Sit/Start Week 2: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 18th, at 1:00 PM EST

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Betting Odds: WAS +2.5, 49 total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_on Twitter & Reddit)

Washington Commanders

Quarterback

Carson Wentz (Start, QB2)

Have a day Carson Wentz. Completing 65.8% of his attempts (27 for 41) for 313 yards, Wentz had four passing touchdowns against Jacksonville, but also two interceptions. The inconsistencies we’ve seen of Wentz in the past were certainly on display at times in this game, but from a fantasy perspective, you’ll take this every single week. If you are an unfortunate Dak Prescott owner, and Wentz is out there for the taking, he’s certainly worthy of a grab here, especially against a Lions defense that just allowed Jalen Hurts to complete 18-of-32 attempts for 243 yards, as well as 17 carries for 90 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Running Backs

Antonio Gibson (Start, RB2), J.D. McKissic (Sit)

Is Antonio Gibson back? His performance on the ground was a bit lackluster – 14 carries for 58 yards – but his pass-game involvement was very encouraging; which was expected given Wentz is under center. Gibson caught seven of eight targets for 72 yards and will remain a strong RB2 against a Detroit defense that ranks fifth for most fantasy points given up to the RB position after Week 1. J.D. McKissic should hold value in PPR leagues, but he’s not worthy of a spot in your lineup at this time.

Wide Receivers/Tight End

Terry McLaurin (Start, WR1), Jahan Dotson (Sit), Curtis Samuel (Sit, but worthy of an add!), Logan Thomas (Sit)

Boy, are Terry McLaurin managers happy he hit the end zone in this one; otherwise, it would have been a very down day for the Commanders WR1. McLaurin was only targeted four times, though he did catch two passes for 58 yards and a score. You aren’t panicking yet by any means, but the likes of Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel may eat into Scary Terry’s outlook as the season progresses.

Dotson had himself a career debut, as he scored twice on just five targets; three receptions for 40 yards. Call me crazy though — I would be inclined to still sit him this week in favor of other options you may have to deploy. I’m in the camp of waiting to see his target share increase some on a consistent basis. Curtis Samuel, returning after an injury-riddled 2021, is sure to be a popular waiver add this week. Targeted 11 times against Jacksonville, Samuel had eight receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also had five carries for 17 yards. His involvement was encouraging to say the least, as he looked like the player Washington paid a nice penny for last year. Logan Thomas was active coming off his 2021 leg injury and caught three of six targets for 45 yards. If you’re feeling down bad at the TE position, Thomas could hold some streaming value this week, but I believe you could find an alternate option out there.

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Jared Goff (Sit)

Jared Goff and Detroit were on the losing side of a shootout with the Eagles in Week 1, but his numbers made for a decent fantasy day. He completed 21 of 37 attempts, good for 56.7 %, which went for 215 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. It’s clear compared to 2021 that there is improvement in the WR room and the offensive line for the Lions, but I would still leave Goff on the wire.

Running Backs

D’Andre Swift (Start, RB1), Jamaal Williams (Start if you must, FLEX)

If Week 1 showed us anything, it set up a tone that the Detroit backfield has room for both D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams to produce. Swift turned 15 carries into 144 yards and a touchdown, adding in three receptions on three targets for 31 yards. Williams ‘vultured’ Swift on two rushing scores of his own, but he only had 11 carries for 28 yards. He did catch one of two targets for just 2 yards. I believe Williams has FLEX appeal without eating too much into Swift’s stat line on any given week. It’s worth noting that according to Pro-Football-Reference, Williams had five Red Zone carries inside the 10 compared to Swift’s one, and inside the 5, Williams had two touches compared to Swift’s zero.

You will have to monitor Swift though through the rest of the week. News broke that he was a DNP at practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. If for whatever reason he misses this game, Williams gets bumped to an RB2 on the week.

Wide Receivers/Tight End

Amon-Ra St. Brown (Start, WR2), DJ Chark Jr (Start, FLEX), T.J. Hockenson (Start, TE2)

Targets galore for Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was able to turn 12 targets into 8 receptions for 64 yards and a score last week against the Eagles. St. Brown is the clear WR1 in this offense and a favorite of Goff’s. Look for him to remain a high-end WR2 this week against the Commanders, who rank 10th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers after Week 1. DJ Chark Jr, coming off a season-ending injury in 2021, was productive and had his fair share of targets. He caught four of eight for 52 yards and a touchdown. Chark for sure has FLEX appeal in this offense. I get this feeling that T.J. Hockenson appears to be on a downward trajectory in this run-first offense. He did see seven targets against Philadelphia, but only caught four passes for 38 yards. You can continue to start him, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself questioning moving on in the nearest future.