It’s week two of the NFL season, and this week should be just as great as last week. There’s a set of great matchups to take a look at, but be careful; the second week can really sour expectations. Christian McCaffrey saw how different week two could be once the tape was out. He had an amazing week one with 42.9 fantasy points (128 rushing 2 TDS, 10 rec 81), only to have 7.9 points on Thursday. Let’s try and avoid performances like this on Sunday.
The Matchups
New Orleans Saints @ L.A. Rams (Sun 4:25 pm)
Chicago Bears @ Denver Broncos (Sun 4:25 pm)
Quarterbacks
Stay Away From –
Joe Flacco: The Chicago Bears’ defense is seriously no joke, and even the Raiders’ defense held the Denver Bronco offense in check last week. With the 2019 version of the Bears defense looking just as good as 2018, Flacco is due for another sub-par game.
Solid Pick –
Jared Goff: This will be a good solid pick here. Jared threw for 391 yards and three touchdowns in New Orleans week eight last year. This time around, the Rams are at home, which should be taken seriously based on the quarterback options that are available.
Running Backs
Stay Away From –
Patrick Lindsay: If you see the Bears’ defense, just stay away.
Solid Pick –
Alvin Kamara: For the money, Kamara is worth the price of admission, and not just because of how good he is as an individual. It has a lot to do with his team and his coach. With all the talent on that team, it’s hard for a defense to focus on Kamara, which puts him in a better situation than McCaffrey. Build a team around him, and it could prove fruitful at money collecting time.
Sleeper Pick –
Malcolm Brown: This is a serious sleeper pick, especially since the best running back in the league last year was Todd Gurley. But they seem to be using him differently this year (14 carries 97 yards, one rec four yards last week). Brown seems to have benefited from this plan, with two touchdowns and 13 carries for 54 yards. He will be cost-effective as well.
Wide Receivers
Stay Away From –
Emmanuel Sanders: The Broncos have a terrible matchup in daily fantasy, and the wide receiver position is no exception. There are also a lot of offensive powerhouses playing in the other games, so just stay away from the Broncos offense.
Solid Pick –
Michael Thomas: One of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league, Thomas will look to get big yards against the Rams on Sunday. And we can’t overlook the 12 receptions for 212 yards with a touchdown he had against this team in week 8 last year. Thomas is the Saint’s primary wide receiver and should have a nice week vs the Rams.
Tight Ends
Solid Picks –
Jared Cook: There aren’t a lot of options here, so picking a tight end could be easy this week. Since the options are very limited, just go with Jared and save yourself a headache
Defense
Bears Defense: It’s been the theme of the article. This defense will perform on Sunday versus its old coach. Since Flacco is pretty much a statue in this offense, the Bears defense should have a field day.
