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

Entering the first week of a new NFL season, it's hard to know which players will outperform or underperform projections. There's no game film to analyze and nothing to base expectations off of besides last season, but that was a long time ago in the football world.

Now, we move on to Week 2 of the 2021 campaign. And we've now got a better understanding of which fringe players we want to keep an eye on and which projected stars could be bust candidates.

Here's some advice for a handful of key start/sit decisions that could help you win your fantasy matchup this week.

Start 'Em: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Denver Broncos

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Need to stream a quarterback this week? Bridgewater is one of the top options and should be readily available in many fantasy leagues. Everything is set up for the Broncos quarterback to have a nice week.

In Week 1, Bridgewater had a solid showing in his first start for Denver, going 28-for-36 for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a favorable matchup against the New York Giants. This week, Bridgewater has an even better matchup, as he and the Broncos will be taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags' defense is coming off a rough opener in which they allowed 37 points and 449 total yards to the Houston Texans, whose offense is far from being among the best in the league. If Tyrod Taylor can pass for 291 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville, then Bridgewater should put up even bigger numbers.

Sit 'Em: Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons

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The Falcons are likely to run the ball more in 2021, and that means plenty of touches should keep going to Davis. However, he didn't capitalize on his opportunities in Atlanta's season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling only 49 yards on 15 carries.

Now, Davis will have to try to pick up yardage against a strong Buccaneers defense. This is a unit that completely shut down Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in Week 1, holding him to 33 yards on 11 carries. That doesn't bode well for Davis' chances to have success this Sunday.

While Davis is likely to get going down the line, this isn't the week it will happen. So only start him if you have no other options at running back. If you have the flexibility, leave him on your bench.

Start 'Em: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

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All those concerns about Chase dropping too many passes during training camp and the preseason? They weren't an issue at all in the Bengals' season-opening overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, Chase had no trouble hauling in deep passes from Joe Burrow, his former LSU teammate who he's reunited with in the NFL.

In his pro debut, Chase had five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 50-yard pass late in the first half. It was an impressive showing that proved people may have been overreacting about Chase's early struggles.

This week, Chase and Burrow may connect for more big plays, which was something the Chicago Bears had trouble stopping during their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Chase should continue to be heavily involved in Cincinnati's offense, making him a strong fantasy start moving forward.

Sit 'Em: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

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Nobody expected Aiyuk to put up zero points in the first game of his second NFL season. Even though he was dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp and the preseason, he was active for Week 1 and seemed to be ready to go. But he never even got involved in the 49ers' offense during their win over the Detroit Lions.

"Aiyuk's been a little inconsistent because he's been in and out with his injury," San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week, per The Athletic's Matt Barrows. "And that's what we felt was the best chance for us [in Detroit]. Aiyuk's still got a chance to get that spot and not rotate as much. Trent [Sherfield] just doesn't make that very easy."

But it does make it easy for fantasy managers to move Aiyuk to the bench, which is where he should be for the 49ers' Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. It's possible Aiyuk will have a bigger role later in the season, like he did as a rookie in 2020, but for now, his ceiling is too low to consider him as a fantasy starter.

Start 'Em: Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers

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Things can only get better for the Packers' offense in Week 2. In the season opener against the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay had only 229 total yards, committed three turnovers and finished with three points. It wasn't a good showing for any Packers offensive player.

That included Tonyan, who had two catches for eight yards. But considering the scarcity of top-tier fantasy tight ends, it's worth giving him another opportunity this week, especially because Green Bay's offense should fare much better in a Monday night matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers should have a bounce-back showing, and when he plays well, it makes the playmakers around him stronger fantasy options. So keep Tonyan in your lineup this week, as he should yield better results.