Fantasy Football Week 2: Starts, Sits After Outputs In Season Opener
The Gabriel Davis hype train is picking up steam after Week 1
Some cases might not have played out the way fantasy football managers were hoping, but we nevertheless received some answers after each NFL team’s season opener.
We gained a glimpse into how the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys could go about their two-horse running back stable. We saw how many targets (or how few) receivers on the pass-happy Buffalo Bills, new-look Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles would see, just to name a few. And despite it admittedly being the smallest sample sizes, we’ve used those insights to highlight three players worth starting and three worth sitting in your Week 2 fantasy football matchup.
Statistics and scoring included is courtesy of Sportradar.
STARTS
Gabriel Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
Davis’ owners might have wanted to wait to see how Buffalo’s target share broke up with Stefon Diggs, but they shouldn’t need to see any more. Davis, who finished WR14 in scoring after the Bills’ Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams, turned five targets into 18.80 points in full-point leagues. He ranked second in air yards per reception among receivers who saw four touches or more. Davis is viewed as Yahoo’s WR16 entering Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, who allowed the 15th-most points to wideouts in Week 1.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos
Jeudy flashed his potential with quarterback Russell Wilson in a stunning Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Jeudy’s seven targets on “Monday Night Football” tied for the second-most on the team behind only running back Javonte Williams. He turned that into four receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown, finishing as WR12 in total scoring. Jeudy recorded nearly 18 yards after each catch, headlined by a 67-yard touchdown with 42 yards after the catch, which was the most among wideouts with two or more targets. He ranks as Yahoo’s WR25 entering Week 2 against the Houston Texans, who allowed the sixth-most points to wideouts in the first week.
AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
There’s no need to debate which Packers running back to start each week because Green Bay has two start-worthy options. Dillon finished as RB9 in Week 1 after doubling Aaron Jones in carries while recording team-highs in targets (six), receptions (five) and receiving yards (46). Jones, still a start-worthy running back himself, finished a bit further down the line as RB29 in scoring. Both rank in the top 16 on Yahoo entering Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. Chicago played well against the run in Week 1, but that probably was more due to the field conditions at Soldier Field and the fact the San Francisco 49ers lost their top back to injury.
SITS
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Renfrow’s fantasy stock might not have ever been higher given the addition of head coach Josh McDaniels and Davante Adams likely to take the attention of the defense. Renfrow, however, started Week 1 with a worrisome output, as he caught just three of his six targets in a game dominated by Adams. He scored merely 5.10 points in full-point leagues to finish WR74 in Week 1. He’s ranked as Yahoo’s WR37 entering Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, who admittedly were gashed in the passing game by the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles wideout was completely overshadowed by offseason addition A.J. Brown, as he did not register a point while receiving four targets. Simply put, Smith finished with as many catches as both you and I. It’s caused Smith, who started the season rostered in 88% of Yahoo leagues, to already be dropped in 5%. He ranks as Yahoo’s WR42 entering Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, who allowed the fifth-fewest points in Week 1.
Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Akers wasn’t overly involved in the Rams’ Week 1 game plan against the Bills with Darrell Henderson Jr. getting the lion’s share of snaps (82%). Henderson also saw 13 of the team’s 18 carries and five of six running back targets. Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed disappointment in Akers, nothing he needed an “increased level of urgency,” per NFL.com. LA’s running game also has a tougher matchup in Week 2, as the Atlanta Falcons allowed the fewest points to running backs in Week 1.
