It only takes one week for everything to change. We’ve had injuries, surprise breakouts, disappointing busts and everything in between. But it’s time to focus on the future and update your roster to ensure it’s all set for a Week 2 win. Every week, I’ll be bringing you an article answering two simple questions: who should I stream this week and who should I stash for the future?
To keep things simple, we’ll define a streamer as any player you wouldn’t usually start who is a viable option for this week. They may be on your bench or they may be on waivers, depending on your league. We’ll define a stash as any player you can potentially find on waivers that you should stash for the future, either because they have a favorable match-up coming up, or because they could become a future fantasy starter.
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QB Streamers:
Justin Fields (NYJ): One of my favorite pre-season sleepers unexpectedly boomed in a tough Steelers matchup in Week 1. Justin Fields finished as the QB2 and now gets a juicy opportunity for a sequel against the Bills. This is the same Bills defense that Lamar Jackson ran all over before a passive ending to the game gave Buffalo the win. I’d expect the Jets to be chasing the game all day meaning a whole lot of Fields production. I’ll be ranking him well within my Top 10.
JJ McCarthy (MIN): It took JJ McCarthy a couple of quarters to settle into his NFL debut but he looked every bit the fantasy asset I expected while rankings him high this pre-season. This week he gets a generous Falcons defense who have for a number of seasons been weaker against the pass than the run. I would expect another solid performance from a QB available in the majority of leagues.
QB Stash:
Daniel Jones (IND): In Week 1, the Colts demolished a Dolphins defense that was most frugal to opposing quarterbacks last season. Sure, they’ve had some significant downgrades, but it has to be acknowledged that the Indy version of Jones (pun intended?) looked far better than what we saw in NYC. Indianapolis gets the tough Broncos defense this week so I wouldn’t start Jones against them, but he’s well worth the stash.
RB Streamers:
Javonte Williams (DAL): The Giants have been weak against the run for a couple of years now and that continued in Week 1. This week, it’s Javonte Williams who gets the juicy matchup. He was fantastic against Eagles last week and will hopefully be on your bench after I listed him as a great stash option before the season. This is the matchup to slot him into your lineup.
Kenneth Gainwell (PIT): This is very much a deep league desperation start, but if you’re in a real pickle at running back, you can do worse than Kenny Gainwell. The Steelers face a Seahawks defense that conceded the second most points to running backs last week. Now admittedly that was CMC so it’s hardly an even comparison, but it does indicate that a team willing to run the ball can have success against Seattle. And we know the Steelers love using their running backs. And who was their starter last week? It wasn’t Kaleb Johnson, who played two total snaps. It wasn’t Jaylen Warren, despite his good performance. It was Kenny G who started the game and finished with the most snaps played. He’s a highly risky but potentially solid Week 2 desperation start available in most leagues.
RB Stashes:
Zach Charbonnet (SEA): Last week, Zach Charbonnet had more snaps, more routes, more rushes and twice as many yards per touch than Kenneth Walker. Yes, KW3 is recovering from an injury, but Charbonnet looks primed to become the Seattle starter. He’s a must stash if you can get your hands on him, as we know how much upside he has as a starter. He gets a tough matchup this week but long-term, I love the upside.
Running backs get injured more than any other player in fantasy, with the average Top 36 running back missing two games per season in fantasy. For that reason, your best bet in fantasy is to roster running backs who are an injury away from an every down role. Each week, I’ll be listing my favorite RB stashes, only including players you won’t be starting most weeks.
Top Handcuffs: Jordan Mason, Zach Charbonnet, Brian Robinson, DJ Giddens, Rachaad White, Braelon Allen, Ray Davis, Trey Benson, Blake Corum, Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Kendre Miller, Kaleb Johnson, Ollie Gordon, Kareem Hunt
WR Streamers:
Ricky Pearsall (SF): Injuries to Jauan Jennings and George Kittle have Ricky Pearsall in prime position to be the top 49ers receiver alongside Christian McCaffrey in Week 2. The Saints were a top 10 matchup for wide receivers last week making Pearsall a solid start if you have him on your bench.
Marquise Brown (KC): The Chiefs also have a real lack of receivers with Xavier Worthy injured and Rashee Rice suspended. Hollywood Brown was the clear slot guy and has a fantastic floor in PPR leagues. If Worthy is out, he’s a must start, but even if Worthy plays, I still like Brown to have a solid game.
WR Stashes:
Last week my stashes were Quentin Johnston and Cedric Tillman and I think we saw how they panned out. They’re still great options but I wanted to add some variety so here’s two more.
Troy Franklin (DEN): Last year’s dynasty darling Troy Franklin finally got a proper opportunity to star in Week 1, surprisingly playing in the majority of snaps and playing ahead of Marvin Mims. There’s an upside WR2 role in the making here but it’s unclear if Franklin or Mims will grow into it, so I’m stashing both just to see what happens.
Elic Ayomanor (TEN): Rookie Elic Ayomanor was the clear WR2 for the Titans in Week 1. It may take a while before this becomes a valuable role for fantasy, but he’s worth stashing in deeper leagues to see if he can emerge as the alpha in an offense with plenty of upside in games where they can’t just lean on Tony Pollard.
TE Streamers:
Juwan Johnson (NO): The Saints finally gave a tight end an every down role, with Juwan Johnson playing all but one snap and attracting 11 targets. Given all the injuries and issues at tight end, I’m considering Johnson a solid streaming option this week with the hope he can turn into an every-week starter, despite the tricky matchup. I’d start him over Colston Loveland, Zach Ertz and Evan Engram just to name a few.
Dallas Goedert (PHI): The Chiefs have been a great tight end matchup for a while now and while that didn’t pan out last week, the Chargers still had more tight end targets than usual. This week, I’m anticipating a solid performance for Dallas Goedert as the Chiefs attempt to shut down the Eagles’s strong run game.
TE Stash:
Harold Fannin Jr (CLE): We learnt last week why you shouldn’t jump on a young tight end who breaks out Week 1. Harold Fannin Jr could easily be another Isaiah Likely, but it’s likewise possible the Browns plan to use a 2TE-heavy approach with Fannin the clear receiver of the two. That would give him fantastic weekly upside, as we saw against the Bengals what he could do. But until I see it more consistently, I can’t recommend starting the rookie, especially given David Njoku is still playing the majority of snaps.
K Streamers:
Wil Lutz (DEN): Wil Lutz is an accurate kicker in an offense that attempts a solid amount of field goals. The Broncos will enter Week 2 favorites in what could be a bit of a grindfest, making this a risky upside play given the possible lack of extra point floor.
Chad Ryland (ARI): Remember last week when I said you should start kickers against the Panthers, and it panned out? Well do it again!
DST Streamers:
Cardinals DST (ARI): Remember last paragraph when I mentioned the value of starting players against the Panthers? That goes for DSTs too. The Cardinals remain a solid DST for this week.
Patriots DST (NE): The Colts defense tore the Dolphins to shreds and the Patriots are a far better defense. I like their chances in Week 2 of a solid performance in a low scoring game.
Please note: I won’t be listing kicker or DST stashes. You should never put kickers or DSTs on your bench in redraft leagues. There are practically no exceptions. Just please, don’t do it.
If you have questions on your drafts and leagues, make sure you hit me up on Instagram @TheFantasyFirstDown or on Twitter @FantasyFirstDwn. Also make sure you check out my dynasty and weekly rankings plus my Youtube. Lastly, make sure you check out all the amazing tools available on the Razzball website. They’re great for making start/sit decisions.
