Sunday Night Football Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for New England Patriots vs Houston Texans

Sunday night's games are a bit of a different beast in fantasy than primetime games on Thursday and Monday. On Thursday, you need to make lineup decisions on a short week, and on Monday you're usually left without many options as only two teams are left to play. "Sunday Night Football" falls somewhere between the two.

With that in mind, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for Sunday's matchup between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans.

Who to Start in Fantasy Football

Start James White, RB, New England Patriots: James White's fantasy outlook gets a boost this week as he matches up well with the Houston defense. The Texans rank 26th in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA, and those struggles have translated to nice production for opposing backs in the receiving game. They've allowed the 12th-most standard fantasy points per game to the position, but the eighth-most in PPR. White's production is down this year, but he's still averaging 6.5 targets per game and should have no shortage of opportunities to take advantage of this matchup.

Start Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots: Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu are set to return to the lineup for New England tonight, but Julian Edelman's workload is safe. He's seen double-digit targets in eight of 11 games on the year, and only Michael Thomas (nine, in 12 games) has hit that mark more often. That 26th-ranked pass D in Houston should also let Edelman convert that volume into production.

Sit Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson is an elite fantasy producer, checking in at QB4 on a per-game basis, but he's not matchup proof. The Baltimore Ravens held him to 4.0 fantasy points two games ago, and now he gets the toughest matchup possible. The Patriots rank first in pass defense DVOA and have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game (7.8) to opposing QBs on the year. They're the only team in the NFL holding opponents to an average of single-digit fantasy points.

Sit Carlos Hyde, RB, Houston Texans: Carlos Hyde relies almost entirely on rushing production for his fantasy scoring, averaging 15.8 carries to just 1.0 targets per game on the year. That means his volume tends to be reliant on a favorable game flow, and he's averaging 10.8 carries per game in losses versus 18.7 per game in wins. The Texans are 3-point underdogs tonight on FanDuel Sportsbook, and that means Hyde's role could be minimal tonight.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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.