Fantasy football lineup advice: Week 2 BOOM or BUST

Fantasy football lineup advice – Wide Receiver

BOOM:

Alshon Jeffery, PHI @ ATL

After getting off to a relatively-slow start over the past few seasons, Jeffery started 2019 with a bang, scoring both through the air and on the ground.

He wasn’t heavily targeted but made the most of his opportunities on an Eagles offense that finally came alive in the second half of a comeback victory. He was a big factor in the red-zone and should see a similar role moving forward.

Quarterback Carson Wentz has plenty of weapons at his disposal, but Jeffery will likely remain a prime focus of the team’s passing game against a bottom-feeding Falcons secondary this week.

They gave up only 80 combined receiving yards to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs in Week 1, but don’t let these numbers fool you. The Vikings ran the ball relentlessly in a game where they jumped out to a big lead early on. Start Jeffery this week with confidence.

Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. KC

Antonio Brown, who? While Brown received all of the hype this summer for the Raiders under the bright lights of HBO’s Hard Knocks,  Williams patiently lurked in the background, awaiting his turn to show what he could do for his new team.

In Week 1, his chemistry with QB Derek Carr was on full display as Carr connected with the speedster for multiple big gains throughout the contest. Williams concluded his Oakland debut with a line of 6/105/1, good for 22.5 fantasy points.

Williams has a legitimate shot to push for top-15 wide receiver status this year in an offense that was starved for talent at the position a season ago.

He’ll have a fine shot at building off last game’s performance against the division-rival Chiefs, who allowed each Jacksonville starting wide-out a touchdown last week and were a bottom-11 defense against WRs in 2018. Carr always seems to elevate his game against Kansas City at home as well, averaging 351 passing yards and 3 TDs over the past two seasons.

BUST:

Josh Gordon, NE @ MIA

What seemed at one point like an inadequate wide receiver corps for the New England Patriots is now absolutely stacked following the acquisition of Antonio Brown. This is something that will undoubtedly play a role in Gordon’s season-long outlook.

Gordon found pay-dirt against Pittsburgh in Week 1, but attracted just four targets from Brady in the process. He still finished with a respectable 16.3 fantasy points, but with so many mouths to feed now in Foxborough, Gordon is going to find it hard to post consistent week-to-week numbers.

He should carry that “boom-or-bust” narrative with him into Week 2, where he’ll go against a pathetic Miami D that was just trampled by the Ravens for 59 points.

Gordon very well could find the end-zone again, but that’s exactly what you’re going to have to bank on from him in a game that could get ugly fast and his services won’t be needed for long. Brown and Julian Edelman should be guaranteed a healthy allotment of targets, which could make Gordon fall out of favor in this one.

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI @ BAL

Fitz turned back the clock in Week 1, flourishing in new HC Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense that likes to push the ball downfield. He finished the overtime tie against the Lions with 8 receptions for 113 yards and a TD (25.3 fantasy points), showing a resurgence in his age-36 season.

In fact, his two receptions of 40+ yards were the first of such since 2015. Safe to say, he looks like he’s going to greatly benefit from catching passes from no. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray in an actual modern-day offense.

However, owners may need to pump the breaks on the 11-time Pro-Bowler in Week 2, as he’s set to face a steep challenge when Arizona travels to Baltimore. Although the Ravens were able to shut down Miami’s air-attack last week, this should be taken with a grain of salt because, after all, we’re talking about the Dolphins.

Just refer back to last year’s numbers, where the Ravens allowed just the seventh-fewest fantasy points to enemy wide-outs. Cardinals’ QB Murray is going to have growing pains in his first season, and this match-up will likely be one of those weeks, making Fitzgerald someone to avoid.

Sleeper:

Mecole Hardman, KC @ OAK

Now that Tyreek Hill has been ruled out for the next 4-6 weeks, Hardman should get the first crack at filling his role.

A second-round pick in this past April’s draft with 4.33-forty speed, Hardman could quickly emerge as a viable fantasy option playing with reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes on the Chiefs’ high-flying offense. There’s a wide range of possible outcomes with Hardman, but his upside is hard to ignore.