Week 1 is in the books, and that gives us a slightly better idea of what we can expect from our fantasy teams. However, a season is not made in one week so you have to walk the tightrope of putting too much stock in the first week and knowing what to expect going forward. Fantasy football has a lot to do with matchups, so let’s see who we can expect big things from this week, and who could let us down.
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Fantasy Football Start/Sit Week 2
Quarterbacks
Start: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Oakland Raiders. I would like to start out by saying that I am not a fan of Matt Ryan from a fantasy perspective. However, he was fantastic last weekend in the opener, and now has another juicy matchup against the Raiders. Drew Brees did things to the Raiders’ secondary that young children shouldn’t have to see. I definitely don’t expect Ryan to duplicate that, but if he was able to top 275 yards and two or three scores, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Sit: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Arizona Cardinals. And on the other hand I love Jameis Winston in fantasy. However, this week I am skeptical. I know what you might be thinking, freaking Jimmy Garappolo had his way with the Cardinals defense last week, they aren’t very good. And I say nay! Arizona is a great defense who had a bad game. While Winston could have 250 yards passing, but I kind of expect him to be limited to one passing touchdown.
Running Backs
Start: Ryan Mathews, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears. Much like Matt Ryan, I also don’t like Ryan Mathews in fantasy football. He carried the load last week with 22 carries for 77 yards, including a touchdown. Granted it was against the Browns, but it was impressive nonetheless. This week the Eagles face the Bears who let Lamar Miller run all over them last week, and I think that Mathews can replicate last week’s success again.
Start: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee Titans. Ameer Abdullah disappointed fantasy owners is a major way last year as he was going in the fourth or fifth round and played like absolute diarrhea. The Lions did nothing to improve their running game in the offseason, which gave Abdullah a second chance. Last week he took advantage of that with 63 rushing yards and five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. He does face a Titans defense that kept Adrian Peterson in check last week, but the Vikings had no passing game, so I discount that effort. Look for Abdullah to have at least 100 total yards and hopefully a touchdown.
Sit: Arian Foster, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots. I wasn’t a fan of Foster coming into the season, and I still hold that stance after his piss poor effort against the Seahawks. Foster had just 38 yards rushing, although he did have three catches on the afternoon as well. I see the committee in Miami continuing, now with Damien Williams in the mix as well. The Patriots didn’t hold David Johnson in check last week, but Foster is nowhere near that young or talented. I expect Foster to be around the 50-60 yard output on the ground and a couple of catches, but nothing to get excited about.
Sit: Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers. Hyde had a great first week of the season against the Rams as he nearly ran for 100 yards and scored twice on Monday night. The Rams were supposed to have a good defense, and I still think they will. This week the Niners will face an even stiffer challenge in the Panthers. Carolina did surrender a rushing touchdown to C.J. Anderson, but the Broncos offense is completely reliant on the run. I could see Hyde rush for 75 yards, but I do think he is going to be held out of the end zone this week.
Wide Receivers
Start: Tajae Sharpe, Tennessee Titans vs. Detroit Lions. As the preseason progressed, there was more and more hype for the Titans passing game. While Rishard Matthews had a little more of a track record, it was rookie Tajae Sharpe who got the fantasy hype. He lived up to the hype with a seven catch, 76 yard effort against a strong Vikings defense. This week he will play the Lions who, if I called their defense swiss cheese, would be saying something nice. I expect Sharpe to get his first 100 yard game and his first NFL touchdown.
A Fantasy Football All Stream Team graduate, Tajae Sharpe will vault past the 50% ownership threshold and will… https://t.co/sRchVHGwCF
— Robert D. Cobb (@RobCobb_INSC) September 14, 2016
Start: Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons. After Crabtree’s great 2015, many wondered if he would be as good again this year. It may have been against the horrible Saints defense last week, but Crabtree got off to a good start with seven catches for 87 yards in Week 1. The Falcons were sliced and diced through the air last week by the Buccaneers last week, and I expect both Amari Cooper and Crabtree to surpass 100 yards receiving.
Sit: Will Fuller, Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs. There have been a couple of guys in this article that I said I didn’t like, but liked their matchups. This one is the opposite. I love Fuller, I love his potential, and I think he is going to have a great rookie year. However, the Chiefs defense is pretty stout, and I think they are going to try to keep the rookie in check after his breakout performance last week. It might be tough to sit Fuller after last week, but you may have better options.
Sit: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos. Hilton was good, not great last week against the subpar Lions defense, and now this week he will face one of the best in the business in Denver. The Colts are sure to throw the ball around plenty, but I can definitely see Hilton held to four catches and 75 yards or less without finding the end zone. With so many weapons to throw to, look for the Broncos to try to shut down the most accomplished one in Hilton.
Tight End
Start: Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Diego Chargers. It was a revitalization for Thomas last week against the Packers as he had five catches including a touchdown. There’s not much more needed to be said here as the Chargers are a dumpster fire on defense so I expect Thomas to be very good again and maybe score again.
In standard scoring, only one TE has double-digit fantasy points so far this season… Julius Thomas. #FantasyFootball
— Brandon Marianne Lee (@BrandonHerFFB) September 11, 2016
Sit: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens. Barnidge was in many people’s top ten rankings in the preseason, but he was held without a catch in Week 1 against the Eagles. I actually think that Barnidge gets a bump in value with Josh McCown back at quarterback, but I still don’t see him being a good option this week against the Ravens who held Charles Clay to two catches.
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