Fantasy Football: Shane Vereen, Zac Stacy Among Week 2 Sits And Starts

What’s even more important than Week 1 in fantasy football? You guessed it — Week 2!

We get that we’re stating the obvious, but it’s true. The NFL’s opening week is usually wildly unpredictable, as 32 teams that haven’t played a meaningful game in over half a year get their jitters out for the first time.

Week 2 is when the dust begins to settle, and the same can be said in fantasy football. Fantasy owners now have a week of action to base their decisions on, and while you shouldn’t read too much into just one game, it’s better than making a snap judgment based on 2013 stats.

There are handful of players we have our eye on entering the second slate of games, both for good and bad reasons. While matchups still play an important role, we now have a sense of which guys will be getting their fair share of touches and who could be left out in the cold.

With that, let’s take a look at who to sit and start in Week 2’s Sunday lineup as well as Monday night’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.

Sunday Sits and Starts:

SIT
Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams: The Rams’ offense looked absolutely anemic in Week 1, and that was against the Vikings. Stacy will still get his touches, but backup Benny Cunningham now is in the mix, too, and St. Louis faces a not-so-easy matchup in the Buccaneers’ run defense. Unless you need him, look elsewhere.

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers: Rivers is one of those fantasy players who looks like he’ll give you more points than he actually does. He threw for just 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Week 1, and he now has the honor of facing the Seahawks’ secondary in Week 2. You can find a better QB out there.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills: Watkins has the talent, but developing a rookie receiver into a star takes time. The speedster was targeted just four times in Week 1, and given Buffalo’s success on the ground in Week 1, that number likely won’t increase too much, at least not yet.

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions: Bush usually makes the most of his touches, but he averaged just 1.7 yards per carry against a shaky Giants defense in Week 1. The Lions seem to trust Joique Bell, and we’re not too thrilled about the possibility of Bush splitting carries against a stingy Panthers defense on the road.

START
Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints: If this kid isn’t in your starting lineup yet, go put him in now. Cooks followed up a stellar preseason with seven receptions for 77 yards and a score in the opener and looks like one of Drew Brees’ top targets. Did we mention that the Saints play the lowly Browns this Sunday?

Shane Vereen, RB, New England Patriots: Vereen is a no-brainer in PPR leagues, but he still has value in standard leagues, as the Pats turned to him at the goal line last week instead of bruiser Stevan Ridley. There’s a good chance New England’s offense gets back on track against the Vikings. If they do, Vereen will be a major beneficiary.

Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans: We wouldn’t tell you to pick up Locker on waivers just to stash him on your bench, would we? The fleet-footed 26-year-old put up big numbers against the Chiefs in Week 1, and we’re expecting more of the same in Week 2 against the sieve that is the Cowboys’ pass defense.

Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Gore has never been a sexy fantasy player, but he always seems to get the job done. This week, he has the pleasure of playing what could be the NFL’s worst run defense in the Chicago Bears, who are particularly bad at defending where Gore has the most success — between the tackles.

Monday Night Sits and Starts:

SIT
Trent Richardson, RB, Colts: Richardson got just nine total touches in Week 1 to produce 51 total yards. Granted, the Colts were playing from behind, but that could be the case again if the defense can’t stop Chip Kelly’s fast-paced attack. If you have a decent running back at RB2, don’t hold out for Richardson on Monday night.

START
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Eagles: Maclin led the team by far with 10 targets in Week 1, so it’s clear he’s the go-to option in the passing game. Indy has the not-so-enviable task of trying to stop the Broncos and Eagles in consecutive games, and if Week 1 was any indication, Maclin will get plenty of chances to score on Monday night.

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