Week 2 of the NFl is underway and your boys at 4QWI have got you COVERED for all-position Fantasy Football advice. Who we starting? Who we benching? We. Got. YOU. Before we get started, keep your eyes out for the next live episode of our podcast 4 Quarters of a Whole Idiot, where we will preview the week ahead, discuss Tua's injury, and more. That'll be live TONIGHT (on day of posting) at 7 PM EST at twitch.tv/4QWIHQ!
Like last year, we will go ahead and leave out the effective matchup-proof picks such as Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes. Let's jump in.
Quarterbacks: @Endydoe Start: Jayden Daniels vs. New York Giants (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Something I've said on our podcast 4 Quarters of a Whole Idiot is I don't watch college football and I gotta say I was pretty unfamiliar with your game, Mr. Daniels. Daniels had himself a day last week, posting the third highest fantasy performance for QBs, with the highlight being his 16 carries for 88 yards and two tuddies. On Sunday he takes aim at a Giants team that couldn't do much to stop Sam Darnold and the Vikings. Assuming he uses his legs and stays relatively mistake-free in the air again, we could see a repeat performance for the rookie out of LSU.
Start: Matthew Stafford @ Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:05 PM EST)
Stafford came out of the gate with a solid Week 1 against the Lions in prime time, and this week he has a divisional matchup against Arizona. The Cardinals, for their part, just allowed 352 yards of total offense against the Bills last week, with Josh Allen being able to go rather uncontested on the day. Stafford should be able to exploit that Cards defense and has a rather high ceiling entering Week 2.
Start: Justin Herbert @ Carolina Panthers (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Not just to dog in the Panthers, but primarily so. Herbert had a very quiet Week 1 in an awkward win vs. Las Vegas. The schedule has blessed the Chargers with a Panthers team that just got rinsed by the Saints, giving Herbert the opportunity to exploit his new connections with newcomers such as Ladd McConkey and J.K. Dobbins. The floor is super high for Herbert, and he should have somewhat of a bounce-back week against Carolina.
Sit: Geno Smith @ New England Patriots (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Okay this is a little or a lot biased. As a Patriots fan who watched them grind down the Bengals last week and as someone who will be at this game in person on Sunday, I have faith in our defenders to hold Geno Smith to a pedestrian day considering the weaker Broncos defense held him to a 171/1/1 line in Seattle. The Patriots defense is generally the only non-question mark on the team and this continues to be the case with Christian Gonzalez back in the fray. I'm looking elsewhere if I have Geno.
Sit: Aaron Rodgers @ Tennessee Titans (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
As we all likely should've expected, the 40-something coming back from a severe achilles injury probably wasn't going to do all that great against the 49ers defense. I'm willing to keep Rodgers on my roster, but until we see something great out of him in Jets green, it is likely we can agree that his days as a no-brainer fantasy start are firmly over. Rodgers' matchup doesn't help either as he faces a Titans team that had allowed a league-leading 148 yards of offense last week (albeit to the Bears in Caleb Williams' first game). It is likely that this is more of a grind than a shootout of a game and with all that in mind I'm certainly fading A.A. Ron this week and likely more to come.
Sit: Kirk Cousins @ Philadelphia Eagles (MNF, 9/16 @ 8:15 PM EST)
Similar story to Rodgers above, Kirko probably isn't the QB we once knew after coming back from a significant injury after facing a tough Steelers defense in his Atlanta debut. Now, he's on the road against the Eagles in a statement game for the birds in green. It's clear Cousins will need time to adjust to his new offensive system, his new weapons and his recovering body. Once a weekly top 12 fantasy QB, I'll need to see some more outta Kirk before I'm comfortable starting him.
Running Backs: @BreTT_Shevlin
Start: JK Dobbins @ Carolina Panthers (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
I like what I saw from Dobbins last week, it’s just a matter of how long he can keep it up before he gets hurt again. This week he is a MUST start because of how bad this Carolina team is. Carolina gave up 180 rushing yards last week so it would not shock me if Dobbins and even Gus Edwards got a healthy workload in this one.
Start: Jerome Ford @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
FORD: BUILT TOUGH
Listen, Deshaun Watson is hot garbage. David Njoku is out too so expect a lot of of usage from Ford against a mediocre jags defense. Even as a pass catcher, Ford was targeted 7 times last week and had 6 receptions so I would start him in all formats.
Start: Tony Pollard vs New York Jets (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Similar to above, the Titans will be forced into running the ball A LOT in this game. Titans HC Brian Callahan: “If we’d just punted on 1st & 10 every time, we might’ve won the game.” That doesn’t scream confidence in your QB if you ask me. Costly turnovers by Levis last week cost them a win so expect a much more conservative approach this time around.
Tony Pollard led the team with 16 rushing attempts last week with the next best person getting 4. Many going into the season predicted a timeshare at RB between both Pollard and Spears, but it’s Pollard who’s cemented himself the guy for now. Low end RB2/High end flex play for this week is what I would expect
Sit: D’andre Swift @ Houston Texans
This offense is going to take a while to fully gel and figure out what everyone’s role is on the team. Caleb Williams really struggled in his debut and then traveling on the road in week 2 to face Dameco Ryan’s led defense is a tough task. Swift only rushed for 30 yards on 10 carries and the Texans held Jonathan Taylor under 50 yards last week.
Sit: Travis Etienne vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Last week Etienne ceded some opportunities to Tank Bigsby and he took advantage of that opportunity with 12 carries for 73 yards. It would not shock me if Bigsby saw an extended role in Week 2 against a stout Cleveland defense after a costly fumble by Etienne last week.
Sit: Javonte Williams vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:25 PM EST)
This is a case here where I think no teams in the NFL fear Bo Nix and because Sean Payton wants to be a run first team, opposing defenses are just going to stack the box and take away the run to force Bo Nix into beating them downfield. Bijan couldn’t get much going against the Steelers defense last week so I don’t expect Javonte to either.
Wide Receivers: @jvr1210
Start: Keenan Allen @ Houston Texans (SNF, 9/15 @ 8:20 PM EST)
Keenan Allen and the Bears offense as a whole had a bit of a rough week one in their win over the Titans. Allen had 4 catches for just 29 yards. But there are a few things to like about this game. Allen led the Bears receiving corps with 11 targets (tied for 6th most targets in Week 1 with Garrett Wilson). With a rookie QB who may continue to throw to and rely on favorites, the target share potential is there.
Allen along with the rest of the Bears offense does have to improve, there were 3 key plays where mistakes from the offense cost him a sizable difference in fantasy points. Allen himself (unofficially) dropped a short TD pass from Caleb Williams, Williams overshot Allen on what would have been at least a 40 yard gain if not a 50 yard TD pass, and a ball was tipped at the line on a pass that could have resulted in roughly a 20 to 30 yard gain for a wide-open Allen.
The Bears face a tougher opponent this week in the Houston Texans, however, the Texans surrendered the 26th most points to WR in Week 1 (and are coming off a year where they allowed the 8th most passing yards but the least receiving TDs). This could be an interesting sleeper matchup for the Bears passing offense to try and get on track in Week 2. I’d feel confident starting Keenan Allen at Flex or WR3 this week.
Start: Malik Nabers @ Washington Commanders (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Malik Nabers was one of 6 WRs who played 100% of his team's offensive snaps in Week 1. Nabers was also second on the team in targets with 7, first in receiving yards with 66, and second in receptions with 5. Overall, not too shabby for a rookie on perhaps one of the worst offenses in the league.
Nabers will also go against the Commanders whose secondary was lit up in Week 1 by Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin, allowing nearly 300 passing yards and 4 TDs. It feels like a good week for Nabers to catch his first NFL TD as he continues to be one of the only bright spots on this Giants team.
Sit: Courtland Sutton vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:25 PM EST)
The Broncos are going to be eaten alive by the Steelers pass rush. There’s a lot of red flags moving forward with Courtland Sutton and the Broncos offense. In terms of Rookie QBs, nobody had it worse in week one than Bo Nix. I have never been a fan of Nix who despite throwing the ball 42 times in week one only had 138 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs.
Sutton did receive 12 targets but was limited to 4 receptions for 38 yards against the Seahawks defense. Now the Broncos have to face the Steeler's defense which made Kirk Cousins's Falcons debut a nightmare. The Steelers are very much going to bring the pressure early and often against rookie QB Bo Nix. This will only further hinder his ability to get the ball to Courtland Sutton. If you have him in your lineup, I’d look to see what alternatives exist in Week 2.
Sit: Amari Cooper @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Amari Cooper and the Browns offense had it rough in Week One against the elite Cowboys defense. Cooper brought in a measly 2 receptions for 16 yards on 9 targets. I don’t know what to think moving forward. Cooper along with the rest of Cleveland seems to be fed up with Deshaun Watson, and who can blame him? Since joining the Browns he’s only played 13 games (playing 6 in 2022 and 6 in 2023), he has thrown 15 TDs to 11 INTs, and an overall QBR of 78.1 (nearly 30 whole points lower than what he did in Houston).
Maybe the injuries have affected him, perhaps he doesn’t care as much since he got paid, maybe the rumors are true and he can’t operate in an NFL-style offense (Houston allegedly ran a college-style offense for him), more likely than not it’s a combination of everything. All of these came to a head in Week 1 where Watson struggled immensely and as a result, the rest of the Browns offense did as well. Cooper did drop a 40-yard TD pass that was slightly overthrown but should have been reeled in. On top of that Cooper is starting to enter his twilight years, and the Cleveland back-up Jameis Winston likely wouldn’t repeat the performance Flacco had last year for the Browns.
Tight Ends@jvr1210
Start: Brock Bowers @ Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
It was overall an impressive debut for the rookie tight end who had 6 receptions for 58 yards in week one for the Raiders. Bowers also even more impressively led the Raiders offense in targets with 8 targets (2 more than Davante Adams and 5 more than Jakobi Meyers). Unless you have one of the more elite fantasy TEs, I’d take that level of production from my rookie tight end in a week where we only saw two TEs go over the 50 yard mark.
The Raiders do face a tougher opponent in the Ravens this week, but they will inevitably be playing this game from behind for the most part so I expect the passing game and Brock Bowers to be busy out there. If you have Bowers, start him.
Start: Mark Andrews vs. Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Mark Andrews had one of the more disappointing weeks in fantasy football, in a week where he had 2 receptions and 14 yards. Listen, almost nobody had a good week one from the TE slot. The Chiefs are also great against TEs and Andrews tends to struggle against them in general (putting up 10 fantasy points only once in 6 career matchups). It doesn’t hurt that the Chief's defense gets to practice against Travis Kelce, giving them a bit of experience with lining up against an elite TE.
In terms of the Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews drama, I wouldn’t read too much into it. Likely had a fantastic week one and many fantasy managers are targeting him as their week one waiver wire pickup. Andrews is coming off a pretty severe leg injury in 2023 and missing most of the second half of the pre-season after getting into a car crash mid August. This combined with his career stats against the Chiefs weren’t exactly pointing towards a stellar week one performance. Also Likely being good, and remaining good isn’t a bad thing. Teams can and have operated with two productive TEs before, but the Ravens are also still overall lacking a deep receiving corps for Lamar Jackson. Both these TEs can be productive in this environment and they will have a chance to do so in a favorable match-up against the Raiders this week.
Sit: Evan Engram vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Evan Engram had a rough week one against the Dolphins. Coming off a pretty decent 2023, Engram caught just one pass in week one for 5 yards against the Dolphins, good for 1.5 PPR points. Things don’t get a whole lot better for Engram in Week 2 who will line up against one of the more complete defenses in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns. I could very easily see this game becoming run-heavy, and I overall lack high expectations for both offenses in this one.
If you have a better option or may be a fantasy manager who decided to buy high with your waiver pick and added Isaiah Likely, I’d go ahead and sit Engram for this one.
D/STs: @spechty49
Start: New York Jets @ Tennessee Titans (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Not an earth shattering pick. However they are coming off of being shredded by Jordan Mason and the 49ers. I would still believe in this defense with or without Reddick against this Tennessee team. Tennessee looked lost and pretty much handed the Bears D/ST a win off a pick 6 and blocked punt week 1. They will experience no reprieve against the Jets.
Start: Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
NO JORDAN LOVE. That’s pretty much all I should have to say. If you have eyeballs and have seen Malik Willis play this is all the evidence I need to say. If you don’t have eyeballs I’ll tell you. A guy who has more career picks and sacks than Touchdowns. How many touchdowns has Malik Willis have in his career albeit short? 0. Case closed.
Start: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons (MNF, 9/16 @ 8:15 PM EST)
Rostered in only 14.9% of leagues the Eagles might be a good pickup against a shaky Falcons offense. I have faith the Falcons will turn it around by seasons end but after last week Kirk Cousins looks hampered at best. Clearly his Achilles injury is not 100%. Anyone is going to look bad against TJ Watt but Kirk looked like he could hardly move. The Atlanta O Line was designed to move forward not backwards. I would expect Eagles rushers to have a good day causing some errors on Cousins part.
Start: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:25 PM EST)
I’ll give you a free one too. Figured we’d get this one out of the way. The Steelers are always a must start. I’d take my chances against pretty much anyone they play. If TJ Watt is living and breathing they need to be started. Besides him they play the Broncos this week. For Bo Nix and all his experience in college he’s got a little Jameis Winston in him. Dude likes to let it rip. The confidence is great but he’s gonna be in shambles with TJ Watt making him eat turf AT LEAST twice by himself.
Sit: New Orleans Saints @ Dallas Cowboys AND Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers
2 for 1 special! The stories are so similar so I lumped them together. Don’t fall for the trap the Giants and Panthers have laid for you. The Vikings and Saints both found themselves in top 3 or 5 scoring defenses in most leagues. That was a product of who they played and not the defenses themselves. They both go from two of the worst run offenses if not franchises in football… to two of the most well oiled offensive machines in the game Vikings vs 49ers and Saints vs Cowboys. Leave em on the wire.
Sit: Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles (MNF, 9/16 @ 8:15 PM EST)
A newly improved Falcons defense with new pieces such as Judon and Simmons on D might be an interesting look to some. After seeing Hurts struggle in Brazil with 3 total turnovers some may give the falcons a look but I think it might be best to leave them on the wire. They may cause a turnover or two off Hurts but I wouldn’t expect Barkley to continue his rushing dominance after the Falcons gave up 137 yards rushing to Pittsburgh just a week prior.
Kickers @spechty49
Start Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Denver Broncos (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:25 PM EST)
Boswell is on a team (especially with fields at QB) that is a kickers dream. Can get close but can’t punch it into the endzone. With fields being a heavily sacked QB and a not terrible Broncos defense that forced 2 turnovers and 2 sacks week 1, I would imagine Boswell will have his fair share of duty this weekend. I don't anticipate a repeat but a solid start. And he’s got that Denver air to help!
Start: Jake Elliot (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Atlanta Falcons (MNF, 9/16 @ 8:15 PM EST)
The Falcons lost on nothing but field goals last week. Jake Elliot will have his fair share of chances as the Falcons D will have much more to deal with against Philly. I think this will line up Elliot for some solid PATs and FG chances for the Eagles home opener.
Sit: Blake Grupe (New Orleans Saints) @ Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, 9/15 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Similar to my Defense logic I think Grupe benefited greatly from the opponents lack of skill. The saints will have a much harder time moving the ball so this feels like a trap game for Grupe.
Sit: Evan McPherson (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 9/15 @ 4:25 PM EST)
Vs the Chiefs. At home. I don’t expect much. Since the start of last season no home team gave up fewer points to opposing kickers than then Chiefs. Pass on this one.
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