Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: Debating Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions
Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season is an opportunity for fantasy football managers.
Maybe you're looking to right the ship after a rocky Week 1. Or perhaps you're aiming to give an early boost to your playoff hopes with back-to-back wins.
No matter on which side of the coin you find yourself, you need your team to deliver. We're here to help with a start and a sit recommendation at each of the three marquee positions.
Start: Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (at Arizona Cardinals)
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Week 1 was an mitigated disaster for Jones, as he was sacked seven times and threw a pair of picks. That performance has no bearing on this one.
That was a brutal matchup against a division rival with a wholly dominant defense. This is a bout with a rebuilding Cardinals club that will struggle to keep its offense on the field and allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season, per Yahoo. Jones should be ready to roll.
Sit: Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns (at Pittsburgh Steelers)
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Watson notched a rushing touchdown in Week 1, but that was the only thing salvaging an otherwise forgettable outing. It was the latest in a long line of shaky showings since he got to Cleveland. In seven games for the Browns, he's only topped 170 passing yards twice and connected on just 57.8 percent of his passes.
It's possible the former fantasy star gets back on track at some point, but he has given zero indications that a bounce-back is imminent. And now Watson, who lost All-Pro tackle Jack Conklin to an ACL tear in the opener, has to tussle with a talented Steelers defense surely fuming after allowing 30 points in Week 1.
Start: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Green Bay Packers)
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The Falcons surely have sky-high hopes for Bijan Robinson after spending this year's No. 8 pick on him. But apparently those plans don't involve giving him the keys to the backfield just yet. He handled fewer touches in Week 1 (16) than Allgeier (18), who had the team's two touchdown runs and all of its goal-line work.
Allgeier, who tallied more than 1,100 scrimmage yards as a fifth-round rookie last season, seems like he's locked into a prominent role in this offense once again. If he is, he could have a field day against the Packers, who allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs last season and the fifth-most in Week 1.
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Sit: Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins (at New England Patriots)
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Theoretically, Mostert holds fantasy appeal as the featured back in a high-powered Miami offense. But the Dolphins are a pass-first (and pass-second) offense, and he just isn't involved much in the passing game. That's why in their 36-point performance in Week 1, he handled just 12 touches for 50 scrimmage yards.
He'll have some big weeks, but this probably won't be one of them. The Patriots boast one of the stingier run defenses around. They gave up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs last season and held Philadelphia's potent rushing offense in check last week.
Start: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (at Tennessee Titans)
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Williams can be frustratingly inconsistent, and Week 1 was the latest evidence of that. In a shootout that produced a combined 70 points, he came away with just four catches for 45 yards on five targets.
Still, his good games can be great ones, and this sure looks like everything has aligned for a monster effort. The Titans are a tremendous matchup for opposing receivers, having allowed last season's most fantasy points to the position and 305 passing yards to the New Orleans Saints last week. Plus, the Chargers could lean on their passing game more than normal with Austin Ekeler listed as doubtful.
Sit: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders (at Denver Broncos)
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McLaurin has enough talent that you want to make sure you have a viable replacement before putting him on the bench. But as long as that's the case, this should be an easy call.
Washington's passing game looks like it won't offer much volume with Sam Howell at the helm, leaving McLaurin fighting for targets with Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel. Both were more involved in Week 1 than McLaurin, who finished with two receptions for 31 yards on four targets. It's hard to imagine he'll get right in this game against a stingy Denver secondary led by lockdown corner Pat Surtain II.
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