NFL Week 2 Starts, Sits: Fantasy Football Lineup Advice For Toughest Decisions
The NFL resumed Thursday night with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills clashing in an AFC East showdown. Fifteen games remain on the Week 2 schedule, though, giving fantasy football owners plenty of tough lineup decisions to mull.
Here’s our start/sit advice for Week 2.
START
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
Remember when Manning threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints last season? Well, the Saints didn’t make any upgrades to their secondary since that game, and Manning’s weapons on offense have been upgraded with the return of injured wide receiver Victor Cruz and the addition of rookie wideout Sterling Shepard. Manning could go off in Week 2, and you can’t afford to sit him.
C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos
Anderson played very well against a stout Carolina Panthers defense in Week 1, tallying more than 100 total yards and finding the end zone as both a rusher and a receiver. He could have an even better performance in Week 2 versus an Indianapolis Colts defense that struggles against the run and lacks linebackers with elite coverage skills.
Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Matthews ran for 73 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in Week 1, and he’ll play a Chicago Bears defense that gave up 100 yards on the ground to Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller on opening weekend. The Bears and Washington Redskins had the only defenses to allow 100 rushing yards to a single player in Week 1.
Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders
Crabtree made seven catches for 87 yards in the Raiders’ Week 1 win over the Saints, and he caught the game-winning two-point conversion pass with less than a minute remaining in the game. The former first-round draft pick has a favorable matchup against an Atlanta Falcons defense that was shredded by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston last Sunday.
Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans
Fuller’s rookie season got off to a sensational start when he caught five passes for 107 yards and one touchdown in a win over the Bears. The Notre Dame product shouldn’t face any double teams or No. 1 cornerbacks with elite wideout DeAndre Hopkins on the other side of the field.
SIT
Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Luck and the Colts must go on the road in the Denver elevation to face a defense that should obliterate the lackluster Indy offensive line. Denver’s two elite cornerbacks, Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, also should make life difficult for Colts receivers (more on that below).
Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Gurley ran for just 47 yards on 17 carries in a 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football,” and the Seattle Seahawks should be a tough matchup for him in Week 2, as they Seahawks gave up just 64 rushing yards to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. Gurley is tough to sit because he was a first-round pick in most fantasy drafts, but opposing defenses will stack the box with eight or nine guys until L.A. shows it can move the ball through the air.
Arian Foster, RB, Miami Dolphins
Foster ran for just 38 yards on 13 carries in his Dolphins debut last week. In Week 2, he’ll face a very good New England Patriots defense that can stack the box with eight or nine players because there’s no reason to fear Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins
Landry probably will go against Pro Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler, which would be a tough matchup. Landry also has only one 100-yard game and no touchdowns over his last six games going back to last season. His career touchdown total versus the Patriots is zero. Furthermore, the Dolphins scored just 10 points last week and were one of three teams to average less than 20 points scored last season.
Donte Moncrief, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Moncrief has a very tough matchup against one of the Broncos’ elite cornerbacks, Harris or Talib. As we mentioned above, Luck might not have much time to throw because of the menacing Denver pass rush.
Click to see the five must-start defenses in Week 2 >>
Thumbnail photo via Jim O’Connor/USA TODAY Sports Images
