This column is a part of a weekly series that offers Fantasy Football advice from Guy Ginsberg, Marty Schnapp, Jason Harward, Nirav Desai and Isaiah Freedman.
One of the most challenging questions to answer is whether or not a player’s Week One performance is indicative of how his full season will look. Some players take a few games to fully warm up to the season, but others will continue to plague your team with ice-cold performances for weeks to come.
We’ve broken players of interest for Week Two into two groups: sleepers, those who we feel will exceed their expectations, and busts, those who we feel will fall short of them.
Your decisions over the next couple days just might determine the outcome of your entire season, so our best advice to you is to trust your gut and have faith in your team. Remember, this team is literally your fantasy, so make of it whatever you wish.
Marty’s McFive
Sleepers:
RB: Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons
Coleman established his position as Atlanta’s primary running back last week, bringing in 80 rushing yards off 20 carries. I think he’ll have no problem reproducing those numbers Week Two against the Giants, and this time he may even find the endzone. Devonta Freeman will continue to steal some of Coleman’s sunshine, but Freeman will remain nothing more than a third-down running back.
Week Two Projections: 20 carries, 84 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
WR: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Lockett impressed the nation with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown during Week One, but his talent doesn’t end there. Many are overlooking what he may be capable of on the offensive side of the ball, and as Seattle visits Green Bay for an NFC showdown Sunday night, I predict an increase in production from the rookie.
Week Two Projections: 6 receptions, 57 yards receiving, 1 touchdown
RB: Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
Hyde’s Week One touchdown-run spin move looked like it came straight out of a Madden highlights reel. Plus, this week he goes up against a pitiful Pittsburgh Steelers defense. There’s really no excuse to let him “Hyde” on your bench.
Week Two Projections: 22 carries, 109 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
Busts:
RB: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders
Although he hauled in seven receptions for 36 yards and may have saved your team in a PPR league during Week One, Murray ran the ball only 11 times. I need to see more ground production from the young Raider before I can trust him against a Ravens defense that virtually shut down C.J. Anderson during Week One.
Week Two Projections: 14 carries, 50 yards rushing, 4 receptions, 23 yards receiving
WR: Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Robinson caught the ball only once on Sunday, which worries me about his overall fantasy value and forces me to question all of the hype that surrounded him during the offseason. The fact of the matter is that Robinson isn’t even the best receiver on his team with the first name “Allen”, nor is he the Jaguars’ most vital offensive weapon with the last name “Robinson”.
Week Two Projections: 3 receptions, 36 yards receiving
Desai’s Decent Dudes
Sleepers:
QB: Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams
Foles is definitely not the quarterback some thought he could have been in the Eagles’ potent offense. That much is apparent after a trademark shaky performance, his first as a Ram. Still, the sheer fact that Foles was able to rack up 18.98 fantasy points on Sunday, the tenth highest score of any quarterback in Week One, despite fumbling twice in an overtime shootout, speaks volumes to the elite St. Louis defense’s ability to shroud his reckless tendencies. No longer will Foles’ gunslinging doom his team to rapid blowouts and desperate drives. Instead, Foles has finally been afforded the opportunity to live out his fantasy on an offense-hungry team that is merely thankful enough to have a healthy, starting-caliber signal-caller for the first time in two years. Foles and the Rams should feast on the eternally-hapless Redskins in Week Two, though Foles’ stats may be deflated if the Rams dominate early and turn Benny Cunningham loose for the rest of the game.
Week Two Projections: 15/24 completions for 250 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
RB: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions
After shooting up draft boards in the final days of the preseason, Abdullah rewarded those who ignored his initial third-string placement by embarrassing the Chargers on his very first carry in the NFL. Tallying 15.40 fantasy points, Abdullah all but cemented his spot as the heir apparent to the Lions’ RB1 role, a fate that will be accelerated when Abdullah once again outperforms Joique Bell in Detroit’s favorable Week Two matchup against the weak Minnesota run defense.
Week Two Projections: 12 carries, 70 yards rushing, 5 receptions, 50 yards receiving, 1 touchdown
WR: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Adams was drafted by many who hoped the Packers’ WR2 would fill the same role on fantasy rosters nationwide, or globally, I suppose, since foreigners seem to be getting into this whole NFL thing. Those dreams evaporated on Sunday after Adams posted an agonizing 5.90 point performance in Green Bay’s victory over Chicago. The silver lining in this dud for Adams’ owners was a team-high eight targets, a stat that should translate to more fantasy points when the Packers host the Seahawks in Week Two, as Kam Chancellor’s holdout continues to leave a gaping, Davante Adams-sized hole in Seattle’s unusually flawed secondary.
Week Two Projections: 7 receptions, 85 yards receiving, 1 touchdown
Busts:
RB: Dion Lewis, New England Patriots
Thousands of owners rushed to add Lewis after his surprising 12 point fantasy debut for a Patriots organization that is notoriously secretive when it comes to naming its starting running backs. Beat reporters were reduced to guessing New England’s starting running back for Week One, so it would not even be surprising to see one of the team’s many other running backs get an unenviable starting nod against Rex Ryan’s bruising Bills defense.
Week Two Projections: 8 carries, 50 yards rushing, 2 receptions, 15 yards receiving
TE: Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
There is nothing wrong with Jordan Reed. It is just that he currently catches passes from Kirk Cousins. It is just that he is slated to face the suffocating St. Louis Rams secondary. It is just that there are better options at tight end on your waiver wire, such as Ladarius Green. It is just that he is constantly trying to stare into your soul because he is incapable of smiling. I hope Reed finds a moment of happiness amid all the craziness in that franchise so he can find his life’s true calling, because I know it does not involve repeating his Week One output of 12.30 points, and I feel like this will only make him more mad. Do not end up like Jordan Reed. Do not believe in Jordan Reed.
Week Two Projections: 6 receptions, 40 yards receiving