Fantasy Football Must Starts Week 2
By James Collier
It might sound obvious but Week 1 of the NFL season is different to every other. At no other point of the season would we take a one week sample size as absolute proof that we were right, or wrong, in our assumptions about a player (just search Puka Nacua or Justin Fields on twitter).
But that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it? After just a week it is already going to be tempting to bench players we drafted just a few weeks ago in favour of others we dropped a lot of FAAB on over the last few days. To help you out with those decisions, we’ve put together another list of “Must Start” players that we think will outperform expectations this week.
Last Week's Picks
Our selections did pretty well last week with only Tyler Higbee not out producing his Fantasy Pros points projection. The pick(s) of the bunch were Zay Flowers from Tom Strachan and Calvin Ridley from The Fantasy Football Combine. Here’s a refresher of our picks and how they got on versus expectations.
- James Collier: Raheem Mostert (13 PPR points scored, 12.5 points projected)
- Tom Strachan: Zay Flowers (17.7, 10.6)
- Rob Ward: Brian Robinson (13.6, 10.5)
- Rhys Knott: Curtis Samuel (11, 8.1)
- TFFC: Ridley (24.1, 14.1)
- Kev White: Higbee (7.9, 10.1)
Tyler Lockett @ Detroit Lions
This game is going to be a popular one in the fantasy streets this week with the previous two matchups between the teams fresh in the memory. Seattle scored a total of 99 points across those two meetings and so it looks set to be the perfect bounce back game for them after their struggles last week.
Lockett only managed two catches for 10 yards against the Rams but it could have been better had he not had the first end zone drop of his career at the end of the Seahawks’ first drive. The Lions will be able to put Geno Smith under pressure regularly in this game but I still like Lockett and the rest of the offense’s chances of having a get right game on the road.
Jahan Dotson @ Denver Broncos (Tom Strachan)
Tom (@NFL_TStrack and @TheFFSanctuary) is back with another wide receiver for us this week and it’s a popular one with yours truly.
“Terry McLaurin looks primed to match up with Patrick Surtain, who shadowed Davante Adams to good effect in Week 1 and is one of the premier corners of the NFL. Meanwhile, Jahan Dotson likely faces coverage from the same defenders who allowed Jakobi Meyers to go ham last week, finishing as the WR3 overall. The Commanders don’t look overly impressive on offense so far, but this is a matchup that can help Dotson have a great Week 2.”
I know he only finished with 6.5 points last week
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 15, 2023
but Jahan Dotson is still routing up DBs
Fun test this week vs Denver's defense, which struggled to generate pressure last week without sending an extra man
Christian Kirk vs Kansas City Chiefs (Rob Ward)
After nailing his Brian Robinson selection last week, Rob (@robwardrw) is also backing a wide receiver to rebound from an underwhelming start to the season.
“I know, I know, Kirk was a disaster in Week 1, with a mere 1 catch for 9 yards on just 60% of total snaps. This Jaguar was anything but a smooth ride. That said, I’m rolling with him for one more week. We saw in Philly that aging Baywatch extra Dougy P likes to spread it around based on matchups and this is a head-to-head in which Kirk could thrive. The Chiefs were destroyed from the slot in Week 1 and that is exclusively where the former Cardinals man lined up against the Colts. In this match last year, Zay Jones caught 8 balls on 10 targets from the slot against Kansas City and I think Kirk rewards bold managers in Week 2.”
Josh Reynolds vs Seattle Seahawks (Rhys Knott)
Our second visit to this matchup in Detroit comes from Rhys (@wrhys_writes) who has once again selected a potential deeper league diamond in Josh Reynolds. With a very thin receiving corps, Reynolds led the Lions with 80 yards in the season opener against the Chiefs. And Rhys likes the look of his matchup this week where he “should be lining up opposite Tariq Woollen who went full ‘difficult second season’, last week against the Rams.”
Luke Musgrave @ Atlanta Falcons (The Fantasy Football Combine)
This week’s shout from The Fantasy Football Combine (@TheFFCombine) is rookie tight end, Luke Musgrave. The rook recorded three receptions for 40 yards in his debut and it could so easily have been a lot better but for a couple of near misses.
“With Christian Watson and Aaron Jones both carrying injuries and potentially missing this game, look for Musgrave to build on his strong start to his NFL career. It’s a good matchup against a Falcons team that allowed Hayden Hurst to score over 15 fantasy points and finish as the TE2 for the week.”
Luke Musgrave oh so close to having a massive debut. Sheesh pic.twitter.com/lHg8kHjkrd
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 11, 2023
Anthony Richardson @ Houston Texans (Mags)
We are closing out with another pick from the guys over at @FantasyWildcard and @WildcardDFS. This week Mags (@HotseatMags) has picked another rookie who had a solid start to life in the NFL.
“It’s always tricky trusting Rookie QBs but Richardson looked great in Week 1 against a Jags defence that might be his toughest test until Week 6 when he takes on… The Jags defence again. Per CBS sports Richardson struggled when throwing more than 10 air yards, luckily for him The Texans struggled the most against The Ravens with short ADOT passes allowing a near 78% catch rate on all throws under 5 yards! Look for him to rush more than the 6 designed runs from Week 1 and build on his strong QB4 start.”
That’s all from us for this week. Thanks for reading and as always, thanks to everyone for their choices!
Feature image credit: Michael Hickey/Getty Images
JAMES COLLIER
Lead Fantasy Football Analyst
A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.