To put it as simply as possible, week two consisted of a lot of bad football, as well as terrible weather, and that led to a lot of bad fantasy football performances. With a lot of disappointing performances, there is now concern surrounding players whom people drafted with the expectation that they would be weekly contributors. To try and ease some of the worry that managers are having, this week’s starts and sits will focus mostly on these disappointing players. For some players, there shouldn’t be too much concern, but for others, these bad performances may be here to stay.
QB Start- Carson Wentz: 143 Passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 6.32 fantasy points
QB Sit- Tyler Shough: 252 Passing yards, 1 touchdown, 23 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 22.4 fantasy points
RB Start- Bhayshul Tuten: 13 Attempts, 65 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, -3 receiving yards, 14.2 fantasy points
RB Start- Jacory Croskey-Merritt: 12 Attempts, 43 rushing yards, 1 reception, 5 receiving yards, 5.8 PPR fantasy points
RB Sit- Rico Dowdle: 7 Attempts, 22 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 22 receiving yards, 6.4 PPR fantasy points(Injury)
RB Sit- J.K. Dobbins: 10 Attempts, 36 rushing yards, 3.6 PPR fantasy points(Injury)
WR Start- Matthews Golden: 6 Targets, 4 receptions, 58 yards, 9.8 PPR fantasy points
WR Start- Rashee Rice: 6 Targets, 4 receptions, 83 yards, 12.3 PPR fantasy points
WR Sit- Carnell Tate: 5 Targets, 3 receptions, 27 yards, 5.7 PPR fantasy points
WR Sit- Alec Pierce- 1 Target, 1 reception, 11 yards, 2.1 PPR fantasy points(Injury)
TE Start- Harold Fannin- 6 Targets, 5 receptions, 54 yards, 10.4 PPR fantasy points
TE Sit- Kyle Pitts- 3 Targets, 1 reception, 15 yards, 2.5 PPR fantasy points
Last week’s start of the week was Carson Wentz, and that didn’t exactly go well. That was largely due to the weather conditions, but regardless, it didn’t work out. Despite that, we go back to the Minnesota Vikings for this week’s quarterback start of the week.
While Kyler Murray played in week one, this is essentially his debut, as he unfortunately suffered a concussion at the beginning of the game. In his unofficial debut, he gets to take on a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that looks to be free falling, despite being just two weeks into the season. The defense was fine against the Cincinnati Bengals, but last week they made the Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson look solid. That speaks volumes, considering how bad Watson had looked in week one.
With Tampa Bay looking like a lost team, it is easy to see Murray having fantasy success. He has the rushing upside that fantasy football managers look for, the best wide receiver in the NFL to throw too, as well as other good complimentary pieces. Additionally, the Buccaneers are one of the better run defenses in the NFL, making them a pass funnel defense. Murray couldn’t ask for much more in his return from injury, and managers shouldn’t hesitate to put him in their lineups this week.
Speaking of how the Buccaneers look totally lost, Baker Mayfield is at the center of that. He has four total turnovers through two games, while having just two total touchdowns, and an average of 199 passing yards per game. There was a lot of hope that Mayfield would bounce back this season, after his play took a dip due to injury last year, but that hasn’t been the case this season. While it is a long season, and he can certainly right the ship, the Vikings are not the matchup to do so.
The Minnesota defense has been outstanding through two weeks, largely in part to their ridiculous 78% blitz rate. That is an outrageous number, but it doesn’t seem like Brian Flores has any plans on changing the way he calls his defense, especially with the success it’s having. With the defense being so blitz heavy, Mayfield will be in for a long day, and likely a rough one. The Vikings defense just shut down a Chicago Bears offense that scored 59 points in week one and turned off the Green Bay Packers water in the second half of their week one game.
This is a style of defense that can be exposed, but the Buccaneers haven’t shown any signs of life on offense this year, and it’s hard to see that changing this week.
The Washington Commanders may seem like a bad matchup for running backs through two weeks, but that isn’t true. They just haven’t allowed rushing touchdown yet, and that is inflating their stats.
From a pure statistical standpoint, the Commanders are allowing 4.4 yards per carry, which is the 10th worst in the league. They have only allowed a total of 202 rushing yards, but that is because teams have only run the ball 46 times against this defense over the first two weeks. Only five teams have had the ball ran against them less than Washington. This is a team that allowed the third-most rushing yards in the league last year, and they are still extremely vulnerable on the ground.
Jadarian Price hasn’t broken out for fantasy football yet, but he has been productive thus far. He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and he has ran for 52 yards in each game so far. He looked every bit like a first round running back so far, and in a favorable matchup where the Seattle Seahawks are favored by seven points, Price can have the type of performance fantasy managers have been waiting for.
If Price doesn’t play, plug in Emmanuel Wilson in all lineups, but if he does play, this has all the makings of a breakout week for Price.
Week one was awesome for David Montgomery. He found the endzone three times, with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. Week two, on the other hand, was anything but awesome, as he ran for just 10 yards on six carries, and that probably has fantasy football managers worried.
While there is valid reason to be concerned, Montgomery gets to take on an Indianapolis Colts defense that has been dominated on the ground this year. They have given up 354 rushing yards and four touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season, and they don’t appear to have any answers to stop the run. Maybe the answer they’re looking for is the Houston Texans offensive line, but until proven otherwise, this is a matchup to attack.
After the New Orleans Saints gave Travis Etienne a mountain of money over the off-season, it felt like he would be a featured part of the offense. Through two weeks, that couldn’t be further from the truth. He has 16 total opportunities in week one, but they didn’t result in much, and he was out touched by Alvin Kamara last week, and he didn’t do much with his touches.
The usage has been perplexing through two weeks, and in a matchup that isn’t as ideal as it once was with the Las Vegas Raiders, it is hard to trust Etienne this week. Furthermore, until the Saints get him more involved, it will be hard to rely on Etienne in any game, regardless of the matchup.
Playing running backs against the Jacksonville Jaguars just isn’t ideal. In week one, Quinshon Judkins was shut down, and last week, neither Dobbins or Jonah Coleman ran for 4 yards per carry. This week the New England Patriots get to deal with Jags stout defensive front, and that is not good news for Rhamondre Stevenson. On top of the bad matchup, he was significantly out touched by TreVeyon Henderson in his return last week. Part of that was due to his fumble early in the game, but Henderson looked good in his touches, and he should see more work moving forward. That will only hurt Stevenson, who already lacked week winning upside without another running back in the mix.
Stevenson will be playable in favorable matchup’s, but with a bad matchup this week, and a healthy Henderson, fantasy football managers should look to pivot.
Anyone complaining about Jameson Williams start to the season clearly hasn’t had him on their roster before. Has it been very frustrating over the first two weeks? Absolutely, but he has been a play or two away in both games from being a fantasy stud through the first two weeks.
Williams is an extremely talented player, who happens to be on the same team as Amon-Ra St.Brown. With him being the second option in the offense, there will be volatility, but as he has shown before, Williams has the week winning upside that fantasy managers need. The New York Jets, while looking better than expected through two weeks, are a vulnerable defense, and at home, Williams should be able to take advantage of that.
As a side not for fantasy managers who aren’t happy with Williams, just look at his game log from last year. He had a very slow start to the season, and then a phenomenal second half, and he finished as a top 12 wide receiver. There will be rough games, but the talent is obvious, and he has plenty of production over the last two years.
There’s no denying that Malik Nabers hasn’t had the start to the season that fantasy managers were hoping for. He had a solid game in week one with six catches for 69 yards, but he had just one catch for one yard in week two. To make matters worse, Jaxson Dart is now expected to miss the entire season, meaning fans will have to wait another year to see these two in action together.
Without Nabers’ franchise quarterback under center, people could be worried about what to expect from him, but there aren’t many quarterbacks who are more fantasy football-friendly than Jameis Winston. He is not afraid to let it rip, and he will pepper his top receiver with targets, and that should begin this week against the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans were torched by the Eagles pass catchers last week, specifically DeVonta Smith, who went for 10 catches, 117 yards, and one touchdown. Tennessee had no answer for him, and it is hard to imagine them having any answers for Nabers this Sunday.
The Bears offense has been one of the most confusing in the league so far. They scored 59 points in week one, but the only receiver who made an impact for fantasy football was Khalif Raymond. Last week, they scored just three points, and no one was productive, and what was with Caleb Williams. Now, with their franchise quarterback set to miss time, it is hard to trust either Rome Odunze or Luther Burden in what was already a brutal matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be especially hard to trust either one if the team’s backup quarterback, Tyson Bagent, were to miss the game with a concussion, leaving Case Keenum as the starter.
The Eagles are in the top five in terms of least receiving yards allowed this season, with just 347 yards allowed. They shut down the Titans’ passing attack last week, and the Commanders’ the week before. There is no reason to assume that Chicago will light up an elite Eagles defense with their backup quarterback, and that makes Odunze and Burden hard to trust this week.
Terry McLaurin likely would have been on this list with Jayden Daniels under center, but without him, he is a must bench. As mentioned above, the Eagles are top five in receiving yards allowed, well the Seattle Seahawks are number one, as they have allowed just 273 yards through two games. They have picked up where they left off last year and have been simply dominant as a defense.
Against Marcus Mariota and a bad Commanders offensive line, they should have a field day, and that is bad news for McLaurin. It’s unfortunate for the Commanders that Daniels is hurt once again, but without him, it will be hard to trust any pass catcher, especially in the worst matchup in the league.
Dalton Schultz is going to be a serviceable fantasy football option all season long, but without Nico Collins, he is a must start. Last week against the Bengals, he saw 14 targets and put up 12 receptions for 140 yards. That is the type of stat line that you need to look at twice to believe it, but it is real, and Schultz has a chance to build off of it this week.
As mentioned earlier, the Indianapolis Colts defense has been atrocious through two weeks, and they have given up the most receiving yards in the NFL so far. In week one, they limited Mark Andrews, but last week, they were burnt by Travis Kelce, as he went for nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Colts can’t stop anyone through the air or on the ground, and that is great for Schultz. Additionally, Collins may miss the game, making him the team’s top option once again.
The Carolina Panthers have shut down tight ends this season. There is no other way to put it. Colston Loveland and Kyle Pitts have combined for one catch for 15 yards against this defense over the first two weeks. Carolina has been terrible against the run, but they have locked up the tight end position. The matchup itself is enough to have Harold Fannin on the bench, but one decent game from Watson isn’t enough to assume he is turning things around.
It is still hard to trust any Browns pass catcher regardless of the matchup but given how well the Panthers defense has defended opposing tight ends, it makes it almost impossible to find a reason to play Fannin.
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The first couple of weeks of the fantasy football season are fun, but there isn’t a lot of worry that comes with them. Now, as team’s identities and players roles become clearer, managers will know which players are legit, and which players are not who everyone thought they were. It is reaching the point where players are going to make or break seasons, despite it only being week three. Now is the time to remove personal bias and really look at the big picture with every player, and put yourself in the best position to win each week.
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