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

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 20th at 1:00 PM ET

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Betting Odds: GB -6, 49.5 total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford (Start, QB2)

Matthew Stafford was good but not great in the season opener, completing 24 of 42 attempts for 297 yards and one TD with a costly INT late in the game.  Stafford also chipped in 23 yards on the ground and finished as a mid-level QB2 for fantasy managers.  This week, another division game is on tap with the Green Bay Packers and another 40+ attempt game seems to be in store with Detroit nearly one TD underdogs.  Green Bay wasn’t tested early against Minnesota but allowed Kirk Cousins to go 16-20 for 205 yards and two TDs in the second half as he tried to bring the Vikings back from a large deficit.  If Kenny Golladay is able to return from his hamstring injury, it stands to reason Stafford can at least approach his numbers from Week 1, if not improve upon them.  Stafford is hard to trust in traditional one QB leagues but is a solid choice for a QB2 or Superflex spot as he always brings QB1 upside to the table.

Running Backs 

Adrian Peterson (Sit/Deep Flex), D’Andre Swift (Sit, Deep Flex), Kerryon Johnson (Sit)

Despite being on the roster for just seven days prior to Detroit’s Week 1 game, Adrian Peterson showed he still had some juice left in his 35-year-old legs.  Peterson led the team with 93 yards on the ground and hauled in all three of his targets for 21 receiving yards.  Green Bay held Dalvin Cook mostly in check (50 rushing yards, two rushing TDs, -2 receiving yards) but Minnesota only had the ball on offense for 18 minutes and 44 seconds.  Peterson saw fewer snaps than D’Andre Swift (34 to 24), but it will be interesting to see if Swift’s dropped game-winning TD pass changes that in Week 2.  Swift only had a handful of touches despite having the most snaps among Lions’ RBs but did convert the only rushing TD for Detroit and should have had a receiving TD as well.  Swift’s snap count is encouraging, but his usage was not.  The third RB that saw action for Detroit, Kerryon Johnson, did not look good and was able to muster just 14 yards on his seven rushes.  It’s hard to envision Johnson having an impact barring injury to one of the other RBs.  For Week 2, both Peterson and Swift carry low-end Flex appeal, but it would be nice to see one command the majority of the backfield touches going forward.  Johnson should not be started and may even be a candidate to drop in all but the largest of leagues.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kenny Golladay (Start, WR3), Quintez Cephus(Sit), Marvin Jones (Start, WR3/Flex), T.J. Hockenson (Start, TE2)

Kenny Golladay was a Week 1 scratch as a result of a mid-week hamstring injury, and his absence certainly contributed to Stafford’s 57.1% completion percentage.  There is cautious optimism Golladay will be ready to go for Week 2, but it will be imperative for fantasy managers to monitor reports coming out as the week goes on.  If Golladay plays, he will likely be shadowed by CB Jaire Alexander lowering his ceiling and making him a WR3 option for fantasy managers.  If Golladay were to miss time, Quintez Cephus will likely start again and his team-high 10 targets in Week 1 displayed the trust the team and Stafford had in the rookie.  Cephus was unable to capitalize on his opportunities, but he should avoid Alexander and would be no more than an emergency dart throw at Flex for fantasy managers in the event Golladay is ruled out.  Marvin Jones looked fully healthy after an ankle injury robbed him of the end of the 2019 season and was OK in Week 1.  Jones is hard to trust if he is the #1 option but plays well as the #2 guy opposite Golladay.  Jones should still return low-end WR3 value or be a viable Flex for fantasy managers in Week two.  T.J. Hockenson didn’t have as good a Week 1 in 2020 as he did in 2019, but he did find the end zone and converted on all five of his targets for 56 yards and that TD.  Hockenson had been the talk of camp with his work in the red zone and it’s good to see that hype carry over into the regular season.  Hockenson is on the upper end of the TE2 ranks and could creep into low TE1 territory.

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers (Start, QB1)

Maybe it was a bit of “I ain’t dead yet” from Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 given Green Bay’s first-round selection of QB Jordan Love as Rodgers finished the week as one of the top fantasy QBs with 364 passing yards and four TDs without an INT.  Rodgers will be facing a Detroit team who lost one of the best corners in the NFL in the offseason (Darius Slay) and just allowed Mitch Trubisky to throw for 242 yards and three TDs in Week 1.  Detroit has been abysmal in rushing the QB and that continued in Week 1 as the team was able to garner just one sack.  This seems like a perfect storm for another big game from Rodgers and he is an easy QB1 for fantasy managers in Week 2.

Running Backs

Aaron Jones (Start, RB1), A.J. Dillon (Sit), Jamaal Williams (Sit, Deep Flex)

Aaron Jones led the NFL in rushing TDs in 2019 with 16 and he’s on pace for that number again as he punched one in from five yards out in Week 1.  Jones dominated the rushing duties with 16 carries and compiled 66 yards on those touches.  Jones also saw six targets on the game, converting four for 10 yards.  Jones’s usage is encouraging for fantasy managers and there is no reason not to trust Jones as a solid RB1 option against a weakened Detroit defensive front for fantasy managers in Week 2.

One of the hot rookie names prior to the season was A.J. Dillon out of Boston College, but his debut was very underwhelming as the third RB for Green Bay.  Dillon got just two carries and was vastly overshadowed by Jamaal Williams.  Dillon might eventually be an option for fantasy managers, but he seems destined to be a bit player for as long as Jones is healthy.  Williams did see 31 snaps on the game and touched the ball 11 times for 42 combined rushing and receiving yards.  Williams currently sits as the immediate backup to Jones but doesn’t seem quite enough action to warrant a spot in starting lineups for Week 2 outside of a deep Flex option.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Davante Adams (Start, WR1), Allen Lazard (Sit, Deep Flex), Marquez Valdez-Scantling (Sit, Deep Flex)

Prior to the start of the season, there was some conversation about the number of targets Davante Adams would see on the season because of the lack of attention Green Bay paid to the other receiving positions.  Well, Adams is on pace for 272 targets after seeing 17 in Week 1.  Adams converted those targets into 14 receptions for 156 yards and two TDs to claim the overall #1 fantasy WR title in most leagues.  It would be foolish to expect 17 targets every game, but 10+ seems like a lock and that kind of volume against a bad defense leads to a WR1 finish for fantasy managers in Week 2.

Perhaps the Packers didn’t address the WR position in free agency or the draft because the knew what the already had in Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdez-Scantling.  Both were on the receiving end of a Rodgers TD giving fantasy managers a decent finish despite garnering just a few targets each.  Lazard converted all four of his targets into receptions for 63 yards and one TD while Valdez-Scantling caught four of his six targets for 96 yards and one TD.  Green Bay appears to be weak at the TE position for receiving purposes, so both should see a decent number of snaps on a weekly basis.  In Week 1, Lazard saw 68 snaps and Valdez-Scantling 42.  Because Lazard is on the field more, he gives fantasy managers a bit safer floor but still lands as no better than a Flex option for Week 2 simply because of volume.  Valdez-Scantling is hard to trust this week but could be an emergency Flex for fantasy managers who may have limited options to fill the slot.

Snap counts courtesy of Fantasy Data.

-Bryan Sweet (@FantasyFreakTN on Twitter)