Week 1 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Jaguars vs Commanders

Two teams looking to exceed expectations in 2022 meet head-to-head in Week 1 as the Washington Commanders host the Jacksonville Jaguars. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds list the Commanders as a 2.5-point favorite in a game that is full of underrated players on both sides of the football.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 1 showdown.

Trevor Lawrence Fantasy

Start Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence enters his second NFL season with a chance to take a big leap in his development. The 22-year-old is surrounded by new offensive weapons in the form of running back Travis Etienne, wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram. He also draws a great opening matchup. Washington posted the fifth-worst pass defense DVOA rating in the NFL last season and gave up a league-high 34 passing touchdowns. The Commanders also allowed the most rushing yards to opposing QBs in 2021. Everything lines up for Lawrence to ball out here, so he is worth streaming on Sunday.

Antonio Gibson Fantasy

Start Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Commanders: The injury to backup running back Brian Robinson Jr. changes everything for Antonio Gibson in Week 1. A player who was once expected to lose his starting gig and see a decrease in carries is now expected to take on a workhorse role, instead. Fumble issues and a lack of Commanders wins overshadowed the fact that Gibson finished as the No. 10 RB in PPR-scoring fantasy football leagues last year. He averaged 14.3 points per contest and led all Washington players with 10 total touchdowns. Slide him into your FLEX spot with confidence against a Jaguars team that allowed 125.1 rushing yards per game in 2021 (No. 23 in NFL).

James Robinson Fantasy

Sit James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: It's anyone's guess as to how touches are going to be split in Jacksonville's backfield this season. Travis Etienne is set to make his NFL debut after missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury. His connection with Lawrence dates back to their days at Clemson and makes him the best receiving RB on the team. That leaves James Robinson hoping for goal-line carries to stay fantasy relevant early on. That's not encouraging considering that Washington allowed only eight rushing touchdowns to opposing RBs last season (T-No. 8 in NFL). Keep Robinson on the bench until his role is clearly defined.

Jahan Dotson Fantasy

Sit Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders: It'll be interesting to watch who emerges as quarterback Carson Wentz's go-to target outside of Terry McLaurin on Sunday. It could be rookie Jahan Dotson or it could be veteran Cutis Samuel. No matter what, neither one is worth a start. Wentz averaged a career-low 209.6 passing yards per game last season and has not looked like a reliable signal-caller since 2019. That limits the upside of every weapon at his disposal. Dotson is a deep threat more than anything else and the Jaguars signed Darious Williams in free agency to lock down that portion of the field. Don't trust the Penn State product just yet.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.