Start 'Em or Sit 'Em: 10 Tough Decisions for Fantasy Football Week 2
After Week 1 of the season, some fantasy football owners are questioning some of their draft picks.
When they were in the lobby, they thought they were getting a big-time player and now, after Week 1, and the subsequent loss are questioning if they should shake things up. Fantasy football is about patience and playing the matchups.
There are some players to start and there are some to sit. Here are 10 shaky players heading into this week and if you should start or sit them.
No. 10: Chris Johnson
1 of 10
Now it's hard to say that the best fantasy running back last year is a tough choice to start or sit this week, especially since you likely spent the top pick in the draft on him.
However, going against the Steelers is a tough matchup for any running back and Johnson's streak of 100-yard games may come to an end this week. If you don't have a deep bench, I'd likely sit Johnson and go with a more sure option, but there's always the risk of him breaking another long run.
In the end, I'd probably start Johnson, but I'm a Titans fan so take that with a grain of salt.
No. 9: Jonathan Stewart
2 of 10
If you're a Jonathan Stewart owner like me, you were very disgusted with the performance he put up on Sunday.
Stewart only had five carries for 12 yards against the Giants while DeAngelo Williams got the majority of the carries. For a guy who had equal numbers to Williams last year, I thought I was being slick by getting him while people took Williams earlier.
You have to watch out in these two-back systems because weeks like that happen, but I think they're going to get Stewart the rock more this week and I'm going to have him in my lineup. Just be careful though.
No. 8: Donovan McNabb
3 of 10
McNabb was a risky pick in the draft and if you're one of his owners, you're finding out why now.
McNabb hurt his ankle in the preseason and it has hurt his growth in Mike Shanahan's system as he looked rusty last Sunday against Dallas. It's going to take him some time to come into his own as a passer, but he is going against Houston's secondary this week.
The Texans got torched by Peyton Manning last week and you need to decide if that's just because of Manning or Houston being bad against the pass. If you have no other options, go with McNabb, but I'd be looking elsewhere.
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No. 7: Brett Favre
4 of 10
If you are a Brett Favre owner, you're a nervous wreck right now.
Favre didn't look crisp at all against the Saints and while that has something to do with the Saints, he's also battling that ankle injury and one bad hit could spell disaster for his season and your team.
Favre and Minnesota are hosting Miami this week, and you need to ask yourself if you feel Favre is going to be the guy we saw last year or the guy we saw last week against New Orleans.
I personally own Favre and I'll be starting him because, well, my only other option is Chad Henne.
No. 6: Chad Ochocinco
5 of 10
Now after a big game, there's a tendency to keep playing the hot hand, but I'm not sure this is the case.
Ochocinco had a huge game against New England, but we already had questions about the Patriots' defense coming into the season, so the fact that Chad had a big game isn't really a shock.
Cincinnati is playing Baltimore this week and while Mark Sanchez didn't exactly test the Ravens' secondary, it's a tough matchup nonetheless. I'd be willing to take a risk that Chad will do well because Carson Palmer and company are more dangerous through the air than the Jets.
No. 5: Percy Harvin
6 of 10
Harvin was a big fantasy player last year as a rookie and owners had high hopes for him this year. However, after last week, some things may need to be re-evaluated.
Harvin only had one grab last week and looked out of sync out there. He just didn't seem to have the same burst and he just didn't look like he knew what he was doing out there. His value went up after Sidney Rice was slated to miss half the season, but last week was worrisome.
Minnesota takes on Miami and I'd be willing to take a risk on him for one more week. If he flops again, I'd be in a wait-and-see mode with him, even if it means missing his breakout week.
No. 4: Jay Cutler
7 of 10
Jay Cutler looked like the fantasy quarterback a lot of us hoped he'd be last week against the Detroit Lions.
Cutler only made one mistake, but other than that, looked crisp, sharp, and effective. Now some of that has to do with playing against the Lions, but it was an encouraging sign. However, Cutler will take on the Cowboys this week and I'm not sure we'll see the same results.
Dallas is aggressive on defense and will pressure Cutler, and that's when he makes a large majority of his mistakes. If you have a lot of faith in him, go with it, but I'm not sold on him and would probably bench him this week.
No. 3: Randy Moss
8 of 10
Last year, Randy Moss was a permanent occupant of Revis Island.
In the two games, Moss pulled in nine passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Not exactly what you'd expect from Moss in a two-game period against anyone. There's been a big war of words between the two dating back to last year, and I think that's why you should take a risk on Moss.
The Patriots have something to prove and I think they'll be out for blood on Sunday. Moss could have a big day with Revis having missed almost all of training camp.
No. 2: Shonn Greene
9 of 10
A lot of fantasy owners had high hopes for Shonn Greene after his performances in the playoffs this past winter, but they did not like what they saw on Monday night.
Greene had five carries for 18 yards but fumbled twice. Based on my league's scoring, Greene would have had negative 1.3 points (counting his one catch for nine yards). That's just horrendous production from a back who was drafted rather high at his position.
Splitting carries with LaDainian Tomlinson never helps, and it'll be interesting to see how much faith they have in Greene this week. Playing the Pats doesn't help either. They completely wiped Cedric Benson off the map last week.
No. 1: Tom Brady
10 of 10
In both games against the Jets last year, Tom Brady had two drastically different performances. In the first game, he was held without a touchdown and picked off once. In the second, he threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown.
It's hard to tell what Brady will show up, but he looked dangerous last week when he picked apart the Bengals. Brady is motivated to beat the Jets and even said he hated them during the offseason. I think the Pats will respond to that and they're going to be big against New York this week.
If I'm a Brady owner, I start him, but it's a risky move with how well the Jets D did against the Ravens.
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