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: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Betting Odds: SF -7, 42.5 Total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo (Start, QB1)

If you watched the 49ers last week, you may be surprised that Jimmy Garoppolo is listed as a start this week. That’s a fair reaction, Garoppolo played poorly against the Cardinals. He only completed 59.4% of his passes and had a CPOE (completion percentage over expectation via NextGenStats) of minus 7. Garoppolo also had a QBR of 54.9. That is pretty surprising because Kyle Shanahan’s goal is to scheme open looks and easy reads for his QBs. Now, he’s listed as a start because of who is lining up across from him. The Jets defense should not scare anyone and Josh Allen just had a great game against them (could have been even better but let’s not get into that). The other positive for Garoppolo is that his rookie WR Brandon Aiyuk will likely be playing. Garoppolo is a solid streaming option this week.

Running Backs

Raheem Mostert (Start, RB2),  Tevin Coleman (Sit, Deep Flex), Jerick McKinnon (Sit, Deep Flex)

This backfield is a bit trickier than it appears at first glance. Raheem Mostert had an excellent Week 1 and pick up where he left off last season. He was easily the best offensive player for the 49ers, had 6.7 EPA, and had a 15.6% target share which was quite unexpected. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, the problem is we don’t know what Tevin Coleman’s role will truly be yet. Coleman barely played last week because he has sickle cell trait and the air quality was an issue for him. Making it even messier is that Jerick McKinnon played well and had solid usage. McKinnon had three red zone carries and looked like he is finally healthy. If you have Mostert, you should start him against this weak defense with the 49ers likely leading most of the game. I would hold off on starting Coleman or McKinnon until we fully see the workload split, but they are ok in deeper formats due to the game script.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

George Kittle (Start, TE1), Kendrick Bourne (Sit), Brandon Aiyuk (Start, Flex)

Garoppolo’s biggest mishap last week might have been leaving George Kittle out to dry. Kittle left the game early last week (though he did come back) after Garoppolo lofted a pass his way setting up Kittle for a shot to the knee. Kyle Shanahan said that Kittle is feeling sore and they will monitor him throughout the week. It’s hard to bench Kittle if you have him, but if there’s a decent option on the waiver wire (Ryan and I spoke of a few on the podcast) I would try to grab him just in case Kittle is scratched on Sunday. Kendrick Bourne was the leading WR for the 49ers in Week 1 with both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel sitting out. Bourne only managed two catches for 34 yards but Garoppolo missed him on a go-ahead touchdown late in the game. I trust Aiyuk more than Bourne because it seems like Kyle Shanahan does already as well. Aiyuk was reportedly lining up all over the field and running every route, unlike Samuel in his first season. Aiyuk could end up being a strong Flex option right away especially against the Jets. If Aiyuk isn’t able to go, Bourne could be a deep Flex play.

New York Jets

Quarterback

Sam Darnold (Sit)

It’s tough not to feel bad for Sam Darnold. This is a make or break season for the quarterback and he’s been put in arguably the worst situation of any starter. First, he has Adam Gase as his coach (I could probably stop there), a weak offensive line, and one of the worst skill position groups in the league. But at the same time, Darnold did not help himself last week. He had a 30.5 QBR (yikes) and a minus 2.9 CPOE. Darnold and the Jets could not get anything going against the Bills defense and I think we can all agree it will be the same this week against the 49ers.

Running Backs

Josh Adams (Sit, Deep Flex), Frank Gore (Sit)

Le’Veon Bell is expected to miss a “couple of weeks” per Adam Gase. Neither of these two RBs are priority adds on the waiver wire, but Josh Adams could have some value in deeper formats. Adams was the back that played on passing downs and saw two targets once Bell left the game. We can and should expect the Jets to be playing from behind so Adams will likely be in more this week. We all know what Frank Gore is and at this point in his career, there is just not much to get excited about for fantasy (especially tied to this offense).

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Jamison Crowder (Start, Flex), Breshad Perriman (Sit), Chris Herndon (Sit, TE2)

Volume is king in fantasy football and if you roster Jamison Crowder, you know it. Crowder saw 13 targets last week and converted those into seven catches, 115 yards, and one touchdown. The line is a bit misleading though as he gained 69 of those yards on a screen that he took to the house. Without that play, Crowder would have recorded 12 targets for six catches and 46 yards. That is more the baseline for a Crowder performance. We can’t expect Crowder to break long plays weekly as that is not his style, but in PPR his target floor is enough for a strong Flex play. Breshad Perriman played 100% of the snaps in Week 1 and did basically nothing. While he just needs one play to make a difference, you can’t start him with any confidence right now. Chris Herndon had a strong 20% target share, which is excellent for a TE. He only managed six catches for 37 yards but if the target share continues, he will start producing sooner rather than later. Against this tough defense, he is a sit but I would keep holding him on my bench if I have him.

-Frank Costanzo (@FrankQBList on Twitter, Zzzonked92 on Reddit)