Fantasy Football Week 2 Quarterback Preview: Stick with Deshaun Watson and Drew Brees over streamers
Trust your starters in Week 2.
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1 min read
There are many quarterbacks who were drafted as a starter in August who you could have valid concerns about in Week 2. Deshaun Waston faces a Baltimore defense that may just be the best in the NFL. Carson Wentz was sacked eight times by Washingon and now faces Aaron Donald and the Rams. Drew Brees lost Michael Thomas. Those are all valid concerns. I'm still starting all of them over any quarterback available off the waiver wire.
It's not that the streaming options are bad this week; it's that they're uninspiring. Ryan Tannehill has a good matchup against Jacksonville, but he leads a run-heavy offense and he may be without his No. 1 receiver. Gardner Minshew is on the opposite side, facing a very good Titans defense with an implied point total of 16.5. Mitchell Trubisky? Well, he's still Mitchell Trubisky.
I'll rank my favorite streamers below, just know that I'm probably trusting your starter over them this week.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
Week 2 QB Preview
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Numbers to know
- 15 -- Cam Newton ran the ball 15 times in Week 1. He doesn't have to do much at all with his arm to be a starter with that type of rush volume.
- 73.2% -- Nearly three quarters or the Bills' offensive plays were either Josh Allen rush attempts or pass attempts.
- 54 -- Matt Ryan threw 54 passes in Week 1. He may top 700 this season.
- 2 -- Tom Brady threw a pair of interceptions in Week 1 for Tampa Bay. He didn't throw multiple interceptions in one regular season game last year.
- 8 -- Carson Wentz was sacked eight times in Week 1. You can't start him unless he gets Lane Johnson and/or Miles Sanders back.
- 5.75 -- Kyler Murray averaged just 5.75 yards per pass attempt and only threw one touchdown on 40 pass attempts. His rushing production was the only reason he was a top-12 quarterback in Week 1.
- 11.6 -- Tyrod Taylor averaged nearly 12 air yards per pass attempt. Only Carson Wentz was more aggressive.
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Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
Waiver Wire/Streamers
My only real concern for Trubisky is that his defense might turn Daniel Jones over enough times that the Bears don't really have to throw. But this Giants defense is pretty terrible against the pass and Trubisky is high off his come-from-behind win in Week 1.
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Carr probably should have had a better Week 1 than he did, but the Raiders scored three of their four touchdowns on the ground and Henry Ruggs got dinged up in the second half. I anticipate a more aggressive game plan in Week 2 against the Saints. While the Saints do have a good pass defense, they aren't as scary on the road and they're better against the run. There isn't a streamer in my top 12 currently, but Carr is fine if you need a replacement for Tyrod Taylor or don't trust Mitchell Trubisky.
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One To Stash
I know I'm going to lose my Minshew Mania membership over this, but I'd still prefer not to start him in Week 2 against the Titans. As we saw on Monday night, this Titans team can suck the life out of an opposing offense, and the Jacksonville game plan in Week 1 was far more conservative than I expected. I'm still planning on starting Minshew for the next month starting next week, so get him on your roster.
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Murray wasn't great as a passer in Week 1, but he was awesome on the ground. While Washington's defense was a pleasant surprise, this is still a much better matchup than the 49ers. Murray is priced like a second-tier quarterback on both sites, but this week he looks elite in the projections.
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Top Contrarian Play
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I can't imagine many people will want to roster Watson against Baltimore this week. And I wouldn't touch him in cash games. But in a tournament he still has massive upside in a game where the Ravens will put up points in a hurry. Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he'll have a roster rate below three percent. I'll take a few shots on him in a stack with Will Fuller.
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Heath's projections
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.
