As we roll into Week 2, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little too high or a little too low about the way your fantasy team performed in Week 1. However, the truth is that it’s early and there is plenty of time for things to reverse course from Week 1 in either direction. This is where it comes in handy to start the safest plays, unless you truly need a massive upside swing to beat your opponent.
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: Safe & Risky Players (Week 2)
Week 2 Risky Starts
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF) vs. MIN
After a summer during which Christian McCaffrey missed preseason time due to a calf injury, he also missed the first meaningful game where San Francisco scored a Week 1 victory over the Jets. Before now, McCaffrey had only missed a Week 17 game against the Commanders in 2023, as he had been staying incredibly healthy during his time with the Niners. Unfortunately, running backs rarely experience the volume of touches McCaffrey does and remain healthy long-term, and with this current injury also affecting McCaffrey’s Achilles, the warning signs are definitely there. Couple this with Jordan Mason‘s effective 29-touch performance against the Jets, and this might finally be the year they ease off on McCaffrey.
Rashid Shaheed (WR – NO) vs. DAL
The Saints new-look offense under Klint Kubiak was a breath of fresh air, as they increased their rate of pre-snap shift/motion by 38% compared to 2023, when they were dead-last in the league. This more creative offense thrived against an admittedly weak Carolina side, with Shaheed catching three of his five targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for Shaheed and the Saints, they will face the more stout defense of the Cowboys in Week 2, which pressured Deshaun Watson on 22 of his 42 dropbacks last week. The Saints’ offensive line is a poor unit and they managed to survive against the Panthers, but the same is unlikely to be true of Dallas. If Derek Carr has less time to wait for deep plays to develop, it could be a bad week for Shaheed.
Amari Cooper (WR – CLE) vs. JAX
Cleveland against Jacksonville should have been a prime matchup for Amari Cooper since the Jaguars pass defense is not exactly top-tier, yet here we are once again talking about the fact that Cleveland sold their souls to pay Deshaun Watson outrageous amounts of money and ever since, Watson has looked like a bad quarterback. Watson struggled mightily on Sunday against the Cowboys, with 45 pass attempts for 169 yards and two interceptions. That’s fewer than four yards per attempt. Watson struggles to get the ball out on time and play within the system, and he’s struggled to push the ball downfield. Kevin Stefanski is a very good NFL coach, but he can’t coach around the issues his quarterback has. Cooper’s ceiling is high and occasionally he’ll have QB-proof games, but coming off this performance, can you have any faith whatsoever that he’ll do that this week?
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) vs. KC
This should have been an ideal spot to start Joe Burrow, with him facing a Chiefs team that can force high-passing volume, but after a shaky season opener and with Tee Higgins‘s status still up in the air, that’s a lot less clear now. Burrow was supposed to have his healthiest offseason since his rookie year, but he’s clearly still feeling the effects of his 2023 thumb surgery, which was an uncommon injury for NFL quarterbacks to go through. Burrow attempted 29 passes against the Patriots and only seven went more than seven yards through the air, giving Burrow an average of 5.7 yards per attempt, which was 22nd among all quarterbacks. The Chiefs’ defensive line played havoc with the Ravens in Week 1 and now faces a Bengals line whose center and tackles ranked outside the top 19 in PFF grades in Week 1, along with neither guard ranking inside the top 48.
Week 2 Safe Starts
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND) vs. GB
The ceiling might be somewhat capped for Jonathan Taylor, after seeing zero targets and not even running a single route in the Week 1 loss to the Texans, but the positive is that not a single other running back touched the ball on Sunday. Taylor’s hold on this backfield would be more impressive if Anthony Richardson wasn’t such a threat to steal rushing touchdowns, like he did from three yards out against the Texans, but Taylor will have bigger days against defenses that aren’t as good against the run. The Texans finished 2023 with the second-best run defense in DVOA (defensive value over adjustment) and allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards per game, and they seem to have picked right back up in that category. Meanwhile, Indianapolis plays Green Bay, who allowed the twelfth-most fantasy points to running backs in 2023. They finished 26th in DVOA vs. the run and allowed the fifth-most rushing yards to opponents per game, along with letting Saquon Barkley to ball out like he was a rookie all over again in Week 1.
JK Dobbins (RB – LAC) vs. CAR
The Chargers spent all offseason talking up JK Dobbins to be a difference-maker, and low and behold, that’s exactly what happened in Week 1, with Dobbins totaling 130 yards on 10 rushing attempts, including a 61-yard run. Yes, Dobbins was caught from behind, but Breece Hall took time to get back up to speed in 2023 and the encouraging part is that Dobbins seemed to have no issues cutting and moving laterally. He averaged 13.5 yards per carry (YPC) and forced 4 missed tackles, while Gus Edwards averaged 2.4 YPC and zero missed tackles. The Chargers made Kimani Vidal a healthy scratch for Week 1 and with Dobbins impressing, this is clearly his backfield for the foreseeable future. The Chargers will now face the hopeless Panthers, so this should be another game that favors Dobbins.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB) vs. DET
The Bucs also spent a lot of the offseason talking about plans for Chris Godwin, and much like the Chargers with Dobbins, the Bucs followed through on their talk, putting Godwin back into the slot 43% of the time, an increase from last years 34%. Godwin’s usage was strong and he lead the team in targets with 8, catching 100% of them, turning it into 83 yards and a touchdown. The Lions got off to a strong start against the Rams, but they struggled with Cooper Kupp, who played 71% of his snaps from slot. While Kupp might be a better receiver than Godwin, there’s a good chance that Godwin can similarly capitalize on the Lions’ weakness against the slot.
Zay Flowers (WR – BAL) vs. LV
Since Week 12 of the 2023 season, Zay Flowers has averaged 7.3 targets per game, establishing himself as the clear WR1 in Baltimore and potentially the top target among all pass-catchers. The ten targets that Flowers saw in Week 1 included more screens and close-to-the-line-of-scrimmage looks than we’d like, but it was also an indication of how integral the Ravens consider him to their offense. Part of this was out of necessity, trying to force the Chiefs’ defense to attack the Ravens differently, and it would be a surprise if his air yards per target didn’t take a leap from the 5.4 he saw in Week 1, which ranked 47th among wide receivers with 5+ targets. The Ravens are licking their wounds after a tough Week 1 loss, but don’t be surprised if they want to make a statement in their home opener against the Raiders.
