Fantasy Football: Week 2 Starts And Sits
By Pat Pitts
Week 1 has come and gone and now it's time to prep for another exciting week of NFL action. After seeing how these players performed last weekend and what they have in front of them this week, I give you the starts and sits for Week 2.
Starts
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady vs CAR
Tom Brady didn’t have the best debut for his new team, but he has an ideal opportunity to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. The Panthers young, inexperienced, and interchanging defense makes Brady an ideal start this week in a big rebound game for the GOAT.
Mitch Trubisky vs NYG
Trubisky came out swinging in the 4th quarter against the Lions last week and looked like a somewhat competent QB. Trubisky is my DFS play for this week because he should be cheap enough, let you stack the rest of your lineup, and should provide you with quality points against a leaky Giants defense. And if he builds on his Week 1 performance, he’s someone to maybe keep an eye on for next week’s waiver period.
Jimmy Garoppolo @ NYJ
Need I say more? It’s the New York Jets. Fire up Jimmy G as an upside play.
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs LAC
The Fresh Prince of Helaire had everyone talking about him after his dynamic debut against the Texans on Thursday Night Football. The Chiefs matchup against the Chargers this week in a game that could get out of hand early, which will translate to tons of carries for the rookie RB. The area to watch Edwards-Helaire is in goal-line situations, as he failed multiple times to convert goal-to-go plays that could have given him an even more electric start to his career.
Benny Snell vs DEN
Benny Snell finds himself in a pretty good situation to build off of the performance he had on Monday Night Football against the Giants after James Conner was far from productive and suffered an ankle injury that puts his Week 2 status in question. Snell rushed 19 times for 113 yards on Monday Night and could start against a Broncos defense that gave up 116 yards on the ground to Derrick Henry. If you added Snell via waivers this week, you are playing him as an RB2/FLEX against Denver.
Raheem Mostert @ NYJ
Mostert looked like the clear-cut #1 RB in the 49ers backfield against Arizona in Week 1 and the results speak for themselves. Mostert carried the ball 15 times for 56 yards on the ground, but his value skyrocketed with his performance in the passing game as he caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
His PPR value is ridiculous in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and if George Kittle can’t suit up on Sunday, Mostert is in line for a repeat performance in the passing game. He’s locked in as an RB2 with RB1 upside against a putrid Jets team.
Wide Receivers
Anthony Miller vs NYG
Miller finished Sunday with four catches for 76 yards and a game-winning touchdown. The Bears matchup against the Giants and Miller has a chance to build momentum from last week and continue to prove he’s a viable fantasy option, but keep in mind that he only saw 42 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 1 against Detroit. Fire Miller up as a WR3/FLEX option this week with potential WR2 upside.
Darius Slayton @ CHI
Slayton did fantasy owners proud last week as he reeled in six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. The chemistry between Salyton and Daniel Jones continued to grow and Slayton looks like the bona fide WR1 in this Giants offense that will benefit from tons of garbage time stats this season. Slayton is a WR3 with WR2 upside this week as he matches up with Kyle Fuller and the Bears defense.
D.J. Chark @ TEN
Chark has rebound game written all over him this week against the Tennessee Titans. He finished Sunday’s game against the Colts with just three catches for 25 yards, but saved his afternoon with a touchdown in the second quarter. Better days are ahead for Chark as the Jaguars will not always be in positive game scripts all season. He’s a locked in WR2 this week against the Titans.
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert vs LAR
Goedert was simply amazing on Sunday against the Washington Football Team as he had eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in what was just an awful game all around for the Eagles. While Zach Ertz is still the obvious TE1 on the Eagles roster, Goedert is a Top-12 TE in the NFL and can be treated as a low-end fantasy TE1 every week until proven otherwise. Expect Goedert (and Ertz) to be focal points against the Rams on Sunday.
Austin Hooper vs CIN
Hooper only caught two passes last week, however with the injury to David Njoku, Hooper is going to be locked in as the TE1 for Cleveland for at least the next three weeks.
The Browns face their interstate rival Bengals on Thursday Night Football and if they want to get anything going offensively, the Cleveland offense needs to run through Hooper. With a plus matchup, Hooper has Top-10 TE potential this week.
Sits
Quarterbacks:
Deshaun Watson vs BAL
The Texans are a mess. This week, Watson and company face a Ravens defense who turned Baker Mayfield into that scrawny actor in the Hulu (not a sponsor) commercials. With the lack of consistent weapons and how good the Ravens defense looked in Week1, Watson takes a seat this week if he’s on my roster.
Derek Carr vs NO
Derek Carr looked extremely comfortable in Week 1 as the Raiders notched their first win as a Las Vegas franchise. They open up their Star Wars stadium this week on Monday Night Football against a very good New Orleans Saints defense. Avoid the pomp and circumstance; Derek Carr should not be in any lineups this week, including DFS.
Carson Wentz vs LAR
The Eagles offensive line gave Wentz zero time to throw, didn’t open any running lanes, and draw a matchup against Aaron Donald and the Rams. Wentz should be on the bench this week.
Running Backs
The Buccaneers vs CAR
This week is arguably the final week to sell high on Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette is still learning the offense. Brady is going to throw the ball all over the Panthers defense on Sunday, so this backfield is one to avoid in fantasy.
Melvin Gordon III @ PIT
J.K. Dobbins @ HOU
It’s going to be difficult for him to score two touchdowns every week with Mark Ingram still in the mix, the Ravens being a pass first offense, and the fact that Gus Edwards also saw touches. This game will be a shootout, but you can’t rely on Dobbins to be a locked in play this week.
Wide Receivers
Devante Parker and Preston Williams vs BUF
Fitzpatrick looked awful in Week 1 and a matchup against a very good Buffalo Bills defense, highlighted by Tre’Davious White, should have both of these guys sitting on your bench this week.
DeSean Jackson vs LAR
DeSean Jackson was on and off the field against Washington in what was described by Doug Pederson as a way to “preserve” Jackson for the long haul of the season. With Jalen Ramsey moving all over the field and not shadowing one WR exclusively, it’s tough to trust Jackson as anything more than a boom or bust FLEX play.
Tight Ends
George Kittle @ NYJ
Kittle suffered a knee injury in the 49ers Week 1 loss to the Cardinals and won’t practice this week. He still has a chance to play, and even though San Francisco plays the Jets on Sunday, it’s just a HIGH risk playing Kittle in this one. Monitor the situation all week and have a backup plan ready to go for Kittle this week.
Chris Herndon vs SF
Herndon was hyped a lot around draft time, but I didn’t buy into it. The Jets are bad and if you’re relying on Herndon as your TE1, you should also feel bad.
Go set your lineups and make sure you make the necessary adjustments so you go out and secure a Week 2 win in your league.