Week 2 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

The start of the 2014 NFL regular season couldn’t have come fast enough for fantasy football enthusiasts, but the league has already advanced to its second week.

Owners have also already turned their sights to the start 'em, sit 'em rankings for Week 2.

With stars like Carson Palmer, Rob Gronkowski and Trent Richardson all worthy of a start, and players such as Philip Rivers, Allen Hurns and Steven Jackson deserving a spot on the bench, this is a pivotal week in any fantasy season.

Here are the top starts and sits for Week 2.

Start ‘Em

Rank	Player	Week 2 Opponent	Projected Points
1	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI	New York Giants	20
2	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Minnesota	18
3	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR	Detroit	16
4	Trent Richardson, RB, IND	Philadelphia	15
5	Reggie Wayne, WR, IND	Philadelphia	15

It is imperative each week to find the players worthy of a start. Using Week 1 as a measuring stick and the Week 2 matchups as a guide, all of the following players should be in your lineup if possible.

Let’s start at quarterback. Unless you have Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, fantasy owners should be starting Arizona Cardinals veteran Carson Palmer. Palmer threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns against San Diego and should expect the same success against a New York Giants team that allowed 341 yards passing in Week 1.

Another must-start is Rob Gronkowski. While the New England Patriots tight end had many owners worried about his effectiveness after missing most of the offseason with a knee injury, he stepped in and scored a touchdown in Week 1. Against Minnesota on Sunday, expect five receptions and another touchdown.

Gronkowski told Michael Whitmer of The Boston Globe, “It feels good to play football again, to be out there with the team. You win as a team, lose as a team. I’ve just got to keep on improving every single week. I’ve got a lot of things to work on.”

Let’s turn our attention to wide receivers. There are two players who deserve a start this week who likely didn’t make it into your lineup in Week 1: Carolina’s Kelvin Benjamin and Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne.

While these two players are at the opposite end of the experience spectrum (Benjamin is a rookie and Wayne is a 14-year veteran), each proved to be their team’s No. 1 target in Week 1 and should expect the same workload in Week 2. Expect seven receptions or more from both receivers.

One player who faltered last week was Colts starting running back Trent Richardson. He was stifled by the tough Denver front seven and limited due to the fact that the team was playing from behind. Richardson should expect a larger workload against a Philadelphia defense that struggled against the run last season. This is a risk/reward start, but Richardson could easily rack up 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.

Sit ‘Em

Rank	Player	Week 2 Opponent	Projected Points
1	Philip Rivers, QB, SD	Seattle	11
2	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX	Washington	6
3	Steven Jackson, RB, ATL	Cincinnati	6
4	Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI	San Francisco	4
5	Victor Cruz, WR, NYG	Arizona	4

Even more difficult than finding players to start is finding the fantasy stars who should find their way to your bench. You must have confidence in your decision and never look back.

There are several quarterbacks with lackluster matchups, but Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers is playing the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense. As good as Rivers is, the Legion of Boom will be out in full force and the quarterback’s numbers will suffer. Rivers will throw for under 250 yards and only one touchdown.

Another player who is getting fantasy love this week is tight end Martellus Bennett of the Chicago Bears. After a solid game against Buffalo, Bennett will now go head-to-head with a San Francisco defense that only allowed Jason Witten two receptions. If you are looking to Bennett for big points in Week 2, you will be very disappointed with a two-catch stat line.

Turning our attention to the wide receivers, there are two names who will struggle this week: Victor Cruz of the New York Giants and Allen Hurns of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For Cruz, whether it’s Patrick Peterson or Antonio Cromartie in coverage, he will be shadowed by two of the best cornerbacks Arizona has to offer. After being targeted only six times in Week 1, fantasy owners should expect more of the same against a tough Cardinals secondary.

On the other hand, Hurns had a monster two-touchdown game against Philadelphia in Week 1 but will take on Washington this Sunday. While the Redskins are a bad team, they now understand Hurns is a threat and will dispatch top cornerback DeAngelo Hall to shut him down. Expect a much more realistic four-reception performance from the Jacksonville rookie.

If you’re looking for a running back worthy of sitting in Week 2, look no further than Steven Jackson of the Atlanta Falcons. After racking up only 52 yards last week against a lackluster New Orleans run defense, Jackson will be in for a tough matchup against the stingy Cincinnati Bengals. Expect another 50 yards and zero touchdowns from Jackson Sunday.

*Stats via NFL.com.