We have made it through the first week of the fantasy football season and we have already had some shocking results. From Aaron Rodgers putting up 1 fantasy point to Mike Gesicki’s goose egg we have already seen how matchups can play a big role in your fantasy football lineup success.
So with that said let me give you some start and sit options on offense and defense that will surely get you ready for Week 2 of the Fantasy Football Season!
Here are your 4-EYED Starts & Sits of the Week!
Quarterbacks
Start: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles against San Francisco 49ers
While the 49ers’ defense is a solid one, they did allow Jared Goff to be the QB4 in Week 1. Hurts was the QB5 in Week 1 and lit up the Atlanta defense through the air which wasn’t the norm for him last year. Hurts’ shtick has been that of a mobile quarterback that will only pass if he has to. Last week, Hurts was 27 of 35 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Hurts looks more comfortable passing and this will only elevate the impact he can have on the ground.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Baker Mayfield against the Houston Texans, Justin Herbert against the Dallas Cowboys, and Jameis Winston against the Carolina Panthers.
Sit: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals against Chicago Bears
I’m going 2-for-2 with Burrow as my sit of the week. In Week 1, the Bengals got the win against the Vikings and Burrow was able to connect with both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase for touchdowns, but that still had him finish as the QB18 on the week. Matthew Stafford played the Bears in Week 1 and finished as the QB10. Looking at the slate of games, and at a dominant defense, I think Burrow could be in trouble yet again.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Sits:
Derek Carr against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tyrod Taylor against the Cleveland Browns, and Kirk Cousins against the Arizona Cardinals.
Running Backs
Start: Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks against the Arizona Cardinals.
Am I suggesting you play Carson against a defense that a week ago held Derrick Henry to 9.2 fantasy points making him the RB29 of the week? Yes, yes I am. Chris Carson had 5.7 yards per carry last week against the Indianapolis Colts and finished with 91 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards. This game should be a shootout and so I think the game script will allow Carson to be involved the entirety of the game which only increases his value. Keep in mind that Rashaad Penny was also banged up in Week 1, so this could lead to even more work for Carson.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Najee Harris against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jamaal Williams against the Green Bay Packers, and Damien Harris against the New York Jets
Sit: Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders against the Pittsburgh Steelers
On Monday Night Football, we got to see the debut of the Raiders’ new rushing duo of Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake. The two combined for only 16 carries with Jacobs finding the endzone twice on the ground. Drake was the receiving back as he had five receptions to Jacobs’ one. The Raiders spent most of the game behind in this one and that figures to be the case as they travel to play the Steelers. I think that Jacobs will struggle to break off big runs, Drake will be the receiving back, and Darren Waller will continue to be the focus of this offense.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Sits:
Mark Ingram II against the Cleveland Browns, Mike Davis against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and James Robinson against the Denver Broncos.
Wide Receivers
Start: Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers against the Dallas Cowboys
The craziest thing I may do all week is bank on Williams having back-to-back fantasy-relevant weeks, but I think it can happen. The Cowboys gave up 14 receptions, 226 yards, and two touchdowns to the duo of Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown a week ago so I think Allen and Williams can repeat their Week 1 performances against this defense. The interesting aspect of the Chargers Week 1 offense was the lack of involvement for running back Austin Ekeler in the passing game, and if that changes in Week 2 I think that actually helps Williams chances of fantasy relevance rather than hurts it.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Corey Davis against the New England Patriots, Marvin Jones Jr. against the Denver Broncos, and JuJu Smith-Schuster against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sit: Kenny Golladay, New York Giants against the Washington Football Team
Even with the WFT giving up a combined 182 receiving yards to the top duo of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the quality of targets from pass-heavy Justin Herbert is better than what they will face with Daniel Jones under center. Another surprise from the Giants Week 1 contest was how ineffective Saquon Barkley was and you have to assume that this will be addressed by the Giants as a top priority. The Giants don’t have many all-around weapons and the WFT defense will be able to shut down Golladay.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Sits:
Zach Pascal against the Los Angeles Rams, Tyler Boyd against the Chicago Bears, and Jaylen Waddle against the Buffalo Bills.
Tight Ends
Start: Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers against the Dallas Cowboys
First off, the TE1 in fantasy right now is Rob Gronkowski who destroyed the Cowboys’ defense on the first Thursday Night Football of the year. Also, Cook is coming off of an eight-target game which is tied for the third-most in the NFL for a tight end. I know that I also have Mike Williams as a start above here, but this Chargers offense has shown that in close games, there is a lot of production that can go around.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Tyler Higbee against the Indianapolis Colts, Cole Kmet against the Cincinnati Bengals, and David Njoku against the Houston Texans.
Sit: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills
Easily my BIGGEST miss of Week 1 was having faith in Gesicki to do well, anything. He brought in zero receptions on two targets for a whopping zero yards and zero fantasy points. I was shocked at how little he was on the field, only playing in 39% of offensive snaps. Until he sees the field more and shows that he still has that rapport with Tua Tagovailoa that we say last year, Gesicki needs to be benched. (That’ll teach him).
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Sits:
Austin Hooper against the Houston Texans, Gerald Everett against the Tennessee Titans, and Zach Ertz against the San Francisco 49ers.
With IDP options being so plentiful in fantasy football, each week we’re going to list for you an option at each position with honorable mentions to help set your lineups with confidence.
Defensive Linemen
Start: Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals against the Minnesota Vikings
Playing like a man possessed, Jones looked like he was trying to set the single-season sack record all in one game last Sunday. While he only had six total tackles, five of them were sacks and he looked like he was in the backfield more often than the Tennessee Titans running backs were. Add in that Jones had two forced fumbles and he came away with a dominant 62 fantasy points in Week 1.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Maxx Crosby against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rasheem Green against the Tennessee Titans, and Cameron Heyward against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Linebackers
Start: Shaq Thompson, Carolina Panthers against the New Orleans Saints
Thompson was the LB1 or LB2 if Chandler Jones has the dual eligibility in your league. Thompson was all over the place for the Panthers and was playing some mind games as he changed his jersey number before the game started. They seemed to have paid off from his stats in the Tweet above. He should still be the linebacker in the middle this week against the Saints so look for him to continue this hot start.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Jerome Baker against the Buffalo Bills, Justin Hollins against the Los Angeles Rams, and Christian Kirksey against the Cleveland Browns.
Defensive Backs
Start: Logan Ryan, New York Giants against the Washington Football Team
Ryan enters Week 2 as the DB1 in fantasy and he benefits from playing on a team that just couldn’t do much on offense. This week, the Giants take on the Washington Football Team so Ryan figures to be on defense a lot. He was third for defensive backs with 10 tackles in Week 1 and was able to force a fumble and recover it. Sometimes in fantasy, the best ability is availability and the Giants defense is going to be dealing with a young quarterback who could be a little wild under center.
Additional Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts:
Anthony Brown against the Los Angeles Chargers, Johnathan Abram against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Adrian Amos against the Detroit Lions.
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