It’s week two of the Fantasy Football season and it’s time once again to get those lineups set. If you lost last week, this is the perfect week to get back into
the win column. If you won, you want to keep that momentum going. Sometimes the first game of the season can be misleading when it comes to knowing which players to start or sit. Was last week’s performance a fluke or was it a sign of things to come? Every week that owners play Fantasy Football, the more questions they have. Read on for the answers to those questions.
Quarterback
Start- Derek Carr– Oakland Raiders- For the second week in a row, you have to go with Carr. He scored 21.6 Fantasy points last week and looks primed for another strong performance. The Atlanta Falcons allowed the fourth-most Fantasy points to the quarterback in their first game and they don’t look like they will be slowing down the Raiders’ passing game either.
Carson Wentz-Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles rookie certainly did not look like a rookie in his first NFL start. Wentz scored 22 Fantasy points last week and the Chicago Bears allowed the quarterback to score 21 Fantasy points in their matchup. Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor looked like legitimate receivers who could help Wentz progress nicely.
Sterling Shepard should have another big game against the Saints this week. Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire
Sit- Ryan Tannehill– Miami Dolphins- Another game for the Dolphins, another week to sit their signal caller. Tannehill faces a New England Patriots defense that allowed only 17 Fantasy points to Carson Palmer and company and shouldn’t allow that many to the Dolphins.
Jay Cutler– Chicago Bears- When a Fantasy quarterback scores only 16 Fantasy points in a matchup in which he should’ve been able to do more, it may be time to look for another quarterback for the following week. Cutler hasn’t been a reliable Fantasy quarterback for some time now, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone at this point. Granted, the defense Cutler will face in Week 2 may be a little weaker than the Houston Texans were in Week 1, but the Eagles only allowed 13.2 Fantasy points to Robert Griffin III and the Cleveland Browns in their matchup last week.
Wide Receiver
Start- Sterling Shepard– New York Giants- Remember when Odell Beckham Jr. was the biggest thing in New York? Well, he might have to share the spotlight. His rookie teammate scored double-digit Fantasy points in his first NFL game and made Fantasy owners realize why the G-Men drafted him, even though they already had Beckham Jr. If you thought he had a good matchup versus the Cowboys, wait until he faces the Saints this week. The Saints allowed a whopping 30 Fantasy points to the wide receiver in their game versus the Raiders, so you can bet Eli Manning will be passing the ball all over the place on Sunday.
Rishard Matthews– Tennessee Titans- The Titans face the Lions this week and Detroit allowed almost 30 Fantasy points to the second wide receiver last week for the Indianapolis Colts. T.Y. Hilton may not have had the game his Fantasy owners wanted but Donte Moncrief had a pretty nice game, scoring 12.4 Fantasy points. The Lions may look to shut down rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe, leaving Matthews open for some serious Fantasy points.
Sit- Corey Coleman– Cleveland Browns- After last week’s disaster, it looks to be the same old Browns. Coleman scored less than seven Fantasy points in his debut, as Robert Griffin III once again proved he may not be the Fantasy darling owners thought he was in his rookie season a few years back. This week there is no RG3 for the Browns and the matchup isn’t in the receiver’s favor either. The Baltimore Ravens were stingy versus the receiver last week, allowing only 6.3 Fantasy points to the position. That’s almost as much as Coleman scored in Week 1. Until the quarterback position gets settled in Cleveland, it may be best to stay away from Browns receivers all together, at least until Josh Gordon gets back from his four game suspension.
Tavon Austin– Los Angeles Rams- So the Los Angeles Rams have not scored a single point since 1994. While that trend will obviously not continue, the trend that Austin isn’t worth a weekly start in Fantasy Football may. The Rams got shut out in Week 1, while the newly minted receiver scored 1.5 Fantasy points. His opponent in Week 2 is going to be that much more challenging. The Seattle Seahawks allowed the receiver position barely nine Fantasy points in their matchup. The targets were there for Austin, but once again, the production was not.
Running Back
Start- Tevin Coleman– Atlanta Falcons- While it will be difficult to predict the type of performance Coleman had in Week 1, it isn’t hard to see he will be a major factor in the passing game from week to week. In PPR formats, Coleman could be gold. He totaled 117 yards while catching five passes. The Oakland Raiders probably won’t do much to slow him down in their game since they allowed almost 18 Fantasy points to the running back in their matchup to start the season.
T.J. Yeldon– Jacksonville Jaguars- With Chris Ivory still a question mark heading into Week 2, Yeldon looks to be the man again versus a Chargers defense that got absolutely torched by Spencer Ware, when they allowed 28.2 Fantasy points. Yeldon himself scored almost 13, so Fantasy owners should expect another big game from the second-year back in Week 2.
Sit- Justin Forsett– Baltimore Ravens- Forsett didn’t do much to impress his Fantasy owners when he scored 5.6 Fantasy points and only had three catches for 15 yards. There is even a good chance that Terrance West cuts into his touches like he did last week. West did have one more touch than Forsett and could be in line for even more in the coming weeks.
Frank Gore– Indianapolis Colts- It may be time to say goodbye to the running back of old if you haven’t already. Gore hasn’t looked good in quite some time now and Week 1 was further proof of that. He scored less than eight Fantasy points and was held to 59 rushing yards. Add to that, the Denver Broncos allowed only 8.8 Fantasy points to the Carolina Panthers and starting Gore is a recipe for disaster.
Tight End
Start- Virgil Green– Denver Broncos- This looks like the game to pick on the Colts’ defense when it comes to the tight end. Indianapolis allowed more than 11 Fantasy points in Week 1, and while Green only saw five targets in his matchup, that may be enough to do some damage versus a poor Colts defense.
Clive Walford– Oakland Raiders- Walford’s five targets led to 2.8 Fantasy points, which may not have done much to impress Fantasy owners last week, but his matchup in Week 2 might. The Atlanta Falcons’ defense once again forgot to show up while they were allowing the tight end to score more than 18 Fantasy points. Walford may be more of a matchup type from week to week, and this week looks like a good matchup for him.
Sit- Austin Seferian-Jenkins– Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Fantasy owners have been hearing about Seferian- Jenkins for a couple of years now and he hasn’t done much of anything to warrant that attention. His nine Fantasy points last week are misleading if you’re just reading the box score. He had one target, which he caught for a touchdown. That was it. His quarterback, Jameis Winston, had himself quite the Fantasy game and didn’t even need Seferian- Jenkins to do it. Seferian-Jenkins may have games in which he puts up points but good luck figuring out when that will be. Until he proves he can catch more than one ball, it will be hard for Fantasy owners to trust him week to week. He may be touchdown dependent and that is the last thing Fantasy owners want on their rosters.
Vance McDonald– San Francisco 49ers- If he’s your only tight end, by all means start him. While McDonald may be good to go on many other weeks, his Week 2 matchup versus the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers doesn’t play into his favor. Carolina allowed less than three Fantasy points to the tight end last week, and McDonald only scored 7.4 Fantasy points versus the Rams on Monday night. It’s not the worst play at tight end but it isn’t one of the better ones either.
D/ST
Start- New York Jets- The Jets’ defensive line looked like the monster some thought it would. They managed to come up with seven sacks on Andy Dalton. This week they take on a Buffalo Bills team that managed to score only one touchdown versus the Ravens. Even on short rest, Fantasy owners can expect the Jets’ defense to provide a spark as you get ready for Week 2.
Baltimore Ravens- For starters, the Ravens’ defense faces the Browns this week and are considered the top defense to own. Second, this defense held the Bills to one score. In a game in which every point matters, having the top ranked defense for the week can only help.
Sit- Oakland Raiders- While some thought the Raiders’ defense would look better in 2016, they really didn’t against the Saints. They allowed almost 40 Fantasy points (most for Week 1) and still cannot be trusted to stop opposing offenses.
Washington Redskins- If Josh Norman is a shutdown corner, he didn’t show it when facing Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Washington corner back got smoked for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, that was against arguably the best receiver in the game, but this week he gets Julio Jones. Life isn’t going to get any easier for Norman and company this week.
