Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. It was a very up and down week as it pertained to fantasy football. There were many players that exceeded expectations in the first week like running back Elijah Mitchell (16.4 points), quarterback Jameis Winston (29.62 points) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (38.9 points). However, on the other side, many players didn’t quite live up to expectations. These players were running back Najee Harris (5.9 points), quarterback Aaron Rodgers (3.32 points) and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (0.0 points). Here are the Starts/Sits in Fantasy Football for Week 2.
Quarterback Joe Burrow comes into this matchup trying to start 2-0 for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. From a fantasy perspective, this is an ideal matchup for the former LSU star. Burrow is coming off an impressive performance against the Minnesota Vikings where he threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns. The second year starter finished the game with 18.64 fantasy points, a good day for his first game back from a torn ACL.
As for the Bears, they struggled to contain quarterback Matthew Stafford a week ago. Stafford threw two touchdowns over 50+ yards and finished the game with 321 yards and three touchdowns. The former Detroit Lions quarterback had himself a day with 24.34 fantasy points. Now, Burrow gets to face a secondary that looked all out of sorts in week one.
Running back Chris Carson makes for a solid start in fantasy for week two. For starters, he faces a Tennessee Titans defense that struggled to contain the Arizona Cardinals run game from a week ago. They allowed 4.1 yards per carry including 63 yards to running back Chase Edmonds.
As for Carson, he seems to be the main guy in Seattle. Last week, the former Oklahoma State product played 78 percent of the snaps while carrying 16 times for 91 yards. He also added three catches for 26 years. Although the 27-year-old running back only had 11.7 fantasy points in week one, the volume is there and this is a much better matchup.
Last week, wide receiver Brandin Cooks was a must start and he finished with 18.2 points. Now, wide receiver Diontae Johnson is a must start in week two. The volume will likely be there for Johnson every game. Last week, the 5-foot-10 wideout had 10 targets and finished the game with a 31.3 percent target share (best on the team).
The 25-year-old wide receiver appears to be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s favorite target. Last week, this Las Vegas Raiders team allowed 19.4 points to the Baltimore Ravens’ best weapon, Marquise Brown. Johnson should be heavily involved in the pass game and should have a field day against this Raiders’ secondary.
What a performance by quarterback Derek Carr on Monday night football against the Baltimore Ravens. Carr threw for 435 yards and two passing touchdowns which was good for 24 fantasy points. Although the former Fresno State star was able to carve up the Ravens’ secondary, probably don’t expect the same from him against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last week, this Steelers defense was all over quarterback Josh Allen. Allen finished as QB21 in week one and only had 15.2 points, very unlike the former Pro Bowler. With the Steelers defense being one of the best in the league, benching Carr is likely the best move even coming off that miraculous performance.
Mike Davis (Image Courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons)
The 28-year-old running back found a new home this offseason after spending last season with the Carolina Panthers. Mike Davis got his first shot with the Atlanta Falcons in week one and it wasn’t the best performance. Davis only averaged 3.27 yards per carry in week one on 15 carries. Even though he played 75 percent of the snaps in week one, it is probably best to sit him in week two.
The former South Carolina product has to go up against the stout Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. Last week, running back Ezekiel Elliott struggled to get anything going on the ground. He finished with 5.9 points and averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. It’s safe to say that Davis might not get much on the ground in this matchup, so it’s probably best to leave him on your bench.
Marvin Jones comes into this matchup after having a solid game in week one. Jones finished with five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. His 18.7 points were good to be WR20 in week one. However, the 31-year-old wide receiver draws a difficult matchup in week two against the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have one of the best secondaries led by cornerback Kyle Fuller. Although New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard had a good performance in week one against Denver(24.3 points), there are a lot of weapons that quarterback Trevor Lawrence can throw to. For starters, Jones wasn’t the most targeted on his team in game one, that nod went to D.J. Chark with 12 targets. In a tough matchup, there are likely better starters than the former Detroit Lion.
Featured Image Courtesy of The Athletic
