If you started 1-0, tonight is where your undefeated season continues. If you lost in Week 1, tonight is where you turn your whole season around. Speaking of turning your season around, the Browns are one game in, and it already feels like they're facing some pressure in tonight's game. Yep, it's Thursday, which means it's the start of Week 2.
We gave you Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls last night's edition of the Fantasy Football Today newsletter, but if you missed it, you can head over here and catch up. But don't go too far, because it's Dave Richard's turn to tell you who he's getting in his lineup and who he's leaving on the bench. Dave goes through each game on the schedule every week to offer start and sit calls, identify potential sleepers, and busts who could wreck your week.
I've also got a preview of Thursday's game between the Browns and Bengals that has a surprising amount of Fantasy relevance. It helps that these defenses look pretty bad again. Plus the latest on all the injuries this week, as we look at who is trending up and down in their attempts to get on the field for Week 2.
Get ready for Week 1 with all of our preview content here:
- Week 2 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WR
- Starts, sits and sleepers for every game
- Week 2 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Week 2 Rankings
Here's what today's newsletter will cover:
- 🆚Thursday Night Football Preview: Bengals at Browns
- 🚑Week 2 Injury Watch
- 2️⃣Dave Richard's Week 2 Preview
Thursday Night Football Preview: Bengals at Browns
All lines from William Hill Sportsbook
- Line: Browns -6.0; 43.5 over/under
- Implied totals: Browns 24.75-Bengals 18.75
What to expect: The Browns should win, and fairly easily. They're the more talented team, and the line reflects it. The question is, how much of their sloppy Week 1 was a result of their flaws vs. the Ravens defense? I'm expecting a breakout game from Cleveland's offense, and would start as many of the key players as possible. Dave Richard said much the same on Thursday's episode of the Fantasy Football Today In 5 podcast previewing the game. Head on over to Spotify, Apple, or wherever else you consume podcasts to subscribe to Fantasy Football Today in 5 for all the latest from the Fantasy football world every morning in five quick minutes.
Key injuries: David Njoku is the only significant injury in this game. He was placed on IR and may return after three weeks, and his absence could mean a bigger role for Austin Hooper, who saw just two targets to Njoku's three in Week 1.
What to watch for: There's a lot to watch in this one: Joe Burrow's continued development and the Browns' running back split come immediately to mind. But the thing I'll be watching closest is the Baker Mayfield-Odell Beckham connection — or lack thereof so far. Beckham had a bad drop in Week 1, but only four of the 10 passes thrown his way were catchable, per PFF. Among 49 players with at 90 targets last season, Beckham had the fourth-lowest rate of catchable targets. This connection hasn't worked, but it's the key to the Browns' offense hitting its potential. If they can't get on the same page in this game, it might be time to truly panic.
Notable player props
- Tyler Boyd: 49.5 receiving yards — It was a surprise to see Boyd struggle to stand out in Week 1, though that was a tougher matchup than this one will be. 50 yards should be fairly easy for Boyd to surpass.
- Nick Chubb: 8.5 receiving yards — This sort of reflects the concerns going around the Fantasy football community around Chubb's role. But he topped this 11 times in 16 games last season. Sure, his receiving role diminished when Hunt was active, and he had just one target in Week 1, but he actually ran more routes than Hunt against the Ravens, including a career-high eight routes split out wide or in the slot. I'm less worried about Chubb after Week 1 than most, it seems.
- Kareem Hunt: 41.5 rushing yards; Nick Chubb: 70.5 rushing yards — Honestly, I think there's a pretty good chance both of these overs hit. I'm starting both Hunt and Chubb in Week 2 as No. 2 RB.
Week 2 Injury Watch
The Big News: Chris Godwin was entered into the concussion protocol Wednesday, due to effects from a shot to the head late in Sunday's game. He was symptom free Monday and Tuesday before waking up with symptoms Wednesday, which obviously puts him at risk of missing Week 2. That isn't guaranteed, but you should definitely be considering alternative options — and you should definitely be looking at Scotty Miller as a pickup if he's available in your league. I'm not sure I'd start him in Week 2, but he looked good in the opener and has earned praise for his rapport with Tom Brady since camp.
Here are the other injury situations we're watching for in Week 2 and what direction they're moving in as we move toward the weekend.
Trending up for Week 2
This doesn't mean they will play, but we got good news about them Wednesday.
- Miles Sanders (hamstring) - Sanders was a full participant in practice Wednesday, and seems on track to play Sunday — assuming he doesn't suffer a setback.
- Courtland Sutton (shoulder) - Sutton wasn't able to practice last week and sat out Monday's game with his AC joint sprain, so this is definitely an improvement. But he's by no means guaranteed for Week 2 yet.
- DeVante Parker (hamstring) - The good news is, despite this being a lingering injury he apparently aggravated Sunday, Parker has a chance to play in Week 2 and was limited on Wednesday in practice. A good sign, but he's got another tough matchup on the way after facing off against Stephon Gillmore in the opener.
- Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) - Aiyuk practiced Wednesday, and the hope is he'll be able to make his NFL debut this week. I wouldn't start him, but I want him on my roster where I can fit it.
- Golden Tate (quad) - Tate was limited Wednesday, an improvement over his status last week. He's just a low-end starter even in deeper leagues if he does play.
Trending down for Week 2
This doesn't mean they won't play, but they aren't moving in the right direction yet.
- James Conner (ankle) - While the Steelers indicated Conner could play in Week 2, he didn't practice Wednesday. He'll probably have to get in at least a limited session to play, and there might be some pressure to get back quicker given how good Benny Snell looked Monday.
- George Kittle (knee) - Kittle did not practice Wednesday, and seems like he's probably more on the doubtful side of things for Week 2.
- Michael Thomas (ankle) - There wasn't anything new on Thomas on Wednesday, but no good news is bad news at this point. Don't expect him to play.
- Kenny Golladay (hamstring) - Golladay missed practice yet again, and while he doesn't necessarily need to practice to play at this point, you'd prefer he get out there this week to feel confident about his chances of playing.
- Phillip Lindsay (toe) - Lindsay did not practice Wednesday and looks like a real long shot for Week 2.
- John Brown (foot) - Brown didn't practice Wednesday, and it's not clear if he's likely to play in Week 2.
- La'Mical Perine (ankle) - If Perine gets back quickly, he's got a chance to earn a role with Le'Veon Bell out at least the next three weeks, but he didn't practice Wednesday, so it might be another week for him. At least.
Dave Richard's Week 2 Preview
There are the obvious calls, and then there are the ones you need help with. Dave Richard goes through each game to identify the most interesting matchups and biggest lineup dilemmas for Week 2. Here are some of his top picks for this week:
Starts
- Malcolm Brown — Brown didn't look like "just a guy" against the Cowboys — he flashed lateral agility on top of power, leading the Rams run game playing 60% of their snaps and 51% of their running back carries. No doubt he will share with Cam Akers, but Brown's the one playing in the two-minute offense and at the goal line. After Peyton Barber cut and strutted his way into the end zone on short-yardage jaunts against the Eagles last week, don't be surprised to see Brown hit pay dirt again. His work in the passing game (31 receiving yards last week was a career-high) is a bonus.
- Darius Slayton — I'm not sure what else you need to see from Slayton to be convinced that he's a capable receiver. He has 10 touchdowns in 15 NFL games, half of which came from 30-plus yards away. He's easily the Giants' best downfield threat, a staple in Jason Garrett's offenses. And, the Giants figure to be in a competitive game this Sunday and will line up Slayton a bunch against Bears rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who did well last week against the Lions but might have a tough time keeping up with Slayton's speed.
Sits
- Noah Fant — Fant's play from Week 1 was great, and his outlook for 2020 is still very strong. But the secret's out on him just in time for a short-week road game against a Steelers defense that muted Evan Engram and has typically been amazing against tight ends. It's not only a tough matchup for Fant, but also for his quarterback and his offensive line.
- Devin Singletary — I wish I could tell you that Singletary has an easy matchup, or that he has a locked-in role. But the Dolphins were mostly gashed on the ground by Cam Newton, and the Bills barely ran the ball in their win over the Jets. Singletary had 14 touches in the game for 53 yards on 59% of all snaps. It's a big risk to count on Singletary (or Zack Moss) since we can't say for sure the Bills have a good O-line or a good matchup in Week 2. Here's one hint, though: The Dolphins allowed 15 of 19 passes attempted by the Patriots to be completed, so it's probably a safe bet that the Bills will attack the defense
Sleepers
- James Robinson — You can't help but come away impressed with Robinson's play. Chris Thompson was right — his vision is fantastic and he has very good agility for a bigger, physical back. Robinson lacks a second gear and is a definite work-in-progress as a passing-downs player, but he's got a lot of positives that the Jaguars can work with. Taking on a Titans team that played on Monday and didn't quite throttle Melvin Gordon does lend some optimism that Robinson can find the end zone and maybe get north of 80 yards.
- Logan Thomas — This will prove to be an interesting litmus test for Thomas fresh off of the best week of his career. The Cardinals pass defense has struggled to cover tight ends for years and may have only held up against George Kittle last week because he got hurt early in the game. Thomas figures to match up well with the Cardinals linebackers and is sure to see at least one end-zone target on top of the other looks from Dwayne Haskins. Remember, Washington's O-line is a work-in-progress, so any short-area options for Haskins will be leaned upon. Thomas qualifies as that -- but he's only a low-end starter for those who are looking for streaming help in seasonal leagues.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 2 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
