The annual Week 1 of the fantasy football season has come and gone. As always, chaos erupted, and it had fantasy managers questioning their teams and second-guessing lineup decisions.
Heading into the second edition of NFL Sunday, don’t make the same lineup mistakes that you made last week.
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START – Tank Dell
Coming into the season, Dell was expected to be the Texans’ WR3. In hindsight, he was. He had by far the least amount of fantasy production. However, I expect him to bounce back. He was the WR2 in targets and air yards, both of which were right next to Nico Collins, who was the WR1. If Dell can turn that opportunity into production, he’ll be starter-worthy. He’s already proven he can produce last year. Additionally, he has a favorable matchup. With the games Collins and Stefon Diggs had, I expect them to draw Jaylon Johnson more often than not. That leaves Dell with the scraps. Expect C.J. Stroud to exploit that mismatch frequently.
Tank Dell is ready for the Sunday Night Football stage. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/x85mrwHt3a
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 13, 2024
START – Javonte Williams
Williams is one of the most game-script-sensitive players in the league. When the Broncos are down, which they will be a lot, Jaleel McLaughlin will get the majority of the playing time. However, the Steelers’ offense looked just as bad as the Broncos. They didn’t score a single touchdown in Week 1. If the Broncos can stay in it, Williams will be on the field. Not many players touch the ball more often than Williams when he’s on the field. He ranked fourth in opportunity per snaps last year. Bo Nix throwing 44 times is not sustainable. Expect more reliance on the ground game led by Williams.
SIT – Josh Jacobs
The injury of Jordan Love has Josh Jacobs‘ managers all jumpy, thinking about the touches he’s about to get. However, this only hurts him. In Week 1, Jacobs ran against a light box in 11 of his 16 runs. He averaged 7.0 YPC in those runs. However, when facing a neutral box, he averaged only 2.0 YPC. This was the case last season as well. With Malik Willis at quarterback, the Colts have nothing to worry about. They’re going to load the box, which Jacobs struggles against. Even if Love manages to play (he’s currently listed as doubtful), he will be hampered. There will likely still be heavy boxes. The Colts are also one of the most explosive offenses. The game can get ugly fast, which means more throwing and less opportunity for Jacobs.
SIT – Drake London
After all the excitement about London finally having a quarterback, Kirk Cousins put up a disaster. London was the biggest victim of it, delivering only 3.5 PPR points. Cousins has clearly not recovered from his injury. With his leg hampered, he can’t generate velocity on his throws, which means ineffective passes downfield. Downfield is where London thrives. Cousins didn’t throw a single pass beyond 20 yards and went 4-for-8 with one touchdown and two interceptions when throwing 10 to 19 yards. He mightily struggled, and that’s leaking into London. Additionally, play action was the bread and butter for Cousins. They didn’t run that a single time in their Week 1 loss. Until Cousins and London can establish a connection, he’s a risky play.Â
Drake London has finished as a top-10 fantasy WR in 2 of his 34 career games played.
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) September 13, 2024
SLEEPER – Wan’Dale Robinson
Robinson flew under the radar in the Giants’ offense. The spotlight went towards Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary. However, the real answer may have been in the shadows the entire time. Robinson led the team in targets with 12 and ranked seventh out of the entire league in first-read target rate at 36 percent. He was the focal point in the offense ahead of Nabers. Now, he gets a favorable matchup with the Commanders. Robinson mostly worked from the slot last game, running 28 routes from there. The Commanders allowed nine catches, 93 yards, and two touchdowns against opposing slot receivers last game.
SLEEPER – Demarcus Robinson
With Puka Nacua landing on IR, it’s safe to say Robinson takes over as the WR2. He was solid in the role last game, but now he gets to take over fully. Cooper Kupp will still see the majority of the targets, as he just had 21 targets. However, that’s not sustainable. The Rams are 1-5 when giving Kupp 15 or more targets. Someone else will have to step up, and Robinson is next in line.
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