per game last season (fourth most in the NFL), and their defense may struggle again in 2022. So it's a strong matchup for the Eagles' rushing attack, which will be led by Sanders, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury this preseason but appears to be trending in the right direction with the opener only days away.

Assuming the Penn State product is at full health and ready to go, he's a start-worthy fantasy RB because of the matchup and his anticipated workload.

And maybe he'll even score his first touchdown since Week 16 of the 2020 campaign.

If you've watched the New England Patriots in recent years, you know they typically split carries among several running backs.

So, with longtime Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, how is that going to impact the team's ground game?

Nobody is exactly sure, but it is a bit of a cause for concern for fantasy managers who drafted Josh Jacobs. There's a decent possibility that he will now be part of a committee also featuring rookie Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah.

It won't be clear until the Raiders take the field Sunday for their season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. That's not a great matchup for Las Vegas' running backs, either, as the AFC West matchup may turn into a high-scoring shootout featuring the aerial attacks from both teams.

For now, it may be best to leave Jacobs on the bench, if you have the RB depth to make it work. Maybe he'll end up still being a solid fantasy running back in his fourth NFL season, but it would be nice to have an idea of how many touches he'll be getting before playing him.

The most notable players on the Vikings' offense are running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, each of whom often got taken in the top 10 in fantasy football drafts this year. But let's not forget about veteran wideout Adam Thielen.

The 32-year-old may no longer be in his prime and isn't likely to put up huge receiving totals (not with Jefferson in the same offense), but he's scored 24 touchdowns in 18 games over the past two seasons. His knack for getting in the end zone still makes him a solid fantasy weapon.

The Minnesota State product also has a good history against the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers, the Vikings' Week 1 opponent. He's scored seven touchdowns in 15 career games against them, averaging 65.7 yards per contest.

Even if Thielen is the clear No. 3 option in Minnesota's offense behind Cook and Jefferson, he's still going to catch his fair share of passes from quarterback Kirk Cousins. That makes him a start-worthy receiver from the get-go again in 2022.

Drake London should get plenty of playing time early in his NFL career. He is part of a Falcons receiving corps that doesn't have a ton of depth, with the rookie projected to start alongside Olamide Zaccheaus and ahead of Bryan Edwards and others.

While London could get a decent number of targets, Atlanta's passing attack could struggle with quarterback Marcus Mariota at the helm and not many playmakers to take pressure off of the young wide receiver. Plus, it can always take rookies a few weeks (or more) to get adjusted to the NFL.

The Falcons open the season Sunday against the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints, which had one of the better defenses in the NFL last season. The 21-year-old could be covered by cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who has made four Pro Bowls in five years in the league.

With an unfavorable matchup and an expected learning curve, London shouldn't be started in fantasy quite yet. But he could emerge as a solid option later in the year.