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: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Betting Odds: LAR +1, 46 total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Los Angeles Rams

Quarterback

Jared Goff (Sit, QB2)

Opposing fantasy quarterbacks averaged 16.3 fantasy points per game against the Eagles last year. That’s pretty much a low-end QB2. After Jared Goff’s 10.5-point stinker in Week 1, I’m not expecting any more than QB2 numbers from Goff this week. In fairness, Goff got scripted out of last week’s game a bit because the Rams favored the run, but I’m still not trusting him just yet.

Running Backs

Malcolm Brown (Start, RB2), Cam Akers (Sit), Darrell Henderson (Sit)

With 26 fantasy points on two touchdowns, Malcolm Brown will be a coveted waiver wire pickup after Week 1. This development came out of pretty much nowhere. Before Week 1, Brown was rostered in about eight percent of leagues while Cam Akers was getting drafted as the de facto Rams lead back.

Then, in Week 1, Brown out-snapped Akers 44 to 24. Most important of all, the Rams trusted Brown in goal-line situations. After Malcolm’s RB4 performance, it’s unlikely the Rams suddenly decrease his workload (60.3% snaps) substantially in Week 2. I’m assuming the Rams ride the hot hand and keep giving Brown the lion’s share, but expecting another 26-fantasy-point week is unrealistic.

Although Brown impressed against a pretty good (last year) Dallas run defense, he’s going up against an arguably better Philadelphia rush defense this week. The Eagles were top 3 in rushing yards allowed last year and only allowed 80 ground yards last week. Still, another 18 carries and goal-line work (with some catches sprinkled in here and there) could be enough to reach low-end RB2 territory. I wouldn’t classify Brown as a must-start yet, but you could do worse if you have to start him this week.

He was supposed to score about 10 points, but Akers ended up scoring only 5.3 fantasy points last week. It’s probably a blow to your team, but you likely need to bite the bullet here and bench Akers until his share increases in this backfield.

Darrell Henderson only posted five snaps in Week 1. He’s an easy sit and likely a long-shot bench stash at best.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Robert Woods (Start, WR2), Cooper Kupp (Start, Flex), Tyler Higbee (Sit, TE2)

Robert Woods is looking like the real deal this year. He coasted to 17.9 fantasy points last week without reaching the end zone. Once the touchdowns start coming, Woods could achieve WR1 numbers pretty consistently. The Eagles’ pass defense was pretty bad last year. Sure, they did fine last week, but that was against a bad Washington team. Woods should be in line for another WR2 week with WR1 upside if he can find the end zone.

Only eight fantasy points in Week 1 was a disappointment coming from Cooper Kupp, but I think it’s worth noting Kupp had a pretty lackluster Week 1 last year too. I wouldn’t panic on such a talented player just yet. He had the highest snap percentage (84.9%) of any Rams receiver in Week 1. Cooper will eventually produce. The Eagles’ pass defense should be exploitable enough for Kupp to at least put up flex numbers this week. 

The Eagles were top 6 against fantasy tight ends last year, and Tyler Higbee only saw four targets last week. I believe Higbee can reach TE2 territory but won’t perform much better than that. After his strong finish last season, and considering his 89% snap share last week, I wouldn’t be too worried about Higbee. He’s bound to have some games where he under-performs, but he should get plenty of opportunities this year. That said, I’m not a fan of this week’s matchup. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback

Carson Wentz (Sit, QB2)

The Rams were pretty darn good against opposing quarterbacks last year. Quarterbacks averaged 15.5 fantasy points against LAR in 2019. Carson Wentz had trouble getting his offense going last week, and I doubt he does much better this week, especially if his line keeps folding like a cheap suit. The Eagles were down multiple linemen in Week 1. I doubt Wentz does any better than a QB2 performance this week if his line keeps playing poorly. Still, Pro Bowl offensive lineman Lane Johnson should return this week, which should improve Wentz’s line a bit. 

Running Backs

Miles Sanders (Start, RB2), Boston Scott (Sit), Corey Clement (Sit)

Reports indicate there is decent hope that Miles Sanders and Lane Johnson will be able to play this Sunday. That should have both Sanders owners and Eagles fans equally elated because Boston Scott did not impress much when he took over as the lead back in Week 1. Scott disappointed plenty of fantasy players desperate for a Week 1 RB with only 7.4 PPR points on nine carries and two catches (38 snaps). The Eagles had trouble getting their run game going last week, and it’s worth noting that Boston Scott got banged up in the third quarter, but returned later in the same quarter. I wouldn’t trust Scott after his unimpressive Week 1 performance, even if Sanders fails to return this week.

The Eagles’ offensive line looked pretty bad last week, but if Lane Johnson (one of the best offensive tackles in the game) and Sanders make a return, this team could immediately rejuvenate their rushing attack. Sanders owners need to keep an eye on the news surrounding him leading up to Sunday. If he’s good to go, I believe Sanders is startable as an RB2 against an exploitable Rams rush defense that gave up 19 fantasy points per game to running backs last year (and 136 yards last week).

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Jalen Reagor (Sit), DeSean Jackson (Sit, WR3), Greg Ward (Sit), Alshon Jeffery (Sit), Dallas Goedert (Start, TE1), Zach Ertz (Start, TE1)

None of the Eagles’ receivers were attractive fantasy options in Week 1, and that was against the middling pass defense of Washington’s Football Team. The highest-scoring wide receiver for the Eagles last week was Greg Ward with 8.1 fantasy points. It’s a pretty big red flag when the guy barely rostered in 0.5% of leagues is the best fantasy receiver on the team. Ward saw seven targets on a 44% snap share, but I doubt he continues seeing a 23% target share. This week, Philly has to go up against Jalen Ramsey and the Rams’ impressive pass defense. Ward should not be trusted. 

I’ve listed Jalen Reagor first because he played 58.8% of the Eagles’ snaps last week, the most of any Philadelphia receiver. He made an impressive 55-yard catch (his only reception) in Week 1, and I’m sure plenty of fantasy fans are hoping he can become a big-play guy in this offense. I believe Reagor and Wentz have all the talent in the world for that to happen; the problem is they need enough time. As mentioned before, the Eagles’ offensive line looks pretty bad, and Reagor’s upside will be capped if the line can’t give him enough time to get downfield. Reagor is a good stash candidate with plenty of possible upside a few weeks from now. 

It looks like DeSean Jackson will continue to be pretty boom or bust this year. It’s encouraging that he saw seven targets last week, but the Eagles still want him to go deep (averaging 23 yards per reception in Week 1). Just like Reagor, if Jackson doesn’t have enough time to get open, his upside is going to be capped. One touchdown on one big play is all it takes for DeSean to have a respectable fantasy outing; the trouble is deciding which weeks that will happen. He’s better suited for best-ball or deeper league formats. I’m not high on “DJax” this week, but if you want some encouragement, he had 204 targeted air yards in Week 1 (the most in the league). We all know he’s bound to go off at some point.

I’ve listed both Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert as TE1 because, with how often it seems the Eagles will run two-tight-end sets this year, either will be capable of TE1 numbers any given Sunday. Both are seeing plenty of the field. Ertz had a 85.3% snap count in Week 1 while Goedert was on the field for 79.4% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps. Goedert was the highest scoring tight end of Week 1, and Ertz would have been just outside TE1 territory if he hadn’t dropped a pass that was right in his hands during the fourth quarter last week. There have been some rumors of a possible Ertz trade, but until that happens, I’ll trust his fantasy production in Philadelphia. Plus, Wentz may keep looking to his big tight end targets if his line keeps holding him back. 

-Ryan Kruse (Twitter handle @ryanpkruse)