With Week 1 of the 2020 NFL regular season now officially in the books, fantasy football owners can begin looking ahead to Week 2. With this past offseason serving as one of the strangest in recent memory for obvious reasons, it remains to be seen as to which players continue to perform well and which players can remain healthy. For that reason, depth will be the name of the game for many fantasy football owners this time around.
Per usual, the wide receiver position will be the deepest of all, though having depth at wideout is still equally important. With Week 1 only telling part of the story, the opening slate of games did give fantasy football owners just enough information to begin figuring out which players are going to be long-term solutions moving forward. While Week 2 will do the same, it is still an important week as there are definitely some favorable—and some not so favorable matchups—out there.
WRs to Start in Week 2
Scotty Miller, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no doubt still quite stacked on offense, the new-look NFC South franchise will be a bit hobbled heading into its Week 2 matchup against the rival Carolina Panthers.
With the Buccaneers coming up short in Week 1 against the surging New Orleans Saints, quarterback Tom Brady is already having some of his options limited as wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are both nursing lingering injuries with a matchup against the Panthers now only days away.
Because Brady will need some help from his pass-catchers, slot receiver Scotty Miller is the play for Tampa Bay this time around. Even if Godwin and Evans suit up on Sunday afternoon, Miller will still be Brady's most reliable target against the Panthers.
Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
Last week, the Dallas Cowboys defense got absolutely torched by the Los Angeles Rams in just about every facet of the game. With several Cowboys linebackers now injured and the team's disappointment likely still lingering after coming up just shy of a win against the Rams, expect the Atlanta Falcons to put up some serious points in Week 2—especially after showing some flashes of brilliance against the always dangerous Seattle Seahawks to open the year.
With the Falcons' top wideout in Julio Jones likely to encounter quite a few double teams against Dallas, it will be fellow Atlanta wideout Calvin Ridley that should receive the automatic start for fantasy owners against the Cowboys. Not only is this a good matchup for Ridley and the Falcons, but the up-and-coming wideout is fresh off a stellar outing against the Seahawks as well. Nothing wrong with playing the hot hand, that's for sure.
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
It was surprisingly Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis that stood out in a big way against the Denver Broncos in Week 1, even after the veteran wideout was ailing throughout the week. However, it will be time for fellow Titans pass-catcher A.J. Brown to shine in Week 2 against the rival Jacksonville Jaguars as the former Ole Miss standout simply cannot be held down for too long.
Obviously this is a good matchup for the Titans in general, but especially for Brown, who should have his way with the lowly Jaguars and a less-than-stellar Jacksonville secondary. Even with the Jaguars coming off an unexpected win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans always seem to have their way with Jacksonville as this time around will be no different.
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
It was not a good week for the Colts against Jaguars to open the season as not much is expected of the latter franchise in 2020. Nonetheless, the Colts were unable to beat the Jaguars in Week 1 while veteran receiver T.Y. Hilton taking full responsibility for the loss.
With Hilton's confidence up in the air and a hungry Minnesota Vikings, who also lost to a rival to begin the regular season, next up on the docket, don't expect much from the longtime Colts pass-catcher this week. This team just isn't very good, or very explosive on offense, as the Vikings defense will be up to the task in Week 2—something that won't bode well for Hilton and the Colts.
With Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller V stealing the show in Week 1 against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, fellow wideout Brandin Cooks remained out of the spotlight for much of the Thursday evening matchup. With yet another difficult opponent up next for the Texans in the Baltimore Ravens, Cooks will once again be relegated to a mediocre performance in Week 2, casting doubt in his fantasy football performance.
Even with quarterback Deshaun Watson under center and a seemingly revitalized running back in David Johnson in the backfield, the Baltimore defense will just be too much for Houston to handle in the end. With the Ravens blowing out the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 and head coach Bill O'Brien still leading the way for the Texans, this is a recipe for disaster for Houston, who will be looking to avoid a 0-2 start. The only saving grace for Cooks and the Texans will be some garbage time production, though fantasy owners probably shouldn't rely to heavily on that “metric.”
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
The Los Angeles Rams, even though the NFC West franchise may look a bit different on both sides of the line of scrimmage this time around, showed that the organization is here to compete in 2020. After defeating the Cowboys on Sunday evening, the Rams will now turn their attention toward another NFC East foe in the Philadelphia Eagles.
With the Rams riding high off a win and the Eagles coming off a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Washington Football Team, a 0-2 start for Philadelphia is more than likely especially with a team like Los Angeles next in line. With quarterback Carson Wentz already limited on weapons due to injury, veteran wideout DeSean Jackson is really his only deep threat, though the speedster is not the prolific pass-catcher that he once was.
Even though the Eagles and Wentz may need to force the football to Jackson a bit moving forward in order to get the offense moving in the right direction, don't anticipate the Rams letting the seasoned wideout do anything all that impressive in Week 2.
*Additionally, here are ClutchPoints’ start 'em sit 'em recommendations at quarterback, running back, and tight end*
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WRs to Sit in Week 2