Fantasy: Start, Sit, Stash, Quit - Week 2

SSSQ is a weekly look at under-appreciated fantasy players to consider starting and potential busts you should leave on your bench. We also identify breakout candidates to stash on your roster and players you can safely cut.

For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult our Week 2 rankings. You can also listen to the Week 2 preview episode of theScore Fantasy Football Podcast.

Start

Derek Carr, Raiders

vs. Cardinals

Even with Davante Adams accounting for 10 catches, 141 yards, and a touchdown in his Raiders' debut, Carr still had a subpar fantasy line against an ascending Chargers defense.

Fortunately for him, he returns home to face a banged-up Cardinals team with one of the worst cornerback depth charts in the league. Arizona was helpless against Patrick Mahomes in Week 1, allowing the Chiefs QB to throw for 360 yards and five touchdowns en route to an easy win.

Carr should have no problem posting low-end QB1 numbers this week.

Boone's projection: 324 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 9 rushing yards

Other QBs to start

• Matthew Stafford vs. Falcons
• Aaron Rodgers vs. Bears

Antonio Gibson, Commanders

at Lions

Gibson fell out of favor with Washington's coaching staff over the summer, and rookie Brian Robinson was slated to take on a significant role in the offense entering the season. But with Robinson sidelined, Gibson capitalized on his second chance and delivered one of his best outings as a pro in Week 1.

The 24-year-old rushed 14 times for 58 yards while adding 72 yards on seven receptions against the Jaguars. More importantly, Gibson looked good in the process, even making plays downfield as a pass-catcher.

There's no reason to think Gibson's performance can't carry over into Week 2 when he takes on the Lions, who just allowed 147 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns to the Eagles' running back trio of Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott.

The situation won't remain this favorable for Gibson all season, with the Commanders likely to lose more games than they win and with Robinson set to return sooner rather than later. However, this week, he's an outstanding fantasy start as a low-end RB1.

Boone's projection: 76 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards, 4 receptions, TD

Other RBs to start

• A.J. Dillon vs. Bears
• Darrell Henderson vs. Falcons
• Cordarrelle Patterson at Rams

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions

vs. Commanders

St. Brown's incredible finish to his rookie campaign was always going to be tough to replicate. After all, he averaged the second-most fantasy points among receivers over the last six games while seeing double-digit targets in all of those contests.

Turns out, he's up for the challenge.

The Lions' sophomore wideout opened this season with an eight-catch, 64-yard, one-touchdown line on 12 targets from Jared Goff. That was good enough to finish as the WR11 on the week.

Now he'll square off with a Commanders team that just gave up six catches and 117 yards to Christian Kirk, who also plays primarily out of the slot. St. Brown is a top-20 fantasy receiver until further notice.

Boone's projection: 92 receiving yards, 8 receptions, TD

Other WRs to start

• Gabriel Davis vs. Titans
• Courtland Sutton/Jerry Jeudy vs. Texans
• DJ Moore at Giants

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

vs. Patriots

While we were busy discussing the Steelers' talented receiving corps throughout the offseason, we might have been underplaying the role Freiermuth would have in the offense.

We can't overreact to a one-game sample, but his five grabs and 75 yards (27% target share) was a great way to start his second year after putting up a 60-497-7 stat line as a rookie.

New England isn't the easiest matchup for tight ends, but if defenses are focused on Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Chase Claypool, then Mitch Trubisky will continue to feed Freiermuth underneath. He's a steady fantasy TE1 with plenty of touchdown upside.

Boone's projection: 56 receiving yards, 5 receptions, TD

Other TEs to start

• Tyler Higbee vs. Falcons
• Robert Tonyan vs. Bears

Sit

Tom Brady, Buccaneers

at Saints

The Saints are one of the few teams who've had Brady's number since he joined the Buccaneers in 2020.

Brady has lost all four regular-season matchups with New Orleans and has been held under 240 passing yards in four of his last five games against them (counting playoffs).

The Bucs' passing attack wasn't as sharp as we're used to seeing in the opener versus the Cowboys. Injuries in their receiving corps and on the interior of their offensive line are causing the biggest issues.

Chris Godwin will be sidelined for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, while Mike Evans, Julio Jones, and Russell Gage have either missed practice or been limited this week.

Though Brady will be fine long term, you should strongly consider other QB options in your Week 2 lineup.

Boone's projection: 243 passing yards, TD, INT

Other QBs to sit

• Tua Tagovailoa at Ravens
• Ryan Tannehill at Bills

David Montgomery, Bears

at Packers

The problem for Montgomery isn't the matchup this week but rather the risk of losing snaps and touches to teammate Khalil Herbert.

Montgomery was given plenty of volume in Week 1 with 17 carries and three catches, but he managed an embarrassingly low 2.5 yards per touch and failed to reach the end zone.

Meanwhile, Herbert outgained the veteran on half as many rushing attempts and also scored a touchdown.

The offseason rumblings that Herbert is a better fit in the Bears' new offense are gaining traction, as is the possibility the young back eats into Montgomery's workload even more as the year progresses.

In his last encounter with the Packers, Montgomery played 84% of Chicago's offensive snaps. Compare that to last Sunday when he saw the field just 66% of the time.

Montgomery can't be trusted as anything more than an RB3/flex right now.

Boone's projection: 37 rushing yards, 16 receiving yards, 3 receptions

Other RBs to sit

• Ezekiel Elliott vs. Bengals
• Rashaad Penny at 49ers
• Rex Burkhead/Dameon Pierce at Broncos

DK Metcalf, Seahawks

at 49ers

We knew the Seahawks' receivers would have their work cut out for them with Geno Smith at the helm this season. And even though Smith exceeded expectations as a game-manager in their surprising Week 1 win over the Broncos, the bar for this passing attack remains much lower than it's been in previous years.

Smith made a conscious effort to force the ball to Metcalf, resulting in a solid seven catches but just 36 yards. A second-half fumble only further depressed the star wideout's fantasy output.

Looking ahead, Metcalf has been held to 65 yards or fewer in each of his last three outings versus the 49ers. Now he'll suit up against San Francisco with a significant downgrade at quarterback.

This isn't the time to be brave and risk putting him in your lineup.

Boone's projection: 45 receiving yards, 5 receptions

Other WRs to sit

• Amari Cooper vs. Jets
• Drake London at Rams
• DeVonta Smith vs. Vikings

Cole Kmet, Bears

at Packers

It's hard to take much away from a 49ers-Bears game that was played in rainy conditions on a soggy field with reported drainage issues.

So we're still holding out hope for Kmet, who was on our list of tight end breakout candidates for 2022. But his situation isn't looking nearly as enticing as we projected before the season.

Though he played over 83% of the Bears' snaps, he only drew one target, which he failed to catch. Meanwhile, Chicago's No. 2 tight end Ryan Griffin earned two targets on the afternoon.

We're taking a wait-and-see approach on Kmet, especially against the Packers' defense that allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in Week 1.

Move him to your bench for now, and if the underlying metrics continue to look grim, you can confidently drop him next week.

Boone's projection: 27 receiving yards, 3 receptions

Other TEs to sit

• David Njoku vs. Jets
• Hunter Henry at Steelers

Stash

Jordan Mason/Tyrion Davis-Price, 49ers

With Elijah Mitchell sidelined for the next two months, the 49ers will hand the keys to their backfield over to some combination of Jeff Wilson Jr. and wideout Deebo Samuel.

Savvy fantasy managers in deeper leagues will make a move to get Mason (4% rostered) and Davis-Price (6% rostered), who will compete for the new backup role.

As a third-round rookie, Davis-Price has a draft-capital advantage over the undrafted free agent Mason, but it's the latter who earned praise throughout training camp and the preseason. Mason also got the nod on the active roster over TDP in Week 1. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that was more based on special teams contributions.

On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter remarked on his interest in Mason as a fantasy pickup - which is worth noting since Schefter has tipped off some unexpected performances in the past.

Logan Thomas, Commanders

It's surprising to see Thomas (10% rostered) still available in the vast majority of leagues after he returned to the lineup in Week 1 and delivered a three-catch, 45-yard line on six targets.

The ACL tear that cost him most of the 2021 campaign is now in the rearview, and things should only get better from here.

Remember, Thomas was the TE9 in 2020 before getting hurt last season. He's more than capable of making a return to the low-end TE1 range if he stays healthy the rest of the way.

Quit

Quarterbacks (1QB): Dak Prescott, Mac Jones

Running backs: James Cook, Elijah Mitchell (if no IR spot)

Wide receivers: Sammy Watkins, Kenny Golladay

Tight ends: Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki