Fantasy Football Week 2: Fact or Fiction?

Welcome to the first edition of Fantasy Football Fact or Fiction! Each Tuesday, I’ll be examining a few fantasy football questions based on what transpired the previous week. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @BenMcD_Sports to let me know if you agree or disagree with my takes! Thanks for reading!

Fact or Fiction? You should always start your studs regardless of matchup.

Fact. I wonder how many owners invested a 1st or 2nd round pick in Odell Beckham Jr., only to leave him on their bench in week 1 due to a tough matchup against Jacksonville? OBJ laughed at those owners while churning out 11 catches for 111 yards. If you watched the game, you’ll know that those numbers could have been much higher if the Giants had a more accurate quarterback to throw him the rock. Benching a stud like OBJ in favor of a guy like Danny Amendola is the equivalent of turning down an already paid for steak dinner in favor of 10 piece Chicken McNugget meal from McDonalds. Just don’t do it.

Fact or Fiction? DeShaun Watson is still a top 5 QB in fantasy football. 

Fact. There’s no denying that DeShaun Watson was one of the bigger disappointments of week 1. In what was expected to be a shootout, Watson only managed to throw for 176 yards and 1 touchdown while also committing two turnovers. Some owners are already prepared to call last year a fluke and label Watson as a bust. That is way too premature. It’s important to remember that this past Sunday was only Watson’s 7th career NFL start. He isn’t the first quarterback to struggle on the road at Foxborough, and he certainly won’t be the last.

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Will Fuller should be back on the field this coming Sunday in their matchup against Tennessee, and his importance to the Houston offense can’t be understated. In the 3 games they played together last season, Watson and Fuller connected for 5 touchdowns. Look for Watson and the Texans to bounce back in a big way against a Titans defense that just surrendered 27 points to a middling Dolphins offensive attack. Watson could also make for a good GPP play in DFS due to a decreased salary stemming from last week’s letdown.

Fact or Fiction? Adrian Peterson is back!

Fact. Just a few weeks ago, it looked like All Day’s legendary career had come to an end. However, injuries created a need in Washington, and Peterson has proven that he has plenty left in the tank. In the days leading up to their opening game, Redskins coach, Jay Gruden joked with the media that he wanted to give Peterson 40 carries on Sunday. The number might have been an exaggeration, but the intent behind his comment was no joke.

The 34-year-old running back logged 26 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. He was also able to haul in 2 catches for 70 yards. They know that he is only there for this season, so I really don’t think they care at all about running him into the ground. Alex Smith had the offense humming on Sunday, and it looks unlikely that they’ll miss a beat without Kirk Cousins. Even if the volume decreases, Peterson should get enough goal-line work to be a solid RB2 in standard leagues. He’s an intriguing play in DFS next week against a soft Colts defense that just allowed Joe Mixon to gain 5.5 yards per carry.

Fact or Fiction? James Conner is a bonafide #1 running back in fantasy football.

Fact. Did anyone have a worse weekend than Le’Veon Bell? Not only did he lose nearly $1,000,000 dollars by failing to report in time for week 1, he lost a ton of leverage with the Steelers. James Conner was asked to carry the load, and carry the load he did. Do you know how many other Pittsburgh running backs logged a carry or received a single target on Sunday? Zero. Zilch. None. Conner took the opportunity and ran with it. He racked up 31 carries for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with 5 catches for 57 receiving yards. They essentially are just plugging him into the Le’Veon Bell role and giving him the same volume.

Conner isn’t just a bonafide #1 running back, he could be THE #1 fantasy football running back. He has a juicy week 2 matchup with a Kansas City defense that just surrendered 5.6 yards per carry to the Chargers while also allowing Chargers running backs to catch a combined 14 passes for 189 yards and 1 touchdown. Even with a huge salary increase, he is still a value play in DFS this week.

Fact or Fiction? It’s time to hit the panic button on Amari Cooper.

Fiction. What an awful way to open the season for the Oakland Raiders. Ever since the Raiders brought Jon Gruden in as coach, he has spoken at length about Cooper being the focal point of his offense, but that wasn’t even close to being the case on Monday night. The supposed star wideout only received 3 targets! I’m certain that owners who started Cooper expected much more than 1 catch for 9 yards! If I can quote Aaron Rodgers though, R-E-L-A-X.

Cooper found himself frequently matched up with two of the best cornerbacks in the league on Monday night. One of those corners is Aqib Talib, who just came to Los Angeles from Denver during the offseason. Last year in two games against Talib and the Broncos, Cooper totaled 3 catches for 18 yards and 1 touchdown. It’s entirely possible that Talib just has his number. Ironically, Cooper will be matched up with Denver in week 2, but the Broncos secondary isn’t what it used to be. I’m giving him one more week to prove he was worth the investment as a WR2. Oakland knows how important Cooper is to their success, and I expect them to make it a priority to try to get Cooper involved in the offense early and often in week 2.

Thanks for reading, Fantasy Football Week 2: Fact or Fiction!