The WR start/sit debates can rage for hours and, often, the longer you think about it, the more difficult they become. Fantasy football managers who attempt to take the emotion out of it and evaluate the data are the ones who tend to have the most success. At the very least, you have a consistent process to fall back on — or you can choose to rely on me.
Many like that option, I’ll take the blame if it goes sideways, and you can victory lap otherwise!
What should you make of the fringe options at the position this week? I’m glad you asked.
Data from TruMedia, unless stated
Which Wide Receivers Should Fantasy Managers Start in Week 2?
DJ Moore, Minnesota Vikings (vs. SF)
After watching him play with Williams in live action, I lowered Moore’s chances of repeating his 2023 success from little to none.
That’s not to say he can’t be viable, I just don’t think Moore can be special. Against the Titans last week, Moore’s aDOT was 38.9% lower than last season. If that sticks, I’m worried. All three of Chicago’s primary receivers had an aDOT under 10 yards, a replication of skills that is prohibitive when it comes to consistent success.
MORE: FREE Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
Moore can win down the field, and if he gets pushed outside with time, his fantasy ceiling will increase. I’d bet on that happening, but not until Williams is comfortable.
You can feel fine about labeling Moore as a low-end WR2 in all formats, tiering alongside other top options with risk under center like Terry McLaurin and Amari Cooper, for example.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CIN)
I’d argue that his fantasy production (68 yards and two touchdowns on three touches) outpaced the performance (11.1% target share despite a 76.7% route participation). But the speed certainly translates.
The 35-yard touchdown catch was a broken coverage, and while that type of thing is difficult to count on, Worthy’s profile is going to cause issues like that due to the leverage his speed creates.
The difficult part of Worthy’s situation is that sometimes he will benefit from the space he creates and other times it’ll be his teammates. Think of Steph Curry’s impact, where sometimes he breaks free, and other times his teammates are left wide open with all of the attention flocking to him.
I was encouraged by the rookie matching Rice’s route count with 23. All other Chief receivers totaled 30. Will that sustain as Brown works his way back into action?
That is a concern for another day. You can Flex Worthy, though you need to be aware that the floor is low until he proves capable of earning targets consistently.
Which Wide Receivers Should Fantasy Managers Sit in Week 2?
Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans (vs. CHI)
The box score from his Texans debut looks good (WR9 with 21.9 PPR points), but the fact that Diggs had fewer air yards in that entire game than he averaged per target during his final three seasons with the Bills is something I simply can’t shake.
Diggs spent 55.2% of his time on the field last week in the slot, a new role that I think is a sharp move by Houston (he never reached a 31.5% slot rate in Buffalo). He was the first Texan with multiple catches in the season opener and was targeted with three of Stroud’s first 10 looks. I’m confident that his value with the Texans will be higher than it would have been had he stayed in Buffalo.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
The lack of a ceiling, however, is worrisome. Down the stretch last season, Diggs’ downfield efficiency faded, and if he truly can’t separate on those routes, what we saw on Sunday is about as good of an outcome as you can possibly hope for.
I’ll take Diggs over George Pickens and any Jaguars receiver this week, though that’s still not enough to land him inside my top 30 at the position.
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans (vs. NYJ)
The knee injury Hopkins suffered this summer was originally projected to result in missed time, but that got walked back as the regular season approached. He was active for Week 1, but you may not have been aware of it until he appeared in the box score late in the game.
The veteran ran just nine routes and, like Williams for the Jets, seems destined to be worked in slowly. Unlike Williams, however, I’m not confident in the quality of targets he’ll be earning when at full strength.
Hopkins is worthy of a roster spot because we know that this offense wants to open up and that, outside of Calvin Ridley, there isn’t much in the way of target competition. Hopkins’ profile doesn’t come preloaded with the upside that you assume when you read his name; be careful in assuming that he is a Flex option, even after we see his snaps extended.