The nerves behind Week 1 are finally behind us and whether your fantasy team got a win or not doesn’t matter at this point! The only thing that matters is getting your Week 2 fantasy lineup tweaked just right to ensure either getting back on the right path or continuing your perfect season! Whichever you need to do this week, I’m here to walk you through a few matchups at each position to help make those starting decisions ahead of Week 2!
Always make sure to reference Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings for extra insight as to where they stand from week to week!
Quarterbacks
Jayden Daniels (WASH) vs. NY Giants
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| QB10 | QB11 | QB8 |
QB11 |
The debut that fantasy managers wanted from Jayden Daniels was delivered. While it wasn’t the prettiest results on the field, Daniels’ finish as the QB2 in his first game came mainly thanks to his work in the running game where he finished with 88 yards and two TDs. Daniels wasn’t bad in the passing game, connecting on 71% of his throws, but had a meager 5.2 intended air yards per attempt which was better than only Daniel Jones and Gardner Minshew this week. For Daniels to truly reach a ceiling that could make him a league winner in fantasy, he’ll have to be able to support his running upside with a modest passing attack throughout the year.
Week 2 gives Daniels a perfect chance to build on his hot start with a matchup against the New York Giants‘ defense. In Week 1, the Giants allowed 21 points to the Vikings’ offense behind a surprisingly decent start from Sam Darnold. The Commanders don’t have the supporting cast that Minnesota does, but Daniels has plenty of weapons to be able to take advantage of what should be a solid matchup. Fantasy managers should start Daniels with confidence this week expecting another top-six QB performance.
Kurt would start Daniels over: QB7 – Dak Prescott vs. New Orleans.
Matthew Stafford (LAR) at Arizona
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| QB14 | QB15 | QB14 |
QB10 |
It wasn’t the prettiest opening week for Matthew Stafford, but he still delivered a top-12 QB finish despite only throwing one TD on the week. Stafford and the Rams’ offense sputtered out of the gate but his fantasy day was saved thanks to the 49 passing attempts – the most by any QB in Week 1. To be fair, the Rams never really got anything going on the ground so Stafford shouldn’t be expected to throw the ball that much weekly, and with Puka Nacua set to miss at least four games, that passing volume could trend downward over the coming weeks. Still, it’s nice fantasy production from a QB who is available in 40% of leagues.
Getting back on track for Stafford and the Rams’ offense should be aided by a great matchup with the Cardinals in Week 2. Arizona’s defense was graded as the fourth-worst coverage unit according to PFF after Week 1, allowing 34 points to a Bills offense that only completed 18 passes the entire game. The method of attack will be much different from Stafford and the Rams, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect the results to be much different. Fantasy managers should view Stafford as a streaming QB with top-six upside this week.
Kurt would play Stafford over: QB15 – Joe Burrow at Kansas City.
Running Backs
Najee Harris (PIT) at Denver
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB24 | RB24 | RB23 |
RB24 |
The concern over a split backfield in Pittsburgh was a farce, at least for Week 1 after Najee Harris dominated the backfield touches for the Steelers. Harris’ 22 opportunities outpaced fellow RB Jaylen Warren’s four total opportunities against the Falcons. There’s a chance that Warren’s hamstring injury could have played a role in his decreased usage, but even Arthur Smith’s beloved Cordarrelle Patterson only touched the ball four times, so it could be that Najee has control of the backfield for the moment. The issue going forward for fantasy managers who invested in Harris this draft season could be the lack of efficiency from all the opportunities he saw with just 3.5 yards per carry.
If Harris continues to get the majority of touches in the Pittsburgh backfield again this week, there could be potential for a huge week against the Broncos. Denver’s defense was one of just four teams in Week 1 to allow multiple runs of 20+ yards and gave up the RB9 finish to Kenneth Walker. While Harris will have to prove he can do more with the massive amount of opportunity he saw in Week 1, as long as he’s continuing to see that type of volume he should remain a simple RB2 play week-to-week.
Kurt would play Harris over: RB23 – Aaron Jones vs. San Francisco.
Jordan Mason (SF) at Minnesota
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB12 | RB16 | RB15 |
RB11 |
The waiver wire darling after Week 1, Jordan Mason made the most of his opportunity with Christian McCaffrey out to start the season. Mason’s 28 carries were the second-most by any RB to start the season and his 96 yards after contact were the third-best on the week. What’s encouraging about Mason’s performance is that there’s a chance he won’t be a one-week wonder with reports that McCaffrey may miss Week 2 as well. If that’s the case, Mason will be the key RB in the San Francisco machine again and should be an easy start for fantasy managers who invested in him off the waiver wire.
Regardless of who the starting RB for the 49ers is, they’ll have their hands full with a Vikings defense that has consistently been tough against the run over the last year. In 2023, Minnesota allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards and only gave up 74 rushing yards last week against the Giants. Regardless of the matchup, it’s difficult to think about not starting the starting RB in San Francisco.
Kurt would play Mason over: RB13 – Kenneth Walker III at New England.
Zamir White (LV) at Baltimore
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB37 | RB34 | RB46 |
RB34 |
It was a rough outing for Zamir White in Week 1 after plenty of speculation throughout the offseason about exactly what his role would look like in the Raiders’ offense and how effective he’d be in it. While there’s been plenty of attention brought to Alexander Mattison’s involvement in the Raiders’ offense compared to White’s, White still had more opportunities than Mattison on the day. White’s 44 yards weren’t great, but he still showed the ability to break off chunks of yards with two runs of 10+ yards – not including another that got wiped out by a pointless holding penalty.
If the Raiders are going to do a callback to the run offense fantasy managers who drafted White remember from the back stretch of 2023, they’ll have their work cut out for them against a tough Ravens defense. Last week, the Baltimore defense allowed just 3.6 yards per carry against the Chiefs in the season-opener. Unless the Raiders can muster a Christmas Day-esque performance and regroup from their disappointing opening game, it may already be time for fantasy managers to sit White until there are signs of life for fantasy purposes.
Kurt would prefer to play: RB36 – Jaleel McLaughlin vs. Pittsburgh.
Wide Receivers
Xavier Worthy (KC) vs. Cincinnati
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR29 | WR30 | WR28 |
WR30 |
The NFL script writers couldn’t have put together a better start to the season for Xavier Worthy. Kansas City’s first-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft proved hyper-efficient, scoring TDs on two of his three touches on the night. Worthy will surely see more work in the Chiefs’ offense as the season progresses, though his 63% of snaps from Week 1 far surpasses what Rashee Rice saw as a rookie. It actually took Rice nine weeks before he was on the field that much for the Chiefs in his rookie season.
It may be difficult to decide what we really know about getting a matchup with the Bengals’ defense this early in the season. In Week 1, the Patriots only threw the ball 24 times against Cincinnati for 120 yards and their WRs scored just 10.6 points, so gauging just how good or bad of play for opposing WRs they’ll be is still up in the air. Right now though, until we see Worthy not explode on the field for fantasy, it will be difficult to think of him as anything less than a flex play with HUGE upside.
Kurt would play Worthy over: WR25 – Zay Flowers vs. Las Vegas.
Chris Godwin (TB) at Detroit
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR20 | WR22 | WR20 |
WR20 |
Opening week was so delicious for Chris Godwin, it had Mike Hungry for More this week! Godwin finished Week 1 as the WR11 behind a team-high eight receptions, thriving out of the slot more than we saw him in 2023. After playing 66% of his snaps lined up out wide last season, Godwin was in the slot 55% of his snaps last week. If there’s one gripe to opening up more for Godwin’s fantasy output, it would be getting more downfield targets. All eight of Godwin’s targets from Week 1 came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
The matchup is right for Godwin to have another big performance to start the season with a trip to Detroit this week. In Week 1, the Lions allowed 47.8 fantasy points to the Rams’ WRs with 25 of those coming from Cooper Kupp alone. It just so happens that Kupp lined up in the slot on nearly 80% of his snaps last week and caught 10 of his 14 passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Heard that before? Godwin is easily a WR2 for fantasy rosters this week with WR1 upside.
Kurt would play Godwin over: WR18 – Michael Pittman Jr. at Green Bay.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA) at New England
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR48 | WR44 | WR52 |
WR44 |
The hopes that a new offensive scheme would bring dividends for Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t pan out in Week 1. After a disappointing rookie season, fantasy managers were hoping new Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb would be able to unlock the great prospect that the Seahawks used a first-round pick on in 2023. A positive to take away for fantasy managers with JSN on their roster is that he was on the field for 79% of snaps – the second-highest percentage of snaps he’s seen in his career. The downside though is the 0.76 yards per route run and 3.0 average depth of target he saw.
It may not be panic time just yet, but a matchup against a very good Patriots defense won’t help matters for JSN. New England’s defense allowed just 164 passing yards in their season opener against Joe Burrow and the Bengals. What could be concerning for JSN this week though is that the Patriots allowed just two receptions for 11 yards against WRs lined up in the slot last week. While there’s still time for this Seahawks offense to develop as the season progresses, fantasy managers may have to find alternative options outside of JSN until that happens.
Kurt would prefer to play: WR42 – Brandin Cooks vs. New Orleans.
Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid (BUF) at Miami
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| TE6 | TE5 | TE7 |
TE6 |
The talk all offseason was that Dalton Kincaid would be the primary target regardless of position for the Bills’ new offense, but Week 1 wasn’t quite the return fantasy managers were hoping for. Kincaid disappointed fantasy managers, seeing just two targets in Week 1 and finishing as the TE37. The only encouraging part for Kincaid managers is that he was on the field for 84% of snaps and was lined up all over Buffalo’s formations, including six snaps out wide, 17 in the slot, and two in the backfield. With that kind of usage, it isn’t quite time to hit the panic button on Kincaid just yet.
While there’s hope for a bounce back this week for Kincaid, having him play on Thursday night might give fantasy managers more pause before locking him into their lineups against the Dolphins. Last week Miami held Evan Engram to just one reception for five yards despite being the fifth-best matchup for fantasy TEs in 2023 allowing 10.6 points per game to the position. It’s completely understandable if fantasy managers want to try and shift from Kincaid, but I’d advise giving it another week before trying to move on to another option.
Kurt would play Kincaid over: TE4 – George Kittle at Minnesota.
Evan Engram (JAX) vs. Cleveland
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| TE8 | TE10 | TE10 |
TE9 |
Speaking of disappointing Week 1 outings, Evan Engram somehow had a worse start to the season than Kincaid, finishing as the TE43 with just four targets and five yards. Throughout the offseason, fantasy managers that bought into Engram did so on the back of his TE2 finish from 2023, and with plenty of targets leaving Jacksonville’s offense with Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones departing in free agency, there should have been plenty of work to make its way back to the TE position. The problem is that Engram was only on the field for 68% of the Jaguars snaps in Week 1, a threshold he was only under once all last season.
If Engram is going to get back on track this week, it might be tough against a Browns defense that profiles as one of the tougher matchups against the TE position. Last season, Cleveland averaged allowing just 7.3 fantasy points to opposing teams’ TEs and gave up just three total fantasy points to the position last week against Dallas. It’s doubtful that fantasy managers will be able to find a player on waivers to shift to with higher upside than Engram, but another poor outing may start the hunt for a pivot.
Kurt would prefer to play: TE9 – Brock Bowers at Baltimore.
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/rY7SpXy
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