‘Okay, I guess David Montgomery is still a thing in Detroit’,
‘Arthur Smith just can’t let go of Cordarrelle Patterson, huh?’,
‘Is Dave Canales on fraud watch?’, and
‘Isaiah Likely is the new kid in town’
Of course, it’s important to remember that it’s only Week 2. It’s vital not to overreact to early outcomes. Travis Kelce only had four targets? He’s definitely earned a little grace. In fact, he had two games with three receptions and four targets just last year. Travis Etienne is splitting carries with Tank Bigsby? Sure, but Etienne still got all the valuable touches near the goal line and all the receiving work. Marvin Harrison Jr. only earned three targets? Yeah, well that’s your fault for wasting a second-round pick on a rookie.
The moral of the story is that despite a lot of underwhelming performances in Week 1, pressing the panic button so soon can do more harm than good. That said, you still need to be smart about who you choose to put in your starting lineup next week. Here are eight players to start, and eight to sit for Week 2.
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Players to start in Week 2:
Quarterbacks:
Jayden Daniels, WSH
Jayden Daniels recorded zero passing touchdowns and only 184 passing yards, yet still recorded the third-most fantasy points among quarterbacks (Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield) prior to Monday Night Football. Daniels is a fantasy starter on rushing volume alone. Now he gets a lackluster Giants’ defense that just made Sam Darnold look like a viable fantasy starter? That’s too good to pass up.
Kirk Cousins, ATL
Cousins wasn’t great in his Falcons’ debut. However, he was constantly under duress facing a daunting Pittsburgh pass rush. Philadelphia’s pass rush is not up to par with that of Pittsburgh’s. Their leading sack artist from a year ago (Haason Reddick) is gone, and the Eagles’ secondary is not exactly a lockdown group. Cousins could be in for a much better performance in Week 2.
Running backs:
Gus Edwards, LAC
Although JK Dobbins got all the praise for his very efficient performance against the Raiders, Edwards and Dobbins still split the workload in that backfield. Going up against a weak Carolina defense, Los Angeles should find themselves near the goal line early and often. Although Dobbins may be the better elusive back, Edwards serves as the team’s goal line carrier, which could give him several opportunities for touchdowns.
Najee, Harris, PIT
The Denver Broncos’ defense is a solid unit, but they did just allow Kenneth Walker to run all over them. With Jaylen Warren still dealing with a hamstring injury, Harris is set to see most of his team’s carries in a game where Pittsburgh should be ahead early. Harris should see monster volume and several opportunities to score in Week 2.
Wide Receivers:
Chris Olave, NO
Olave has always been a boom-or-bust option in fantasy. Week 1 was the latter. However, Olave fell victim to negative game-script and was pretty much eliminated from the game by the second half. In Week 2, the Saints will face a Dallas Cowboys’ team that does three things pretty consistently:
Score a lot of points on offense
Get a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks
Give up a lot of yards to opposing wide receivers
Point No. 2 is not particularly helpful for Olave, but points Nos. 1 and 3 are very helpful. It means that Olave will likely be the beneficiary of positive game script and he’ll likely be matched up with Trevon Diggs, who forces a lot of turnovers but also surrenders a lot of yards. Furthermore, Olave has never had back-to-back weeks with less than 7 PPR fantasy points.
Malik Nabers, NYG
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both had monster performances against Washington’s abysmal secondary in Week 1. Now it is Nabers’ turn. Although Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants in targets in Week 1, he’s not the most talented receiver in the Giants’ locker room. Nabers will break out at some point this year, and while it is still a little early in the season to bet on a rookie, the matchup is too good to pass up in Week 2.
Tight end:
Brock Bowers, LV
In a game where the Raiders needed to pass a lot, Bowers got more looks than teammates Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. Now the Raiders get the Baltimore Ravens who will almost assuredly be winning for 90% of the game. Quarterback Gardner Minshew could be forced to throw the ball 60 times in this one, and Bowers, who could draw coverage from Roquan Smith should still get a decent amount of looks.
Defense/Special Teams:
Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay’s new starting quarterback Malik Willis loves to do two things: hold onto the ball and turn it over. That means a lot of sacks and turnovers are on the horizon for Indianapolis.
Players to sit in Week 2:
Quarterbacks:
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA
Tagovailoa’s fantasy relevance is built on outstanding passing stats. He brings almost nothing to the table with his legs. So, anytime he succumbs to multiple interceptions or doesn’t throw four touchdowns, he tends to be a lackluster fantasy performer. In seven career games against the Bills, Tagovailoa has thrown only six touchdowns to seven interceptions. His yardage numbers have not been particularly great either, averaging just 207.7 pass yards per game against the Bills.
Justin Herbert, LAC
The Chargers are a run-first team. Week 1 made that very apparent. The only time Los Angeles will throw the ball is when their run game isn’t working or when they are down by 20 in the fourth quarter. Neither of those scenarios will happen this week. The Chargers are playing the Panthers, who are still recovering from a thorough thrashing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Dobbins and Edwards will be the focal points of Los Angeles’ offense this weekend.
Running backs:
Zack Moss, CIN
Zack Moss may be the lead back in Cincinnati, but he faces a tough matchup in Kansas City this week. Keep in mind, this is the same Kansas City defense that held Derrick Henry to under four yards a carry in Week 1. Cincinnati could very well find themselves behind early on, thus paving the way for receiving back Chase Brown to get more work as well. All in all, just not a good matchup for Moss.
Josh Jacobs, GB
With Jordan Love sidelined with an injury, the Green Bay Packers will likely lean on the run with Malik Willis under center. Josh Jacobs should see a ton of volume, but Indianapolis will likely be stacking the box on every single play. Jacobs could have 20 carries this weekend with less than 50 yards, as Indianapolis does every in their power to force Willis to beat them, not Jacobs.
Wide Receivers:
Courtland Sutton, DEN
Sutton is still the No. 1 receiver in Denver after earning 12 targets in Week 1 against Seattle. However, Bo Nix did not appear as ready for the NFL as his preseason success would have you believe. Now, facing Pittsburgh’s unrelenting pass rush, it’s likely that Nix will not have much time to throw at all, meaning Sutton likely won’t get many good looks.
Michael Pittman Jr., IND
Not only does Anthony Richardson dislike throwing to Michael Pittman, but facing a Jordan Love-less Packers team, the Colts should find themselves up big early on. This matchup seems much more favorable for Jonathan Taylor than it does for Pittman, Pierce, or any of the Colts’ pass catchers.
Tight ends:
Evan Engram, JAX
After a lackluster Week 1 performance, fans hoping Engram will bounce back in Week 2 will be sorely disappointed. The Cleveland Browns boast one of the most complete defenses in the NFL and are very good at shutting down opposing teams’ top options. Better days for Engram are ahead, but Week 2 will likely be rough.
Mark Andrews, BAL
As much as Andrews owners don’t want to hear it, Isaiah Likely isn’t going anywhere. The Ravens seem poised to run many more two tight end sets in 2024, meaning Andrews’ target share won’t be what it was in years past. Even worse, with the Ravens facing the lowly Las Vegas Raiders this week, Baltimore will likely opt for a run-heavy approach, leaning on Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in the second half of what should be a large victory.