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Wisconsin Football: Start ’em and sit ’em for Week 1

By Christian Borman

Dec 12, 2020; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jake Ferguson (84) runs the ball after a reception during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jake Ferguson (84) runs the ball after a reception during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thanks to daily fantasy sports sites, playing fantasy football with your favorite Wisconsin football players is easier than ever. If you are new to daily fantasy sports, you can build a fantasy team each day.

You are given a budget and you can ‘pay’ to add players to your team. Each player is assigned a dollar total. Players with a higher cost generally put up more points, while players who may not produce as much have a lower cost. There are plenty of sites you can play on, but generally, players have a very similar cost across sites.

Wisconsin football players are a part of these daily fantasy games, and often times you can find a Badgers with a nice value that will produce for your team at a lower cost.

Here are some start ’ems and sit ’ems for the Badgers’ Week 1 matchup with Penn State.

Start ’em

Chez Mellusi – Running back

Chez Mellusi was named RB1 on the first official depth chart for the Wisconsin football team. He isn’t likely going to be a bell-cow running back for the Badgers, but he is going to be pretty involved with the offense. He is also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, which can make him even more valuable.

Most fantasy sites have Jalen Berger with the higher cost, so taking Mellusi at a lower cost makes a lot of sense.

Jake Ferguson – Tight end

Depending on the format of the competition you are entering, you may not have a tight end slot. Most have a flex spot and Jake Ferguson would be a good choice if you have a tight budget remaining.

Graham Mertz likes to throw to his tight end. In the first two games last year, while Mertz was healthy, he connected with Ferguson 11 times for 123 yards and four touchdowns. He finished last season with 30 receptions, 305 yards, and four touchdowns. If the Badgers had played a full schedule last year and he continued that pace, he would have had career highs in all three categories.

I think Ferguson is an underrated pick in a lot of daily fantasy formats.

Sit ’em

Graham Mertz – Quarterback

I’m just not sold on Mertz to be the top quarterback in a fantasy setting. Until I see what the offense is going to look like this year, I’m hesitant to have Mertz be the quarterback of a fantasy squad when that position is going to have to put up a lot of points to win the matchup.

Hopefully, I’m proven wrong and he puts up some big stats, but until then, I wouldn’t choose Mertz to be QB of my fantasy team.

Danny Davis – Receiver

Danny Davis is back for one more year with Wisconsin, but he isn’t the only receiving threat for this Wisconsin football offense. Kendric Pryor is also back this year, and sophomore Chimere Dike showed a lot last season too. Mix that in with Jake Ferguson, and there just might not be enough receptions to go around.

On a few platforms, Davis is the most expensive option of any of the Wisconsin receivers. For his cost, I would look elsewhere. If after a few weeks Davis becomes the top receiving target for the Badgers, you can start him then, but for now, I don’t think what Davis will produce will be worth the investment.