Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown will not be featured. NFL researcher Careen Falcone and former #2 FF World Player Rank and NFFC Platinum and Ultimate Champion Derek Pierson have contributed to the column. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.

Select An Option... Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends Defense Kickers

Byes: Baltimore, Kansas City, Oakland, Philadelphia

Start 'Em vs. Start of the Week - Dak Prescott vs. Atlanta Falcons Prescott has emerged into one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy football, and this week's matchup against the Falcons should be conducive to another solid stat line. Their defense has allowed a top-10 quarterback in back to back weeks, and Prescott has put up top-10 totals in five of his last six starts. Expect a barnburner. vs. Matthew Stafford vs. Cleveland Browns Stafford has had his ups and downs in the stat sheets this season, but fantasy fans will find it tough to ignore this week's home matchup against the Browns. Their defense has had a tough time on the road, allowing eight total touchdowns and the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Stafford should roar at Ford Field in this contest. vs. Jared Goff vs. Houston Texans Goff, listed as a sleeper last week, put up four touchdowns and 28.4 fantasy points in a blowout win over the Giants. While I can't guarantee that level of production again, I do like Goff to put up a nice stat line against the Texans. Their defense has allowed nine touchdowns and the most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the road. vs. Josh McCown vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Revenge! McCown, who has averaged just short of 20 fantasy points in his last four games, gets a great matchup against one of his (eight) former teams in Tampa Bay. Their defense has allowed five different quarterbacks to finish in the top 10 in points this season, a list that includes veterans Case Keenum, Eli Manning and Carson Palmer. vs. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Indianapolis Colts Roethlisberger has not been good on the road (I've said it a million times), but I can't ignore this prime matchup in Indianapolis. Their defense has allowed 19.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks at home, and just one signal-caller (Blake Bortles) has finished worse than 12th in points. Maybe the trend dies (at least for one game)? Start 'Em: Matt Ryan vs. Cowboys, Tyrod Taylor vs. Saints

Sleepers: Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Jets, Eli Manning at 49ers

Sit 'Em vs. Sit of the Week - Philip Rivers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars A rule has been established when it comes to fantasy quarterbacks this season ... a matchup against the Jaguars is an automatic sit 'em. That's the case this week for Rivers, who might fail to score double-digit points in Jacksonville. As insane as it might sound, their defense hasn't allowed more than 13 points to an opposing signal-caller. vs. Kirk Cousins vs. Minnesota Vikings Cousins is in a brutal stretch of his schedule, as he faced the Seahawks last week and now must tangle with the Vikings. Their defense has been tough on quarterbacks, allowing just one to finish better than 12th in fantasy points. Washington's offensive line is also a serious issue, so Cousins could be in for another difficult weekend. vs. Marcus Mariota vs. Cincinnati Bengals Mariota has not been the breakout quarterback I thought he would become this season, scoring fewer than 16 fantasy points in all but two of his seven starts. He could find the sledding tough this week against the Bengals too, as their defense has surrendered 10 touchdown passes and 14.2 points per game to signal-callers. vs. Jay Cutler vs. Carolina Panthers Cutler returned from a one-game absence and looked like a world beater against the Raiders, throwing for three touchdowns in a loss to the Raiders. Alas, this week's matchup won't be as favorable when the Dolphins travel to Carolina. Their defense has held quarterbacks to an average of just 13.1 fantasy points per contest this season. vs. Jacoby Brissett vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Listed as a sleeper last week, Brissett scored 19.5 fantasy points in a win over the Texans. His task will get a lot tougher this week, however, as he'll host a Steelers defense that has been brutal on quarterbacks this season. In fact, Pittsburgh has given up an average of fewer than 11 fantasy points a game to the position thus far. Sit 'Em: Case Keenum at Redskins, Brett Hundley at Bears

Busts: Drew Brees at Bills, Blake Bortles vs. Chargers

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Do you want the most up-to-date fantasy football news, updates and analysis? You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!