How well did you do in Week 1?

Did any of your sleeper picks turn into gold?

There were some breakout performances by players who had low ownership numbers in Week 1. Some of those numbers occurred due to injuries, but some guys like Bucs WR Chris Godwin, Seahawks TE Will Dissly and Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay almost came out of nowhere.

I hope you took our advice last week and added Steelers RB James Conner and the Ravens defense. Both plays earned a lot of points.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 2 of the 2018 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

I didn’t want to make this SIT’EM section very long since there’s no need to drop guys, because hey, it’s the last week of the season. Just make sure the guys you are playing aren’t getting rested and you should be okay this week.

START’EM

• QB Tyrod Taylor (Cleveland Browns) – Taylor was only 15 for 39 last week, but he started to get in a groove with WR Jarvis Landry. The Steelers secondary is among the best in the league, so he should fare much better this week against New Orleans. The Saints are coming off a disastrous outing against the Bucs that saw QB Ryan Fitzpatrick carve them up to a blowout win. Taylor has a talented receiving corps and should have success through the air…and he can use his legs when needed.
• WR Ryan Grant (Indianapolis Colts) – Defenses are going to double-team WR T.Y. Hilton a ton, so QB Andrew Luck needs a second and third receiver emerge. Grant cemented his role as WR2 with eight receptions for 59 yards against the Bengals. He faces his former team this weekend. Washington’s secondary is talented, but they will focus on taking Hilton out of the game. I think Grant will get a lot of man-to-man coverage and should be a solid PPR wide receiver this year.
• RB Austin Ekeler (Los Angeles Chargers) – Ekeler was one of my sleeper picks this preseason. I just liked the role he played last season. He has good hands and if Melvin Gordon is having ‘one of those games’, he can step right in and contribute. Ekeler had 126 yards from scrimmage last week against the Chiefs. Gordon is the RB1, but Ekeler is worth a look in deeper leagues. He’s arguably one of the best backup running backs in the league. If you own Gordon, you may want to snatch up Ekeler as a handcuff.
• QB Case Keenum (Denver Broncos) – Keenum started the season with a 329-yard passing performance. He threw three touchdown passes, but also threw three picks. It was still good enough to lead the Broncos to a 27-24 win at home versus the Seahawks. Keenum faces Oakland this weekend. The Raiders had zero pass rush against the Rams on Monday night. If they don’t pressure Keenum, they will be toast. I think Keenum will have another high-yardage game with a few touchdowns (and let’s hope he cuts down on those interceptions).
• RB T.J. Yeldon (Jacksonville Jaguars) – It has been a long ass time since I recommended Yeldon. He didn’t perform well when he had the starting job, but he has been productive in a backup role for the Jaguars. RB Leonard Fournette injured his hamstring in Week 1 and could miss this weekend’s game against the Patriots. If you’re in a deep league (or miss out on some guys like James Conner on the waiver wire), Yeldon could be a nice fill-in for a week.
• Chicago Bears Defense & Special Teams – The Khalil Mack Era kicked off with early success against the Packers. They appeared to have the game in hand, but QB Aaron Rodgers led a huge comeback. The Bears defense has a lot of playmakers and should have success on Monday night against Seattle’s porous offensive line. They should be able to pressure Seattle QB Russell Wilson and get a few sacks.
• WR Kenny Stills (Miami Dolphins) – The Dolphins wide receivers should get plenty of targets with Jarvis Landry in Cleveland and QB Ryan Tannehill returning from a season-long injury. WR DeVante Parker missed the game with a finger injury and Stills reaped the rewards. He caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. One touchdown was a redzone target and the other was a 75-yard deep ball. The Dolphins play the Jets this weekend. The Jets played out of their minds against the Lions on Monday night, but don’t fear them too much. They should come back down to Earth against the Dolphins.
• TE Jonnu Smith (Tennessee Titans) – Starting tight end Delanie Walker dislocated his ankle in Week 1 and will miss the season. Smith is a capable backup and had has success stepping in for Walker in the past. QB Marcus Mariota loves him some tight end, so I expect Smith to get plenty of targets. They face the Texans this weekend and they gave up 123 yards to the opposing team’s tight end (Gronk). I doubt Smith will match those numbers, but he should be owned in nearly every league.
• TE George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers) – Kittle had a great opening game of the season. He caught five of nine targets for 90 yards against a tough Vikings defense. Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be looking for him a handful of times every game. He faces Detroit this Sunday and should have a good game against the below-average Lions secondary.
• Los Angeles Chargers Defense & Special Teams – The Chargers opened the season against the Chiefs and were smoked by  QB Patrick Mahomes and WR Tyreek Hill a few too many times. Stud DE Joey Bosa didn’t play due to a foot injury and it doesn’t look like he will play this weekend. Luckily, the Chargers travel to Buffalo on Sunday. The Bills looked like the worst team in the league last week. The Chargers defense should have a good fantasy day against their weak offense.
• RB James Conner (Pittsburgh Steelers) – I know you spent $70 on Le’Veon Bell in your fantasy auction, but the dude hasn’t reported to the team. The Steelers basically just implanted Conner in their regular gameplan. I don’t think they changed a thing and he had 135 rushing yards and 57 receiving yards. He also scored two touchdowns. Bell better not wait too much longer or they will just go with the young Conner this season. Conner should be 100% owned until Bell reports to the team.
• QB Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) – Watson was expected to be one of the best fantasy quarterbacks this season. He didn’t look like a fantasy stud last week against the Patriots. He only completed 50% of his pass attempts and turned the ball over twice. He was facing the Patriots, who gameplanned to take Watson out of the game. He faces the Titans on Sunday and will hope to use his athleticism more in this game. He should bounce-back in Week 2.
• RB Phillip Lindsay (Denver Broncos) DEEP LEAGUE ALERT – In Week 1, Lindsay was the best running back for the Broncos. He had less snaps than fellow rookie RB Royce Freeman, but did play more than RB Devontae Booker. Lindsay had fifteen carries for 71 yards and caught a two passes for 31 yards (and a touchdown). Lindsay was the most effective back for Denver. The backfield is a little too congested for me to add Lindsay in standard leagues, but he’s worth a waiver wire claim in 12+ team leagues.

SIT’EM

• WR Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) – I pegged Hogan to be productive while WR Julian Edelman served his four-game suspension (PEDs). Hogan only caught one ball for eleven yards last week. QB Tom Brady looked for WR Phillip Dorsett and TE Rob Gronkowski against the Texans. They face the Jaguars this weekend, a team with a staunch defense. Hogan is a flex option (at best) and there are better players available to fill that spot.
• RB Ronald Jones (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Jones was a healthy scratch in Week 1. Running backs Peyton Barger and Jacquizz Rodgers got the nod over him. He averaged less than a yard per rush attempt this preseason, so it’s not too surprising. They used the 38th pick overall for him, so they are taking the slow approach. I don’t expect Jones to be very productive (or get much playing time), unless an injury forces the Bucs hand. 
• QB Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) – The young quarterback has a huge arm and had success versus the Chargers last week. He faces the Steelers this week and will be one of the toughest games he will play this year. I’d sit him in favor of a quarterback with a more optimal match-up.
• WR Danny Amendola (Miami Dolphins) – Amendola caught four of six targets last week, but only had 26 receiving yards. They are just using him as a short-gain slot receiver. He will need to make a lot of defenders miss to be fantasy-relevant. I’d sit him this week.
• RB C.J. Anderson (Carolina Panthers) – Some thought Anderson would be a red zone running back that could vulture touchdowns away from Christian McCaffrey. I saw no signs of that happening last week against Dallas. McCaffrey rarely left the field and was in there for more red zone snaps. If you’re looking for a quality backup, I’d snag Colts RB Jordan Wilkins or Chargers RB Austin Ekeler.
• TE Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Brate is a talented receiving tight end, but he has to share targets with another talented tight end, O.J. Howard. He failed to record a reception against the Saints last weekend. He only had two targets and Howard was in the game for nearly double the snaps as Brate. I mentioned this preseason that Brate has zero blocking skills. Howard’s blocking skills are much better and he also has good hands. Howard may have emerged as the #1 tight end in Tampa.
• New York Jets Defense & Special Teams – The Jets will be a popular add this weekend. They intercepted Lions QB Matthew Stafford five times and ran one of those back for a touchdown. The Jets secondary said they had a fantastic film study on Stafford and knew what the play was before it happened. It’s hard to prepare that well in the NFL. I almost want to blame the Lions for being lazy and not changing their signals. I don’t see the Jets duplicating Monday night’s success this week against the Dolphins.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.