Cowboys vs Browns Week 1 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Ezekiel Elliott and Jerome Ford lead shaky RB situations

Week 1 of the 2024 fantasy football season features a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns. Both teams have plenty of relevant options for fantasy lineups, but as always, only certain players should be targeted. Here's how all of them stack up for the opening week of the season.

Cowboys vs Browns Fantasy Football Week 1 Start 'Em picks

Both the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns feature a significant amount of fantasy football options, but also have two of the best defenses in the NFL. This creates a challenging situation when assessing which players should be started in this matchup.

The running back situations for both teams will be something to monitor during this Week 1 clash. The Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott, who is expected to serve as their starter, but is also likely to share the workload with Rico Dowdle. The Browns will be without Nick Chubb, and while Jerome Ford filled in for him last year, they also brought in D'Onta Foreman to compete for touches.

Ford appears to a trustworthy starter in Week 1, but managers may want to target Elliott's situation before putting him in their fantasy lineups. Where Zeke does make for an attractive target is in DFS lineups, where his massive upside outweighs his cheap price tag. Here's who joins them on the list of the best targets to start this week from this matchup.

Must Starts

• Dak Prescott
• CeeDee Lamb
• Amari Cooper
• Jerome Ford
• Jake Ferguson

DFS Picks

• Ezekiel Elliott
• Deshaun Watson

Cowboys vs Browns Fantasy Football Week 1 Sit 'Em picks

Knowing who to fade in fantasy football is just as important as determining who to target. Starting borderline players in bad matchups is often a recipe for failing to fully optimize a weekly lineup. Considering both of these teams are among the best defenses in the NFL, managers should be cautious with using their depth options in fantasy lineups.

The Browns added Jerry Jeudy during the offseason, but he is probably better off left on the bench for fantasy football this week. His workload is unclear and he faces a tough matchup against the Cowboys. His arrival may also affect the output of David Njoku, who must be faded in DFS formats where his upside appears to be limited in Week 1. Here's who else joins him.

Must Sits

• Jerry Jeudy
• Elijah Moore
• Rico Dowdle
• Brandin Cooks

DFS Fades

• David Njoku
• Jerry Jeudy