Week 2

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San Francisco pulled out a close victory. Miami won in a blowout. Philadelphia’s offense struggles, while Kansas City was actually caught playing defense for the first time in years. Week 1 certainly held plenty of surprises, and it’s up to fantasy owners to separate the trends from the flukes. To make those all-important lineup decisions a little bit easier, here’s a preview of which players look like solid starts this weekend, and who you might be better off leaving on your bench.

START

QB:

Jake Plummer, Den: Plummer looked lost at times in the season opener, finishing the day with two interceptions and just one touchdown pass in the Broncos’ 10-34 loss to Miami, but brighter days may lie ahead. This Sunday, Denver hosts San Diego, giving Plummer the chance to exploit the Chargers’ porous secondary.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pit: Many owners drafted Big Ben to be their backup, but his 218 yards and two TDs last week are numbers most would be happy to receive from their starter. Roethlisberger heads to Houston this Sunday for a tilt with the Texans, whose pass defense can be exploited.

Others to start:
Kerry Collins, Oak
Tom Brady, NE
Aaron Brooks, NO
Matt Hasselbeck, Sea
Drew Brees, SD

No-brainers:
Marc Bulger, StL
Donovan McNabb, Phi
Daunte Culpepper, Min
Trent Green, KC
Peyton Manning, Ind

RB:

Willie Parker, Pit: Parker may not be the starter in Pittsburgh much longer, but enjoy the ride while it lasts. After running for 161 yards, catching passes for another 48, and scoring a touchdown last week, Parker takes his act to Houston for an encore. If you were able to grab him before the rest of your league caught on to his potential, make sure he’s in your lineup this week.

Larry Johnson, KC: There are very few situations when you’d want to start a second-string running back, but when that RB is capable of running for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a relief role, it might be time to make an exception. Johnson is far from a sure thing, but his potential is higher than that of quite a few feature backs.

Others to start:
Fred Taylor, Jax
Clinton Portis, Was
Curtis Martin, NYJ
Corey Dillon, NE
Domanick Davis, Hou
Steven Jackson, StL
Jamal Lewis, Bal
Rudi Johnson, Cin
Ahman Green, GB
Warrick Dunn, Atl
Julius Jones, Dal
Brian Westbrook, Phi

No-brainers:
LaDainan Tomlinson, SD
Shaun Alexander, Sea
Deuce McAllister, NO
Willis McGahee, Buf
Priest Holmes, KC
Edgerrin James, Ind

WR:

Larry Fitzgerald, Ari: You can’t expect 150+ yards and a score every week, but Fitzgerald’s week 1 success was no fluke. He’ll not only continue to see plenty of looks from quarterback Kurt Warner, but has the ability to make the most of those looks, too.

Wesley Welker, Mia: Welker is known to fantasy owners as an elite kick returner, but now he’s seeing time at wide reciever as well. In the opener, he picked up 60 yards on four catches – not spectacular numbers, but if your league awards points for return yards (of which Welker had 115 last week), the combination could make him worth a look.

Others to start:
Isaac Bruce, StL
Laveranues Coles, NYJ
Antwaan Randle El, Pit
Lee Evans, Buf
Brandon Stokley, Ind
Andre Johnson, Hou
Nate Burleson, Min
Michael Clayton, TB
Roy Williams, Det

No-brainers:
Torry Holt, StL
Darell Jackson, Sea
Terrell Owens, Phi
Steve Smith, Car
Randy Moss, Oak
Joe Horn, NO
Hines Ward, Pit
Chad Johnson, Cin
Marvin Harrisson, Ind
Reggie Wayne, Ind

TE/K/D:

Courtney Anderson, TE, Oak: The Kansas City defense looked surprisingly strong last week, yet Anderson should still be a good play. After scoring two touchdowns in the season opener against New England, he should continue to get plenty of looks in the red zone as defenses key on Randy Moss & Co. Besides, although the Chiefs frustrated the Jets’s offense last week, the one score they did allow was scored by a tight end.

Paul Edinger, K, Min: Many fantasy owners are reluctant to embrace Edinger, whose lifetime field goal percentage stands at just 75.7%, but any kicker in Minnesota’s offense should find plenty of opportunities to put points on the board. In week 1, Edinger was flawless on his two attempts, which included a 53-yarder.

Detroit Defense: The Lions held Green Bay to a field goal last week and picked off Brett Favre twice. This Sunday, the Lions travel to Chicago, whose offense isn’t exactly a juggernaut. Unless you have one of the league’s elite defenses on your roster, Detroit looks like a solid play.

 
BENCH

QB:

Brian Griese, TB: Griese passed for 213 yards and two scores against Minnesota last week, but he might have a harder time finding open receivers when the Bills come to town. Last year, Buffalo allowed opposing QBs to pass for just 164 yards per game, the third-lowest mark in the league. If you have alternatives, it might be better not to risk starting Griese this weekend.

David Carr, Hou: Carr knows all about how tough the Buffalo defense can be, having been held to just 70 passing yards in the Texans’ opener and seeing his passes picked off three times. This week, things might not be much easier with the Steelers coming to Houston. The Steelers were just behind the Bills in passing yards allowed last year, and held Tennessee’s Steve McNair to just one touchdown pass last week.

RB:

LaMont Jordan, Oak: Not so long ago, you could confidently start nearly anybody against the all-O, no-D Chiefs. Yet Kansas City’s defense looked positively fearsome at times against New York, and not only because of the addition of linebacker Derrick Johnson. Jordan, meanwhile, didn’t quite live up to his owners’ expectations in week 1with a line of just 70 yards gained on the ground. Jordan seems like a somewhat risky start this week; if you picked Jordan up as a mid-round sleeper, you might have better options.

Ronnie Brown, Miami: Brown has plenty of talent, but it might take a bit of time for him to make the transition to the NFL game. Miami faces the Jets, who gave up a whopping 198 rushing yards in Kansas City last week, but the Chiefs have the weapons to make anybody’s run defense look bad. The Dolphins don’t have those weapons yet.

WR:

Frisman Jackson, Cle: Jackson had a huge day against Cincinnati, catching eight passes for 128 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown. Don’t count on him repeating that success. Jackson remains behind Antonio Bryant and Antonio Jackson on the depth chart, with Braylon Edwards also in the picture. And unlike the Bengals, the Packers shouldn’t allow Jackson to take them by surprise.

Patrick Crayton, Dal: Like Frisman Jackson, Crayton came out of nowhere to post excellent number in week 1. Yet even if you believe that he’ll continue to see as many looks as he did against San Diego, he’ll have a hard time matching that production against a very tough Washington defense on Monday night.

TE/K/D:

Heath Miller, TE, Pit: Rookie tight ends, no matter how talented they are (and Miller certainly doesn’t lack talent), usually take quite some time to make an impact in the NFL. Until he shows signs of playing a larger role in Pittsburgh’s game plan, keep him on the bench.

Kris Brown, Hou, K: Brown didn’t have many chances to score points in week 1, winding up kicking just one extra point. With the Texans facing the Steelers’ defense, that might not change this Sunday.

Kansas City Defense: Yes, the Chiefs played excellent defense in week 1, and yes, we’re not terribly optimistic about LaMont Jordan this week. That said, Oakland scored 20 points against New England, and the Raiders have plenty of weapons, including a fellow by the name of Moss. The Chiefs are a risky play this week, and there’s probably no need to take that risk with so many safer options available.

 
Fantasy Football Cafe’s Start & Sit lists are suggestions intended to give fantasy football players an edge in their weekly matchups. Savvy owners will see these lists not as an absolute ranking, but as an indication of possible outcomes of a given week, and use them together with their own opinions and hunches to field the lineup that will give their team the greatest odds of winning. This week’s Start & Sit lists were compiled by Arlo Vander, who is filling in for the vacationing Dan Spazierer. For more insights and additional fine-tuning, visit our Who to Start/Bench forum section.