Football season is upon us, and that means fantasy leagues are gearing up to begin. Want to get a leg up on your competition? Check out these recommendations heading into Week 2. Here is a list of wideouts that you should consider either starting in your lineup or sitting on your bench for the upcoming slate of games:
Sit: Dawson Knox — Buffalo Bills (at MIA)
Even with Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs gone, there are a lot of mouths to feed in Buffalo’s offense. Aside from rookie Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir, the Bills are also equipped with veterans Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Curtis Samuel. The TE touches are also split between Knox and highly-touted Dalton Kincaid. Of the two, Kincaid is the higher-upside player, and thus should get more red-zone looks.
Start: Jaylen Waddle — Miami Dolphins (vs BUF)
You really can’t go wrong with either of Miami’s top two receivers. Starting Tyreek Hill is a slum dunk under any circumstance if available. Waddle caught five passes for 109 yards in the three-point victory over Jacksonville. Outside of those two, it’s running backs catching passes in this offense. Waddle would be a smart choice should you be playing in weekly fantasy competitions.
Sit: Chris Olave — New Orleans Saints (at DAL)
Olave had only two catches for 11 yards (with two targets) in a game where the Saints scored 47 points. It was somewhat strange, and maybe a bit concerning for Olave owners to see him not involved very much. Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, and Rashid Shaheed were all used more. Now, the Saints go on the road to Dallas against a defense that looked ‘for real’ against Cleveland. This might not be the week to see Olave break out.
Sit: Jake Ferguson — Dallas Cowboys (vs NO)
Ferguson suffered a knee injury in the win over the Browns. Though initially feared to be an ACL injury, an MRI reportedly indicated only an MCL sprain. We’d sit him this week with his availability versus the Saints a question mark. However, there are reports saying he could still suit up this weekend. It will be something to monitor for the rest of the week leading up to the game.
Sit: Jameson Williams — Detroit Lions (vs TB)
You might be surprised to see Williams on this list. The electric receiver out of Alabama led the Lions with five grabs for 121 yards and a TD in the win over the Rams. We have to put some things into perspective here. Uncharacteristically, Amon-Ra St. Brown had only three catches for 13 yards. Sam LaPorta only had four for 45 yards. We’d expect both of those guys to see more looks in Week 2 versus the Buccaneers. This is especially the case with St. Brown. The player who will ‘suffer’ the most from a fantasy standpoint in this scenario would be Williams.
Start: Mike Evans — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DET)
Evans is the undisputed top target on this team. If you think Detroit will control things, you’d assume the Bucs will be playing from behind. This helps Evans from a fantasy standpoint should Tampa Bay be forced to throw the ball a bunch. In the win over Washington, Evans had five catches for 61 yards. Two of those grabs went for touchdowns.
Start: Luke Musgrave — Green Bay Packers (vs IND)
With Jordan Love out, Malik Willis will likely be under center for the Packers. It would be shocking to see Green Bay open up the playbook and allow Willis to routinely stretch the field vertically. The Packers will run the ball, and set up Willis with short, manageable throws. If this scenario unfolds, look for TE Luke Musgrave to be targeted early and often.
Start: Alec Pierce — Indianapolis Colts (at GB)
Pierce has been inconsistent since coming into the league. To be fair, his skill set hasn’t been used all that well with the volatility at the QB position in Indianapolis. Well, with Anthony Richardson’s cannon of a right arm, Pierce had a fantastic Week 1 performance. He hauled in three catches for 125 yards and a score. Why not ride the hot hand? Pierce could turn out to be one of the better deep threats in the AFC.
Sit: Tyler Conklin — New York Jets (at TEN)
Aaron Rodgers tends to have favorites when he is successful. By favorites, we mean receivers that he targets over and over from a trust standpoint. Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazar are already in that camp — established within the Jets as the two guys that will get touches. Conklin isn’t there yet, and might not ever get to that level. He was targeted only twice, catching one ball for six yards in the blowout loss to the 49ers in Santa Clara.
Sit: DeAndre Hopkins — Tennessee Titans (vs NYJ)
The Jets will be angry coming off the blowout loss from Monday night. Even though New York is still on the road for this game, the defense will travel — and it is one of the better ones in the league. Will Levis is wildly volatile (as he showed versus the Bears). We know Calvin Ridley is the top target for him, and Tyler Boyd probably is a close second. This leaves DeAndre Hopkins as a virtual non-factor at this point.
Sit: Johnny Mundt — Minnesota Vikings (vs SF)
You’ve probably heard of Fred Warner before. You know, the best linebacker in the NFL. He roams the field ridiculously well, and as such, opposing tight ends don’t exactly get a ton of opportunity to break out. With Sam Darnold at quarterback, it makes Minnesota’s offense pretty predictable. Short, quick throws to mitigate SF’s pass rush. With Warner on the second level, starting TE Johnny Mundt may not be a very smart decision.
Start: Jauan Jennings — San Francisco 49ers (at MIN)
With Brandon Aiyuk still rounding into shape, and Deebo Samuel moonlighting as the team’s backup RB with Christian McCaffrey sidelined, it opens up plenty of opportunities for Jennings to shine. He was a major X-factor versus the Jets on Monday night. Brock Purdy often looked for Jennings on key third-down attempts. He led the team with five grabs for 64 yards in the win. On a fast turf in Minnesota, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Jennings rack up a TD or two.
Sit: Hunter Henry — New England Patriots (vs SEA)
New England is going to win games with its rushing attack. You aren’t going to see Jacoby Brissett let it rip downfield. We saw that game plan on full display during the win over Cincinnati. Seattle is a tougher opponent, and as such we can’t imagine Henry getting loose downfield for sizable gains. Instead, he’ll be more of a factor as an inline blocker. Austin Hooper, on the other hand, appears to be more of the receiver target at that position.
Start: Tyler Lockett — Seattle Seahawks (at NE)
New England has a sound defense. It did a good job last week versus Cincinnati to avoid the big play downfield. DK Metcalf will draw a ton of attention as a result. Lockett, on the other hand, can hurt New England with drag routes and shorter throws over the middle of the field. Geno Smith and Lockett have a strong rapport with one another. On the road, you always want to trust your vets, and Lockett fits the bill in this capacity.
Start: Zach Ertz — Washington Commanders (vs NYG)
Ertz was a favorite target for Jayden Daniels in Week 1. Despite not putting up huge numbers, Daniels did look to the veteran pass-catching threat quite often. Playing at home this week, Washington should thump rival New York assuming Daniels stays upright. Ertz likely will be the beneficiary of what should be a robust passing game. Don’t be shocked if Ertz hauls in a TD this upcoming weekend.
Sit: Anyone Not Named Malik Nabers — New York Giants (at WAS)
The G-Men mustered a measly six points in a home loss to the Vikings. Now out on the road, Danny Dimes aka Daniel Jones will hope to avoid the chorus of boos he’s been getting from the fan base. Even if he gets a reprieve from the disgruntled fans, his play on the field will likely continue to be bad. Outside of Nabers, this team sorely lacks any juice on the offensive side of the ball. Even playing Nabers is a risk considering the bad juju surrounding this team at the moment.
Start: Ladd McConkey — Los Angeles Chargers (at CAR)
McConkey is a dynamic player. His agility was on full display versus the Raiders during Week 1. He led the team with five catches for 39 yards and a TD. Aside from the evident quickness in and out of his breaks, McConkey shook a Raiders defender out of his shoes on a grab before skipping calmly into the end zone. His usage rate should continue to increase as the season progresses. Get on top of the McConkey bandwagon before it’s too late.
Sit: Adam Thielen — Carolina Panthers (vs LAC)
Even at home, this is not a good matchup. Thielen is the obvious No. 1 target for beleaguered Bryce Young at this point. If we know this, the Chargers surely know this. Thielen will be bracketed, forcing Young to look elsewhere for production in the passing game. Young’s play has to get substantially better, or else we’re on the cusp of completely jettisoning any Carolina skill player as a viable fantasy football selection.
Sit: Amari Cooper — Cleveland Browns (at JAX)
We all saw how bad Deshaun Watson was this past weekend. There was an unwillingness to throw the ball downfield. When he did attempt it, the ball either sailed out of bounds or was thrown without much accuracy. Cooper is the deep threat within this wide receiver corps. Going on the road, Watson’s recent inability to connect downfield tremendously hurts Cooper’s fantasy value. Instead, David Njoku would probably be a safer play.
Start: Evan Engram — Jacksonville Jaguars (vs CLE)
The Jaguars need a win here. Although it’s only Week 2 of the regular season, dropping a winnable home game here would put the team at 0-2 with a tough schedule upcoming. Even with the additions of Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis, Engram is still the most established receiver in the room. He should get back on track after a slow Week 1. A loss for Cleveland could lead the Browns into a massive tailspin.
Start: Zay Flowers — Baltimore Ravens (vs LV)
Isaiah Likely was the big winner during Week 1 for the Ravens. He was a dominant performer in the narrow loss at Kansas City. Lively and Mark Andrews is the best TE tandem in the league and will be super tough to deal with. The Raiders then will be contending with cat-quick Zay Flowers. Baltimore’s dynamic receiver can be lined up all over the place. He had 10 targets in the loss to the Chiefs and should get plenty of looks in this game versus a bad Las Vegas defense.
Start: Brock Bowers — Las Vegas Raiders (at BAL)
The Raiders likely will be trailing in this ballgame. As such, Gardner Minshew will be tasked with throwing the ball a great deal. Bowers proved to be a very good player in Week 1 versus the Chargers. His explosiveness was evident, as he caught six passes for 58 yards. Most telling, he led the team with eight targets. Bowers will be the security blanket for this team. As such, expect him to rack up catches.
Start: Cooper Kupp — Los Angeles Rams (at ARI)
Kupp looked like the guy he once was before the litany of injuries he’s recently faced. Versus the Lions, he caught a whopping 14 passes (on 21 targets!) for 110 yards and a TD. With Puka Nacua out for the next month, Kupp will gobble up catches like they’re going out of style. Arizona also allowed an inordinate amount of 10+ yard plays in its opening week loss to Buffalo. This may be the surest bet of any player on this list.
Sit: Marvin Harrison Jr. — Arizona Cardinals (vs LAR)
The highly-rated receiver out of Ohio State had a rough first game with the Cardinals. Harrison had only one catch for four yards (on three targets). This included a very bad drop. Arizona HC Jonathan Gannon isn’t worried and even mentioned Buffalo’s game plan in “clouding” Harrison Jr. with unique coverages. We aren’t giving up on Harrison Jr. in the slightest. However, until he proves it on this level, we’ll pass on starting him versus a decent Rams defense.
Sit: Cole Kmet — Chicago Bears (at HOU)
Caleb Williams will take his lumps as a first-year quarterback. Despite the hype and upside, things won’t always go smoothly. Playing at Houston will not be an easy task. The Texans are loaded on both sides of the ball, and the talent collectively is as good as any roster not named San Francisco. Kmet is a big target with some ability. However, we think Williams might try and lean a bit too heavily on DJ Moore considering the pressure he likely will be facing. Kmet had only one target this past weekend versus the Titans.