Another week, another round of crucial starting/seating decisions. To help you get through them, here are six players with Week 2 potential.
Something to keep in mind as you read: “fading” or “bust” doesn’t automatically mean you should sit a player, depending on the depth of the rest of the roster or the options available on your waiver wire.
It was a solid Week 1 debut for second-year QB CJ Stroud, as he threw two touchdowns and no interceptions — both to new Texans captain WR Stefon Diggs. There is no doubt that he has possibility will continue that streak of efficiency in Week 2 given the talent around him from long range, but a matchup against the Bears will make me look elsewhere if I’m looking for a high-profile game in Week 2.
The Bears have perhaps one of the most underrated secondaries in the league (and defenses in general) right now, with cornerback Jaylon Johnson at the center of everything, FA signing Kevin Byard at safety and Tremaine Edmunds – a capable linebacker in coverage. had four interceptions (including one pick-six) just last season.
For as many weapons as the Texans have, the Bears could very well slow them down, which makes me temper my expectations for Stroud in Week 2.
Thermal check 🔥 Stroud is nearly impossible to sit with the personnel he’s working with, but even at home the Bears’ defense could give this offense some trouble, lowering his projected ceiling in Week 2.
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Fantasy managers thought they might have found a steal with Zamir White seemingly ready to lead the first offense under Antonio Pierce. However, if Week 1 was any indication, it appears as if things are much closer to committee succession than anyone predicted.
While White saw 72.2% of the running back’s attempts in Week 1, Mattison outscored him 13-2 on third down, severely limiting his role. By the end of the game, Mattison outscored White on a total of 60% of the offense’s snaps, totaling 62 yards on nine touches to White’s 46 yards on 15 touches.
Neither was particularly effective to open the year, but Mattison was the back they leaned on in their fourth-quarter comeback attempt in Week 1. It seems likely the team will again come from behind against the Ravens, favored by more than a touchdown in Week 2.
Thermal check 🔥 Given the intended script for this matchup, this could be a game where Alexander Mattison dominates the snaps. White is barely approaching “flex” territory for me heading into week 2; I’ll take him over just about any other option available. Meanwhile, Mattison is a decent sleeper, especially in Full-PPR scoring formats.
I’ve been jumping on Zack Moss as the Cincinnati Bengals RB1 over Chase Brown all offseason, and the usage we saw in Week 1 backs that up. Moss played 65% of the offensive snaps and no snaps on special teams, while Brown played 33% of the offensive snaps and 43% of the special teams snaps. In addition to having six more carries than Brown, Moss also saw the team’s only carry inside the five-yard line and turned it into a score.
Moss was more efficient than Brown on the field in Week 1, but it’s possible that the running game won’t matter much against the Kansas City Chiefs if the points pile up quickly. The Bengals are a 5.5-point underdog against the Chiefs in Week 2.
Thermal check 🔥 There is still plenty of time to make changes in the backfield during the season. However, until we see a change in usage between Moss and Brown (or a change in effectiveness between the two), it’s best to leave Brown on the bench.
There may not be a more confusing passing attack in the league than the Indianapolis Colts with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson’s passing game is erratic. At one point, Richardson misses a perfectly easy drop in the middle of the field; the next moment he does this:
Despite finishing the week with 212 passing yards (2 TD, 1 INT), Richardson and his receivers connected on just nine passes for a combined 47.4% completion percentage. It was somehow both an incredibly efficient and inefficient day for him, as he only attempted 19 total passes to produce that stat line. This worries me about all of the Colts’ pitchers right now, but especially Pittman Jr., who is the only true “force-start” option in this offense.
In Week 2, the Colts take on the Green Bay Packers in a hostile environment at Lambeau Field, facing some solid pieces in the secondary between Jaire Alexander, Xavier McKinney, Eric Stokes and rookie Javon Bullard. I still think this unit is slightly better than the Week 1 box score shown with Jalen Hurts and his talented receivers. Richardson also split the scoring pretty evenly between rookie AD Mitchell, Alec Pierce and Pittman.
Thermal check 🔥 Anthony Richardson’s upside as a passer makes it nearly impossible to sit him as a WR1. However, if Week 1 is any indication, he’ll be more of a boom/boom option until this passing attack finds some stability, especially in a more challenging environment like Lambeau.
Sutton may have led the Broncos with a whopping 11 goals in Week 1, but all signs point to this being a particularly challenging week for the vet. The Broncos don’t just have to overcome the bumps and bruises of the offense under rookie QB Bo Nix. He threw for 138 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs in his NFL debut last week. They’ll also have to overcome a pretty stout Pittsburgh Steelers secondary coming off their own two interceptions against Kirk Cousins.
In Week 2, Sutton will face one of the league’s future shutdown cornerbacks in Joey Porter Jr. Despite facing talented WR Drake London for most of the game, Porter Jr. allowed just one reception for 7 yards. On 22 coverage snaps, he averaged just 0.8 yards in coverage, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Thermal check 🔥 It’s pretty hard to imagine any circumstances in which you should start Sutton this week, regardless of your league’s scoring setup. Based on what we saw of the Broncos’ passing attack in Week 1, the ceiling simply isn’t high enough for Sutton in this matchup to justify his low floor.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have just signed Pat Freiermuth to a long-term extension just before Week 1, but if this first draft was any indication, they still haven’t quite figured out how to integrate him into Arthur Smith’s offense. He caught all four of his carries in Week 1, but for just 27 yards — just 18 more than backup TE MyCole Pruitt.
Some of the lack of overall production came from avoiding the center of the field, which OC Arthur Smith admitted was by design, but either way, there are some reasons to fade Freiermuth in Week 2. There’s already a clear emphasis on the establishment. The run was mixed with deep shots by George Pickens, and that’s exactly what this game script could favor. The Steelers are a 2.5-point road favorite, and the projected point total for the game is the week’s lowest from Vegas at 36.5.
Thermal check 🔥 Even in a week with multiple bumps and bruises at the tight end position between David Njoku and Jake Ferguson, I’d rather find other options. Consider guys like Rams TE Colby Parkinson or Saints TE Juwan Johnson as intriguing pivot plays.
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