Fantasy Football: Start ‘em, sit ‘em for Week 2

Week 1 of the NFL is in the books and a few big surprises welcomed Fantasy Football players into the new season.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson put up an unexpected 33.6 points while Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins unleashed 37.8 points on a monster Sunday (standard leagues).

There were also a few big disappointments. Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp registered just 4.6 points, while Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans both failed to muster more than four points each.

Here are a few predictions that we feel will help you up your game this week:

Who to start

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

1) WR Josh Gordon, New England Patriots (vs. Miami Dolphins)

The Dolphins are straight up terrible and the Pats will put an ungodly amount of yards and points.

While fellow troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown is scheduled to play against Miami, it’s unclear how much action he’ll get. With Gordon, at least we know he knows the playbook, and he didn’t look bad Sunday night against the Patriots either.

2) WR John Brown, Buffalo Bills (vs. New York Giants)

Usually Buffalo Bills receivers don’t get the nod for big fantasy point predictions, but the Bills are going up against the NFL’s worst pass defense from Week 1 in the Giants. It’s tough to admit here, but rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker looked lost at times trying to cover an established receiver like Amari Cooper.

John Brown had a great game in Week 1 against the Jets and he’ll look to take advantage of a Giants defense still trying to gel as a unit.

3) RB Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)

Rookie running backs are typically good value pickups in the draft because of their ability to make a real impact in offenses. This is opposed to wide receivers who sometimes need more time to mature.

Josh Jacobs proved to everyone that he’s here to stay. On Monday night against the Broncos, the Oakland Raiders rookie out of Alabama rushed for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns, along with a 28-yard catch. This week he’ll face Kansas City’s defense that gave up 428 yards on Sunday. (This could have been aided by the fact that the Chiefs offense kept scoring, so their defense was likely on the field a lot. Still, Jacobs should perform well.)

Who to sit

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

1) WR Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets (vs. Cleveland Browns)

The Jets offense looked bad against a good Buffalo Bills defense on Sunday. However, Jamison Crowder picked up 99 yards on 14 catches while backup quarterback Trevor Siemian tried to get the ball to speedster Robby Anderson. Absent was Quincy Enunwa, who posted one catch for negative yardage. With Crowder grabbing so many receptions, Enunwa figures to see less of a role.

2) RB Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Derrius Guice injured his knee during Sunday’s 32-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Guice figured to play a decent role in the Redskins rushing attack along with veteran Adrian Peterson, and was looking to count as a possible flex play or even RB2 for fantasy players. Unfortunately he’ll miss time now, and owners are promptly dropping him.

3) RB Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Washington Redskins)

With star running back Ezekiel Elliott back, the show is pretty much over for Pollard. The Cowboys brass probably unfairly hyped him up as nothing more than a negotiation tactic against the Elliott camp during tense negotiations.

Pollard should pick up Elliott’s scraps in terms of touches, but it shouldn’t be more than 10 a game going forward. While Pollard did get 13 carries for 24 yards on Sunday, expect Elliott to carry more of the load (13 carries on Sunday) going forward.

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