Luke's FLEXology Report, Week 2

TOFFG Writer (and Mad Scientist) Luke B. shares his outlook on who you should start in your FLEX this week!

Running Back

Start: Bishop Sankey TEN (RB29 for week 2):

In week one Bishop Sankey went 74 yards on 12 attempts and a score for a 6 yard average. Terrance West, who was recently added to the Tennessee roster via a trade, was given one more rush than Sankey (13) during garbage time at the end of the game but he only yielded 41 rushing yards for just over a 3 yard average. Sankey now faces the 24th ranked rushing defense that allowed Chris Ivory to gain 91 yards on 20 attempts and score 2 touchdowns. I like Sankey to see RB2 numbers in this one.

Avoid: DeAngelo Williams PIT (RB22 for week 2):

In week one, DeAngelo Williams went 127 yards on 21 carries for a 6 yard average and was the only true rushing threat that Pittsburgh had against New England. This is the last week for Williams owners to utilize his RB1-RB2 potential before LeVeon Bell comes back next week. So one might think that this would be a good time to flex in that late round option that was a low end RB1 in week one, right? Well, in week 2 Pittsburgh goes up against an empowered San Francisco team that ranks 6th overall. I look for Willaims to miss out of even RB2 numbers as the passing game will have to step up this week to score against a surprisingly stingy defense and an equally surprising strong rushing offense.

Wide Receiver

Start: Sammie Watkins BUF (WR27 for week 2):

So last week Sammie had a horrible outing in Buffalo’s win against Indianapolis. He was targeted 3 times and did not catch a single ball. Instead, it was Percy Harvin that showed up (which was called by my TOFFG colleague, Noah last week). Percy caught all 5 of his targets for 79 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. So how does Sammie fit into a good flex play after posting a goose egg the week before and with going against New England? First, is that Sammie was part of the game plan in week 1; it was Tyrod under throwing Sammie that led to his 0 catch line and one of those targets would have gone for over 50 yards and a touchdown. Second, is the overall volatility that is the Buffalo offense with a quarterback like Tyrod under center; given time Sammie’s talent will make him rise to the top. Finally, The New England defense ranked 25th last week in part by allowing 4 receiving options to get at least 50 yards in the air. I expect Sammie to bounce back as a low end WR2 as the defense should allow for ample opportunity.

Avoid: James Jones GB (WR20 for week 2):

In week one, James Jones went 51 yards catching all 4 of his targets for 2 touchdowns, making Davante Adams owners curse at the fantasy gods for allowing the New York Giants to release Jones in the pre season. Jones also looks to be in a good spot, facing the 26th ranked passing defense in Seattle; however, there are a couple of aspects that make me take pause on expecting Jones to be a WR2. First, the target distribution was only 4 targets for Jones verses 8 for Adams and 5 for Cobb. If this holds up, Adams and Cobb should both get more targets and Jones should see most of his targets in the red zone. Finally, although Seattle lost a heartbreaker to St. Louis, Seattle did not allow a red zone passing TD in that loss, which is where Jones scored both of his TD’s. I do not see Jones being a WR2 this week as I expect any red zone passes to go over the middle, into the soft spot of Seattle’s secondary, which would more than likely make Cobb the target.

Tight End

Start: Dwayne Allen IND (TE13 for week 2)

In week one, Dwayne Allen went only 17 yards on 3 receptions, scoring once against a stingy Buffalo defense. Now Indianapolis faces the New York Jets, which are currently 5th overall in team defense after beating Cleveland last week. That being said, here are a few thoughts as to why Allen should do better: First, Allen was targeted 6 times and Fleener was only targeted once. Second, Allen saw 68% of the snaps (52 plays) to Fleener’s 48% (37 plays). So it is apparent that Allen will have more opportunities through out the game. Finally, the Jets defense allowed for a lot of short to intermediate passes to be converted by Johnny Manziel, which shows that while New York is strong on the defensive line and in the secondary, Allen is in prime position to be targeted often; if Hilton does not play, Luck may need to lean on Allen so I expect him to easily be a mid to low end starting TE play this week.

Avoid: Jordan Cameron MIA (TE9 for week 2):

In week one, Cameron had 73 yards on 4 receptions and was the second most targeted player next to Jarvis Landry. It would seem that Miami Quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, is learning to lean on his new tight end. However, I am avoiding Cameron this week based on the matchup against Jacksonville. In week one, the Jaguars were able to hold a much better tight end option in Greg Olsen to just 1 catch for 11 yards on 3 targets. I cannot see how Cameron will do much better as his decent receiving numbers were against the Washington Redskins. I expect Miami to utilize Lamar Miller more to establish the pace of the game and then see Landry Richard Matthews to see most of the targets. Cameron will get his, but not enough to get starting tight end points.