NFL Week 2 fantasy football start 'em or sit 'em

Week 1 is now in the rear-view mirror, and injuries are already piling up. For those dealing with replacement players or new additions to fantasy rosters after the first waiver wire run ahead of Week 2, there are sure to be tough roster decisions ahead.

I'm here to be your guide through weekly sit/start questions across traditional 10- and 12-team leagues, along with deeper formats.

So, without further ado, get ready for the second edition of the 2020 PFF fantasy football start ‘em or sit ‘em.

We. Are. Live.

Quarterbacks

Start: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow made his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Chargers and finished the week as the QB20 overall (16.3 fantasy points). This was on the back of his “sneaky” rushing upside — he had four scrambles for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Mobility is the skeleton key to finding great fantasy quarterbacks, and that was clearly on display in Week 1 for Burrow. Burrow’s final passing line in Week 1 — 23 of 36 for 193 yards and zero touchdowns — left a lot to be desired, but it could have been better had any of his receivers come down with one his four passes into the end zone. Only Burrow and Tyrod Taylor threw at least four end-zone passes in Week 1 but came away with no TDs.

As I referenced in my buy-low trade targets piece, wide receiver A.J. Green had a touchdown called back on a questionable offensive pass interference call. This was a huge aspect of Burrow underperforming versus expectation. His expected fantasy points in Week 1 were 19.5 fantasy points, which would have landed him as a top-14 quarterback. This week I have him ranked No. 12 overall.

Part of his ranking also has to do with the matchup against a very beatable Cleveland Browns defense. They allowed the fourth-most fantasy points and fifth-most rushing yards to the quarterback position in Week 1. Now, that was against the reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, but with Burrow’s ability as a runner and arsenal of offensive pieces, he should be in for a productive outing on Thursday night.

Burrow should also be able to generate some explosive pass plays — something he was unable to do in Week 1. The Browns are likely to be without starting cornerback Greedy Williams. Without him last week, they allowed eight passing plays of 15 or more yards and the highest yards per attempt (10.9) in the league.