Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Best fantasy football plays for Week 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Week 1 is officially in the books, meaning all fantasy football fans at least have a slight idea of how their team will look in 2020.
Yet, with no preseason games and just one week of real game action, there's still plenty to figure out.
Having tough decisions setting your lineup? Look no further.
Here are the players you should have on your radar this week.
Editor’s Note: Dominate your draft with Rotoworld Premium's 450+ player profiles, rankings, projections, mock drafts, exclusive columns and more. Subscribe to one of our premium packages for as low as $3.99/month! Click Here.
Quarterbacks
Start 'em
- Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. ATL)
- Josh Allen, BUF (vs. MIA)
- Philip Rivers, IND (vs. MIN)
Prescott turned in a subpar performance in Week 1 against the Rams but faces a Falcons defense in Week 2 that let Russell Wilson do whatever he wanted to last week. Expect a big bounce-back week from him. Allen goes up against a Miami defense that let Cam Newton run all over it. Allen is not as good of a runner as Cam, but he has a better cast of wide receivers. Also, he's had at least 21 fantasy points in all four starts against Miami in his career. Rivers had a rough outing in Week 1 vs. Jacksonville, throwing for a lot of yards (343) but had just one touchdown to two interceptions. Minnesota's young cornerbacks had a rough going against Green Bay last weekend; expect Rivers to try and pick on them all afternoon long.
Sit 'em
- Teddy Bridgewater, CAR (vs. TB)
- Drew Lock, DEN (vs. PIT)
- Drew Brees, NO (vs. LVR)
Tampa's defense held Drew Brees to under 200 passing yards, despite New Orleans putting up 34 points. Expect Carolina to use a lot of Christian McCaffrey the way Alvin Kamara succeeded last week versus the Bucs, rather than having Teddy B throw the ball 40 times. For Lock, almost any quarterback facing Pittsburgh this season is a questionable start. Factor in the Broncos offense that might not have its top receiver in Courtland Sutton back just yet, and there's little to no reason to start the Denver passer. And for Brees, it's difficult to predict how the New Orleans offense will operate without Michael Thomas. Despite the favorable matchup, it is best to keep Brees on the bench this week.
Running Backs
Start 'em
- Benny Snell, PIT (vs. DEN)
- Austin Ekeler, LAC (vs. KC)
- Adrian Peterson, DET (vs. GB)
Snell had a surprise Week 1 emergence thanks to an injury to starter James Conner. Still, Snell played so well that Pittsburgh ought to think about keeping him as their RB1, even when Conner returns. Ekeler carried the ball 19 times in Week 1, yet was barely utilized in the passing game where he excels most. Expect that to change against the Chiefs. And for Peterson, man, this guy just keeps getting better with age. Peterson has temporarily taken control of the backfield and looked the best of the three RBs in Detroit.
Sit 'em
- Chris Carson, SEA (vs. NE)
- Melvin Gordon, DEN (vs. PIT)
- Frank Gore, NYJ (vs. SF)
Carson had a solid Week 1 fantasy-wise due to his two touchdowns via the air, but his six carries are a bit troublesome for fantasy owners. New England's defense has also been nightmarish for running backs over the past two years. Gordon had a solid Week 1 outing with his new team, but faces a daunting task in Pittsburgh that held Saquon Barkley to just six rushing yards in Week 1. And with LeVeon Bell out in New York, Gore seems a safe play, right? Wrong. His workload remains to be seen, and San Francisco has one of the toughest front fours in all of football.
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Wide Receivers
Start 'em
- Allen Robinson, CHI (vs. NYG)
- TY Hilton, IND (vs. MIN)
- Julian Edelman, NE (vs. SEA)
Robinson had some contract drama earlier this week, but the two sides have apparently resolved whatever issues were there. Now, he faces a New York secondary that allowed three touchdowns to wideouts in Week 1. Simply put, A-Rob is a must-start. Hilton didn't necessarily excel in Week 1 versus Jacksonville, but the longtime Colts star has a favorable matchup this week against a young Minnesota cornerback unit that was torn apart by Aaron Rodgers last week. For Edelman, he goes up against a Seattle secondary that struggled to defend Calvin Ridley last week out of the slot. If the Patriots throw the ball more this week (they almost have to since Cam Newton attempted just 19 passes in Week 1), expect Edelman to see double-digit targets.
Sit 'em
- DJ Moore, CAR (vs. TB)
- Brandin Cooks, HOU (vs. BAL)
- DK Metcalf, SEA (vs. NE)
Moore has been pegged by many as a true breakout star in 2020, but he faces a tough matchup in Week 2 against a Tampa defense that hasn't allowed a 300-yard passer since Week 10 of last season. Factor in a new quarterback, too, and Moore is a player worth fading this week. Cooks was supposed to be a great pairing alongside Will Fuller V in Houston to replace DeAndre Hopkins, however, he did nothing in the season opener. Don't expect Cooks to bounce back against a tough Ravens secondary, either. Metcalf had an incredible debut against Atlanta, but has a daunting task facing the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Patriots cornerback Stefon Gilmore. Avoid Metcalf this week.
Tight ends
Start 'em
- Evan Engram, NYG (vs. CHI)
- Tyler Higbee, LAR (vs. PHI)
- Jared Cook, NO (vs. LVR)
Engram did next to nothing in Week 1 against Pittsburgh but has a prime opportunity to bounce back against a Chicago team that let TJ Hockenson put up a 5/56/1 slash last week. Higbee also didn't do much to begin the season, but snap counts prove he's the No. 1 tight end in LA over Gerald Everett. In that case, he has a favorable matchup this week against a Philly team that let Logan Thomas find the end zone this past week. And Cook's 5/80 slash in Week 1 shows he's still a reliable target for Drew Brees. With Michael Thomas sidelines, he's primed for even more targets this week.
Sit 'em
- Noah Fant, DEN (vs. PIT)
- Greg Olsen, SEA (vs. NE)
- Rob Gronkowski, TB (vs. CAR)
Fant had an exception Week 1 performance, putting up a 5/71/1 slash for the Broncos. However, he faces a tough Pittsburgh defense that held Evan Engram to just two catches for nine yards in Week 1. Olsen proved he can still be productive, but a matchup against a tough Patriots defense makes him almost unstartable this week. And lastly, Gronk was brought in the Tampa Bay to be another red zone threat for Tom Brady. He didn't record a single target from that distance in Week 1. Fade Gronk.
Defense/ST
Start 'em
- Kansas City (vs. LAC)
- Arizona Cardinals (vs. WAS)
Kansas City's defense is criminally underrated thanks to the team's high powered offensive attack. No defense was better from December-on last year. The Chiefs picked up right where they left off in Week 1, shutting down Deshaun Watson and the Texans offense before a pair of garbage time scores saved Watson fantasy owners. Arizona's defense played well against San Francisco in Week 1, and now has a much easier task against the league's worst offense from a year ago in Washington. The Football Team's offense scored most of its points in Week 1 off turnovers; if Arizona makes them travel the whole length of the field, points won't be easy to come by for Washington.
Sit 'em
- Philadelphia (vs. LAR)
- Dallas (vs. Atlanta)
The Eagles were a major play last week against Washington, but the unit put up just three fantasy points in an overall ugly loss. Los Angeles has a much better offense than Washington, giving the Eagles a true test early on. Dallas' defense played well in Week 1, but they face another tough task in an Atlanta offense that has plenty of star power on the outside. With defense being a very streamable position, there are definitely better options on the waiver wire than these two.
