I will start with a recap of last week’s picks. I expected shenanigans in week one, and shenanigans there were! I felt like Neo in The Matrix, bending over backward to avoid the negative updates constantly firing from my Sleeper app on Sunday.
Week 1 Hits
Isaiah McKenzie, WR BUF
I am counting McKenzie as a hit in the bloodbath of Week 1. The dude scored more points than CeeDee Lamb, for goodness sake! McKenzie finished with 9.9 points in a PPR league, thanks in large part to the TD he snagged.
Sometimes, when making dynasty-start sit decisions, especially in deeper leagues, you want to look at potential TD upside as a tie-breaker. It wasn’t a great hit, but it wasn’t a complete disaster.
McKenzie ran 21 routes but was very inefficient and was responsible for an interception that got charged to Josh Allen. The slot battle continues, and I wouldn’t confidently throw him back into my lineup at present.
Tyler Lockett, WR SEA
Lockett finished as WR70, and MNF was an even uglier game than I could have possibly imagined. Lockett had three receptions on four targets for 28 yards. This gave you a measly 5.8 points in a PPR league. Lockett only ran two fewer routes than DK Metcalf (who was very disappointing in his own right). I am benching Lockett for the next couple of weeks unless absolutely desperate.
Week 1 Misses
Kadarius Toney, WR NYG
This one was a real gut punch. I had Toney locked into a couple of lineups (one which I lost by less than half a point.) Toney had zero targets in this game, even with Wan’Dale Robinson getting injured! It was so bad that he only played seven snaps the entire game! He had two rushing attempts for 23 yards, and that was it.
When he got his touches, he looked electric, but inexplicably there was zero involvement in the passing game for My Little Toney (an excellent nickname I know). As far as I can tell, he was not injured, so I can only assume there were issues with the playbook, or maybe he was in the doghouse. Either way, it was supremely annoying.
James Robinson, RB JAX
This one is bitter-sweet. I knew it was a little risky to sit Robinson, but I did mention I was happy to take the L if I was wrong, so here I am. I still think it was the right call to sit him; coming off an Achilles like that is no joke.
Robinson had 11 rush attempts for 66 yards and a TD on his return from injury. He also had two targets and a receiving TD for one last knife twist to us managers who sat him. He seems to have picked up right where he left off and finished the week as RB11. Robinson is a full go until otherwise notified!
Week 2
Much like the aforementioned Neo, I have shaken off the doubt and pain of one or two brutal misses, and I am ready to assume my destiny as “The One” (i.e., the guy giving you solid start-sit flex advice each week.)
As a reminder, I am using the Fantasy Pros Weekly Expert Consensus Rankings as a guideline (PPR, of course) and will be sticking to wide receivers ranked outside the top 36 and running backs outside the top 24.
Without further ado, in the words of the great Russell Wilson, “let’s ride.”
Curtis Samuel, WAS – WR49 Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking ⬆️
I have always had a soft spot for Samuel, and it was great to see him smash in Week 1! While everyone is losing their minds over Dotson’s two TD debut, I will chase the volume of Samuel this week. Samuel led the Commanders with eleven targets and even got four rushing attempts (you love to see it.)
He also posted a better YPRR (Yards Per Route Run) than either Terry McLaurin or Jahan Dotson. Curtis played roughly the same amount of snaps as both of these receivers and only ran marginally fewer routes. Vegas has given this game against Detroit a 49-point over/under, so it could be a deliciously ugly Wentz V Goff shootout, and I am here for it!
Jarvis Landry, NOS – WR41 Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking ⬆️
I like Landry, like I like Samuel. I am chasing volume with this play. Juice finished as WR15 in ppr leagues last week on the strength of seven receptions from nine targets for 114 yards. Landry received a higher PFF grade than any other Saints receiver last week.
The Saints will need to throw the ball to win this game against a tough Bucs defense, so I am comfortable throwing Landry in the flex.
Zay Jones, JAX – WR65 Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking ⬆️
This one is a bit of a deeper cut for you proper degenerates out there. I don’t wanna be accused of cherry-picking easy plays after all! Everyone knows how much Christian Kirk was paid, but they forget that Jones’s contract was pretty tasty. The Jags see him as a valuable part of this offense.
Jones quietly finished as WR32 last week on nine targets with six receptions for 65 yards. Zay enjoyed the second-highest target volume of the entire team. He ran the same number of routes and was on the field slightly more than Kirk. Vegas has given a healthy 47-point over/under on the game, and I like his chances at a TD against the Colts!
Rhamondre Stevenson, NEP – RB36 Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking ⬇️
I know many people are pretty pumped for Rhamondre StevenSZN, but sadly I am here to be a wet blanket for Week 2. I know that Ty Montgomery is on IR. I understand that the rush attempts were fairly split between Harris and Stevenson last week. However, I also know that the Patriots’ offense looked like a hot mess, and he was only on the field for 25% of snaps against the Dolphins.
Stevenson only received two targets and had a lower receiving grade than Harris per PFF. The Steelers have a fourth overall ranked defense and a seventh-ranked run defense by DVOA. It is only a one-game sample size, but that is what we have to work with. I would not start Stevenson unless desperate this week.
Conclusion
These are some of my favorite starts or sits based on this week’s slate of games. Hopefully, you found this helpful, and it has given you some food for thought!
Good luck out there in your Week 2 matchups!
If you have any questions or just wanna chat ball, you can catch me on Twitter @FFEvanlution.
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