Fantasy Football Week 2: Start’em / Sit’em
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Wide Receiver
Jeremy Maclin, DEN (76%, 12) – The Chiefs did try to get Maclin the ball in week 1 (nine targets), but only ended up with 5 catches for 52 yards. This week Maclin has a tough match-up with Broncos CB Aqib Talib and to make things worse is coming off a back injury. Overall it makes for a risky Thursday night start.
Allen Robinson, MIA (57%, 11) – Coming off a disappointing week 1 with only one catch despite seven targets. Robinson has a tough match-up against CB Brent Grimes and the Dolphins D. More importantly QB Blake Bortles looked pretty bad last Sunday. I’ll need to see at least some improvement from Bortles before I feel comfortable starting a Jags receiver.
Sammy Watkins, NE (54%, 10) – Despite surprisingly strong play from QB Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins was held without a catch in week 1. Watkins is talented enough to be a fantasy asset, but I want to see him actually have a solid game or two before I trust him in my starting lineup.
Pierre Garcon, STL (23%, 11) – The loss of WR DeSean Jackson could mean more targets for Garcon, but I still don’t trust QB Kirk Cousins and the Rams D-line could cause serious problems for the Skins passing game. I don’t think Cousins will have much time to throw on Sunday which will limit Garcon’s fantasy value.
Marques Colston, TB (23%, 10) – Has an easy match-up against the Bucs archaic cover 2, but Colston struggled to get open last week and looked like he’s on his last legs. Brandon Coleman may have already passed Colston as the Saints #2 receiving option making Colston irrelevant for fantasy purposes.
James Jones, SEA (18%, 9) – Playing the Seahawks secondary, even without Kam Chancellor, will be a bit harder than Jones’ week 1 match-up vs Alan Ball and the Bears DBs. The Packers have a lot of other options on offense and I don’t see Jones coming close to his success last Sunday.
Tight End
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Owen Daniels, @KC (28%, 7) – Wasn’t a factor in week 1 (2 catches, 5 yards) and looked old and slow to me. I think it’s just a matter of time until Virgil Green takes over the TE1 spot in Denver. Of course it’s possible that Daniels catches two TD passes tonight, but it’s too risky for me.
Larry Donnell, ATL (18%, 8) – With WR Victor Cruz expected back, the Giants have a glut of receiving options. Donnell had only four targets last week and I think that will be close to the norm moving forward. He was one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets in the red zone last year, but I try to avoid TD-dependent players if possible.
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