Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts And Sits- Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
There were so many disappointing pass catchers last week due to poor QB play as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, and Marvin Harrison Jr. were all outside the top 70 at their position, and every tight end not named Isaiah Likely, Brock Bowers, and Kyle Pitts were bad for fantasy. Despite all the poor performances, both of last week's starts in Chris Godwin and Jameson Williams were home run starts as they were both top 8 receivers. Zach Ertz on the other hand was not a great start but no tight end was outside of the 3 mentioned above, and Cole Kmet, last week's sit, finished outside of the top 45 at the position.
After many disappointments last week, players are hoping for bounce-back weeks from key pieces of lineups, and some players are primed for bigger weeks while others may have to wait another week.
Start- Malik Nabers Vs. Washington Commanders:
The Giants offense was abysmal last week against the Vikings as they scored just 6 points in a 28-6 defeat. In that game, Nabers had 7 targets which resulted in 5 catches for 66 yards which is a solid statline, but if the Giants want to turn the offense around they need to get Nabers the ball more. Luckily for the Giants, the Commanders are the perfect matchup to force-feed Nabers the ball. The Commanders defense was just torched by Baker Mayfield and the Bucs allowing big days for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin along with a touchdown to rookie Jalen McMillan.
Understandably, people are worried about Daniel Jones being able to get the ball to Nabers, but he has no choice. Wan'Dale Robinson had 12 targets last week and while Robinson is a solid player he should not be the target leader. Nabers was the 6th pick in the NFL draft for a reason and the Giants need to do all they can to feature him. After last week's game, Daniel Jones job could be in jeopardy with Drew Lock waiting behind him. If Jones wants to play better and keep his job he has to get the ball to Nabers as much as possible as he is the team's best player-maker by a wide margin.
Nabers is the clear number 1 WR for the Giants and needs to be targeted like one. After a solid debut, Nabers is set up for a strong follow-up game in a fantastic matchup with the Commanders in which he could finish as a top-12 WR.
Start- Amari Cooper Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars:
Last week was brutal for Cooper as he only hauled in 2 of 9 targets for a total of 16 yards and dropped a long touchdown that would have saved his fantasy performance. Fantasy managers may want to move Cooper as his QB Deshaun Watson looked very bad last week, but the Cowboys defense is elite and Watson had been recovering from injury all off-season. This week the Browns have a better matchup against the Jaguars who allowed 338 passing yards last week and lost their number 1 cornerback to injury.
As mentioned above Cooper saw 9 targets in last week's game and is the clear number 1 target for Watson. Watson attempted 45 passes last week and he could air it out once again as the Jags shut down the Dolphins rushing game last week which led to high passing volume for Tua. If the Browns can't get the ground game going Watson may have to pass a lot once again which only helps Cooper. Along with a positive matchup starting tight end David Njoku suffered an injury last week which means even more targets will be available for Cooper this week.
Fantasy managers need to have confidence in Cooper going forward and he should be able to regain trust this week. The Jags are beatable through the air and Cooper could see 15 targets without Njoku on the field this week. All the signs point to Cooper having a bounce-back game this week and there should be no hesitation in plugging him into the lineup.
Start- Demarcus Robinson Vs. Arizona Cardinals:
Last week's bold start of Jameson Williams paid off in a big way as he finished as WR 5 in PPR leagues. This week's bold start is Demarcus Robinson who is now the Rams WR 2 with Puka Nacua injured.
Robinson came into the year as the Rams WR 3 behind Kupp and Nacua but now moves up the depth chart with Nacua sidelined for at least 4 weeks. Robinson was one of the most popular waiver claims this week for good reason. Last year Robinson was a non-factor for most of the season until the Browns game where he had 4 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. From the Browns game on, Robinson was an integral part of the Rams offense, and that continued into week 1 this year.
Last week Robinson had 7 targets for 4 catches and 42 yards which is fine but Puka played mostly the entire first half which made Robinson the WR 3. Now that Robinson is the WR 2 he is primed for more targets and always produces when he sees targets. Last week for the Rams, Cooper Kupp saw 21 targets which is a ton. As great of a connection Kupp and Stafford have 21 targets is hard to duplicate. Assuming the ball gets spread out more this week Robinson could see 10-plus targets this week in a plus matchup with the Cardinals.
In a game that is expected to be high-scoring, Robinson should see a lot of work which could lead to a strong fantasy performance. Fantasy managers should find a way to get Robinson into lineups this week as he could be poised for a strong game.
Start- Trey McBride Vs. Los Angeles Rams:
McBride is not on this list because people are debating whether or not they should start him. McBride is on this list to instill confidence in people after a poor week 1. Any of the top-tier tight ends could have made this list such as Mark Andrews or Dalton Kincaid as fantasy managers shouldn't worry about any of them. McBride gets the nod because he has the best matchup this week.
McBride only had 5 catches for 30 yards last week but he saw 9 targets which led the team. Not only did he lead the team in targets, but Mcbride was 2 plays away from being the tight end 2 on the week. Kyler just overthrew McBride down the sideline for a big gain while extending a play and also didn't see him open in the endzone in the 1st quarter. Add 35 yards and a touchdown to Mcbride's stat line from last week and he's the tight end 2.
Along with a high target rate last week, McBride has a great matchup this week with the Rams. The Rams were one of the worst in the league when it came to defending the tight end last year and until that changes, they need to be targeted in fantasy. The game should be high scoring which means McBride should see plenty of opportunity to have a big week.
People were worried that McBride would see less work with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr., but until MHJ is seeing 10-plus targets weekly, McBride is the number 1 target on the team. Don't panic about the poor performances from tight ends in week 1 as they all were bad outside of a few. Start the studs this week and look for a big game from McBride.
Sit- George Pickens Vs. Denver Broncos:
Pickens had a nice week 1 performance with 6 catches for 85 yards but faces arguably the best corner in the league this week in Patrick Surtain II who shut down D.K. Metcalf last week.
Pickens has always been a boom-or-bust player for fantasy and there is hope that changes this year as he is the clear WR 1 in Pittsburgh but until he proves he can be consistent he needs to be treated like a boom-or-bust player. Along with Pickens inconsistencies, the Steelers QB situation is murky as well whether it be Fields or Wilson. Just last week the Steelers failed to score a touchdown with Fields under center in their 18-10 victory over the Falcons. The Steelers are going to win and lose games on the back of their defense, not the offense.
In a game against a bad Broncos offense, the Steelers defense should dominate once again meaning they will likely run the ball a lot limiting Pickens opportunities. Tie in the likely negative game script for Pickens and the Surtain matchup, the chances of a big game from Pickens this week seem slim even if it only takes one play. Pickens is no more than a flex play this week in a bad matchup.
Sit- Christian Watson Vs. Indianapolis Colts:
If Jordan Love did not get injured last week Watson is listed as a start instead of a sit. The Colts are a great matchup for receivers which makes it unfortunate Watson is a sit this week.
With Love hurt, it appears that Malik Willis will start which is not good for anyone involved. Willis hasn't had much opportunity in his career thus far but in his limited action, he has not impressed. Willis holds the ball for too long which leads to sacks more often than not. For the Packers to avoid that they will likely rely heavily on the ground game and when they throw it will be short, quick, manufactured targets to Jayden Reed. Playing any Packers receiver this week is risky but Watson is a player who relies on big plays and they are unlikely with Willis under center.
Watson is a big play threat with elite deep speed, and until Love returns he feels unplayable due to the hesitancy of Willis to throw the ball downfield. Players such as Greg Dortch and Jalen McMillan should be played over Watson this week as his QB situation is as bad as it gets.
Sit- Calvin Ridley Vs. New York Jets:
Ridley drew a tough matchup in week 1 with the Bears Jaylon Johnson and it doesn't get any easier this week with Sauce Gardner who is arguably the league's best corner.
Ridley saw 7 targets last week and caught 3 of them for 50 yards which is fine but nothing special. Ridley was getting open all game long with Will Levis had a rough day against the Bears and the Jets defense is one of the league's best which makes this a scary matchup. Ridley will see his fair share of targets once again as the team's number 1 option, but the quality of targets might not be great. Just last week the Jets shut down Brandon Aiyuk and limited Deebo Samuel outside of one big gain that came after the catch. The Jets are elite against the pass and with Levis under center, Ridley could be due for another underwhelming game.
Just like Pickens, Ridley is a flex play at best as he possesses upside but shouldn't be relied on this week due to a tough matchup against one of the league's best. Even if Ridley has a poor game there shouldn't be panic as the Bears and Jets are 2 strong defenses against the pass, but until Levis proves he can perform against elite secondaries/defenses Ridley's expectations should be tempered.
Sit- Courtland Sutton Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Sutton may be on this list every week as his situation is not good at the moment. Sutton saw 12 targets last week which is great. Of those 12 targets only 4 resulted in receptions which was good for 38 yards.
Sutton was on this list last week as a sit because the Seahawks matchup was not ideal. This week Sutton gets the Steelers which is even worse. The Steelers held the Falcons offense to 10 points last week. Drake London had 3.5 fantasy points and Darnell Mooney had 2.5 fantasy points in that matchup. T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense wrecked the game and it seems likely they will do so this week against Bo Nix and the Broncos. Sutton's upside is extremely limited due to the current QB situation and until Bo Nix gets comfortable Sutton's upside will remain limited.
Sutton can probably be flexed every week if he is going to see 12 targets a game but no one should have their hopes up for big performances from Sutton. In a game that is projected to be low-scoring with an elite Steelers defense on the other side of the ball pivoting from Sutton is ideal this week.
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