Courtland Sutton start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

In 2019, Courtland Sutton looked like a franchise wide receiver when he tallied 1,112 yards receiving to go along with six touchdowns. Now, three seasons and a contract extension later, Sutton has yet to meet the heights he reached in the 2019 season. Here’s his fantasy outlook for Week 1.

Fantasy Football analysis: Broncos WR Cortland Sutton

Sutton had 829 yards receiving last year (his highest number since 2019) on 64 receptions in a Broncos offense that struggled for most of the year. With Tim Patrick out for another season, Sutton enters the year as one of Russell Wilson’s top receiving threats along with Jerry Jeudy, who is dealing with an injury issue of his own.

Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?

Start. Sutton’s worth the risk. With Jeduy hobbled (he has a hamstring injury that has kept him as a limited participant all week), Sutton is poised to the top wideout in the Broncos new-look offense under Sean Payton. He seems fully recovered from the ACL injury he suffered in 2020, and should be the main beneficiary of a hopefully revamped Russell Wilson.

Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?

Start. I’d start Sutton as a WR3 or FLEX. I think he has the chance to move into WR2 territory if he has a big game against the Raiders, but for now he’s still a potential play more than a production one. He’s averaged 14.6 yards per reception in his career, so a lot of his value is driven from the yards he gathers more so than the volume of catches.

Player(s) you would start ahead of Sutton

FantasyPros has Sutton as the No. 32 wide receiver between Michael Pittman Jr. and Marquise Brown, both of whom are playing with unproven quarterbacks. While Wilson looked lost last season, he still has a track record of NFL success, which gives me hope he can excel in a better offense this season. If you truly are scared of Wilson and the Broncos' defense, some other WRs to start in that tier could be Skyy Moore, Gabe Davis and Zay Flowers.