Fantasy Football Week 2: Start ‘em / Sit ‘em

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Sit’Em:

Antonio Brown WR @CIN – (74%, 12): Pittsburgh’s line was a mess in the preseason and now they’ve lost all-pro C Maurkice Pouncey. The Bengals have one of the best D-lines in football and were a top 7 pass defense last year. I don’t see Roethlisberger having much time to throw and I think Brown will struggle to get open. That combo should land Brown on your bench in week 2 assuming you have a decent replacement option.

Mike Wallace WR– (52%, 10): The fact that Wallace was complaining about targets after a win exemplifies the type of player/person Wallace is. He had a rough pre-season and only 1 catch in week 1. He’s being started based on his reputation and pro-bowl numbers back in 2011, but he’s going to have to prove he is still that player before I put him in my lineup.

Golden Tate WR SF (35%, 10): I was high on Tate going into the year based on the fact that Percy Harvin was out and Sidney Rice was hurt (as usual), but I forgot that it takes more then opportunity for success. Tate still needs to get open and catch the ball and he didn’t do either well in week 1. The Niners have a great pass defense and I think Tate will struggle again in week 2.

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Kenbrell Thompkins WR NYJ (26%, 12): On the bright side Thompkins got 14 targets in week 1, unfortunately he only caught 4 of them and looked like an undrafted WR put in a role he wasn’t ready for. Maybe it was opening day jitters, but I think it was more likely he was over-matched against starting caliber NFL corners. Thompkins will get looks in week 2 because NE is low on options, but the Jets had the 2^nd best pass defense in 2012 and if he looked that bad against Buffalo…

Ahmad Bradshaw RB MIA (25%, 7) – If week 1 is any indication, the Colts have adopted the dreaded RBBC. Maybe it’s because Bradshaw was banged up and he’ll get most of the carries when he’s healthy? Wishful thinking. Ballard looked better than at any point last year (4.8 YPC) and out carried Bradshaw 13-7. This is looking like a timeshare to me, which renders both backs useless for fantasy purposes.

BJGE RB PIT (24%, 8): The lawfirm scored a TD in week 1, but don’t be misled by his decent fantasy production. A closer look at the stats show a 1.8 YPC average and he didn’t pass the eye test either. He looked even slower than last year (almost impossible) and rookie Gio Bernard was clearly the more explosive runner (5.5 YPC).

Bust:

Dez Bryant WR @KC(93%, 14); Bryant is banged up (foot) and will most likely be matched up with solid CB Brandon Flowers on Sunday. Despite the Chiefs terrible record they had a top 12 pass defense last year and looked dominant in week 1 (ok, it was against the Jags). If Bryant is limited physically by his foot and the Chiefs pass rush (6 sacks in week 1) is getting to Romo , it could be a tough day for Dez.

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