Vladimir De Wet breaks down the second half of the Week 2 matchups for the 2015 season. Below, you will find part two of our Week 2 NFL matchups & fantasy football start/sit analysis, which should help you prepare your lineups to win this week.
Be sure to also check out part one of this week's matchups analysis, diving into the early slate of games. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.
Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down each of the NFL matchups and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and some high-risk/high-reward players, as well.
Falcons @ Giants - Sunday 9/20 @ 1:00 EST
Matchups We love:
Roddy White, WR, Falcons - Roddy saw eight balls come his way, and managed to catch four of them for 85 yards in week one. He should see the same amount of targets against a Giants secondary that gave up over 350 yards passing in their first outing. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be shadowing Julio Jones with safety help over the top. Expect Roddy to be left alone a lot.
Matchups We hate:
Rashad Jennings, RB, Giants - Jennings put up decent numbers in week one with 13 rushes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Andre Williams and Shane Vereen split nine carries between them, and Vereen also saw five balls thrown his way. It was clear that Vereen is the third down back, and after the Falcons held the Eagles under 65 yards rushing last week, Jennings just seems like a good option to sit.
Notable Players:
Victor Cruz, WR, Giants - Cruz didn't practice all week and won't be playing in week two.
Julio Jones, WR, Falcons - Jones was held out of practice on Wednesday with hamstring soreness. He should be fine though.
Rams @ Redskins - Sunday 9/20 @ 1:00 EST
Matchups We love:
Tre Mason, RB, Rams - Mason practiced this week and all signs point to him playing in week two. After Benny Cunningham had a good showing as the feature back, expect Mason to come in and take his fair share of carries. The Redskins don't compare to the Seahawks when it comes to run defense, so the Rams should look to run more and let their defense handle Kirk Cousins and the Redskins.
Matchups We hate:
Alfred Morris, RB, Redskins - Morris looked good week one and was an important part of the offense with 25 rushing attempts. The Rams defensive line looked spectacular and held Marshawn Lynch to 73 yards and with no score. Kirk Cousins and the Redskins offensive line will have their hands full with Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, and the rest of the Rams front seven. The Rams defensive line sacked Russell Wilson six times in the first week.
Notable Players:
Jordan Reed, TE, Redskins - DeSean Jackson is out with a hamstring injury and Kam Chancellor is out because of a holdout, these two factors should lead to a lot more catch passing opportunities for Reed. If he wasn't going up against the rest of Seattle's secondary, and Kirk Cousins wasn't throwing him the ball, then Reed would be a matchup to love.
Dolphins @ Jaguars - Sunday 9/20 @ 4:05 EST
Matchups We love:
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars - The rookie back got 15 touches for 67 yards against the Panthers last week. While the Jaguars looked very much like the same old Jaguars, there's no doubt they won't be a push over all year and should show some fight. The Dolphins gave up an average of 4.5 YPC for 161 yards rushing in week one. Yeldon should see more touches of the ball against a suspect run defense and that bodes well for all those who spent the high draft pick on him.
Matchups We hate:
DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins - The rookie receiver was supposed to come in and replace Mike Wallace as the Dolphins deep threat. But after barely playing in the preseason and only seeing one snap against the Redskins week one; he just doesn't seem to be part of the Dolphins offensive plans yet in 2015.
Notable Players:
Julius Thomas, TE, Jaguars - Thomas still did not practice and it seems likely he will be out another few weeks.
Marqise Lee, WR, Jaguars - Lee has recovered from a hamstring injury and should make his debut on Sunday.
Ravens @ Raiders - Sunday 9/20 @ 4:05 EST
Matchups We love:
Both teams offenses looked somewhat inept, and no single player stands out as a must play between the two other than the obvious starters.
Matchups We hate:
Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders - Derek Carr might be bothered for a few weeks with a hand injury, making it more likely the team relies heavily on Latavius Murray. Cooper will be covered by Jimmy Smith and shadowed by Pro Football Focus' highest rated safety, Will Hill. The Ravens passing defense looked great against Peyton Manning, holding him under 180 yards passing, and shouldn't be scared of the Raiders passing attack come Sunday.
Notable Players:
Breshad Perriman, WR, Ravens - The rookie receiver still hasn't practiced and won't be seeing the field for another week.
Eugene Monroe, LT, Ravens - The stalwart at tackle for the Ravens suffered a concussion last week and had to leave the game early. Monroe didn't practice this week so the line might have more trouble again against an improving Raiders defensive line.
Cowboys @ Eagles - Sunday 9/20 @ 4:25 EST
Matchups We love:
Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys - Last week both Julio Jones and Roddy White put up good numbers against the Eagles. Corner Byron Maxwell signed a huge contract in the offseason and spent the entirety of Monday Night Football getting burned by Jones. Williams should see plenty of targets as the Cowboys' new number one wideout with Dez Bryant sidelined by foot surgery.
DeMarco Murray, RB, Eagles - Murray didn't put up many yards, but he did score both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The Cowboys defense gave up some big plays to a slightly dysfunctional Giants offense, and the Eagles hope that trend continues. Finally, the revenge factor and strong Eagles offensive line against an injured Cowboys defensive line should lead to a big day for Murray.
Matchups We hate:
No player seems worth staying away from. Both teams found themselves in high scoring games last week and this should continue when they face each other.
Notable Players:
Devin Street, WR, Cowboys - Street will be the "next-man-up" as a result of the Dez injury and should see lots of one-on-one coverage.
Seahawks @ Packers - Sunday 9/20 @ 8:25 EST
Matchups We love:
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks - The Packers gave up 166 total yards and one touchdown to Matt Forte in week one. Forte ended up with the second most fantasy points for a running back (Carlos Hyde was first). Lynch should be his usual RB1 self against the perennially suspect Packers run defense.
Davante Adams, WR, Packers - After James Jones bursted back onto the Green Bay fantasy scene last week, the Seahawks should realize they need to focus on him. With Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy taking up the usual amount of attention, expect a breakout game for Davante Adams against a Seattle secondary that gave up nearly 300 yards to Nick Foles.
Matchups We hate:
James Jones, WR, Packers - Jones just won't be surprising anyone this week. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas still can't be happy about being beaten by guys like Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. Expect them to key in on Jones after his week one performance. They may not take everyone out of the game, but I just cannot see them allowing Jones to grab the headlines two weeks in a row.
Notable Players:
Randall Cobb, WR, Packers - Cobb has battled injuries his entire career, and that continues early on this season with a shoulder injury limiting him in practice throughout the week.
Jets @ Colts - Monday 9/21 @ 8:30 EST
Matchups We love:
Chris Ivory, RB, Jets - After showing that Ivory has RB1 talent last week against the Bengals, he should be a very solid value RB2 against the Colts. Ivory scored twice and shouldered most of the load for the Jets. The Bills rushed for 147 yards against the Colts with three players. Expect Ivory to try and duplicate much of that production by himself.
Matchups We hate:
Jets Defense - After posting a good week against the Browns, the Jets shouldn't be too confident. A quarterback switch and just dumb mistakes led to much of the Browns unraveling. Andrew Luck and the Colts are going to be upset after their week one loss to the Bills, and there is no better place to right those wrongs then on Monday Night Football.
Notable Players:
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts - Hilton is likely to be out a few weeks with a knee injury. This means both second year receiver Donte Moncrief and rookie receiver Philip Dorsett should see a lot more targets.
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