Fine or Pine, Week 2

By Adam Filadelfo (@FNTSYArchitect)

Even though it's only week two for fantasy football, so many questions arise this week in terms of which players to start and which players to sit (Fine or Pine as we like to call it here). You've made moves to claim players off of your waiver wire and now you're wondering if you should play those players or stick with the players you drafted not too long ago. Well that's why you're probably reading this article. You're looking for help on who to play and who to let keep your fantasy bench warm. Read on for some help.

Quarterback

Fine- Andrew Luck- At this point, the only chance the Indianapolis Colts have of putting up any points is via the passing game and that obviously bodes well for their third year signal caller Andrew Luck. Luck will be forced to throw the ball again since the run game is not much of an option right now for them. Luck will also be forced to pass a lot due to the Colts Monday night opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. Everybody is expecting a shootout and with the suspect defenses of both the Colts and the Eagles, that's most likely a smart bet. Last week against the Broncos, Luck passed for 370 yards and two touchdowns. He provided fantasy owners with over 34 fantasy points in week one and his owners should expect that trend to continue in week two.

Pine- Eli Manning- Hopefully no fantasy owner is faced with the decision to start Eli Manning this early in the fantasy season. The Giants offense looked lost in week one and Eli looked even worse. He threw for 163 yards and a touchdown but also had two interceptions. He scored just over 12 fantasy points in the game versus the Lions and gets an even tougher defense in week two when the Giants face the Arizona Cardinals. Good defensive line and strong secondary for the Cardinals does not bode well for a struggling Eli Manning.

Running Back

Fine- Arian Foster- Maybe the demise of Arian Foster was exaggerated a little bit. Week one saw Foster rush for over 100 yards and provide fantasy owners who were trusting enough to start him score double digit fantasy points and even managed to have a couple of receptions in there as well. Week two is an even better matchup for Foster as he faces the Oakland Raiders who last week gave up almost 32 fantasy points to the Jets running backs. Fantasy owners should expect another productive week from Arian Foster.

Pine- Eddie Lacy- Let me start off by saying I'm not in favor of benching stud players (Especially this early in the season) but between the matchup and the recent concussion, unless you have better options, Eddie Lacy is a risky play in my opinion. (For the record, this could totally backfire on me). Last week, the Jets only allowed 4.5 fantasy points to the Raiders and while the Packers are nowhere near as bad as the Raiders, the Jets run defense has been historically stingy under Rex Ryan. It's their passing defense that needs work and that could allow Aaron Rodgers to find receivers all game long giving Lacy a bit of a breather this week.

Wide Receiver

Fine- Justin Hunter- Last week, Hunter was targeted eight times by Jake Locker and hauled in three passes for 63 yards. Obviously not numbers that jump out at a fantasy owner heading into week two but the Titans face the Cowboys defense this week and Justin Hunter should have himself a better game this time around. He looks to be the deep option and the Cowboys secondary doesn't look like it's able to do much in the way of stopping anyone any time soon. The Titans should be able to move the ball with ease and the receivers for the Titans should benefit from that.

Pine- Victor Cruz- Maybe it's his quarterback or maybe it's just him but Victor Cruz hasn't been very fantasy relevant lately and week one wasn't any different. The matchup isn't in the Giants favor this week and Cruz looks like he's a forgotten man in the offense. Cruz saw six targets in week one and hauled in only two for 24 yards. He provided his fantasy owners with barely two points last week and can't be trusted moving forward. There's a big game in Cruz somewhat but good luck figuring out when that will be.

Tight End

Fine- Zach Ertz- Coming off of a week one that saw Ertz targeted five times, he caught three of those targets for 77 yards and a score. Ertz managed over 13 fantasy points for his owners and looks to get goal line targets as well. With the expected shootout coming in week two versus the Colts, Ertz looks to be a top option for week two.

Pine- Marcedes Lewis- Hopefully many if no fantasy owners are faced with this dilemma in week two but Marcedes Lewis should not be an option heading into the Jaguars matchup against the Redskins. Lewis did have six catches in week one but other than that, was a complete dud. He scored 3.5 fantasy points and the Redskins played the tight end tough in week one so hopefully you have a better option at the tight end position.

Defense

Fine- Houston- Last week, the Texans defense gave up under 11 fantasy points to Robert Griffin and the Redskins and in week two get the Raiders and their rookie quarterback Derek Carr. There's no reason the Texans defense shouldn't finish as a top fantasy defense this week.

Pine- Kansas City- The second half of last season saw the Chiefs defense decline and the first week of this season isn't looking to promising either. Last week, the Chiefs gave up 20 fantasy points to Jake Locker and this week face Peyton Manning and the Broncos. This a perfect week to pine the Chiefs defense.