Happy week 2 of the 2023 NFL season! Let’s have a fun season of fantasy football and get you on your championship run. Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard).
Week 2 starts off with a Thursday Night Football showdown between the visiting 0-1 Minnesota Vikings and the home team 1-0 Philadelphia Eagles. Vikings took a 3-point loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Eagles escaped New England with a nail biting 5-point victory. Last year these two teams met in week 2 of the regular season for a primetime MNF matchup which also was in Philadelphia. The Eagles took that game 24-7 behind Jalen Hurts passing TD and 2 rushing TDs. I think the Eagles are going to take care of business all over again. Cue flashbacks of Kirk Cousins 3 INTs that night. We all know Cousins just doesn’t play well in most primetime games and in Philadelphia it won’t be easy to change that. I think Jalen airs it out a bit and the Eagles defensive line is too much for Minnesota for 4 quarters. My prediction for this game is a statement victory for the Eagles by a score of 34-10 including a Hurts score. Keep an eye on Addison for the Vikings, could be a sneaky play here with Darius Slay draped on Justin Jefferson and Bradberry now OUT. Also with Gainwell’s status now OUT.. maybe we get a hefty dose of D’Andre Swift or Rashaad Penny.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
TNF START/SIT
Start – Jalen Hurts – Shocker I know. I’m high on Jalen Hurts this week because after his week 1 average performance I think he’ll want to get back on track and remind everyone what he is capable of. And what better way to make a statement than to play the Vikings at home in primetime. Hurts lost a fumble against the Patriots and took a little time to get into any groove out there which is understandable given no preseason games for him. Hurts hasn’t found the endzone himself yet this season and I’m thinking he finds it on Thursday night. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are too much to handle, and Jalen knows how to feed them, especially AJ.
Sit – Kirk Cousins – Kirk in primetime isn’t the same Kirk as any other time. He plays worse and there are stats to prove it and the eyeball test is off the charts. That isn’t my only reason for picking Kirk to sit. He has Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson, and the rookie Addison as his top pass catchers, but he will need a pocket to throw in that isn’t being suffocated by Eagles. If he can get time to throw it could be a whole different ball game.
TNF is in the books and the Eagles won by a score of 34-28. Once again, the Eagles win by one possession but the real story here is D’Andre Swift. If you started him this week you are already liking your chances at victory this week. Jalen Hurts had 1 passing TD and 2 rushing TDs and Kirk Cousins had 4 passing TDs. Kirk Cousins no interceptions was a shocker. An action-packed game that didn’t disappoint. Next week’s TNF is a matchup between the Giants and the 49ers. Lopsided thoughts at the moment but let’s see how week 2 goes first.
Some of the games I’m looking forward to watching this weekend include the Ravens/Bengals, the Chiefs/Jags, and the Jets/Cowboys. Can Burrow and Chase bounce back after losing to some elves as he called them? Will Mark Andrews play? Will the Chiefs take out their frustration on the Jags or can Ridley and Trevor take another giant step toward greatness? And the Jets escape without Rodgers while Cowboys cruise over the Giants. 3 matchups I’ll be paying attention to the most. Enjoy your football weekend and good luck getting your next W.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – This guy just keeps delivering week in and week out. A solid season debut in week 1 with 6 receptions for 71 yards on 9 targets and he also scored his first TD this season. The Lions should be very confident after beating the defending super bowl champions. The Seahawks who were favored in week 1 actually lost by 17 to a Kuppless Rams team and gave up over 115 receiving yards to both Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua. That has to have St Brown owners chomping at the bit for this weekend.
Packers @ Falcons
Start – Tyler Allgeier – Tyler is coming off a great week 1 where he scored 2 times and rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries. Also contributed with 3 receptions for 19 yards. He had more carries, yards, and TDs than rookie phenom Bijan Robinson. Tyler should continue to be part of a 2 headed attack and the advantage is slightly in his favor getting most of the red zone carries. Both RBs are good plays this week although Bijan is the clear must start. Look for Allgeier to challenge for a consistent role alongside Robinson.
Sit – Kyle Pitts – It seems evident that the Falcons are going to be a rush heavy team. They ran all over Carolina and Pitts wound up with just 3 targets. He caught 2 for 44 yards but Desmond Ridder only attempted 18 passes and completed 15 of them. Will be interested to see Ridder when they are down a score or 2 and needing to air it out. But until we see some more production and volume, Pitts will be outside my top 10 TE this week.
Raiders @ Bills
Start – Stefon Diggs – Diggs is a mostly obvious choice here. After coming out and posting 102 receiving yards and a TD on MNF, he gets to face the Raiders in Buffalo. The Raiders played the Broncos in week 1 who do not have a definitive go to guy to throw to for Russell Wilson, so this Sunday will be a more realistic test going up against the Bills defense that will surely be looking to take out their anger on the Raiders. Diggs is him as he says, and this week he should be able to thrive.
Sit – Jakobi Meyers – Meyers had himself a day for the Raiders connecting with Jimmy G 9 times for 81 receiving yards and 2TDs. Meyers led the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. That’s impressive given that Davante Adams is WR1, and Meyers outperformed him. The Bills may have lost in week 1 to a basically Rodgerless Jets team, but they held every pass catcher to under 50 receiving yards. I think this game will be more of a Davante Adams game, but Meyers will look to stay hot. I would go with someone more consistent based off of last season.
Ravens @ Bengals
Start – Zay Flowers – Welcome to the NFL Mr. Flowers! The rookie got 10 targets from Lamar Jackson which was more than anyone else by 7! No one had more than 3 targets, even without Mark Andrews that shows how much Lamar likes this kid. Zay caught all but 1 of his targets and racked up 78 receiving yards. Add in 9 rushing yards on 2 carries as well. Andrews and Flowers could be a great one-two combo for the Ravens pass game. Don’t sleep on Flowers.
Sit – Joe Mixon – Mixon is a great option any week don’t get me wrong; I just have a feeling this isn’t going to be a great game for him. He started week 1 with 56 rushing yards on 13 carries. If you look at last season when Mixon faced the Ravens 3 separate times, he averaged 48 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards and 0.3 total TDs. Not terrible but not elite. 1 of his carries went for 22 yards last weekend which was more than a third of his total rushing yards in the entire game. It will be interesting to see if he gets more looks against a Baltimore run heavy team. I have Mixon outside my top 10 RBs this week.
Seahawks @ Lions
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Kenneth Walker III – Walker had an average week 1 with 12 carries for 64 rushing yards and caught 4 of 5 targets but they only amounted to 3 receiving yards. The Lions didn’t allow any running back, wide receiver, or tight end amount to 50 yards rushing or 50 yards receiving. If things go the same way that they did for both teams in week 1 then it’s no surprise Walker doesn’t have a great game. Seahawks are clearly interested in Charbonnet as well which could lighten the workload of Walker. I think the Seahawks will be playing catch up in this one and that means more throwing and less running.
Chargers @ Titans
Start – Joshua Kelly – Kelly had a great week 1 even in a losing effort. He carried the ball 16 times for 91 yards and found the end zone. With news that Austin Ekeler is having an ankle injury, this is a solid spot for Kelly to play with Ekeler out or even in. I’m sure they will want to be cautious with Ekeler but even if he goes full throttle, I believe Kelly will get his chances. Both backs had 16 carries and both scored. Looking for Kelly to keep the momentum going.
Sit – Chigoziem Okonkwo – I had high hopes for Okonkwo going into week 1 and they were quickly struck down when he was targeted twice and didn’t record a reception. I am sure that won’t be the case more times than not, but I don’t like putting him in a starting TE spot until we see something more promising. DeAndre Hopkins has definitely made targets scarcer for all other pass catchers.
Bears @ Buccaneers
Start – Rachaad White – White had a forgettable week 1 carrying the ball 17 times for 39 yards and catching both of his targets for 10 more yards. He gets Chicago this week who just allowed Aaron Jones to rush for 41 yards and a TD and he also caught 2 of his 4 targets for 56 receiving yards and a TD. I think White can duplicate that kind of performance given the correct gameplan and opportunity.
Sit – Cole Kmet – There aren’t too many sits in this game that aren’t obvious, so my sit spot goes to Cole Kmet. Cole had a decent week 1 catching 5 of 7 targets for 44 yards. The Bucs may have allowed TJ Hockenson to reach 8 receptions, but they did hold him to just 35 receiving yards. Kmet is outside my top 15 TEs this week.
Chiefs @ Jaguars
Start – Calvin Ridley – Calvin Ridley are you kidding me? Gone for basically 2 seasons just to come back like he never left or even got better. He led the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and was 1 of 2 WRs to score a TD. Ridley did most of his action in the first half, but the eye test showed great things. Trevor Lawrence is going to like Ridley and it seems like they are already in a groove. As long as Ridley can stay focused on and off the field he could be in for a fantastic year.
Sit – Skyy Moore – I could put Kadarius Toney or Skyy Moore in this spot, but I think if either of them bounce back quicker it would be Toney. Moore had a bad game not catching any of his 3 targets and rushed once for 4 yards. Kelce playing gives Moore less volume, but without Kelce it’s clearly a free for all. No one had more than 5 targets and 11 different players recorded a reception.
Colts @ Texans
Start – Anthony Richardson – Richardson had the tough task of playing the Jaguars in his first NFL regular season start. He held his own but took a 10-point loss at the hands of Trevor Lawrence. Richardson threw a TD and ran in another. His 10 rushes for 40 yards is encouraging and his 1 turnover was the only one on the night. He took an awkward hit late in the game last weekend but seems like he avoided anything serious. Richardson is looking like a solid rookie QB and this week he gets the Texans who allowed Lamar Jackson to run 38 yards and gave up 3 rushing TDs in total. Richardson for 6 seems likely.
Sit – Either D/ST – I think this is either going to be a boring low scoring watching paint dry type of game or it could be surprisingly fun and high scoring and action packed. I’m leaning toward the boring version which can either be great or terrible for defenses in fantasy. 2 Rookie QBs at the helm and one of them is going to get their first NFL regular season win of their career. I’m going to sit these teams and not risk anything.
49ers @ Rams
Start – Brandon Aiyuk – The 49ers have owned LA in recent years making this matchup seem like an inevitable 49ers victory. Well after week 1 both of these teams were impressive but that is only a shock for LA. The Game is at the Rams in LA which could help with home field advantage, but the 49ers have too much power. Purdy has Deebo, CMC, Aiyuk, Kittle, etc. I like Aiyuk and Deebo here but chose Aiyuk because he has a chance to really dominate early this season after his big week 1 performance.
Sit – Van Jefferson – It is hard enough to move the ball downfield on the 49ers let alone do it without Cooper Kupp. With Kupp gone on IR, I expected Van Jefferson to be the next in line to lead the WRs. Well statistically that didn’t happen because of a couple pas catchers by the names of Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua. Those 2 receivers stats put together are 23 targets, 16 receptions, and 238 receiving yards. Jefferson received 5 targets and turned 4 of those into 24 yards. Jefferson is currently not a big streamer or stash, he’s in the background but hopefully he can take center stage soon.
Giants @ Cardinals
Start – James Connor – The Cardinals almost took down the Commanders in week 1 which I know I didn’t see coming. James Connor was a big contributor to their efforts rushing for 62 yards on 14 carries and catching all 5 of his targets yet only had 8 receiving yards. The Giants are the only team to not score this season and they gave up 3 rushing TDs including 2 for Pollard over the weekend. Connor won’t get too many defenses like the Giants to expose so this is another game that could be watching paint dry or a high scoring no defensive battle.
Sit – Everyone except Waller/Connor/Barkley – There is just too much unknown for these poor offenses. Ertz is a guy you could consider starting based off his 10 targets last weekend but other than the 3 studs above I don’t see anyone worth starting that isn’t a kicker.
Jets @ Cowboys
Start – CeeDee Lamb – The Jets had no answer for Stefon Diggs on Monday night giving up 102 receiving yards and a TD to him alone. Lamb may have only been targeted 4 times against the Giants, but he caught 3 of those for 77 receiving yards which was over half of Daks total yards. If Dak is going to air it out, you know Lamb will benefit. Only concern is Sauce Gardner on defense, but we saw how that worked out in week 1.
Sit – Dak Prescott – Dak is in this spot for a couple of reasons. First is that the Jets caused 3 INTs off Josh Allen so just imagine what last years INT leader (Dak) is thinking. The other reason is although the Cowboys embarrassed the Giants on SNF, Dak had little to do with it. He threw for 143 yards and well that’s it, granted he didn’t exactly have to even show up for the result to stay the same. Jet’s defense is a lot better than the Giants so it will definitely cause more issues for Dak. Let’s see how he does knowing he led the NFL in INTs last season, didn’t do much in week 1, and has Trey Lance behind him in the depth chart just waiting for a controversy.
Commanders @ Broncos
Start – Jahan Dotson – Dotson caught 5 of his 7 targets in his week 1 win over Arizona tallying 40 receiving yards. Only Logan Thomas had more targets with 8 and Jahan tied Samuel for team receptions leader. Last week Jakobi Meyers racked up 9 receptions for 81 receiving yards and 2 TDs. I could see Dotson taking that role this week against the Broncos.
Sit – Antonio Gibson – Gibson had a quiet week 1 with just 3 carries for 9 yards and 1 reception for 10 yards. Meanwhile Brian Robinson rushed 19 times and his only catch went for a TD. These 2 RBs seem to be heading in different directions thus far with Robinson being the guy they want to feed.
Dolphins @ Patriots
Start – Tua Tagovailoa – Tua threw for how many yards on Sunday?? 466 passing yards. 215 of those to the cheetah Tyreek Hill. For the record Tua is a perfect 4-0 against the Patriots in his young career and after his week 1 monster game that took down the Chargers in LA, he should be excited to make it 5-0 lifetime. The Patriots allowed AJ Brown and DeVonta smith to grab 7 receptions each for a total of 126 receiving yards and a TD. Now imagine what a hot hand like Tua could do with Hill and Waddle. Patriots can make it interesting like they did with the Eagles, but I think Miami has too much to be denied.
Sit – Patriots D/ST – You saw Tua light up LA. You saw the Eagles light up the Patriots (in the first half). Tua and company should put up big numbers as long as they don’t turn the ball over often. Pats took down Hurts 3 times in week 1 but that was the extent of the defense’s bright spots.
Saints @ Panthers
Start – Chris Olave – The 2nd year stud is in line to play the Carolina Panthers on MNF. Olave has faced Carolina twice in his young career and the average stats between those 2 games is 12.5 targets, 7 receptions, 103 receiving yards, and scored in 1 of the 2 games. This could be a good day for Derek Carr and his pass catchers.
Sit – Miles Sanders – Miles is with his new team the Panthers. He rushed 18 times for 72 yards and caught 4 passes for an additional 26 yards. Chubba Hubbard is RB2 in Carolina, so he was able to rush 9 times for 60 yards and caught 2 passes for 9 more yards. Miles is the clear RB1 but that doesn’t mean he won’t share time with Hubbard. He has the Saints next that kept Derrick Henry and the Titans fairly quiet. Saints didn’t allow a single TD in week 1. Theres a solid 20 RBs I like over Sanders this week.
Browns @ Steelers
Start – George Pickens – Pickens got my start spot and he’s back in it this week as well. He didn’t shine too bright in the home opener where the Steelers got manhandled by the 49ers. Pickens stats were subpar for him thus far only reaching 36 receiving yards on 5 catches and 7 targets. Diontae Johnson is said to miss maybe 4 games so far which definitely opens up some more opportunity for George. Allen Robinson of all pass catchers had 5 receptions for 64 yards. The Steelers aren’t playing the 49ers this week so let’s hope they look a little better against Cleveland. Pickett to Pickens reservations for 6.
Sit – Pat Freiermuth – Pat caught just 1 pass this past weekend and it happened to be 3 total yards and a TD. He was targeted 4 times which isn’t much when 5 pass catchers have more. The TD was his saving grace last week and he has been nursing a chest injury that could affect his week 2 performance. Ill steer clear to make sure I have a starter with more upside.