Steve’s Start Em’s are back for week two. After the first week I have to hang my head just a little as two of the four players didn’t even come close to meeting my expectations. But, it’s a new week which means there’s a new slate or games for me to pick from! So without further adieu let’s look at Steve’s Start Ems, Week 2 round up.
Leonard Fournette – Big game Lenny appears to be back even after fantasy players were scared to draft him after coming into camp overweight. He put up a 17 point performance week one against the Cowboys and plays New Orleans next who got gashed by Cordarelle Patterson last week who rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown. Add in that both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are listed as questionable with a good chance the latter won’t play should mean extra touches for Fournette. He’s currently the seventh most expensive running back on Fanduel at $7,800 but should pay off with a big day
Javonte Williams – If you didn’t realize Williams was going to be an elite fantasy running back prior to week one you do now. Against Seattle he scored almost 20 points and now goes up against a bad Houston defense that just gave up 161 rushing yards to Jonathon Taylor. Williams has the ability to run between the tackles, out wide, and catch a ton of passes. This could end up being an RB1 week for Javonte who comes in at $7,300 on Fanduel and is a must start.
Darren Waller – Something in my gut is telling me Darren Waller is bound for a big game this week. He’s coming off a game against the Chargers in the first week where he scored just under 12 points. He’s now going up against Arizona who gave up a whopping 28 points to Travis Kelce in week one. Now sure Waller is not Travis Kelce but he’s a super athletic and still one of Derek Carrs top targets. I’m not sure there’s anyway we see Davante Adams get 17 targets again this week and that could lead to Waller seeing an uptick in production. While he is the second highest valued tight end for Sundays slate on Fanduel at $6,800 he could easily return that investment in him and then some.
Curtis Samuel – If you would’ve told me a week ago that Curtis Samuel would’ve scored the most points out of the Washington Commanders receivers I would’ve called you crazy. But here we are, Samuel finished as a top 20 receiver last week and was heavily featured in the Washington offense. He managed to snag 8 of his 11 targets and scored a touchdown, and added 17 rushing yards are 4 attempts. Samuel was the top target for new Commanders QB Carson Wentz, and by a significant amount compared to the other receivers in this offense. If Samuel can stay healthy and perform to this level he’s looking like a steal in season long formats. Samuel is matched up against a Lions defense that got shredded by AJ Brown a week ago. He’s still valued at only $5,700 on Fanduel and would allow you to spend big money on one of your other positions by sliding him into your flex spot.
Christian Kirk – Christian Kirk is one of my favorite plays this week. In the first week of the season Kirk received a 28% target share which should lead to season long success. Second year QB Trevor Lawrence seems to have a ton of confidence in him Kirk already which will only lead to more opportunities for him down the stretch. Given Kirk’s ADP this year and potential to finish as a top 25 receiver he needs to be rostered in every league. With Kirk costing you $6,500 this week on Fanduel I highly suggest getting him in your lineup as a flex at the very least.
Here’s to hoping my week two picks make up for the crummy first week I had. I have confidence that these guys at the very least meet their projections, but could easily go well over those numbers.