With the first full week of NFL football behind us, we have a better idea of who you need to be starting and sitting on your fantasy football team.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 2
The fantasy season heats up with Week 2 here, so check out our weekly starts/sits column for help setting your lineups.
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The unpredictability of Week 1 has passed, but as will be the case throughout the season, there will be some tough, 50-50 calls on starting and sitting various players. Here, we’ll look to aid you in all of the toss-up start/sit questions heading into Week 2.
Start
Going into Week 1, there was very little indication as to which running back the Patriots would lean on. Between James White, Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead, and Mike Gillislee, there were a lot of different directions New England could go, especially in a game that turned into a blowout. But it was the newcomer Gillislee who was the featured back and scored not once, not twice but three times against the Kansas City Chiefs. Gillislee is clearly taking the LeGarrette Blount role in this offense, which could lead to a monster fantasy season. Expect that to continue against a bad New Orleans Saints defense this week.
Philadelphia Eagles RB LeGarrette Blount
A lot has been made about LeGarrette Blount’s role in the Eagles offense, especially after he split snaps with Darren Sproles in Week 1. According to numberFire, Blount got 23 snaps compared to Sproles’ 33 in Week 1, but Blount had 14 carries and one catch compared to two carries and five receptions (on eight targets) for Sproles. Blount recorded 46 yards on those 14 carries while also catching a touchdown. He may not be getting all of the snaps, but he is still the featured back in this offense who keeps finding his way to the end zone. Blount is who will get the goal-line carries, so you should start him in Week 2, especially against a Chiefs defense that Gillislee scored three times against.
With Doug Martin suspended, Jacquizz Rodgers is set to be Tampa’s featured back in Week 2. He’ll do so against a Chicago Bears defense that allowed the eighth-most rushing yards to running backs in 2016. Throughout his career, Rodgers has consistently shown he can put up great numbers when he’s healthy and starting. Those two things have eluded him too often, but they’re both in play this Sunday, so keep Rodgers in your starting lineup.
With Allen Robinson lost to an ACL injury, Allen Hurns is now the top receiving option in Jacksonville. Hurns has struggled to produce since his big 2015 season, but he has a chance to put up 1,000-plus yards and double-digit scores now that he’s the top receiver again. Look for that to begin against a Tennessee Titans defense that allowed the third-most fantasy points to receivers in 2016. Start Hurns in Week 2.
New England Patriots WR Chris Hogan
The Patriots are hurting at receiver with Julian Edelman on IR, Brandin Cooks still getting in sync with his new team, and Danny Amendola in the concussion protocol. That means Chris Hogan is in for a big workload. It also helps that the New Orleans Saints have one of the worst secondaries in football, and it was exposed on Monday night against a Minnesota Vikings team that finished with just 20 passing scores in 2016 but had three against New Orleans. Start Hogan this week.
Sit
Our first look at T.Y. Hilton without Andrew Luck in 2017 was not a pretty sight. Against a Los Angeles Rams defense that struggled to stop anyone in 2016, Hilton could only muster three catches for 57 yards. This week, Hilton gets to face the Arizona Cardinals and all-everything cornerback Patrick Peterson. Expect Hilton to have a tough time getting open versus Peterson, and even when he does, Scott Tolzien is arguably worst starting quarterback in football. Keep Hilton benched for this week.
Ever since Thomas Rawls’ breakout rookie season in 2015, he’s struggled to stay on the field. Rawls racked up 830 yards on 5.6 yards per carry, and four touchdowns in 13 games that season. But since Week 15 that year, Rawls has appeared in just nine of a possible 20 games due to injuries, which also held him out in Week 1. Rawls is expected to play this week, but with Eddie Lacy, Chris Carson, and C.J. Prosise in place, it’s hard to see Rawls getting a big workload right away, even against the San Francisco 49ers’ porous defense. Keep Rawls benched for one more week.
New Orleans Saints RB Adrian Peterson
It was clear in Week 1 who New Orleans prefers in their backfield, and unfortunately, it’s not Adrian Peterson, at least for now. Against the Vikings, it was Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara getting the bulk of the touches, while Peterson recorded just nine total snaps. That shouldn’t be too surprising since both Kamara and Ingram are better pass-catchers, something the Saints prefer in a Drew Brees-led offense. Until the Saints show they can feature Peterson, sit him against the Patriots.
San Francisco 49ers RB Carlos Hyde
THe 49ers don’t look like they’ve improved much, if at all, from last year’s 2-14 disaster. However, Carlos Hyde looks as good as ever after gashing the Carolina Panthers for 45 yards on just nine carries. He also caught six passes on six targets for 32 yards, but while that’s good production, don’t expect him to even put up those kind of numbers on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, who held the Packers to just 3.0 yards per rush in Week 1. Keep Hyde on the bench this week.
Washington QB Kirk Cousins
Washington was a mess in the preseason, thanks in large part to the offensive line giving Kirk Cousins very little protection. That was also the case in Week 1 against the Eagles, who were all over Cousins for four quarters. Philly had four sacks and eight QB hits against Cousins, who finished with just 240 passing yards and one score with one interception. Don’t expect that to change much against a Rams team that just racked up four sacks and five QB hits against the Colts. Expect more of the same at the expense of Cousins, who should be on your bench this week.
