Heading into Week 2 of the fantasy football season can be a confusing time when it comes to start/sit decisions. In some situations, we spent all offseason believing one thing, only to see something completely different happen. The question is whether that is simply a mirage or if it’s indicative of a need to pivot. As you begin to think about the week ahead, our Week 2 fantasy football start/sit advice is here to try and help you make sense of some of the things we saw as the 2022 NFL season began.
Week 2 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em
The hope is that this article will get your brain thinking about next week early on. Maybe one of your players is someone to consider sitting this week, in which case you should look to the waiver wire for an alternative. Or perhaps, there is a player listed below who is on waivers, and you need to figure out whether to make a claim or if it’s best to steer clear and look for someone who might be able to help you more immediately.
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Quarterbacks
Start ’em | Trey Lance, SF vs. SEA
If you drafted Trey Lance for the 2022 NFL season, you may be wavering a little on Monday morning. Lance had a tough start to the season in brutal conditions up in Chicago. He completed just 13 of 28 pass attempts for 164 yards and an interception. He did manage to add 54 rushing yards, but that was largely a band-aid for any managers who risked starting him in Week 1.
Nevertheless, there is a wonderful opportunity for Lance to bounce back in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. At the time of writing this article, we have not yet seen the Seahawks play, but little is expected from them this season. Lance and the 49ers’ offense should be able to move the ball at ease, be it on the ground or through the air.
This is also a statement week for both Lance and head coach Kyle Shanahan. There are already rumblings of discontent as Lance struggled while Jimmy Garoppolo sat on the bench after nearly taking the team to a second Super Bowl last season. That can all be put to bed if Lance has a big game against their much-hated division rival in Week 2. Shanahan should give Lance every opportunity to post some big statistics this week.
Sit ’em | Joe Burrow, CIN at DAL
This game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals takes on a completely different complexion after Week 1. Joe Burrow was sacked seven times by the Steelers, and now he faces a pass rush that had Tom Brady in trouble at times in Week 1. Against this Cowboys’ defense, Brady could only manage 212 yards through the air and was routinely turned away in and around the Cowboys’ 20-yard line.
To add to that, the Buccaneers had a reasonable measure of success moving the ball on the ground. Leonard Fournette averaged over six yards per rush attempt going for 127 yards on 21 attempts. The Bengals may look to take a similar method when it comes to attacking this Cowboys defense. This game could also get ugly with Dak Prescott out indefinitely with a thumb injury. Therefore, the game script could very much dictate the Bengals playing a ground game in which they protect Burrow from taking big hits.
In a Superflex league, you’re not sitting Burrow, but in 1QB, he’s a fringe starter this week. The likes of Derek Carr, Matt Ryan, and Kirk Cousins appear to be safer bets this week if you’re looking for a QB to stream.
Running backs
Start ’em | Michael Carter, NYJ at CLE
The New York Jets spent all week telling us Michael Carter was their guy, and they proved it in Week 1. Carter led the position in snaps and carries, dominating the short-yardage, third-down, and goal-line work.
Carter and Breece Hall saw a combined 19 targets and were utilized extensively in Week 1. Carter finished the game with 100 total yards on 19 opportunities in a game that the Jets trailed throughout the second half.
The way this offense is set up, both Carter and Hall look like they could have standalone fantasy value on a weekly basis. My personal preference, however, is for the player who dominated snaps on the goal line and third downs. This may flip as the season goes on, but for now, I’m going to ride what we saw from Carter in Week 1.
Sit ’em | Dontrell Hilliard, TEN at BUF
It’s going to be easy to look at Dontrell Hilliard’s stat line with 69 total yards and two touchdowns and believe he is a weekly starting option. However, there should be caution in that. Hilliard played on just 12 snaps, and we even saw Hassan Haskins play in a pass protector role late in the game.
Hilliard will have his moments in the role he plays for the Tennessee Titans, but it will be infrequent. It is promising that he saw opportunities on half of those snaps, but it’s also potentially unsustainable for him to have that ratio of snaps to opportunities when it comes to a weekly basis.
Hilliard is a player I am certainly looking to stash at the right price in case we see a continued pattern of usage. But, for the most part, this is still Henry’s backfield, and we’re relying on breakout plays for anyone else to have value on a weekly basis.
Wide receivers
Start ’em | Curtis Samuel, WAS at DET
Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season couldn’t have gone much better for Curtis Samuel. As he returned to the field for the Washington Commanders, Samuel opened the scoring and played a major role in the offense. He finished with 11 targets and four rush attempts, totaling 72 yards and a touchdown. The fascinating part is that Samuel was involved in both the run game and the pass.
Even without the touchdown, Samuel would have returned Flex value across the three main scoring systems. When looking for potential surprise Week 2 starters, usage is extremely important. If Samuel had got his 72 yards and a touchdown on three targets and no carries, then it would be a different story. However, he led the team in targets and saw the second-most rush attempts by a non-QB.
Additionally, Samuel is going up against a defense that just gave up 38 points and 455 total yards, including both 216 on the ground and 239 through the air. The Detroit Lions defense allowed four rushing touchdowns to four different rushers. There is a multitude of ways that Samuel can help you as a potential Flex option in Week 2.
Start ’em | Christian Kirk, JAX vs. IND
When the Jacksonville Jaguars gave Christian Kirk a monster contract during free agency, it was always likely he was going to see heavy usage. They lived up to that by targeting him 12 times in their season opener against Washington. Kirk pulled in six of those targets for 117 yards, including a 49-yard reception.
Kirk now heads into a matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, who just allowed Brandin Cooks to have 82 receiving yards on seven receptions from 12 targets. The Jaguars appear set to heavily target Kirk this year, giving him a solid floor. However, Kirk also has the game-breaking ability to make those opportunities into huge returns. Therefore, he’s an ideal starting option with both a high floor and the potential for a high ceiling.
Sit ’em | Amari Cooper, CLE vs. NYJ
Hopefully, you didn’t spend too much draft capital on Amari Cooper this offseason. In Week 1, he and QB Jacoby Brissett could not get on the same page, with Cooper finishing with six targets, three receptions, and 17 yards.
There’s no reason for a full-blown panic yet, but there is room for caution with Cooper if you have other options on your roster. He still tied for the lead in snaps by a Browns’ WR with 66 and was second on the team in targets, but it just looked disjointed in Week 1.
Additionally, this offense is going to try and operate through the run game, limiting the opportunities for receivers to make plays. Combine that with opposing defenses being likely to focus their attention on not letting Cooper beat them, and it’s just a lot of red flags at this stage in the season. Right now, until we see the connection improve between him and Brissett, Cooper is a player I’m leaving on my bench.
Tight ends
Start ’em | Pat Freiermuth, PIT vs. NE
While the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked anything but perfect, we saw some promising signs for Pat Freiermuth in terms of his usage. Chase Claypool was the only skill position player to see more snaps than Freiermuth, who finished second on the team in targets, behind only Diontae Johnson.
Freiermuth was targeted 10 times, bringing in five of them for 75 yards. He was a player the Steelers looked to frequently when they needed big plays late in the game. His numbers could have been even bigger had Pittsburgh not jumped out to a surprise early lead and then spent some of the game protecting that lead. The expectation is that this Steelers offense will be chasing a lot of games in 2022, and that could mean double-digit targets is a frequent thing for Freiermuth.
Some other names I have on my radar as fringe starting tight ends this week include Robert Tonyan and Logan Thomas as they return from their respective knee injuries.
Sit ’em | Cole Kmet, CHI at GB
It’s easy to panic about Cole Kmet after Week 1, in which he was targeted just once during the game. However, the conditions in Chicago make it hard to take much away from the game in terms of how the teams will operate. Those types of conditions change the structure of an offense immensely as the run game tends to dominate more.
However, that’s not to say you should just blindly start Kmet in the hope things will look completely different this week. Ryan Griffin was on the field at times over Kmet, which raises some concerns. Given where you drafted Kmet, there’s no harm in looking to stream a TE option in Week 2 and then see what the usage pattern is for Kmet in a week that better reflects “normal” conditions for this Chicago Bears offense.