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Fantasy football Week 2 lineups: Start Joe Burrow and sit Saquon Barkley

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune
·7 min read

Do you get fantasy football jealous?

Let’s talk about a hypothetical person, not me, who has psychological issues when it comes to fantasy. This hypothetical person — again, not me — started Dak Prescott and got a very good game, but guess who was on his bench: Jameis Winston.

Winston would’ve put up five 6-point touchdowns for this person, who definitely isn’t me, in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers defense. Who knew?

It doesn’t matter because this poor sap was more focused on avoiding Kyler Murray highlights because he can’t bear the visual reminder of what could’ve been. Not yours truly, of course.

But this other person needs to remember Murray went scoreless in Week 16 — last year’s fantasy championship week — and his monster Week 1 this season probably won’t be fantasy’s biggest by the end of the season.

Moral of the story: The fear of missing out on another player is wasted energy.

The draft is over, the first games are gone and Week 2 is waiting.

It’s natural to be dismayed by dud performances from Aaron Rodgers, Stefon Diggs and Ezekiel Elliot, but don’t compound your problems looking for greener grass. They’re still your go-to players.

Settle down, Not Me, better weeks are ahead.

Before we dive into Week 2 starts and sits, enjoy Annie Agar’s dead-on parody of Week 1.

Start

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow at Chicago Bears

Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams proved to be a rocky debut for new Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and a particularly forgettable outing for safety Eddie Jackson. The Bears also are trying to adjust to life without former top cornerback Kyle Fuller.

Meanwhile, Burrow shook off some early jitters against the Minnesota Vikings to lead the Bengals to an overtime win, and by the end of the game his connection with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins looked seamless. And slot receiver Tyler Boyd, Burrow’s favorite target last season, hasn’t even gotten on track yet.

Also keep in mind that running back Joe Mixon was a fantastic outlet for Burrow, catching all four targets in Week 1.

The Bears defense eventually might get it together, but Burrow should be able to fill up the box score in the meantime.

Also consider: New Orleans Saints QB Jameis Winston at Carolina Panthers

Baltimore Ravens RB Ty’Son Williams vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Just like Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt handled the heavy lifting for the Cleveland Browns against the Chiefs, expect something similar from the tandem of Williams and Latavius Murray. Williams’ involvement in the passing game should alleviate concerns about his floor.

Also consider: Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson vs. Tennessee Titans

Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders vs. San Francisco 49ers

Not one but two pass-catching Detroit Lions running backs (D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams) excelled against the formidable 49ers, and Sanders looked like his old self against the Atlanta Falcons.

Also consider: Arizona Cardinals RB Chase Edmonds vs. Minnesota Vikings

Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams vs. Dallas Cowboys

We’ve been teased season after season about Williams’ physicality and speed only for him to get injured or simply disappear.

But he opened 2021 with the second-most targets (12) and most receptions (eight) in his career plus a touchdown Sunday against Washington. He also dropped what could’ve been another score.

What’s different than past years?

According to the Los Angeles Times, Williams is playing the Michael Thomas role in new Chargers coordinator and former Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi’s offense. “There will be some natural production that comes his way because of the nature of the offense,” Lombardi said.

Also consider: Carolina Panthers WR D.J. Moore vs. New Orleans Saints

Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jerry Jeudy could miss up to six weeks with a high ankle sprain, and coach Vic Fangio said Sutton, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler will share the load in picking up Jeudy’s reps.

Sutton had just one catch on three targets against the New York Giants, but the Broncos might have been exercising caution as he comes back from last year’s ACL tear.

It certainly helps Sutton’s cause that the Jaguars got picked apart by Tyrod Taylor and the Houston Texans last week.

Also consider: Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb at Los Angeles Chargers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski vs. Atlanta Falcons

Gronk didn’t do much against the Falcons in two games last season, but they have two new starting safeties and the Eagles torched their revamped secondary.

Also consider: Green Bay Packers TE Robert Tonyan vs. Detroit Lions

New England Patriots K Nick Folk at New York Jets

Folks was one of six kickers who made three field goals in Week 1, and he should get plenty of opportunities against another plucky division rival.

Also consider: Jacksonville Jaguars K Josh Lambo vs. Denver Broncos

Arizona Cardinals defense/special teams vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Cards rush looked ferocious against Ryan Tannehill (six sacks), and now they draw Kirk Cousins, who tied for the second-most interceptions (13) and sixth-most sacks last season, according to pro-football-reference.com.

Also consider: New England Patriots D/ST at New York Jets

Sit

Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr at Pittsburgh Steelers

Carr capped an overtime thriller with a walk-off touchdown pass to Zay Jones, but let’s not forget how he struggled mightily against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half: 12 of 25 for 127 yards.

Josh Allen chucked 51 passes against the Steelers and was held to 270 yards and a touchdown. Carr made for a nice Monday night comeback story, but don’t buy in for this matchup.

Also consider: Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa vs. Buffalo Bills

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley at Washington Football Team

Barkley ranked 44th (lowest among qualifiers) with 2.6 yards per carry against the Broncos. I get the Giants are easing him back from last season’s torn ACL, but he’s facing the stingy Washington defensive line on a short week.

Coach Joe Judge has made it clear his priority is Barkley’s health progress, not your fantasy stats.

“From all accounts he came out of the game good for us,” Judge said via Newsday. “I didn’t see any setbacks (Sunday) and didn’t get any reports or anything medically on him. ... Our intention is to keep on progressing with this guy throughout the season unless there is some kind of setback.”

Also consider: Houston Texans RB Mark Ingram at Cleveland Browns

Atlanta Falcons RB Mike Davis at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Falcons have offensive line problems, and Davis is not the kind of back who can make up for such a deficiency, especially against a top-rated run defense that just shut down Ezekiel Elliott.

Davis started against the Bucs once last year when Christian McCaffrey was out for the Panthers, and he had just 32 yards on seven carries and four catches for 12 yards.

Also consider: New York Jets RB Tevin Coleman vs. New England Patriots

Washington Football Team WR Terry McLaurin vs. New York Giants

Here’s a disclaimer: McLaurin had 100-plus yards and a touchdown the last time he faced the Giants, but that was when Alex Smith was taking snaps for Washington.

Fast forward to this year, and Taylor Heinicke is starting in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick (hip), while Curtis Samuel (groin) was supposed to help keep defenses honest.

McLaurin is talented enough to overcome these setbacks, but you probably have safer options on your roster.

Also consider: Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars WR DJ Chark vs. Denver Broncos

It’s great Chark found the end zone in Week 1, but the Broncos secondary is not to be trifled with — Pro Football Focus ranked it No. 1 entering the season. Also, Chark had a league-worst 25% catch percentage (3 of 12) among qualifiers, according to NFL statistics.

Also consider: Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman at Baltimore Ravens

Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee at Indianapolis Colts

Yes, Gerald Everett found the end zone against the Colts, but he and Will Dissly combined for 57 yards in a Seattle shootout. The Colts gave up the fourth-fewest points to tight ends last season (Yahoo format).

Also consider: Minnesota Vikings TE Tyler Conklin at Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons K Younghoe Koo at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Negative game script (i.e., a rout) could become a factor very quickly, and Koo didn’t reach double-digit points in either matchup last season.

Also consider: Tennessee Titans K Michael Badgley at Seattle Seahawks

Indianapolis Colts defense/special teams vs. Los Angeles Rams

This isn’t an overreaction to the pasting they suffered at the hands of the Seahawks. The Colts are four-point underdogs at home to Matthew Stafford and company. Wait another week before starting 2020′s No. 1 D/ST.

Also consider: Baltimore Ravens D/ST vs. Kansas City Chiefs