Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: Debating Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

Winning in fantasy football requires more than just a successful draft. As you may or may not have learned in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season, having the right players does little good if they're sitting on your bench.

You're not going to get far in fantasy if you don't make the right weekly roster decision. Some of them are easy—you're going to start Alvin Kamara or DeAndre Hopkins no matter what—but some are not. Deciding who gets those last few starting spots can be a challenge, and it can make or break your week.

Here, we're going to examine some borderline starters for Week 2 and determine whether they deserve a spot in your gameday lineup.

Start 'Em

Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills at New York Giants

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts

Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Sit 'Em

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals

Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills

Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings

Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns

Danny Amendola, WR, Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos vs. Chicago Bears

Start 'Em: Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry can be a difficult player to evaluate in fantasy. For one, he shares the backfield load with Dion Lewis, and it's Lewis who typically gets the receiving work out of the two.

Henry is not typically a must-start in PPR formats for this reason. Yes, he had 75 receiving yards in Week 1, but they came on just a single reception. Henry is a solid start for Week 2, however, because of his workload and his matchup.

Henry got 20 touches against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, and he should see a similar workload against the Indianapolis Colts. These are the same Colts who surrendered 154 combined rushing and receiving yards and three touchdowns to Austin Ekeler in Week 1.

Sit 'Em: Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins

Typically, any starting running back is worth a look in fantasy, at least for the flex position. However, Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake is a player to avoid in Week 2.

For starters, the Dolphins are likely to spend much of this game playing from behind. This could lead to some PPR value for Drake, but it also means that Miami is likely to abandon the run early.

The Dolphins are also going up against a New England Patriots defense that was dominant in Week 1, especially against the run.

The Patriots held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just 32 rushing yards and 3.2 yards per carry in their opener. Expect similar results from Drake and the Dolphins in Week 2.

Start 'Em: Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup stood out in Week 1, catching seven passes for 158 yards. He isn't the primary receiving target in Dallas, though, so is he worth the start again in Week 2?

While Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is likely to focus on Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott in the pass game against the Washington Redskins, Gallup should get his fair share of opportunities. Cooper is likely to draw coverage from starting cornerback Josh Norman, who doesn't seem to think too highly of Prescott.

"You stand back there in the pocket all day and go through your first, second and third reads and come back to your first one, OK, cool. Anybody can do that," Norman told the Associated Press ahead of the game (h/t Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith).

Gallup is likely to be Prescott's second or third read often against Washington, and he should have plenty of chances to produce against a defense that surrendered 313 passing yards in Week 1.

Sit 'Em: Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets

Now that Quincy Enunwa is out for the season with a neck injury, Robby Anderson should become the No. 1 wideout for the New York Jets—at least until the newly acquired Demaryius Thomas gets up to speed.

However, Anderson is not worth a starting spot in Week 2. This is partially because starting Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is set to miss time with mononucleosis, but Anderson is also likely to draw coverage from Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward.

While the Browns defense wasn't good overall in Week 1, Ward played well. He spent much of the game matched up with Titans receiver Corey Davis, who finished without a reception.

Don't expect Anderson to fare any better, especially with Trevor Siemian under center for New York.