Week 2 Start/Sit Advice: Fantasy Football Matchups (Part 1)

Below you will find part one of our Week 2 start/sit and fantasy football matchups analysis, providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and some high-risk/high-reward players as well.

Every week of the fantasy football season, we are here to help you analyze the full slate of NFL games and try to determine your optimal lineups.  It's essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts. Good luck with your matchups this week RotoBallers, and be sure check back for part two of our matchups piece tomorrow.

Editor’s Note: make sure to bookmark our famous fantasy football waiver wire pickups list to find those waiver wire gems and dominate your football leagues. Our waiver wire list is updated throughout each week of the fantasy football season, for all positions. Good luck, RotoBallers!

 

Steelers @ Ravens

Matchups We Love

Bernard Pierce/Justin Forsett - It's unclear who's going to be starting, but both backs had their moments behind the Ravens run-blocking in Week 1. It's a small sample size, but on PFF the Ravens run blocking is currently ranked 7th, while the Steelers run defense is currently 29th. Whichever back is starting here could be in for a big game.

Le'Veon Bell - After watching Bell play against the Browns, I don't know if I could be happier with the pick I made in the first round of the RotoBaller experts league. Bell's elusiveness, patience and catching prowess led to a studly week, and going up against a Ravens defense that gave a similar weapon 110 total yards in their opener should give Bell his second RB1 week in a row.

Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown - Yes, the entire Pittsburgh offense is in a fantastic matchup. The Ravens are slated to be once again missing #1 cornerback Lardarius Webb, leaving Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown to draw coverage from the likes of Jimmy Smith, Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown. All three were victimized on several occasions by the Bengals wide receivers in Week 1, and you should expect it again in Week 2.

Ben Roethlisberger - With the top three of Roethlisberger's favorite passing targets all having wonderful matchups, Roethlisberger too has a chance for big points. The Ravens struggled to get pressure on Andy Dalton and are not starting their full roster of cornerbacks. I don't think Roethlisberger could hope for a better situation, especially after decimating an arguably superior defense for 10.74 average yards per throw.

Matchups We Hate

I don't really see a matchup to dislike in this game. There aren't any players on either side of the field that are in danger of being shut out before the game is even played. A case could be made for starting most player in this Thursday game.

Big Risk, Big Reward

Steelers D/ST - The Ravens offense had a lot of trouble clicking in their game against the Bengals up until late in the third quarter; on a particularly short week, the Steelers defense has the potential to put up a juicy 8-12 points, if they can force Joe Flacco into throwing as much as he did against the Bengals.

Steve Smith - Flacco really preferred throwing to Steve Smith's side, and given that Smith projects to be up against Ike Taylor, this is a real battle between the old men of football.

 

Dolphins @ Bills

Matchups We Love

Mike Wallace - Wallace drew Tannehill's eye plenty, even when working against Darrelle Revis in Week 1. They showed a great chemistry on the field and the new Dolphins OC seemed committed to getting the speedster the ball as much as possible. The Buffalo Bills are projected to be missing two of their starting defensive backs: 2012 first-round pick CB Stephon Gilmore and starting FS Aaron Williams, leaving Mike Wallace plenty of open space to make big plays.

Miami D/ST - This one is a little risky, but with the way the Miami defense suffocated Tom Brady, I'm feeling some confidence in this pick. Buffalo might have been able to pull out a good game against the Bears, but Miami is coming in full force after trouncing the New England Patriots. Constant pressure from the front four in addition to the coverage they're getting out of their top two corners should lead to a strong game from the Miami defense.

Matchups We Hate

The Entire Bills Offense - I half whiffed on this last week but I'm going to the well again this week. I'm just not a fan of the Bills offense. Assuming Miami's defense has a good matchup means assuming that the Bills offense is going to have trouble, and barring some kind of surprising underperformance from the Miami defense, it should result in a second suffocating matchup.

Notable Players

Knowshon Moreno - Assuming Knowshon is the starter for the upcoming week, the Bills struggled heavily against Chicago's dynamic RB Matt Forte, and while Knowshon isn't really close to the player Forte is, he's able to run and catch all the same.

Lamar Miller - It's feeling more and more like Lamar Miller might become the change of pace to Moreno's starting fiddle, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start him. He and Moreno were both at fault for a fumble in Sunday's game against the Patriots, but Moreno still stayed in the game. Miller would still have a decent matchup against the Bills.

Ryan Tannehill - Tannehill doesn't have a particularly bad matchup but the pressure, he's bound to face against the Bills pass rush does seem to limit his upside in this matchup.

 

Jaguars @ Redskins

Matchups We Love

Chad Henne - I feel as though saying I like Chad Henne for any matchup is equivalent to throwing away any credibility I've ever had, but there's no way to deny that Washington has a weak defense right now. Henne isn't good, but he's not so horrible that even a below-average defense would be ending his fantasy potential before the game started. He'd be worth a look in two-QB leagues this week.

Allen Hurns - Much like last week, Hurns is up against another team with weak pass coverage and an average-to-below-average pass rush. Hurns lived off big plays last week, but he is also the clear number one receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Add on that Marqise Lee is now dealing with a hamstring injury, and Hurns might be getting more than half of Henne's passes his way. His long term potential isn't high, but he's someone you have to consider in the short term if your league is deep enough or your receivers are weak.

Robert Griffin III - RG3 had a horrible time last week against the Texans, but that was something that the matchups would have predicted. This week, RG3 faces a much easier defense with a lot more issues in pass coverage and a much less prolific pass rush. The potential for big plays from him and his receivers is heightened.

Alfred Morris - Morris is up against what should be a stout run defense, but with his running style and the idea that Robert Griffin should be thriving, the entire offense should be moving. Morris should see the most benefit from this.

Matchups We Hate

Toby Gerhart - Has my hate for Gerhart gone too far? Surprisingly, the Washington run defense wasn't that awful against the Texans-- the Texan's just have a much better offensive line than Washington could handle. The Jaguars, on the other hand, do not. Gerhart is a good running back, but he can't make up for what the offensive line doesn't give him. He'd be really lucky to pull out a good game here.

Big Risk, Big Reward

DeSean Jackson - You could put DeSean Jackson here any week of the year and you'd be right, but this is definitely the week where his risk and reward are greatest. Maclin, a much slower receiver, managed to burn Jacksonville for a 78-yard touchdown last week when he was left wide open. DeSean could do the same with much less space allowed.

Jacksonville D/ST - And now we've come full circle. Even after talking up all the potential of a good game by the Washington offense the biggest risk/reward on the table is the Jacksonville defense, which surprisingly managed to get pressure on the Nick Foles for a large part of the game in Week 1.  If that kind of pressure causes RG3 to look more like the RG3 that we saw against the Texans, the Jaguars defense could put up a bunch of fantasy points..

 

Cowboys @ Titans

Matchups We Love

Justin Hunter - Evan Silva put this well: this is such an obviously perfect matchup for Justin Hunter that it'll probably end up being Nate Washington instead. The Cowboys defense looks like a complete wreck right now, and there's very little that can be done to help it. Hunter was targeted heavily by Jake Locker in Week 1, and that's something you should expect to see continue. If there's any game for Hunter to break out in, it's this one.

Kendall Wright - You know who else has an obviously good matchup? The other receiver who starts for the Titans, Kendall Wright. As bad as the coverage will be on one side of the Cowboys Defense is as bad as it will be on the other side.

Jake Locker - With both of his receivers up on this list, how would the Quarterback throwing them the ball not make it on here as well? Locker's up against what will likely end up being the worst defense in the NFL at the end of the season and he's a more than skilled enough Quarterback to take advantage of them.

Matchups We Hate

Cowboys D/ST - I don't think there will be a single time this season where the Cowboys defense will ever be considered a good matchup against anyone. I feel like even the 0-16 Lions had a better defense than this one.

Notable Players

Shonn Greene - Greene will never be a guy to take advantage of his matchup, but if there's one that he can take by the reins, it's this one.

The Dallas Passing Offense - The likelihood of you having a quarterback to play over Romo is low, but this might not be the matchup for Romo to make a comeback. He's a lot better than he showed against the 49ers, as years of his playing have demonstrated, but right nowit looks like missing all the preseason time has left him incredibly rusty and out of sync. This will affect everyone on the team minus DeMarco Murray.

DeMarco Murray - A great offensive line is up against a very good defensive line. Charles wasn't kept to low rushing yardage by chance-- the Tennessee run defense is actually pretty good. Murray can outplay it, but he's not in a particularly strong matchup here. It's a real tossup how he will fare this week.

 

Cardinals @ Giants

Matchups We Love

Arizona Defense - This should go pretty simply: the Giants offense doesn't look good right now. Even against the noticeably weak Lions defense, they were having trouble. What happens when they go up against a much stronger Arizona defense? They'll do worse.

Matchups We Hate

The Giants Offense - With the exception of maybe Rashad Jennings, the Giants offense is in a real tough matchup this week. They've shown so little throughout preseason and against the Lions that it's just a tough sell to even say that they could be average. If you have better options, you should start them.

Notable Players

Michael Floyd - The Giants defense gave up a lot to Megatron, but what team hasn't? Overall, they still played decently and allowed most of their big plays off of miscommunications and mental mistakes. Floyd should still have a good matchup coming up, but it's not a given that he'll earn the monster points that Megatron managed.

Carson Palmer - The same deal here as Floyd.

Rashad Jennings - The Cardinals had one vulnerability against the Chargers, and it was defending the run. Jennings doesn't provide high upside in this game, but he's still a player you can start and get some points out of, especially after seeing him get some goal line carries against the Lions last week.

 

Patriots @ Vikings

Matchups We Love

Tom Brady - Brady was pressured a league-high 15 times against the Dolphins, the most he's been pressured in a single game since 2009. It's no surprise he had a poor showing. Brady still put up a decent fantasy game, and against a much weaker Vikings defense, you should expect improvement over his last performance.

Matchups We Hate

Cordarrelle Patterson - Patterson had a great rushing game against the Rams, but as a receiver, he was noticeably lacking. His routes and separation are still a work in progress, and it's not clear how long it'll take for him to be the true threat he has the potential to become. The Patriots defense is a lot more disciplined than the Rams, and should have much less trouble containing Patterson.

Notable Players

Rob Gronkowski - Obviously hobbled in the Miami game, Gronkowski might have been rushed back. He didn't look like his old self, and he might still take some time to recover. It's hard to not start him when he's playing, but his upside is at least slightly limited until he's back to full strength.

 

Saints @ Browns

Matchups We Love

Drew Brees - The Browns pass coverage struggled enough against Roethlisberger and his weapons. I can't imagine a scenario where Brees fails to lead his team to at least four scoring drives.

Brandon Cooks - Antonio Brown shredded Joe Haden, and Markus Wheaton ran circles around Justin Gilbert. They combined for eight catches on nine targets for 150 yards and a touchdown when covered by either corner. Cooks is in a similar mould (in fact, one of his top 10 closest combine comparisons is Markus Wheaton), but he's an even more impressive physical specimen than either. Torching these corners is a huge possibility, as long as the targets come.

Terrance West/Isaiah Crowell - West is really the guy this is about-- the Saints struggled to contain the Falcons run game, despite them having a much weaker run blocking offensive line than the Browns. Crowell is in the mix (mostly because I've been spreading my love for him since early July), but if you're in a deep enough league where you're forced to start him, he might actually have the opportunity this week, especially with how unimpressive West has looked.

Saints Defense - Jordan Cameron is likely out and there's not much else the Saints have to fear. Barring a meltdown, the amount of talent on the Saints defense makes for an easy projection of a smothering game.

Matchups We Hate

The Browns passing offense sans Andrew Hawkins - There's nothing on paper to make you feel good about the Browns coming into this game. With Jordan Cameron likely out with a shoulder injury, their best threat is out of the game and the offense is going to struggle.

Notable Players

Jimmy Graham - There's never a matchup to bench Jimmy Graham on, but one thing to note is that Karlos Dansby is one of the few linebackers in the NFL who's actually good in coverage. Does that mean he can cover Graham? Probably not. It does mean that he might stop some of the throws that come his way, though.

Andrew Hawkins - Hawkins is just the right type of player that won't really find hard matchups outside of elite slot corners. The Saints don't have one of those, so he might be the guy this week that the Browns count on. Someone has to catch the passes, right?

 

Falcons @ Bengals

Matchups We Love

Roddy White and Julio Jones - Guess which team had two corners who struggled all game against the mighty duo of Torrey and Steve Smith? Cincinatti did. Both starting outside corners currently rank in the bottom 20 out of 100 corners on PFF. Roddy and Julio are ready to go.

Matt Ryan - "But the pass rush had to be good, right?" you asked, continuing from my last statement. No, it wasn't. Other than Geno Atkins, all the other Bengals defensive lineman would finish in the bottom half of the pass rushers. Three of them in the bottom ten. Two in the bottom three. Yes, two Bengals starting pass rushers make up the three worst pass rushers for Week 1 at their position. Matt Ryan, even with Jake Mathews out and the horrible Gabe Carimi starting in his place, should be blowing up a weakened secondary with an even weaker pass rush.

Giovani Bernard - The Bengals strong offensive line is going up against a very weak run defense, in addition to which the Falcons don't really have a linebacker that can cover a player like Bernard in the passing game (where he got a lot of work against the Ravens). RB1 opportunity here.

Matchups We Hate

Either Defense - Let's get real here: these are two great offensive teams. Regardless of what the narrative on Andy Dalton is, the weapons around him make up a very lethal offense. This isn't a matchup you want to count on for your defense.

Notable Players

A.J. Green - The Falcons have two good outside corners with Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford. It's not that Green can't beat him but there's a potential for him being limited this week. With news coming out of a foot injury (although Rotoworld says it isn't limiting him) a surprisingly low day might be in the cards this week.