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

Jaguars at Texans

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 15th at 1:00 pm EST

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Betting Odds: HOU -8.5 via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Sleeper Spotlight: Chris Conley

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

 

Quarterbacks

• Gardner Minshew (Sit)

 

Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles was signed in the off-season but his season was derailed in the first quarter when he suffered a broken left collarbone. Foles delivered a dime, dropping a gorgeous deep pass into the corner of the endzone for a D.J. Chark touchdown but the news is Foles is out indefinitely. Sixth-round draft pick Gardner Minshew took over early in the first and looked solid in his debut. Minshew, a former Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, played calm under center and showed command of the offense, with impressive read progression and completions at all depths of the field. Minshew was 5-for-5 on passes 10+ yards, including a gorgeous 69-yard strike, also to Chark. I am not ready to recommend you start him against Texans defense that surrendered just 107 passing yards the last time these two teams met but pay close attention to what the youngster does this weekend.   

 

Running Backs

• Leonard Fournette (Start/RB2)

 

Leonard Fournette has a tough matchup this weekend, and I wouldn’t expect more than a solid 60-70 yards rushing, with hopes of a touchdown to salvage the day. Even that will be tough, as the Texans have only allowed three scores on the ground in their last five. Fournette has not had a 100-yard rushing day since Week 14 of 2017 and with a young play-caller under center, Sunday may not be the next. Start him if you have to, but if you have a better option, don’t be afraid to play them instead. 

 

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

• Dede Westbrook (Start/Flex)

• DJ Chark (Start/Flex)

• Chris Conley (Sleeper)

• Marquise Lee (Sit)

• James O’Shaughnessy (Sit)

• Geoff Swaim (Sit)

 

Heading into the season I believed Dede Westbrook would be the clear number one receiver but Chark had the big day. However, I still believe that is ultimately how the roles will play out, with Chark serving as the deep threat and making big plays. Minshew wasn’t afraid to fire it up to Chark but he did only have four targets on the day to Westbrook’s six. Both have flex value this weekend, in leagues that start three wideouts or in a flex role. More puzzling is the role Chris Conley carved out on Sunday. He leads the team with seven targets and was on the field for 76% of plays. It looks like the Jags will go with three wides as the base, moving away from playing a fullback, who only picked up eight snaps on the day. Conley may be the surprise receiver owners target. Marquise Lee was limited coming back from injury and it’s easy to see how crowded this could become in a hurry. Westbrook and Chark are the plays this week, just wait and see on the rest. 

 

At the tight end, James O’Shaughnessy led the team in targets but he is limited as a receiver and doesn’t have any value to fantasy owners. Geoff Swaim was on my list of sleepers in the preseason but without Foles, he may be napping all year. Avoid the position for now.   

 

Houston Texans

 

Quarterbacks

• Deshaun Watson (Start/QB2)

 

It cannot be overstated just how good Deshaun Watson is. Watson led an incredible comeback in a fashion that fans have become accustomed to. However, they have also gotten used to watching Watson run from pressure due to a line that struggles to block. Houston gave up six sacks in Week 1 and the acquisition of tackle Laremy Tunsil did nothing to slow the pass rush down. The team should improve the pass pro moving forward, but the Jags defense has historically given Watson fits, including 11 career sacks, with his best performance being 234 yards passing and one passing TD in a meaningless game late last season. I wouldn’t call you weird if you sat him this week.  

 

Running Backs

• Duke Johnson (Start/RB2)

• Carlos Hyde (Sit)

 

Fantasy owners have to be encouraged with the Week 1 usage for Duke Johnson. Johnson was on the field for 42 of 67 snaps, and all third down plays. He produced solid RB2 numbers on his 14 total opportunities (carries plus targets), for 90 total yards. Expect these numbers to remain consistent and steadily improve as he gets worked into the offense and Watson begins to trust him. Johnson is a solid RB2 start in PPR leagues this week. I’d sit Carlos Hyde this week against a historically tough Jacksonville rush defense. Hyde was ultra-efficient in Week 1 but played less than 40% of the time and received just 10 carries. Expect this usage to be the norm and he won’t have value until the bye week gauntlet begins.     

 

Wide Receivers

• DeAndre Hopkins (Start/WR1)

• Will Fuller (Sit)

• Kenny Stills (Sit)

• Jordan Akins (Sit)

• Darren Fells (Sit)

 

DeAndre Hopkins is essentially matchup proof, finishing as a WR2 or better in 77% of his games since the start of 2018. Hopkins has either caught a TD or gained 100 yards receiving in each of the teams last four matchups against the Jags. Start him with confidence, even against Jalen Ramsey. The rest of the Texans pass catchers this weekend are bad matchups. Will Fuller is the ultimate boom or bust play but he’s never managed to pop the cork on the Jags. Kenny Stills, a late addition to the team this preseason, did catch a huge touchdown on Monday but saw just three targets. Both players are better left on your bench this week. Lastly, the tight end situation in Houston leaves much to be desired. Both Jordan Akins and Darren Fells saw plenty of time in Week 1 but predicting the occasional touchdown grab is a fool’s errand. Nothing to see here. 

–Marc Salazar (@DingWog)