The first week of the 2024 NFL season was filled with surprises for fantasy football, as a number of under-the-radar players shined while several notable names disappointed.
In light of waiver wire pickups RB Jordan Mason and TE Isaiah Likely emerging as impactful contributors, many fantasy managers could be inclined to shake up their starting lineups in Week 2.
It’s still early enough in the season that it goes without saying you should continue to start your studs (as well as Mason and Likely if you claimed them off waivers).
With that in mind, here’s what to do about a few FLEX options and streaming candidates you could be on the fence about plugging into your lineup in Week 2.
Quarterbacks
Start: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers at Lions / 1 p.m. ET Sunday
Mayfield torched the lowly Commanders secondary in Tampa Bay’s season opener, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns, finishing as the QB2 overall on the week. Although he probably won’t have the same level of success against the Lions, Mayfield is well-positioned for another strong showing in Week 2.
Aside from the fact that Mayfield threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns during last season’s divisional-round loss to Detroit, it’s possible this rematch will turn into a shootout. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the implied point total is 51.5, the highest on this week’s slate, making Mayfield a worthwhile streaming candidate.
Other starts: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals; Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Sit: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Bills at Dolphins / 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday
Even though Tagovailoa, last season’s leader in passing yards, has two of the NFL’s top wideouts in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal, it’s difficult to trust him against the Bills. Typically, targeting players who are playing in projected high-scoring is a wise move in fantasy, but Buffalo has had the Dolphins quarterback’s number throughout his career.
As per StatMuse, Tagovailoa is 1-6 as a starter against Buffalo, throwing for 1,454 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions in those meetings, with his highest fantasy output being just 18.2 points.
Other sits: Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints; Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Running backs
Start: Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
Giants at Commanders / 1 p.m. ET Sunday
A seven-yard rushing touchdown helped Robinson salvage an otherwise lackluster outing against Tampa Bay, as the 2022 third-round pick rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries and caught three passes for 49 yards.
Even so, considering Robinson played 56% of Washington’s offensive snaps, his usage gives him a relatively safe floor and decent upside heading into a favorable matchup against the Giants. In Week 1, New York allowed 108 yards rushing yards and one touchdown to Vikings running backs during its blowout loss.
Other starts: David Montgomery, Detroit Lions; Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
Sit: Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Browns at Jaguars / 1 p.m. ET Sunday
During Cleveland’s 33-17 loss to the Cowboys, Ford was productive from a fantasy football perspective, rushing for 44 yards and one garbage-time touchdown while catching six of seven targets for 25 yards.
If Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s struggles persist, Ford’s role in the receiving game makes him an intriguing FLEX option. Still, it’d be best to leave Ford on the bench this week, even more so if you play in a non-PPR scoring format.
After all, Jacksonville shut down the Dolphins rushing attack — which produced the sixth-most yards in 2023 (2,308) — in its Week 1 loss, limiting Miami to 81 yards on the ground.
Other sits: Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings; D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Wide Receivers
Start: Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears
Bears at Texans / 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday
QB Caleb Williams’ underwhelming NFL debut (93 passing yards) doesn’t exactly instill confidence about Allen’s fantasy outlook. However, despite finishing with just 6.9 PPR points against the Titans, Allen was closer to enjoying a solid Week 1 outing than his stat line suggests.
Allen earned a team-high 11 targets and dropped a would-be touchdown during Chicago’s 24-17 win over Tennessee this past Sunday. That kind of target volume and opportunities in the red zone are enough to be optimistic about Allen bouncing back in Week 2, especially if Williams can be more productive.
Not to mention that since rookie wideout Rome Odunze will potentially be out with a knee injury, it’s possible Allen could see an uptick in targets.
Other starts: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers; Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
Sit: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Colts at Packers / 1 p.m. ET Sunday
The highest-scoring wideout in Week 1, Reed was sensational in a losing effort against Philadelphia, finding the end zone twice while hauling in four of his six targets for 138 yards and rushing for 33 yards. Nonetheless, with QB Jordan Love (knee) likely sitting out against the Colts, Malik Willis is in line to be Green Bay’s starter, which would be unfortunate for Reed and his fellow Packers wide receivers.
In three career starts, the former third-rounder Willis only completed 51.02% of his passes for 234 yards and three interceptions.
Other sits: Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars; Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
Tight Ends
Start: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Raiders at Ravens / 1 p.m. ET Sunday
After Likely broke out for 111 receiving yards with one touchdown in Week 1, panic has started to set in for fantasy managers rostering Andrews, who only had two receptions for 14 yards against Kansas City. While concerns about Likely cutting into Andrews’ weekly upside are valid, there’s reason to believe better days are ahead for the 2018 third-round pick.
Last week, Andrews played more snaps (59) and ran more routes (38) than Likely (53 snaps and 35 routes run) did. Additionally, Andrews was double-teamed on a higher percentage of his routes than in any of his games since 2021, as per Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke.
Expect Andrews to be more involved as a pass-catcher in a matchup Baltimore should win handily.
Other starts: Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars; Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
Sit: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers at Broncos / 4: 25 p.m. ET Sunday
A deep streaming option, Freiermuth emerged as an important piece of new OC Arthur Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh’s 18-10 road win over Atlanta. The Penn State product finished with the second-most targets (four), receptions (four) and receiving yards (27) on the Steelers.
While it’s helpful to know that Freiermuth will receive his share of targets, he offers little upside since Pittsburgh is a low-passing volume team that probably won’t score many touchdowns Sunday.
Other sits: Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints; Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
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