Fantasy football start/sit advice: Week 2

Sometimes you’re right. Sometimes you’re wrong. Such is life. Last week my start/sit advice was mostly wrong. I did, however, get a few things right, particularly: sitting Eric Decker and using the Bills defense as a streaming option over the Seahawks defense.

If there is one thing that fantasy football has taught me it’s that sure things are hard to come by. This week I’ll try to do better. The plus side to having one week of play in the books is that we have one week to help us better determine where opposing defenses currently stand, which helps to determine what players to start over others that much easier.

Also, we have a better look at the performance of the starting quarterbacks in the league. Last week there were some shockers in this department.

Tom Brady: 10.7 Fantasy Points

Carson Palmer: 9 Fantasy Points

Alex Smith: 31 Fantasy Points

Trevor Siemian: 22.7 Fantasy Points

It is what it is, I guess?

So without further ado, here are some starts/sits for week two.

Chris Hogan – Start

Hogan was on the field for the majority of the offensive snaps (73 of 81 snaps) last week, so it’s a safe bet that the Patriots plan on using him. While the head injury to Danny Amendola doesn’t necessarily equate to an increase in usage for Hogan, I don’t see how it could mean that he will be used any less if the team is potentially down one wide receiver.

Hogan was targeted five times but only came away with one reception for eight yards, so there is some bust potential heading into this weeks game against the Saints.

However, if we are looking at this from a matchup perspective, the Saints gave away 341 passing yards to the Vikings last week and three touchdowns through the air. The Vikings offense, led by Sam Bradford, saw two receivers reach the 20-fantasy point mark in that game.

So the Saint’s defense is bad, and Tom Brady is . . . Tom Brady. If Amendola is out, the receiving options for Patriots are as such:

• Brandin Cooks
• Rob Gronkowski
• Chris Hogan
• Phillip Dorsett

Hogan lined up in the slot for most of his snaps last Thursday, so if you are in a PPR league there is some solid flex appeal here.

Austin Hooper – Sit

Hooper had a monster game on Sunday. He took full advantage of both of his targets for 128 yards and a touchdown, but he only had two targets.

I think that Hooper is a great bench stash for the season, but he isn’t going to replicate his numbers from this past Sunday unless his target share increases.

He’s a great bench asset because there is potential for him to take on a larger role, but if you are looking for a flex piece on the Falcons roster I’m going with Tevin Coleman.

Tevin Coleman – Start

Coleman was the second most targeted receiver last Sunday. He’s got great hands and the ability to gain yards after the catch, which will likely come in handy against the Packers who are most definitely looking to limit Julio Jones.

Devonta Freeman is still going to see more carries from the backfield, but whenever a team faces Aaron Rodgers there is potential that the run game could be limited depending on game flow. I like Coleman as a flex starter this week as long as he continues the high target volume.

Ravens D/ST - Start

Why are the Ravens only owned in 39.7% of ESPN fantasy leagues? They completely dominated the Bengals in week one, and they are facing the Browns this week.

They allowed zero touchdowns while snagging four interceptions and one fumble against Andy Dalton and the Bengals. Now they are facing off against Deshone Kizer and the Browns and they get no love?

I’m starting them over the Broncos and the Panthers this week.

Marcus Mariota – Sit

Mariota didn’t really impress me too much in the passing game last week. At least, not like I thought he would. His rush for a touchdown helped his fantasy stats, but apart from that, there wasn’t much to get excited about. I have a feeling that until he gels more with his new weapons that will continue to be the case.

If week one is any indication of the strength of the Jaguars pass-rush then Mariota might be in trouble come Sunday. Then again Jacksonville’s 10-sack effort could speak more toward the weakness of Houston’s offensive line than anything else.

The Titans have a much better offensive line than most teams in this league, but I don’t see them drawing up a lot of passing plays that will leave the line more vulnerable for fatigue and Mariota more vulnerable for eating dirt.

If they can utilize their talented run game to tire the defense out early then I think they will have more success, and unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily bode well for Mariota’s stat line.

Also, the Jaguars have ceded 13 rushing scores to opposing backs since the start of last season.

Ty Montgomery – Start

Montgomery had 19 rushes for 54 yards and picked up another 39 through the air. He also got a rushing touchdown! This is a great sign for his usage considering he’s on a Packers offense that typically has a lot of TD’s to go around, but also has a lot of options to get them.

I like Montgomery as a flex/RB2 against a Falcons team that allowed 15 rushing touchdowns last season, and one last week.

I like Montgomery even more in PPR leagues.

Thursday Night Game – Sit

I’m not one for blanket statements, but for the sake of brevity just avoid starting players in this game altogether.

The Bengals are out for revenge. The Texans are starting a rookie quarterback. It’s going to be a Thursday night snore fest complete with quarterback struggles and defensive struggles.

In my opinion, the only close to start-worthy players are A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert but understand that’s with floor level expectations. I hope I’m wrong honestly. I’d like to watch a good game tonight, but something’s telling me it’s not in the books.