Fantasy Football Week 2: These 4 players should be in your starting lineup

Welcome to Week 2, fantasy football managers.

This is the second installment of my “Players you Must Start,” and when reflecting on Week 1, I feel like I went .500 on the picks.

Trevor Lawrence and Bijan Robinson both had strong performances, while few could have predicted the Bengals’ implosion, leaving Ja’Marr Chase nonexistent on the field.

As for Cole Kmet, he wasn’t a terrible choice (depending on your league’s scoring). He outperformed George Kittle and Dallas Goedert (among others) in one of the most injury-riddled positions in football.

It’s been a wild start to the season, and there’s certainly a lot to dissect in Fantasy Football as we head into Week 2.

Let’s get started and make some picks.

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QB: Deshaun Watson (CLE) vs. PIT (‘Under the Radar’ Selection of the Week)

Yes, I’m calling Deshaun Watson an ‘under the radar’ pick for Week 2. While his numbers weren’t exactly stellar in his Week 1 Browns debut, he did enough to stun the Bengals, leading Cleveland to a 24-3 victory, polished off with 154 yards passing and a touchdown.

His rushing presence and comfort level in the pocket will continue to gel with the Browns’ offense. Pair that with a Steelers defense that got obliterated by the Niners, and Watson could see a huge jump in stats for his Monday Night matchup this week.

RB: Saquon Barkley (NYG) vs. ARI

Full transparency: I did have Austin Ekeler (LAC) here, coming off of an incredible Week 1 and heading into a favorable Week 2 matchup against the Titans. But his lingering ankle injury now has me worried, and I had to make a switch. So, give me Saquon Barkley.

The Giants have to get some sort of offense rolling after an abysmal Sunday Night debacle (and after being shut out) against the Cowboys. They’ll have the chance to turn things around against the potential 2023 basement-dwelling Cardinals. The way to do that? Give the ball to Barkley.

WR: Tyreek Hill (MIA) vs. NE

I thought about 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a split second here, who has quickly become a prime target for Brock Purdy. But it’s hard not to select Tyreek Hill after his dominant performance on Sunday.

Hill went off for 215 yards and two touchdowns against a powerful Chargers’ defense, which is no easy task, and yet, the Tua Tagovailoa to Hill connection looked like one of the league’s best, enhanced by Hill’s route running and speed.

Hill’s dominance will continue when the Dolphins face the Patriots on Sunday Night.

TE: Dallas Goedert (PHI) vs. MIN

Here we are again, in the tight end toss-up category.

Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews are still banged up, and Kittle underperformed in his limited role. So, I really don’t have much to go off of here other than the fact that I cannot see Eagles’ Dallas Goedert notching zeroes across the stat line two weeks in a row.

Goedert was silent in Philadelphia’s win over the Patriots on Sunday. It shocked many Fantasy players, but don’t expect that to happen again. He’s a quality tight end option against a Vikings defense that made Baker Mayfield look like a top-tier quarterback (ugh, I hope the Bears don’t follow that trend on Sunday.) More targets and more numbers are coming for Goedert as Jalen Hurts looks to utilize all of his weapons.

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