Week 1 is over and we move to Week 2 of the NFL season! It was wonderful to get our beloved sport back in form but did not come without plenty of drama and excitement, booms and busts galore. Will the down performances show how these players will perform the rest of the season? Will Christian McCaffrey have another injury-marred season after surprisingly (to anyone besides Kyle Shanahan) being ruled OUT for MNF? It may take another couple of weeks to determine all of that but always enjoy the "Overreaction Crowd" after all of the dust settles after the first week.
To go over the rules again... I will give my best start at every position that may be on the fence of your starting lineup going into Sunday. That way, if you had any questions about a specific player going up against a certain team's defense, I can help you make the correct choice on who to pick. Your auto-plays like Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson and Jalen Hurts will not be included in these. Let me show you what I mean.
QUARTERBACKS
START Matthew Stafford vs Arizona Cardinals
Stafford finished in the middle of the pack of QB's last week (QB13). That performance was mostly without his favorite target from last year, Puka Nacua. Nacua went down early in the first half and looks to be out for a while as he was placed on IR. For most QBs, that would be a huge blow to their potential production. For Stafford, that won't do much. After what we saw in Cooper Kupp, we know that he has returned to form after catching 14 passes from Stafford. The Cardinals' defense, especially pass defense, is set to be worse than the Lions this year and Kupp will continue to get open. All. The. Time. Start Stafford with confidence if you're on the fence.
Honorable Mention: Baker Mayfeld, Justin Fields
SIT Justin Herbert vs Carolina Panthers
You may say that you like the matchup here against the lowly Panthers. I'm here to tell you otherwise. The Chargers looked much more well-managed under Jim Harbaugh in Week 1. The flip side of that is Herbert only was able to manage 144 yards of passing on the day and if not for a TD his day would have been even worse. Against the Panthers, where the Chargers are set to run, run and run some more (especially with Derrick Brown being done for the season), the game script will be far out of Herbert's favor to reckon any sort of passing game. The return of JK Dobbins to pair with backfield teammate Gus Edwards proves to be an effective tandem that will limit Herbert's arm talent and his fantasy production.
Honorable Mention: Trevor Lawrence, Caleb Williams
RUNNING BACKS
START Zach Charbonnet vs New England Patriots
This may be a tough sell but hear me out. Kenneth Walker is looking to be a game-time decision this week. If Walker does end up playing, then it's likely that he'll likely be on a limited snap count. Charbonnet received an overall 36% snap share last week as him and Walker were the only RBs to have touches. I figure to see it evening out this week and Charbonnet showed enough explosiveness last week to warrant a FLEX play against a lowly Patriots team. Charbonnet has a chance to be involved in all facets of the game whether playing from the start or even if the game gets out of hand and gets 'garbage time' touches with Walker on the bench.
Honorable Mention: Austin Ekeler, Gus Edwards
SIT Zamir White vs Baltimore Ravens
I may have been wrong about this one. I was a Zamir White fan going into the season and even bought some dynasty stock in him being confident in his snap share. It still may be early to determine but he didn't look quite as good as the lead back you thought he may be. He did out-carry Alexander Mattison 13-4 and that kind of rushing carry total doesn't show they'll be running much anyways. Going up against the Ravens who are heavy favorites, it should be wise to leave White on your bench. Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco only went 3 yards per carry last week against the Ravens and scored a TD on a reception, if that helps any.
Honorable Mention: Jaylen Warren, Chuba Hubbard
WIDE RECEIVERS
START Greg Dortch vs Los Angeles Rams
Kyler Murray loves him some Greg Dortch. Dortch missed him last year as he really wasn't involved in the Cardinals' offensive plans with Joshua Dobbs at the start of the season. Now that Murray is back, Dortch has been right in Murray's sight. Dortch was targeted 8 times and caught 6 of them for 47 yards. When we take a look at the matchup against the Rams; the Rams did a good job essentially removing the Lions top receiver (Amon-Ra St. Brown) from the game as he was held to 3 catches for 13 yards. Murray has not had chemistry with his rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. yet and I can bet that the Rams will do their best to remove him from the gameplan. This will leave Dortch open for even more production and more targets.
Honorable Mention: DeMarcus Robinson, Jerry Jeudy
SIT Romeo Doubs vs Indianapolis Colts
New starting QB for the Packers Malik Willis is going to have to pass to someone. What Willis has is arm strength and the Packers may have to rely on the big play to move the ball. While I see Doubs as a highly skilled receiver, I see him as a possession receiver instead of the big-play threat that Jayden Reed and Christian Watson pose for this team. The Packers will lean on the run game heavily to keep them in the contest versus the Colts, don't get me wrong. I think Reed is a must-play this week after his monster outing in Brazil last week and Watson is also on the fence, but I believe Doubs may be the odd man out in this equation with a less-skilled passer than Jordan Love under center.
Honorable Mention: Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley
TIGHT ENDS
START Taysom Hill vs Dallas Cowboys
The tight end position significantly under-performed last week where only six tight ends scored more than 10 PPR points. People are hurting for production at that position and what better time to roll the dice on Taysom Hill than when you are running out of options. If you've realized by now, Hill is not your average tight end. He's the legendary Swiss army knife of this generation that has played tight end, running back and quarterback. In order to steal a win in Dallas, the Saints may have to pull out all the stops and get creative. That's where Taysom Hill shines and could be for one of his big weeks of the year that will look like an outlier by the end of the season.
Honorable Mention: Colby Parkinson, Jordan Akins
SIT No Big Names
Let's get this straight... With how rough Week 1 went for some people in the tight end market, I don't want anyone making any rash decisions. Mark Andrews should be in your lineup this week. So should Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta and all of the other big-name guys you drafted to your starting spots. It's best not to miss on the potential of big performances from those guys than being irresponsible and trusting a streamer at a position with little options. So this week, I can't tell you with confidence to sit any guys until we see more production across the position.
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