Sep 18, 2009
After some week 1 performances that may have you wondering: “Who will be next to put up the monster game like Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson did?” We can say with the utmost confidence that the players listed below will not be the ones to do so in week 2 as these are your weekly Fantasy Football Week 2 Sit Ems!
QUARTERBACKS – SIT ‘EM
Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Pittsburgh
After week 1, you may be kicking yourself for drafting Cutler. He looked out of sync with the offense all game with a 1:4 TD to INT ratio. His receivers are obviously not what they were in Denver last season, and he must learn to rely on RB Matt Forte for dump off passes to move the chains. While he probably won’t be throwing 4 interceptions again this week, Pittsburgh is a tenacious defensive team that will look to shut down the Bears offense in this week 2 match-up. If you’re looking for a week for Cutler to be his usual gunslinger self, wait until at least week 3 @ Seattle (which still isn’t a great match-up).
Jason Campbell (Washington Redskins) vs. St. Louis
Great match-up against the Rams as Matt Hasselbeck proved that good QBs can tear up the Rams awful pass defense. However, the Redskins will look to establish the run with Clinton Portis after he struggled to hit the ground running in week 1 versus the New York Giants. Keep in mind that Campbell’s best fantasy game in 2008 featured him throwing for a meager 231 yards and 2 TDs. Hopefully those numbers don’t impress you…he just is not very good.
RUNNING BACKS – SIT ‘EM
Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) vs. Pittsburgh
Well, maybe one of the Bears offensive standouts (Forte or the aforementioned Cutler) will have a decent game, or maybe they’re in for another long game. In week 1, the Steelers gave up 85 rushing yards to Tennessee, and even though Troy Polamalu will probably be out in week 2, they will force the Bears to throw, while focusing on stopping Forte and run game. While you may not be benching your #2-#4 overall pick, keep your expectations low as he faces one of the toughest match-ups for any RB.
Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Green Bay
The Packers new and improved 3-4 defense looked great in week 1 versus the Bears, and the Bengals come into Lambeau off an ugly 12-7 loss to the Broncos. While Benson looked like the focal point of the Bengals offense in week 1 (108 total yards), he only averaged 3.6 ypc on what most people thought would be an awful Denver run defense. The Packers are much better than that (Forte averaged 2.2 ypc against them in week 1). Benson could be in for a long day in Green Bay.
Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) vs. Minnesota
Minnesota was tops in the league in 2008 against the run, allowing only 76.9 yards per game on the ground. They bring back run-stuffers Kevin and Pat Williams to devour the middle, who will look to stop Kevin Smith first and foremost. The Vikings understand that Matthew Stafford will make mistakes, and they will force the rookie to beat them. The only game that Smith started against Minnesota in 2008 showed him posting 91 total yards and 0 TDs, and he won’t be doing much better than that with Stafford under center.
WIDE RECEIVERS – SIT ‘EM
Antonio Bryant (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) @ Buffalo
Bryant followed up a stellar 2008 season with 29 yards on 2 catches to open the 2009 season…Not exactly what you were hoping for as your WR2. Well, he’s dealing with a knee injury (expects to play week 2) now, so he’s not on the right track to have a good showing against the Bills defense. Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo’s CB that covers the opposing team’s best wideout, will be covering Bryant. Although Randy Moss burned him for 141 yards in week 1, McKelvin did a good job on him (obviously this could be argued considering 141 yards) and did not allow Moss to make that big play.
Devin Hester (Chicago Bears) vs. Pittsburgh
OK, now it’s becoming ridiculous. To reinforce the point that Cutler is a poor start, Hester should not be started this week, as well. He had a surprisingly good game in week 1 (90 yds, 1 TD), but he doesn’t figure to be a consistent player on a weekly basis. Even with Cutler’s strong arm and Hester’s speed, put Devin on the bench until he can prove he’s a worthy WR3 in all formats (However, if you are awarded RET yds or TDs, you may want to reconsider this).
Devery Henderson (New Orleans Saints) @ Philadelphia
The Eagles are no push-over like the Detroit Lions. Fantasy football fans know that Drew Brees is so frustrating (to Saints WR owners) because of his trust in so many players. Weekly, a new offensive player becomes a fantasy standout for the Brees-led Saints. Last week it was Jeremy Shockey and Devery Henderson. Henderson had over 100 yards and a score, but can he do it again? Your guess is as good as any…Facing a much tougher opponent, 6 TDs seems unlikely, so Henderson could struggle in this match-up vs. the Eagles.
TIGHT ENDS – SIT ‘EM
Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. New Orleans
Celek is going to be a low TE1 on good match-ups (see Lions, Detroit; Bills, Buffalo), as both teams gave up 2 TDs to opposing TEs week 1. However, the Eagles are going to be without starting QB Donovan McNabb, so Celek may not be seeing the same kind of looks with Kevin Kolb at the helm. Although Celek is a TD vulture, he doesn’t figure to play a big role in week 2 versus the New Orleans Saints.
KICKERS – SIT ‘EM
Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) @ New York Jets
The Jets had a nice game against Kris Brown (Houston Texans) last week where they only allowed 1 XP made. Week-to-week this can all change, but it seems that Rex Ryan’s defensive philosophies have already been accepted and put into play. Gostkowski had a poor game vs. the Bills in which he missed a 41-yard field goal (he nailed a 20 and 28 yarder later in the game). Check out our Kicker Rankings in week 2 for some better options.
DEFENSES – SIT ‘EM
Baltimore Ravens D/ST @ San Diego
The Ravens D/ST failed miserably against Kansas City as far as fantasy owners are concerned. Even with Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs expected to play (concussions), San Diego is a much tougher opponent than their week 1 match-up, the Chiefs. The Chargers have plenty of weapons in QB Philip Rivers, RBs LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles (if LT doesn’t play, Sproles may be even more dangerous than a banged up Tomlinson), and receivers Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. The Ravens may be able to win this one, but you don’t get points for their W-L record.
Week 2 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF (click to read)
Week 2 Start & Sit: Start ‘Em | Sit ‘Em (click to read)
Week 2 Waiver Wire Advice: Pick Them Up | Cut Them Loose
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Foolio
Posted at 6:43 Sep 18, 2009
you guys are ridiculous….are you trying to help people or just point out the obvious? Thanks for nothing.
mikewhooley
Posted at 10:21 Sep 18, 2009
Foolio,
Thanks for the comment! We are indeed trying to help people. In fact, that’s our main goal. While you may think the above is obvious, many others don’t. For example, many believe Jason Campbell makes for an excellent start in week 2 against the Rams, but as you can see we do not. However, if this is obvious to you, and you’re looking for answers to more complex questions, please shoot them our way in either the forum or during our Live Q & As. You can also e-mail us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Chris
Posted at 7:39 Sep 20, 2009
Week 2: do i start john carlson or antonio gates?