Fantasy Football Start 'Em or Sit 'Em: Week 2

Trying to decide who you should start or sit this week?  Let’s take a look at a few potential decisions owners have and try to sort through them.

Start: Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, at Cincinnati—Sit: Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears, at Dallas

Flacco didn’t look great early against the Jets, but he ultimately he settled in against one of, if not the, best defense in the league.

He accumulated 248 yards with an interception.  Granted, he has another tough matchup this week against the Bengals, but that should feel like a cakewalk now.  He proved that he had a good rapport with Anquan Boldin (seven catches for 110 yards), taking advantage of any cornerback not named Revis. 

Look for them to exploit that again en route to a good week.

In regards to Cutler, while he thrived in Week 1, it was his running backs, not his wide receivers, that brought success.  Both of his touchdowns went to Matt Forte, as well as 151 yards and seven of his 23 completions.  In fact, look at the number of completions vs. targets to his receivers:

• Devin Aromashodu: Five completions/10 targets
• Johnny Knox: Three completions/seven targets
• Devin Hester: One completion/one target

He was 9-18 to his wide receivers and 14-17 to his running backs and tight ends.  The Cowboys are a significantly better defense than the Lions, and Cutler could be in store for a long day.

He’s a gamble, as it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him throw a couple of interceptions, would it?

Start: Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders, vs. St. Louis—Sit: C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills, at Green Bay

Spiller was a preseason darling, expected to emerge as the Bills top running back as questions swirled around Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

Instead, no one had more then seven carries, with Spiller leading the way with seven rushes for six yards.

Until the situation plays itself out, it’s hard to depend on any of the Bills running backs.

Meanwhile, McFadden was given an opportunity to claim the top spot in Oakland with Michael Bush out of action.  All he did was lead the Raiders in rushing (95 yards) and receiving (six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown).

Now he gets to take on a Rams defense that gave up over 100 rushing yards on opening day.  I’ve said all along that he has an opportunity to emerge as a must-start option, and he would seem like a good play in Week 2.

Start: Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants, at Indianapolis—Sit: Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys, vs. Chicago

After seeing Arian Foster torch the Colts defense, how could you not like the Giants running backs this week?

One of the problems is the potential of Bradshaw sharing carries with Brandon Jacobs, but that’s a risk that is certainly worth taking.  While the Giants may be forced to take to the air if they fall behind, Bradshaw poses more then enough upside to justify using as he certainly could contribute through the air as well.

Jones finds himself in the unenviable situation of sharing carries, almost evenly, with Marion Barber.  In Week 1 both had eight carries, with Tashard Choice also getting involved with five carries.  The Bears, meanwhile, allowed just 20 yards on the ground to the Detroit Lions and Jahvid Best.

They have a formidable front four, led by Julius Peppers and Tommie Harris, as well as Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at the linebacker spots.  Running room could be hard to come by for the Cowboys trio of backs.

Start: Austin Collie, Indianapolis Colts, vs. New York Giants—Sit: Bernard Berrian, Minnesota Vikings, vs. Miami

He may be the team’s third receiver, but as Anthony Gonzalez has suffered with injuries, Collie has entrenched himself as a vital part of the offense.

Obviously, it’s nearly impossible to expect four players on the same team to have double-digit targets very often, but the fact that Collie converted 11 of his 12 targets into receptions is impressive.  Add in 163 yards and a touchdown, and it was a huge season debut.

Peyton Manning is going to try to distribute the ball all over the field, and as defenses try to take out Dallas Clark or Reggie Wayne (most likely unsuccessfully), Collie will be left open to excel.

Berrian showed little rapport with Brett Favre in the opening week.  He had just one reception for three yards, clearly failing to generate much of anything.  That ugly performance makes him a huge risk, and he needs to prove something before you should trust him again.

It’s not like he’s coming off a monster season, going for just 618 yards and four TDs in ‘09 with Favre at the helm. 

Start: Santana Moss, Washington Redskins, vs. Houston—Sit: Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars, at San Diego

There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the Redskins passing attack entering the year, but Moss and Donovan McNabb looked solid on Sunday night.

Moss had six catches for 77 yards against the Cowboys, who are a better defense than the Texans.  Sims-Walker, meanwhile, was completely shutout in Week 1, only being targeted twice.

It’s a run-first offense, with David Garrard only throwing the ball 21 times.  That’s something that’s likely to continue against the Chargers, as they try to control the game and keep the ball from Phillip Rivers.

What are your thoughts on these decisions?  Who would you start?  Who would you sit?

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 2 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)

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