Who To Start, Sit, Scoop Up, And Not Sleep On For Your Week 2 Fantasy Lineup

Week 1 of the NFL season was a weird. Sam Bradford, Jared Goff and Alex Smith outperformed Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, and defenses ruled the day, but this type of chaos is what we’re used to by now, right? Kinda. You can handle your studs playing poorly for a week, but losing number one overall pick David Johnson for a good chunk of the year (reportedly) is terrible, and Zero RB enthusiasts are probably reeling at the loss of Danny Woodhead. Allen Robinson is done for the year too.

So, some of us limp into Week 2, where there are plenty of juicy matchups. We come into the next round of fantasy football with a far better understanding of where our squads fit into the grand scheme of things, and most of all, we know not to start Adrian Peterson.

Start of the Week

https://twitter.com/YotesHereToStay/status/906939351224823808

The Cardinals are without David Johnson and Carson Palmer very well could be done, but let’s kick the tires on the old dudes one last time because they can probably still do it against a Colts defense that the Rams gashed for 373 total yards. The vast majority of the offense went through the air in LA on Sunday, and without David Johnson, it could force Palmer to throw. Who will be there but Mr. Dependable himself, Larry Fitzgerald.

Larry got 13 targets against the Lions on Sunday, and if he gets that much work against the Colts (he should), he’ll probably shimmy into the end zone.

Start/Sit

QUARTERBACK STARTS

Carson Palmer: This is probably the last time this can be suggested but you might as well roll out Palmer one last time, at especially in daily fantasy where he’ll be cheap $6,000. The Cardinals threw 48 times in Week 1, albeit in catch-up mode, but with Johnson out and a traditionally pass-heavy offense to look back on over the last few years, we can be sure to see both this:

https://twitter.com/BovadaLV/status/906938967773339648

And this:

Palmer did lose his left tackle, which is concerning, but hopefully it just forces him to chuck the ball faster. There are garbage points to be had here.
Philip Rivers: Coming off a 3 TD game against strong Denver defense, Rivers should be able to produce more touchdowns against a middle of the road Dolphins defense. It’s difficult to say exactly what we’ll get out of the Dolphins after having their opening week stolen by Hurricane Irma, but the Chargers, at home, should be able to do Chargers things. In other words, they might lose in the last minute or two of the game while supplying every position with a decent amount of fantasy points. We’ll also probably get a nice meme out of it.

Eli Manning: Things can’t get much worse than Sunday night’s performance against the Cowboys, and Eli should have Odell Beckham Jr. back and drawing coverage away from Brandon Marshall when the Giants face the Lions Monday evening. If this Lions offense is as dangerous as it showed against Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals,then this could devolve into a shootout, which will be good for everyone involved.

Hopefully, he can stay upright.

QUARTERBACK SITS

Andy Dalton: The Red Rifle played so poorly on Sunday a Bengals fan threw a hat at him, and even with A.J. Green, can you expect Dalton to play well against one of the elite pass Ds in the league? The Jags may have beaten up on the Texans, but that was mostly due to Jacksonville’s 10 sacks and multiple forced turnovers. The Houston D still held Bortles (take this for what you will) to 125 yards. If you’re starting Dalton, you’re in a 12 or 14-team league, in which case you should look at Alex Smith, Sam Bradford (it has come to this), or even Matthew Stafford. He could be available.

Let’s relive this sad moment:

Kirk Cousins: The Rams defense is solid, but you don’t want to read too deep into the Tolzien-effect. That said, Washington will be traveling cross country to take on a Rams defense that was top ten in pass defense last year (throw out the Tolzien game just so we can see a larger sample size). Sean McVay, the man who led Kirk Cousins into a career of turning down contracts is now holding the most important clipboard on the Rams sideline, and he probably knows how to fluster his old QB (by mouthing: “you like that” across the field at him incessantly).

Dak Prescott: Denver having 3 touchdowns tossed on them by Philip Rivers is far different than the Cowboys marching into Mile High and having Prescott light them up. It’s just not how he plays. Don’t worry about Week 1’s defensive performance by the Broncos, they should be able to shut down Dez Bryant and Jason Witten again, and the Cowboys should lean heavily on Zeke Elliott to gain yards and keep the clock moving.

WIDE RECEIVER STARTS

Mohamud Sanu: As the NFL stats page points out, Sanu is the clear number two receiver in Atlanta, garnering 9 targets and 6 catches which amounted to a 30 percent target share. The Falcons play much better at home, and the Packers offense will probably get right as well, leading us to a fun little game of back and forth offense, with the Packers blanketing Julio Jones with multiple defenders. That leaves the usual suspects of Tevin Coleman, Devonta Freeman and the sneaky Sanu as the next men up. Trust Sanu. He’s on the field on over 80 percent of plays, and has high WR3 upside this week.

Nelson Agholor: I’m an Agholor believer. Yeah, the majority of his points came from a wild broken play that made Carson Wents look like Donovan McNabb, but Wentz also missed a wide-open Agholor on a play that could’ve been a long touchdown. Wentz loves feeding the middle of the field (see Ertz, Zachary) and Agholor is playing in the slot often, seeing those Jordan Matthews touches. And it wasn’t just Josh Norman forcing looks away from Alshon Jeffery to Nelson boy, this is real. This is why Chip Kelly drafted him so high.

Martavis Bryant: With only 2 passes caught for 14 yards against the Browns, the inflated preseason hype was let out with a big fart noise on Sunday, but Bryant should be able to bounce back against the Vikings. He was still the third-most targeted player on the Steelers with 6, and we all know he just needs one touch to bring the ball home, where it’s safe and warm. Flex him.

WIDE RECEIVER SITS

Tyreek Hill: Listen, if he’s a top three receiver on your team and you need to flex him, do it. But Hill’s NFL-record five straight games with a touchdown from 65 yards out or longer cannot be sustained. Alex Smith cannot be sustained. This is the NFL, and adjustments are made.

This looks so nice, though…

Duke Johnson: Look at us, getting saucy and pedantic with the Duke Johnson, the multi-faceted running back that has morphed into a receiver. I’m putting him here because he’s spending almost all of his time as a receiver, and he only caught 2 passes on 5 targets, and spent 89 percent of his time in the slot. In fact, he never lined up behind the QB on Sunday.

On paper, and on draft day, he seems like PPR gold. But I’m afraid to roll him out unless I’m desperate. I’d rather have a Theo Riddick, or a Jacquizz Rodgers, Powell or James White there.

Pierre Garcon: The 49ers saw that they can depend on Garcon by giving him 10 targets which he turned into 6 receptions for 81 yards, but Seattle will be focusing on him, one of the few threats that Brian Hoyer has, in an effort to shut down the entire Niners offense. Garcon is going to have a solid year, especially in PPR leagues, but this isn’t the week to roll him out. He may hover around his 28 percent target share, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be doing much.

As we leave the wide receiver section of this column, this needs to be shared:

RUNNING BACK STARTS

Ty Montgomery: For as long as he’s healthy, Ty Montgomery is a three-down back you want in your lineup. He had 19 rushing attempts for pedestrian 54 yards (but got a touchdown) against Seattle in Week 1 and added 4 receptions for 39 yards. Those kinds of touches will entrench Montgomery firmly into the RB1 discussion for as long as he gets them. He got a little banged up to finish the game, but looks to be fine. James Starks’ heart fluttered a bit as he watched the game on TV though, I’m sure.

Marshawn Lynch: Whatever! Let’s do this. Lynch had 19 touches against the Titans (18/76, 1/16) and looked absolutely revitalized. LeSean McCoy just averaged 5 YPC on the Jets defense that will likely be exhausted and on the field for too much of the game. The best part? The Raiders are using Lynch wisely, letting him take a few series off so he can jog to the sideline and enjoy his Skittles.

https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/906927400512081920/photo/1

https://twitter.com/NFL_Access/status/906966918283882502/photo/1

Terrance West: I’m not entirely sure if I believe in some suddenly brilliant Browns run defense that’s shutting down a Le’Veon Bell. As Mike Tomlin said: “When you get highly penalized and you’re working at first and 15 or second and 15, man, You’re not going to have a great running game.” That, and the fact that Bell was just reporting back after holding out from camp, probably had to do a lot with Bell’s weak performance. Now, with Danny Woodhead out, Terrance West can build on his 19-rush game that earned him 80 yards and a touchdown. Yes, Buck Allen is there. He got 21 carries last week, but this is West’s job.

RUNNING BACK SITS

Jeremy Hill/Joe Mixon: The most-hyped rookie RB coming into the season under-delivered against the nasty Jaguars D, and Cincinnatti has clearly shown that their backfield is a job for three grown, human men. Gio Bernard will come in on third downs and passing plays, and Mixon will be spelled by Hill against a stout Houston front seven. You’ll see that Mixon was the touch leader for the Bengals on Sunday, but then you’ll see what he did with them: 8 rushes for 9 rush yards, 3 catches for 15 yards. The dude can absolutely fall into the end zone this week if Cinci gets close, but don’t get cute. Remember the alpha and omega of the Bengals offense starts with this:

Gio might be a decent flex in deeper, PPR leagues. He looked good coming back from an ACL.

Mike Gillislee: Bully for you if Gillislee was in your lineup on Thursday night — three touchdowns is a sweet thing — but can you depend on that? What are we about to see here from the Patriots in New Orleans? Is Belichick going to nod at Brady and Brandin Cooks then pull his hoodie over his eyes with the passion of a thousand Rex Ryans while putting Rex Burkhead in at the goal line? Anything is possible. Gillislee was stopped twice on fourth downs, and only averaged 3 YPC on 15 rushes. Granted, he had TD scores 2, 2, and 1 yard out, but do you want to get in this man’s mind? Can you handle it?

Carlos Hyde: The man is purely a PPR play. Even with a negative game script against the Panthers, Hyde was looked to often by Brian Hoyer, six times total (catching all six passes) and dominating the snaps. But you can’t start him with confidence unless you don’t have a better option. As you can see in the clip above featuring one Ty Montgomery, the Seahawks aren’t to be totally feared, but will Hoyer be able to get Hyde near the goal line? Probably not. We’ll take the PPR points, but there’s a good chance the whole 49ers offense is swallowed up by the Seahawks.

TIGHT END STARTS

Zach Ertz: The prophecy is coming true and Ertz has become not only a top ten standard tight end, but he’s in the discussion as a top five or even top three PPR league tight end. Ertz had 21 percent target share and caught 8 passes on 8 targets for 93 yards. It’s only a matter of time until he gets in the end zone.

Martellus Bennett: Immediately after a sliding Aaron Rodgers took a questionable hit from a Seahawks defensemen, Bennett stood up for his QB by getting equally nasty, which seemingly was awarded by Rodgers with a 26-yard pass. Bennett’s 6 targets aren’t that impressive, but if he can haul in all 6 (3/43 on Sunday), even without scoring, he’s entering TE1 territory in PPR leagues, and this week’s game against Atlanta could be a barnburner.

Play him with a cautious confidence.

https://twitter.com/WinterKimberly/status/907278366511910912
Kyle Rudolph: Very quietly a top three tight end in 2016, Rudolph continued his sneaky good play in a quiet Monday night performance in New Orleans where he caught 3 balls for 26 yards and a touchdown. He is touchdown dependent, but once defenses start realizing Adam Thielen is good and Stefon Diggs is even better, Rudolph will get open, especially in the red zone, where he shines. This week’s game against the Steelers should see him score again.

TIGHT END SITS

Hunter Henry: Much-hyped as the usurper of the Antonio Gates’ thrown atop the scoring TD mountain in San Diego, Hunter Henry wasn’t even targeted against Denver. Some of that could be chalked up to game flow and who they were playing, but Tyrell Williams is demanding looks, Melvin Gordon seemingly needs 25 carries to get going, Keenan Allen is healthy, the Chargers will throw to Gates in the end zone to get him to break the TE TD record, and Travis Benjamin will get a few deep looks a game. Where will Henry fit into this? It’s not time.

Jack Doyle: Jacoby Brissett replaced Scott Tolzien late Sunday, but neither QB is good for Doyle, who caught two passes for 41 yards in the first quarter, then completely disappeared. Avoid him unless you’re in a deep league. Like 14 deep.

Austin Hooper: I don’t believe in Hooper quite yet. I said to bench him last week, then he put up 128 yards and a touchdown on the Bears. The reality of that statline is that Hooper scored on a terrible broken play by the Bears, then the Bears bounced off him in the second long gain, seemingly not wanting to tackle the guy. It seemed flukey, and I’d rather at least ten TEs before him. Maybe even 11, Coby Fleener is looking interesting these days.

Bears RB Tarik Cohen: We’re doing this, it seems. As a Bear fan, I’m weary of how long this Cohen thing can last, but for now, 12 targets and no Kevin White equal usage. So ride him while you can, David Johnson owners. You gotta love the kid’s second gear.

BUF TE Charles Clay: For the Jordan Reed owner who is concerned about the oft-injured touchdown machine’s broken toe, Charles Clay once again showed off his rapport with Tyrod Taylor, who showered him with looks. When it was all said and done, Clay had 9 targets, 4 catches, 53 yards and a score. He’s for deeper leagues now, but he’s worth getting.

LAR WR Cooper Kupp: Love him, love him, love him. Cooper Kupp’s NFL debut couldn’t have had a better matchup in the Colts, who he smashed for a 4/76/1 line. Had he not bungled two other targets thrown his way, he would’ve had an even better game. He’s Jared Goff’s security blanket, has a solid floor, and low WR2 upside in PPR leagues as the year goes on. Get him now while you can. (We told you to get him last week!)

DET WR Kenny Golladay: Lovingly nicknamed “Babytron,” Golladay looked fantastic in his first game as a pro, catching two long touchdowns from Matthew Stafford. He’s going to be battling for looks with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones ahead of him, so keep expectations in check.

Meanwhile:

https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/906968929163149312

A note to David Johnson owners: First off, I feel your pain. I own (and love) David Johnson very much. Kerwynn Williams might look like the handoff, but Andre Ellington will likely be in on passing downs, and there’s talk of Chris Johnson being re-signed. That, and the Cards just signed Patriots practice team scatback D.J. Foster. It’s a mess and probably should be avoided until further notice.

BAL RB Javorius Allen:For now, the job is Terrence West’s, but Buck Allen still had 21 touches in Week 1, and could continue to see work (hopefully in the passing game) in Week 2. Stash him.