Fantasy football 2017, Week 2 rankings: Who to start and sit

Start: Jeremy Maclin

It doesn’t feel great recommending any Baltimore Ravens’ offensive player, but there are reasons to believe Maclin will have a good outing against Cleveland. As I mentioned in Crowell’s blurb, it seems likely Baltimore will have a stranglehold on this game and should have their way with the Browns.

Pittsburgh’s offensive success in their 21-18 victory over Cleveland all came through the air in the season opener. Ben Roethlisberger had 263 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Brown had a whopping 11 catches for 182 yards, and even tight end Jesse James got in on the action with two scores. Conversely, Le’Veon Bell was held in check with only 32 yards on 10 carries. While Baltimore favour their ground and pound game, they will have to go to the air for points on Sunday (if their defense doesn’t simply find the end zone themselves).

Joe Flacco only threw nine completed balls on Sunday and Maclin was the only wideout with more than one catch. This is incredibly low, and only happens when an opposing quarterback has a game as bad as Andy Dalton meaning a team can run the ball 40-plus times. That simply won’t be the case every game – and Maclin can produce as a top target.