Fantasy Football: Stay Away From Russell Wilson, Martellus Bennett In Week 2

Let’s start searching for funeral songs on Google or Spotify because it’s time to say R.I.P. to 16 teams’ hopes of going undefeated, the season of San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III, and Carrie Underwood’s days of singing how she’s been waiting all day for Sunday night.

I’m sure we’ll all get used to “Oh, Sunday Night“, but this is going to be a hard transition. Since general fan reception to the new song has been negative so far, maybe we should just go back to the good old days of P!nk singing the opening to the Game of the Week.

In addition to the loss of the only anthem that all of America will stand for at this point, many fantasy players are mourning their chances of a perfect season and the bonuses that come with it. But, regardless if you’re trying to go undefeated in fantasy this year or you’re just trying to avoid an 0-2 start, here are some weekly picks on who not to start this week. Some of the picks last week to stay away from — Chris Ivory, Dez Bryant, and the Green Bay Packers defense — turned out to be some smart choices and helped out many users, though our suggestion of starting Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets’ defense/special teams likely hurt some close games.

QB: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks ($7,400): This is probably an easy one because you’re already most likely aware of the ankle injury the former Super Bowl champion is facing, but don’t let any type of blind optimism fool you into starting Wilson. I think even the most diehard member of the 12s will agree that starting Wilson, a quarterback who is best when he can make plays with his legs as well, against a solid defensive line who is going to be motivated by the first game in their new stadium may not be the best idea.

This pick may surprise some of you, but I’d actually really consider looking into new Browns starting quarterback Josh McCown ($5,000 and somehow available in 1.2 percent of leagues!) for fantasy this week. No, McCown isn’t Robert Griffin III, but he has a nice rapport with tight end Gary Barnidge and should be able to make things work with some of Cleveland’s younger and newer wideouts. As stingy as Baltimore’s defense can still be, McCown is a cheap pick and, even if he doesn’t pick up the win for the Browns, should be able to help get you a win in fantasy. People are going to suggest Eli Manning because he’s facing the Saints’ defense, but the law of averages dictates that against awful defenses, the two-time Super Bowl champion seems to have less-than-stellar games (by fantasy standards, at least).

RB1: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills ($6,500): Alright, I’ll admit it: New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis looked old and like a shell of his former self against Cincinnati’s A.J. Green last week, but that defensive line was absolutely fantastic. Only averaging 3.6 yards a carry last week on 16 attempts, former NFC rushing champion LeSean McCoy seemed lost at times and likely isn’t the best pick to go against a Jets defense that always handles the run well. It’s possible McCoy could get some points through the air on wheel routes and screens, but if you want a running back who’s also going to get you points on the ground, the former first-round pick probably isn’t your guy this week.

As cliche of a pick as this may be may, Kansas City’s Spencer Ware ($6,100 on DraftKings and now owned in 85.4 percent of fantasy leagues) — despite splitting carries with Charcandrick West as Jamaal Charles tries to get to 100 percent — is probably as ideal of a pick you’re going to get this week. Even against a stout Texans defense, Ware is a bargain at $3,500 and adds a level of explosiveness that often manages to sneak past a front seven like Houston’s for a big gain or two.

RB2: Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers ($5,100): Yes, Hyde ran for nearly four yards a carry and 100 yards on Monday night against the Rams and, yes, he also had two touchdowns. Yes, the Panthers let C.J. Anderson tear their defense up for 4.6 yards a touch, and yes, that’s probably why the score of the Panthers-Broncos game was so close at the end. Does that mean Hyde is a smart play against Luke Keuchly and the Carolina Panthers? What do you think?

Again, we’re going with an AFC pick as San Diego’s Danny Woodhead, who has seemingly been in the league forever, is only a dollar more expensive on DraftKings (but owned in 91.5 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues) and figures to play a role in both the passing and rushing game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since the two first partnered in 2011, Philip Rivers has made it clear he loves some Danny Woodhead, and I expect the same success to continue as the two look to avoid a 0-2 start.

WR1: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks ($6,600): Pretty much everything I said about Wilson applies to Baldwin so, for a few hundred bucks cheaper, you can start Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders ($6,200 and owned in 95.7 percent of ESPN leagues… sorry, guys) instead. Sunday’s outing against the Detroit Lions proved that the Colts’ defense isn’t going to be able to stop a nosebleed, and going into Denver against an offense that handled themselves pretty well against the Panthers? I can’t see Sanders putting up the numbers he did in the days where Peyton Manning could still make plays, but if Chuck Pagano puts his best defensive players on DeMaryius Thomas, the former Steelers wideout could still get you some points for your fantasy team.

WR2: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts ($7,000): The one thing the Colts did do right last week, however, was score on offense as Andrew Luck threw for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns. But, can Luck go into Denver and put up the same type of numbers against one of the league’s best defenses? If Luck puts up nice numbers this week, it’ll be by throwing to weapons not named T.Y. Hilton, who will most likely be double or triple-teamed all game long. For those like myself who have Hilton on their regular teams, it hurts to bench him after such a huge game from Luck last week, but there’s plenty of better options out there when it comes to wide receivers.

Me, I like New Orleans’ Willie Snead ($5,800 on DraftKings and owned in 83.5 percent of leagues) against that New York Giants defense and hauling passes in from Drew Brees. Really, either Brandin Cooks — who just got a new emoji on the SportsManias iPhone app — or Snead is a smart pick for reasons I’ll explain below, but Snead is over $2,000 cheaper than Cooks and his $8,000 cost on DraftKings. Go with Snead if you want to take the lead, I guess.

WR3: Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons ($5,600): Honestly, this one is really just because of Sanu’s ankle injury and the fact Oakland’s defense should be able to contain Matt Ryan more in California than they did Drew Brees in New Orleans. It’s early, but Giants wideout Victor Cruz ($4,300 dollars on DK and owned in 27.1 percent of leagues) looked fully healthy again in his first regular season game since October 2014 and has the potential to be a nice play this Sunday. Against New Orleans’ horrendous defense, you know Eli Manning is going to be slinging the ball all over the field and Cruz, as he attempts to regain his old form, is likely to get some targets and probably a score or two.

TE: Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots: Whether it’s Benjamin Watson, Rob Gronkowski, or Aaron Hernandez, Bill Belichick, and whatever quarterback is behind center loves his tight ends. But, I’m telling you to stay away from Martellus Bennett this week because, for whatever reason, Miami always manages to stop tight ends with ease; I don’t quite know what it is because the rest of this team often looks like a JV team, but tight ends more often than not are a no-go against the Dolphins in fantasy.

And though I praised the Oakland Raiders’ defense earlier and said they’ll likely contain Matt Ryan, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any Falcons worth playing in fantasy. Tight end Jacob Tamme ($2,800 on DK and owned in just 4.7 percent of leagues) should be an easy play as he continues to become Matt Ryan’s safety blanket when Julio Jones is fully covered and the former Boston College alum doesn’t trust any of his receivers. Cleveland’s Gary Barnidge isn’t a bad play either, but I just find myself having more faith in a big game from Tamme.

Defense: New York Giants ($2,600): This one should go without saying against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints’ offense, but my gut is telling me that people are going to buy into the solid performance Damon Harrison and friends put on last week in Dallas and start Big Blue in their fantasy leagues on Sunday. I have one word for you: No. These are still the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees, if all goes well, could easily total 450-plus yards passing with the way his offense played last week.

Some fans may be wary of this pick, but in a home game against the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots ($3,000 and owned by 64.3 percent of players) are a nice, cheap pick and should be able to bring the heat to Ryan Tannehill. All week, people have been pointing to Miami staying competitive with the Seattle Seahawks, but the offense was far from the reason for that. You have to figure that after last week’s tight finish with the Arizona Cardinals and playing at home without Tom Brady, the entire Patriots team will be motivated to fry some fish in Foxborough.

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]