Raise your hand if you started both Larry Fitzgerald and Sammy Watkins last week for no reason. That’s what I thought. I see you in the back KC/Arizona fans that only start Chiefs or Cardinals, let’s just pat you on the back and I’ll hope you don’t think that’s actually a legitimate strategy in season long leagues, okay? Anyway, there are plenty of juicy matchups to pick from for week 2, I’m here to help weed through the rankings and ensure everyone has the best chance at winning their matchups this week. Just don’t touch the Jets right now, you’ll catch something and it ain’t points. Yuck.
Start Them
Quarterbacks:
Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Dak Prescott
Josh Allen and the Bills are going up against the Giants this week, who aren’t exactly stellar. He uses his legs effectively and Devin Singletary has started to fit in nicely. He was a little off last week against the Jets, but that’s the better of the two New York teams this year (that sounds weird to say out loud) and he will have a nice bounce back game.
Tom Brady is playing the Miami Tanks. That’s all you need to know. Seriously, no amount of Antonio Clown can make him not put up great numbers. Start all your Patriots. All of them. Not just Tom, all of them. Dak Prescott is looking to continue showcasing his talent and, in turn, raising his price tag. They’re playing against the Redskins, which Dallas always wants to blowout, and have Zeke back into the flow of things. I really do expect excellent numbers from Dak this week, and do believe that he can be a top eight quarterback play.
Running Backs:
Josh Jacobs, Mark Ingram, Chris Thompson
Let me make this perfectly clear: I am personally never starting a Raider, nor will I ever own a Raider. However, the general public has a much less staunch stance, you all should start Josh Jacobs. The Chiefs defense is obviously not great, especially against the run. Oakland made it clear that Jacobs will be a bellcow and he will be getting plenty of work in their personal super bowl.
Mark Ingram is getting the full workload now that he’s in Baltimore and is showing he can clearly handle it. In a run first offense, he’s certainly going to get a lot of carries against Arizona and catch out of the backfield to continue Lamar Jackson’s development. Chris Thompson is a sleeper play for me this week. Adrian Peterson might get the traditional up the middle carries, but Thompson will be utilized heavily in the passing game and outside runs. Especially against divisional rival Dallas, to whom they will most likely be trailing most of the game, he’s going to be targeted often.
Wide Receivers/Tight End:
Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay, Tyler Boyd, TJ Hockenson (TE)
Allen Robinson seems to be the only trusted target for Trubisky. He’s a big body and the Bears should have more offensive success against a very down Denver defense (always avoid alliteration aspiring amateurs). Fun ways to describe the matchup aside, Robinson should be able to secure a pretty good target share this week. Tyler Boyd is one of the more promising young possession receivers in the game right now. He lead the Bungles in targets last week and should still pull down even more balls this week against a very average 49ers defense. If Joe Mixon is still bothered by those ever so pesky ankle injuries, Boyd is going to be a premium PPR selection and excellent flex/WR2 play this week.
To finish up, let’s tie these last two together: (see what I did there?) Kenny Golladay and TJ Hockenson. Golladay is the number one target in Detroit, and has the size and speed to be a consistent scorer this year. He caught a touchdown last week and against an injured Chargers defense, he’s a great option. All TJ Hockenson did was have the greatest TE debut in the history of the NFL. Six catches for 131 yards and a score. While I don’t think he’s going to shatter records on a weekly basis, I think he’s going to be the security blanket Matt Stafford has always wanted and a red zone threat to boot.
Sit Them
Quarterbacks:
Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins
Big Ben is missing his former Killer B’s. Big time. Until the Steelers figure out how to run an effective offense, I don’t see them scoring a lot. That means either more running to shorten the game, or a lot of conservative passing plays. Either way, against Seattle, I don’t really like his matchup as of right now.
Baker Mayfield and the Browns absolutely have to get back to basics before it’s too late. They had the classic rookie mistake of trying to desperately comeback in a hurry rather than sticking to their game plan. They also just killed themselves with penalties. They’ll have a weakened Jets squad, and I expect a lot of ball control and Odell checking the time of possession.
Kirk Cousins doesn’t have a shortage of weapons, in fact he has a surplus of something he’s never really had. A running game. Dalvin Cook is going to be getting a lot of work, and in a traditional rivalry game, you can expect a grind it out affair. He might have a touchdown, but I don’t expect multiple by any means.
Running Backs:
Phillip Lindsay, Kenyan Drake, Le’Veon Bell
If the Bears do one thing incredibly well, it’s play defense. It would also behoove them to make Joe Flacco throw the ball, considering he looked washed against Oakland. Lindsay’s prospects this week just aren’t set up for success whatsoever, better luck next week.
In all actuality, you should never start any Dolphins Tanks, but I hear the argument: the ball has to go to somebody, right? It does. However, the New England speciality is to take away any team’s best player. Drake somehow fits that description at this point. So have fun having literally anyone else put up any sort of success against the Patriots, I seriously hope your lineups don’t hinge on this.
Now, Bell is really good. The Jets are just so injured, sick (literally), and scarce on the offensive side of the football this week. Cleveland is going to do everything they can to stifle Bell and make New York do something else. Will he be force fed still? Probably. Will it be like running into a brick wall? Also probably.
Wide Receivers/Tight End:
Antonio Brown, Dede Westbrook, T.Y. Hilton, Vance McDonald (TE)
Go ahead. Start the clown. I dare you. No, I triple dog dare you. I seriously have no idea what, if anything, Brown will produce or how much he’s even going to be involved. New England hates distractions, and that’s all he’s brought so far. In the football side of things, he’s only been there a week or so, and the Patriots are already stacked at the position. My guess is that Antonio won’t be too happy playing second fiddle anywhere and he’s certainly not walking in and magically being declared the number one option. Start him if you’d like, I’m staying away at least this week.
Dede Westbrook had a good game against Kansas City, and maybe he will be consistent this year, but we will have to see if Gardner Minshew is an Austin Powers extra (google the photo if you haven’t it’s awesome) or a capable quarterback. With that being said, they have Leonard Fournette. He will be getting the bulk of the work until everything is settled down there.
Hilton is in the same kind of position, but he’s playing a damn good defense as well this week. The Titans put the AFC South on notice and will be sending pressure on the Colts all game long. I’m not sure how well Jacoby Brissett will handle it, or Indianapolis being in a old school slugfest in general. Like Jacksonville, they have a bellcow back in Marlon Mack, so they could play conservative and shorten the game. Either way, it’ll be a low scoring affair in my opinion so not much fantasy points to be had here.
As for my tight end benching this week, it’s Vance McDonald. He was absolutely ignored last week, and that’s puzzling. He’s been the security blanket for Pittsburgh and simply wasn’t utilized at all. He wasn’t in lockdown coverage, and he didn’t even get targeted until it was 33-3 in New England. The Steelers are just a train wreck at the moment, and I’m looking elsewhere for my tight ends if at all possible.
Ok, that should set everyone up for Week 2! I really hope everyone does well. It’s Raider Week here in Kansas City, so I am seeing a complete beat down in store. I’m hoping 42-21 or something along the lines of that. So everyone have a good week, good luck to all your fantasy teams as usual. Also, as usual, I hope the Raiders lose and lose badly.
Here’s to beating Oakland!
Nick Rellihan (@Rellihan51)
