This Starts and Sits fared pretty well in Week 1. There were some misses, such as starting Trevor Lawrence. Other than that, I am very very proud of myself and I hope last week’s article helped you come out victorious in your leagues. Now, it is time to be even better. I am aiming for a 100% hit rate in Week 2.
The starts in Week 1 all hit besides Lawrence. Joe Mixon finished as the RB2 and Alvin Kamara finished as the RB6. D’Andre Swift and Chuba Hubbard were my favorite sits, and they did just that. Swift finished as RB44 and Hubbard ended up as the RB67.
For quarterbacks, Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert were labeled sits and finished as QB2s. Matthew Stafford lived up to his return to Detroit with a QB13 finish. Now, it is time for Week 2’s starts and sits.
Week 2 Quarterback Starts
Baker Mayfield @ Detroit Lions
Baker Mayfield or as I call him, Baker Farve. A quarterback who is a gunslinger and will sling it no matter what people say. Mayfield has found a home in Tampa Bay after a rough start to his career. The Cleveland Browns picked Deshaun Watson over Mayfield and it has not worked out in their favor. Mayfield has been one of the better quarterbacks in his play dating back to last season.
In Week 1, Mayfield continued that elite play with a QB2 finish and 29.66 fantasy points. The script cannot get any better as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves with a match-up against the Detroit Lions. The same Lions team that eliminated Mayfield and the Bucs in the divisional round last season.
The Lions’ secondary is not as strong as last year. With another weapon for Mayfield in Jalen McMillan, I expect Mayfield to not miss a step from his Week 1 domination. Fire him up in your lineups and a big waiver claim, especially to those managers who lost Jordan Love for a few weeks.
Kirk Cousins @ Philadelphia Eagles
Kirk Cousins looked like a man who was not fully healthy in Week 1. The Eagles got torched by the Packers in Week 1. Despite the win, they gave up the third most ppg to wide receivers. This is a Drake London message to the concerned managers. He and Kyle Pitts should see a ton of opportunities to produce nice fantasy numbers in Week 2. With that, Cousins should see a nice stat line, too.
To the fantasy managers that waited to draft a quarterback, Cousins, and Mayfield are the two quarterbacks that should be started and the best options for Week 2’s starts and sits.
Check out all of our Week 2 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Quarterback Sits
Geno Smith @ New England Patriots
The post-Bill Belichick New England Patriots have not missed a step on defense. They defeated the highly favorited Cincinnati Bengals and allowed 8.06 fantasy points and just 164 passing yards to Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow is hands down a better quarterback than Geno Smith, respectfully.
Yes, Smith finished as a QB1 in Week 1, but despite that, he had just 171 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. Smith having a rushing touchdown is what put him in QB1 status last week. That will not happen in Week 2. Keep Smith on your bench and hit the waiver wire for the two quarterbacks I spoke about in the start part of quarterback starts and sits.
Tua Tagovailoa vs Buffalo Bills
Despite Tua Tagovailoa throwing for over 330 yards, he had one touchdown and the Dolphins struggled at times against the Jacksonville Jaguars. To make matters worse, the Dolphins now get to host a division rival on Thursday night. The issue I have is that Tagovailoa has never been good against the Buffalo Bills. In seven games against the Bills, Tagovailoa has a 77.4 passer rating, and 1454 passing yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Tagovailoa has a career passing yard of 240 ypg. When he plays the Bills, it dips down to 207 ypg. Tagovailoa should be on your bench when Thursday Night Football arrives.
Week 2 Running Back Starts
JK Dobbins @ Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers still look like the worst team in the NFL. They got obliterated by the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 and now face the new-look Los Angeles Chargers. The Panthers gave up 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Saints.
A more polished rush attack and offensive line now get their turn against the Panthers. Jk Dobbins might have lost a burst, but he can still play the game and run at a high level. Greg Roman, the Chargers offensive coordinator trusts him a whole lot. Dobbins had 135 rushing yards on just ten carries and averaged 13.5 YPC.
Panthers star defensive tackle Derrick Brown has been placed on season-ending IR. With their best defender not in the middle anymore, I expect the Chargers to take full advantage of that with their already run-heavy offense. Fire up Dobbins in your Week 2 lineup. My bold take for Week 2 is that Dobbins sees another 100-plus rushing yards and another top-five finish amongst running backs.
Najee Harris vs. Denver Broncos
War criminal Arthur Smith gave Najee Harris 20 carries compared to Jaylen Warren’s two. The Broncos let Kenneth Walker III torch them for 100 yards and a touchdown. I expect Harris to be fed once again, but this time, find the end zone. There is not much to like about the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we must follow the volume at times.
If you drafted Najee Harris, this is your week to start him and see what he can do against a Broncos team that gave up 31 fantasy points to the Seattle Seahawks rushing attack in Week 1.
Running Back Sits
Rachaad White @ Detroit Lions
Rachaad White had a very inefficient RB1 season last year. He followed suit in Week 1 as he did see 15 carries, but turned it into just 31 yards. Rookie running back Bucky Irving turned his nine carries into 61 yards.
It is clear who is the better runner. White is being saved by his pass-catching ability as he had six receptions for 75 yards. Despite that, I find him on my bench in Week 2 against a STIFF Lions’ run defense. This will be a high-scoring game with a lot of passing going around from both sides. White is my favorite sit in starts and sits for this upcoming week.
D’Andre Swift vs Houston Texans
D’Andre Swift made my sits last week and he finds himself there again.
Swift managed to have five fantasy points. Yes, the Tennessee Titans have one of the better run defenses, but this Bears offense was supposed to be “amazing, great, lethal.” It seems that the offense will need some time to come all together. Swift in Week 2 does not get an easier match-up as the Houston Texans gave up just 10.8 fantasy points to running backs and less than 50 total yards. Rotate to another option on your team or hit the waiver wire for those streamers.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!