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

Seahawks at Steelers

 

Game Info

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

Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

Betting Odds: PIT -3, 46.5 Total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Sleeper Spotlight: James Washington

 

Seattle Seahawks

 

Quarterbacks

• Russell Wilson (Start)

 

Russell Wilson should be a solid option for this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Similarly to 2018, the Seahawks fielded a very low pass volume offense against the Bengals in week 1. Wilson was able to salvage a solid fantasy day because he was hyper-efficient through the air. We can likely expect a bump in pass attempts for this week’s game. The Steelers have a solid run defense and a very weak secondary. The Seahawks should look to exploit the Steelers weak DBs by having Wilson pass the ball. The game also projects to be higher scoring and has a serious chance of becoming a shootout. The Steelers offense looked poor during their season opener against the Patriots, but credit must be given to the New England defense who played spectacular. The Seahawks D is not what it used to be, as shown by Andy Dalton’s weekend performance. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers should be able to put points on the board, hopefully forcing Wilson to sling the rock more than usual. 

Gone are the days of monster rushing performances from Wilson, but his skill through the air still makes him a start. I have Wilson as mid-range QB1 this week with a shaky floor but tremendous upside. 

 

Running Backs

• Chris Carson (Start/RB2)

• Rashaad Penny (Sit)

 

After 1 week, the Steelers boast one of the top-end rushing defenses in 2019. Keeping the Patriots and their runners in check throughout their matchup. Chris Carson struggled against the Bengals frontline in week 1, rushing for a measly 46 yards on 15 carries. He may find himself with a similar stat line come week 2. The Steelers may be able to keep Carson in check on the ground but his role in the passing game makes him a must-start. Carson led the Seahawks in targets in week 1 with 7, catching 6 of them for 35 yards and a score. Carson is one of the few players in the NFL with high rushing and receiving volume and there is no reason to expect that to change. Carson is a midrange RB2 this week with a solid floor, but capped rushing upside. 

Rashaad Penny was a disappointment in week 1 from a volume standpoint. He only saw 6 touches compared to Carson’s 21 with no work in the passing game. It appears the Seahawks are comfortable with Carson handling the lion’s share of the workload, meaning Penny is nothing more than a handcuff at this point. There is a chance the Seahawks mix him in more but until we see it I would keep him on your bench. 

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

• Tyler Lockett (Start/WR2)

• D.K. Metcalf (Start/Flex)

• Nick Vannett (Sit)

 

With the Seahawks continuing the trend of a low volume passing attack, the throws that are made are heavily concentrated. Wilson only completed 14 passes last Sunday, being spread around to only 5 different receivers.

 Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf both had surprising days, for the exact opposite reasons. Lockett, who was pegged as the teams #1 WR, only hauled in one catch on two targets, albeit for a touchdown. On the other hand, Metcalf was targeted 6 times, hauling in 4 grabs for 89 yards. I know fantasy owners will not be confident starting Tyler Lockett this week because of the low volume, but if you do have him keep him in your lineup. Week 1 will be an outlier in Lockett’s usage. As I mentioned before, there should be more passing in this game which in turn would give Lockett more opportunity to get the ball. He should be able to feast on the Steelers weak secondary. Metcalf’s usage in week 1 is a great sign for what the rest of his season holds. Although I do not expect him to lead the receivers in targets each week, Wilson has trust in the rookie and is not afraid to throw the ball his way. Only a week removed from getting burnt by Phillip Dorsett and Josh Gordon, the Steelers defense will not have an answer for Metcalf. He is a far superior athlete than anyone the Steelers can field at CB and should be able to produce. He does have some risk, but his upside this week is massive. 

Will Dissly left Sunday’s game with an injury and isn’t a lock to play this week. Nick Vannett will fill his role as the starting TE against the Steelers. I do not expect Vannett to have any fantasy relevance, barring a fluky score or big play. There are better options on the waiver wire to be streamed this week. 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Quarterbacks

• Ben Roethlisberger (Start/QB2 fringe QB1)

 

Week 1 was a massive disappointment for Ben Roethlisberger owners, as the Steelers offense was simply outclassed by the Patriots defense. Luckily, this week does not project to be a repeat. Roethlisberger and the Steelers are going up against a Seahawks defense that is a shell of its former self. Allowing 418 yards through the air and 2 scores from Andy Dalton and the Bengals. It is safe to say the Steelers defense is better than the Bengals in every way, so there is no reason to believe the Steelers are not in for a field day. Also going for Roethlisberger is the game’s location. The matchup is taking place on the Steelers home turf at Heinz Field. 

Historically, Roethlisberger has fared better at home compared to on the road throughout his career. Pair all these reasons with a weak Steelers defense and a strong Seahawks Offense, and we are looking at a perfect fantasy storm. I am bullish on Roethlisberger this week, he owns a solid floor matched with high upside and he should be started with confidence. 

 

Running Backs

• James Conner (Start/RB1)

• Jaylen Samuels (Sit)

 

It was quite the atrocious week for James Conner against the Patriots. He was shut down from beginning to end. Although he did not put up a great stat line, his first week was very encouraging. He rushed the ball 10 times and added 4 catches. His work on the ground doesn’t seem like a lot but the game got out of hand pretty quickly and the Steelers moved away from the run game. This week the score should not be as one-sided as it was last week and instead should be fairly close, allowing Conner to get a heavy dose of work. In week 1, the Seahawks were fairly stout against the run, keeping both Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard at bay. However, the Steelers have a far superior offensive line than the Bengals and should be able to create more room for their third year RB. Conner should be in your lineups this week as an RB1 with a safe floor and decent upside.

Jaylen Samuels mixed in with Conner throughout the night getting a few touches as a runner and receiver. It remains to be seen if he will be used more in a more favorable game script but until we see that he should not get close to your lineup.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

• JuJu Smith-Schuster (Start/WR1)

• Donte Moncrief (Start/Flex)

• James Washington (Start/WR3)

• Diontae Johnson (Sit)

• Vance McDonald (Start/TE1)

 

Blanketed. That describes JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Sunday night against the Patriots. Elite shadow corner Stephon Gilmore was all over Smith-Schuster and kept his stat line ugly until he laid off a bit in garbage time. To make matters worse, Smith-Schuster also suffered what is believed to be a toe injury on his final catch of the night. It happened with less than 2 minutes in the game. Why was he out there when the Steelers were down 30 with no time left? That’s a great question and no one knows the answer. Regardless, the injury appears to be minor and he is expected to play this week, but I would monitor the situation. If he does play this week he will be given a great chance to start the season the way he would have liked to. Playing predominantly out of the slot Smith-Schuster should expect to see a heavy dose of Ugo Amadi. Who? Exactly. Tyler Boyd was able to record 8 catches last week playing a similar role and he is not on the same level as JuJu. You do not have to worry about JuJu this week, put him in your lineup and enjoy the points flooding in.

Blanketed was the word I used to describe Smith-Schuster’s week 1, for Donte Moncrief the word I would use would not be appropriate for this article. He did not have one of his best games by any stretch of the imagination. He led the team in drops with 4 and did not look like he deserved to be on that field. The good news, however, as he led the team in targets with 10. Everyone has bad games and for Moncrief, we should give him the benefit of the doubt. He is going up against a week secondary and is getting targeted at an elite level in a high powered offense. I expect a  big bounce back and would be fine with having him in my flex spot. 

James Washington comes in as my sleeper for this game. He was used as a field stretcher in last week’s game and should be again against the Seahawks. I’ve said it multiple times that this game is screaming to be a shootout and Washington should get some high value looks. He is a risky flex play with serious upside. 

Vance McDonald is a bit of a wildcard this week. He wasn’t used much last week apart from 4 targets and was blocking for a good chunk of his snaps. I still believe he can be a solid option at TE but I am a bit worried. I would still start him this week and hope he can right the ship before I start looking elsewhere. 

-Matthew Perri (@MattPerri91)