Joshua Abbe, Mason Thompson, Givanni Damico | September 14th, 2019
Week two is amongst us and we hope you had a successful week one. Whether you won by a large margin or the closest of decimals, you’re probably preparing for another week with questions galore. To help fantasy football players with their roster construction, three of our writers have provided some insight on which players they would start, would sit, and consider a sleeper for week two. Be sure to follow all of them on twitter and ask any of The Scorecrow’s fantasy writers for fantasy advice.
Quarterbacks
Starts
Jared Goff vs New Orleans Saints
Goff comes into week two against a Saints defense that gave up 414 yards and 268 of those being passing against Houston. Though his performance was lackluster with the worse passing rating (18.8) for week one facing Carolina. Goff should have a nice bounce back against a defense that has been no better than 29th against the pass since 2018. – Josh
Ben Roethlisberger vs Seattle Seahawks
Coming off a dreadful game against the Patriots, fantasy fans need to stick with Big Ben this week. He faces off against the Seahawks defense that allowed Andy Dalton to have the most passing yards out of anyone in week one. Dalton finished with 418 yards, two touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 106.5. Roethlisberger should be started in what could be a shootout. – Mason
Josh Allen @ New York Giants
Allen struggled with turnovers last week against the Jets, but not all of the turnovers were his fault. Both of his interceptions were tipped into the air and one of the fumbles was a miscommunication with his offensive line. The Bills’ offense got down the field efficiently all game last week, but the turnovers in Jets’ territory hurt them. Allen should be able to have success running and throwing against a weak Giants’ defense. – Gio
Sits
Kirk Cousins @ Green Bay Packers
Cousins only threw the football last week 10 times…10! Yes, Cook was “cooking” on the field and running all over the Falcons in week one. Cousins should be well-rested going into Sunday, though he faces a Packers defense that held Mitchell Trubisky to eight fantasy points and no touchdowns. Now I expect Cousins to throw more than 10 times, but Packers at home are good. Keep him on your bench. – Josh
Matt Ryan vs Philadelphia Eagles
Ryan didn’t have a good week against Minnesota on Sunday. Personally, I’d leave him on the bench again this week. He is at home which favors him having a good game, but the Eagles defense held firm against the Redskins and specifically Case Keenum in the second half. Now that the Eagles are warmed up, maybe their defense will be too against Ryan. – Mason
Andy Dalton vs San Francisco 49ers
Everybody was saying to start Jameis Winston last week, and the 49ers’ defense swallowed him up. Sure, Dalton was great last week, but I don’t expect the same performance from him or John Ross. Play it safe this week, sit Dalton and let him prove that he is not a one-game wonder. – Gio
Sleepers
Gardner Minshew @ Houston Texans
Yes, I am going there this week with my sleeper pick! Give me Minshew, hot waiver wire pickup and all to perform against Houston. He might not be spectacular, but in garbage time he could put up some needed QB2 numbers if you’re desperate and need something. Like myself, who lost Andrew Luck, Sam Darnold, and Nick Foles in superflex leagues. He put up a nice 275 yards, on 22 out of 25 pass completions (13 straight from debut snap), mixed in with two touchdowns against Kansas City. We know how bad the Texans secondary is, the Jaguars might have their guy all along not named Foles! – Josh
Case Keenum vs Dallas Cowboys
Keenum finished week one with almost 400 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. Most of the yardage came in the first half before the Eagles finally woke up. He plays against a Cowboys defense that allowed Eli Manning to have a good game against them. This Redskins team is feisty and won’t give up. Keenum could have a great game in a close contest. – Mason
Derek Carr vs Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders will be playing from behind and will likely have to throw the ball. Carr flashed some brilliance against the Broncos, who have a tougher defense than Kansas City. Carr should be able to put up some points this week, even if it is in a losing effort. – Gio
Running Backs
Starts
Sony Michel @ Miami Dolphins
After a major dud of a performance week one for Michel. He goes into week two facing the worst defense out there currently in the NFL. Dolphins just gave up 265 yards rushing the Mark Ingram and rest of the Ravens’ offensive unit. He should bounce back rather nicely Sunday, especially with James White expecting to miss the game due to the birth of his child. – Josh
Josh Jacobs vs Kansas City Chiefs
Jacobs and the Raiders came away with a surprise win in week one against the Broncos. He finished with 23 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while also adding a reception for 28 yards. Jon Gruden said he would still like to give Jacobs about 24 touches a game, and it could work to the Raiders favor this week against Kansas City. I’d keep him in the lineup in what could be a sneaky-good game this week. – Mason
Mark Ingram vs Arizona Cardinals
Ingram showed that he is still an explosive running back with a lot to prove on his new team. Granted, his performance was against the Dolphins, he showed great vision, nonetheless. The Cardinals’ defense is nothing special, so Ingram should have plenty of chances against them. – Gio
Sits
David Montgomery @ Denver Broncos
This one hurts because I love Montgomery, but simply put until he gets the usage on the field, he isn’t even flex worthy at the moment. Last Thursday night he only touched the ball seven times. With only six carries and one pass catch, he seems to be the hidden gem head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t seen yet. The Bears offense this week is a risky play all together for week two facing Denver, so I expect the same unless he gets his chance to perform and then he’s an everyday starter. – Josh
Dalvin Cook @ Green Bay Packers
It’s weird having any player playing against the Packers defense listed as a sit, oh how times have changed. Cook lit up the stat sheet against Atlanta, but the Packers defense looks legit this year. The Packers forced the Bears to completely ignore the rushing attack last Thursday and it could happen again in what could be another low scoring NFC North rivalry game. – Mason
Kenyan Drake vs New England Patriots
I sat Drake in all my leagues last week and it ended up being a good decision. He was playing a stout defense who is great at defending the run, plus the Dolphins were constantly playing from behind so they didn’t think about running the ball too much. Unfortunately for Drake, it will likely be like that for him often. I can’t see them coming within 20 points of the Patriots this week, which will likely lead to a shortage of carries for Drake once again. – Gio
Sleepers
Raheem Mostert @ Cincinnati Bengals
If you had Tevin Coleman or any other running back battling injuries already, you might have had to reach for Mostert on waivers. I don’t mind him this week because Breida is just as injury prone as the next guy and Mostert is behind him in line. Plus with the limited load he took on last week, he led the team with 40 yards and four yards per carry after the first contact. With being able to see possibly seven to 14 touches, he’s a decent low-end flex play. – Josh
Devin Singletary @ New York Giants
I listed Singletary as a sit last week and he had a solid game, almost eclipsing 100 total yards. I expect him to reach 100 this week as the Bills take on the lowly Giants. Singletary is a factor in both the running and passing games so he should make easy work of the Giants. – Mason
Adrian Peterson vs Dallas Cowboys
This is a very bold pick because the Cowboys have a defense that can swallow a running back. Saquon Barkley, of course, was the exception, but Peterson is not the Peterson of the past. Dallas may take this matchup lightly after letting Barkley run on them last week. If Case Keenum can drive them down the field, Peterson should get some red-zone chances though. – Gio
Wide Receivers
Starts
Cooper Kupp vs New Orleans Saints
While it seems obvious to start Kupp this week, even more so to bump him up to WR2 status with the matchup he has against the Saints. He draws slot cornerback P.J. Williams who was just torched by Houston a week ago. Look for double-digit catches for Kupp and a touchdown or two. Worry about someone else in the flex spot. – Josh
Tyler Lockett @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy owners of Lockett were left clueless through the first three-quarters of Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. Lockett had no targets until he caught a 44-yard touchdown to save his fantasy performance in week one. He has a favorable matchup against the Steelers this week who were torched by Patriots receivers from the slot, where Lockett plays over 60 percent of his snaps from. – Mason
Danny Amendola vs Los Angeles Chargers
Despite Matthew Stafford having plenty of targets to spread the ball to, he seemed to like Amendola last week. Stafford will likely have to throw the ball a lot to keep up with the Chargers and with Casey Heyward shadowing Kenny Golladay, Amendola should be Stafford’s go-to guy. – Gio
Sits
Jarvis Landry @ New York Jets
Landry is behind the long line of offensive targets on a stacked passing game. Last week he saw just seven targets against the Titans and they played from behind most of the game. Though playing from the slot, the Jets defense held Buffalo’s slot guy Cole Beasley to only 40 yards. Low expectations for week two, so it’s safe to sit him. – Josh
Robby Anderson vs Cleveland Browns
Anderson was going to be listed as a sit for me, even before the news about Darnold missing this week. The Browns held Corey Davis to absolutely nothing in week one and could do the same to Anderson this week. With Darnold being out, the Jets will rely on Trevor Siemian to carry them. Not a great outlook. – Mason
Will Fuller vs Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s a tough matchup for the Texans’ receivers having to go against Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Fuller will likely draw Bouye and I don’t see him doing anything in that matchup. If the Texans win this week, it’ll be because DeAndre Hopkins dominates Ramsey in his matchup. – Gio
Sleepers
John Brown @ New York Giants
Brown had a nice game last Sunday with catching seven out of 10 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. While he posted great numbers, he is still on the Bills and is overlooked with the discussion of if Allen can be accurate with the ball. So far so good and should continue to do so. Brown is a great flex play against a poor Giants defense. – Josh
Donte Moncrief vs Seattle Seahawks
Moncrief put up a stinker in week one against the Patriots, only having seven yards, but then again, which Steeler didn’t have a bad fantasy output after week one? Moncrief and the Steelers take on the Seahawks this week in what appears to be a high-scoring game and should benefit from it. – Mason
Cole Beasley at New York Giants
Beasley has a very good track record against the Giants throughout his career. The Giants’ don’t have anything special in the secondary and their linebacking corps is weak as well which should allow Beasley to get open in the middle of the field often. Hopefully, he can find himself in the end zone once or twice as well.
Tight Ends
Starts
Vance McDonald vs Seattle Seahawks
McDonald had a horrendous game last Sunday night, though the whole Steelers had it that bad as well getting blown out. The Bengals just shredded the Seahawks defense for 418 passing yards and 93 of those being to the tight end position. If McDonald was primed for a bounce-back game in a big way, it’s Sunday with the Steelers needing to show relevancy. – Josh
T.J. Hockenson vs Los Angeles Chargers
Hockenson had a big debut against the Cardinals and gets another good matchup this week against the Chargers. He led the team in targets in week one and played over 70 percent of the snaps. He should be a top option at the tight end position again this week. – Mason
Darren Waller vs Kansas City Chiefs
With Antonio Brown gone before he could even take the field in a Raiders’ jersey, Carr favored Waller and Tyrell Williams on Monday Night. The Chiefs’ defense is lackluster and the Raiders will likely have to play from behind to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the explosive Chiefs’ offense. This will allow Carr to throw the ball more and hopefully feed Waller. – Gio
Sits
Jimmy Graham vs Minnesota Vikings
Since 2017, the Vikings haven’t allowed a tight end to catch more than three passes or finish with double-digit fantasy points in a game. Graham has caught three or more passes in eight of his last nine games played. Might do the math there, but with a super stingy defense, it doesn’t look good for Graham unless he scores a touchdown for value. Also, the Vikings only gave up just three touchdowns to opposing tight ends all of last season. Not worth the risk for me. – Josh
Eric Ebron vs Tennessee Titans
Ebron finally emerged last year for the Colts. Now with Luck gone, he has been forced into a desperation play for fantasy players, especially now that he’s splitting time with Jack Doyle. Doyle played almost 30 percent more snaps than Ebron in week one and has been a favorite for Jacoby Brissett, even back to his time starting before when Luck was injured. You can find better options on the waiver wire. – Mason
Delanie Walker vs Indianapolis Colts
Walker had a productive day on Sunday, proving that he can still ball. This week will be a tough matchup for him as he draws a good defense with plenty of speed. Philip Rivers had trouble getting the ball to his tight ends this year and I expect it to go the same way for Marcus Mariota and the Titans this week. – Gio
Sleepers
Mark Andrews vs Arizona Cardinals
Andrews is quietly doing what was projected of him, though I have him a sleeper pick due to the rushing offense of the Ravens. If Lamar Jackson repeats his performance against the Dolphins then look to Andrews to ball out again. If not, look to Andrews to still put up numbers against an Arizona defense that just got torched by Hockenson for 25 fantasy points. – Josh
Vernon Davis vs Dallas Cowboys
Like Keenum, Davis plays the Cowboys who let Evan Engram have a monster game in week one. With Jordan Reed sidelined again, Davis could be Keenum’s number one option. If Davis is out on the waiver wire and your tight end has a bad matchup, it might be worth putting in a claim for Davis. – Mason
C.J. Uzomah vs San Francisco 49ers
Despite my decision to sit Dalton, Uzomah is still a reliable target. He’s athletic and can get open down the seam. Ross won’t have the week that he had last week, and Uzomah could be the guy who gets Dalton out of trouble this week. Expect plenty of red-zone targets for Uzomah not just this week, but throughout the season. – Gio
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