Fantasy Football NFL Week 2: Studs, Duds, Sleepers, & Busts

Welcome to the Week 2 Edition of Studs, Duds, Sleepers, & Busts. Before we get to this weeks content, lets take a quick look back to the highlight (and lowlight) from week 1:

Week 1 Pick of the Week:

Patrick Mahomes as a sleeper (28 standard points, t-3rd among QBs)

Mahomes looks like the real deal. Fortunately I drafted him (and started him) over Big Ben in 3 different leagues last week and he was the difference maker in those line-ups.

Week 1 Fail of the Week:

Chris Hogan as a sleeper (2 standard points, t-84th among WRs)

Did anyone watch this game? Can we confirm Hogan was actually in Foxborough on Sunday? Yikes.

Year to Date Accuracy:

5 of 12 correct (41.6%)

As for the picks this week, I am going to switch it up slightly. Per the request of some feedback I got on Twitter, I’m going to add quantifiable criteria to each of the four categories so you can see how good (or bad) these picks are.

Stud:

A Stud, from here on out, will be defined as someone projected (via Yahoo standard scoring to finish within the top 6 at their position, who will, in fact, finish within the top 6 at their position. (Last week: 0-3) *Authors note: I thought this was the easy one was supposed to be easy to predict!!

• RB Alvin Kamara, NO

If the King of the Modern Haircut, James Conner, can put up 135 rushing yards, 57 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns against the Browns, Alvin Kamara is going to have a field day. The consensus, #1 running back this week will likely finish there.

• WR Julio Jones, ATL

After getting targeted 18 times in week 1, Julio is obviously still the offensive game plan for the Falcons. While a lot of top wide outs have favorable match-ups this week, Julio is set to dominate the Panthers.

• TE George Kittle, SF

If he’s not already, Kittle is a guy you need to add to your list of go-to fantasy tight ends. Players like Jordan Reed, Rob Gronkowski, and Greg Olsen are obviously excellent players when they’re on the field, but given the rash of injuries those players have seen over the past few years, its time to look elsewhere for reliable players. After facing a team with no tight ends (seriously, go ahead and tell me who the Jets starting tight end is without cheating... I’m waiting...), the Lions are in for a treat.

Dud:

A Dud will be someone who, despite being ranked as a non starter in a 12 person league (QB2, RB3 or 4, WR3 or 4, TE2 etc... ), is started over 75% of the time but will still finish as a non starter. (Last week: 1-3)

• QB Deshaun Watson, HOU

Fun fact, my computer doesn’t recognize the word “Deshaun” and the word it wants to replace it with is “sunshade”. Why is this relevant, you might ask? Because Watson has cooled off significantly since last year. The jig is up, as they say. Watson finished week 1 as the 22nd highest scoring quarterback and while he might move up the charts a little bit, there are better starting options out there.

• WR Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ

Any wide receiver who goes against the newly improved Rams defense should be given a lot of thought before starting. Similarly, any wide receiver who catches passes from Sam Bradford should be given thought. The combination of the two makes the long-time-reliable wide out a poor option in week 2.

• WR Golden Tate, DET

Matt Stafford had one of his worst games as a starter in week 1 throwing 4 interceptions and just 1 touchdown. Unfortunately for Golden Tate, his production is heavily dependent on Mr. Stafford’s arm. Until said arm is functioning properly again, there are better starting wide outs on your bench.

Sleeper:

A Sleeper, is the opposite of a Dud. A player who is started in less than 75% of leagues who will finish ranked as a starter in a 12 person league. (Last week: 1-3)

• WR Nelson Agholor, PHI

As sung by the great band, Dr. Dog, “Oh Nellie, oh Nellie, oh Nellie, yeah”. Agholor didn’t gain many yards in week 1, but his target share was very promising. With Alshon Jeffery likely remaining out again in week 2, Agholor is a great value pick in DFS and will make for a great starter this week.

• QB Patrick Mahomes, KC

Choo Choo! As long as I keep getting a whole cabin to myself, I’m not getting off of the Patrick Mahomes train. Even though most experts have been clamoring for the young quarterback since he was just an NFL Draft prospect, Mahomes is on the fast track to being a superstar in this league.

• RB Royce Freeman, DEN

After losing plenty of snaps to Phillip Lindsay in week 1, many Freeman owners find themselves questioning their decision to draft him. Fear not, as in week 1, Denver was simply sticking to the hot hand with Lindsay. Freeman is ready to eat against a Khalil-Mack-less Raiders defensive line and that’s exactly what he’ll do.

Bust:

A Bust will now be considered someone who is projected to finish within the top 6 as their position, but unlike a Stud, will finish outside of the top 12 at their position. (Last week: 3-3)

• RB Saquon Barkley, NYG

It hurts to type this as a Penn State Alumnus, but Saquon did not look the part of a premier fantasy running back in week 1. This holds especially true in PPR leagues where Barkley’s 2 receptions for 22 yards were fairly useless. If you want to use anyone from the Giants this week, I’d look towards OBJ or Evan Engram in this close match up.

• QB Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

There is no way Ben can be as bad in week 2 as he was in week 1, but I will never recommend that you start a player who was sacked 4 times, had 2 batted passed, 3 dropped passes, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumbles in the previous week. I’m sorry. AB is always a good choice given his explosive ability, but until Big Ben shows that he still has it, he is nothing more than a streaming option for me.

• RB Ezekiel Elliott, DAL

Similar to Barkley above, Zeke’s game script does not look favorable to the young, ab-showing, ewok-looking running back. In a projected close game between two lesser opponents, the passing game will reign supreme. If you have Zeke on a year long team, you obviously have to start him, but for daily fantasy and deep PPR leagues, there might be better options.

As always, I cannot cover every situation in one article so please get at me on twitter (@LeeSifford) or in the comments below with your specific roster questions.