Week 2 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: Who to play or bench in the NFC North

Before you lock in those starting rosters for Week 2, we’re going to give you some extra information about who to sit and start this week in fantasy.

My best advice through Week 1 in fantasy football is to not overreact. We see it all the time. People panic because they were betting on a bounce back from a particular player (like Amari Cooper or Sammy Watkins) and they were sorely let down. But it’s Week 1! Some players just run into tough opening matchups and a lot of these squads are far from what they will be come October and November. Be patient. Starting 0-1 doesn’t eliminate you from the playoffs.

Now, let’s take a look at these NFC North matchups. Once again we have three games for four teams.

Starts

Kenny Golladay, WR
Lions @ 49ers

Firstly, I want to apologize for last week in suggesting Matthew Stafford as a start. He was horrible. However, his receivers still ate. Golladay and Golden Tate were the main beneficiaries of the Lions’ need to sling it all over the field after they were down early. Golladay saw 12 targets and brought in seven catches for 114 yards. A big wideout, Golladay was an agile route runner and worked the middle of the field effectively. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs had solid days against the Niners last week and I expect Golladay to continue improving.

Davante Adams, WR
Vikings @ Packers

I mentioned in a fantasy reaction piece that Adams should still be a solid play against a tough Vikings secondary. Adams managed to put together a solid day last season in his only game against the Vikings, which saw Brett Hundley playing much of the game. As we saw last week against the Bears, Rodgers drifted towards those he is familiar with in mounting their comeback. I expect this game to be either a back-and-forth battle or an instance where the Packers have to battle back into the game and, therefore, get targets to Adams. (Keep an eye on his injury status, though.)

Allen Robinson II, WR
Seahawks @ Bears

I guess I kind of accurately said to sit Robinson last week? It’s not that he looked bad, but the Bears ended up stalling offensively as they watched Rodgers go Super Saiyan. Robinson was averaging just over 15 yards per catch, but ended up being limited to four catches. The hope here is that Mitchell Trubisky has more confidence to let it rip. Having a game in front of their home crowd could be helpful.

Dalvin Cook, RB
Vikings @ Packers

Cook should be a consistent start from here on out. He wasn’t limited in anyway coming off an ACL tear and should see the bulk of the work on the Vikings. He wasn’t as effective on the ground, but made up for it through the passing game bringing in six catches for 55 yards on seven targets. According to Football Outsiders, the Packers were 20th in DVOA against running backs in the passing game last week.

Sits

Taylor Gabriel, WR
Seahawks @ Bears

Tough to find a ‘sit’ in this game because I think the Bears offense has the potential to continue improvement. In order to make my Robinson start look better, I’m going to say Gabriel takes a step back. While he had five targets and looked good in spots against the Packers, he brought in all those targets for a weak 25 yards. As a deep threat target, that five yards per catch average feels off.

Geronimo Allison, WR
Vikings @ Packers

I think Allison’s upside as a flex option is largely dependent on scoring a touchdown this week. Per Football Outsiders, Minnesota is was #1 against “Other WR” in Week 1. So, assuming Allison is the third receiver behind Adams and Randall Cobb, it could be a tough day for Allison getting open. He has potential in deeper leagues, but I’m not sure he repeats his fantasy output from last week.

Theo Riddick, RB
Lions @ Niners

While LeGarrette Blount suffered a knee injury in Week 1, the distribution of running back touches didn’t clear up very well. Riddick had four carries for 20 yards and five catches for 15 yards, while rookie Kerryon Johnson had five carries for 17 yards and three catches for 20 yards. A fairly split number of touches makes me want to stay away from this backfield in Week 2, but also I think the door is open more for the rookie to start getting the chance to be the primary back.