The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of an impressive Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Likewise, it was also a big week for fantasy football owners of various Vikings players.
Week 2, though, will be much different for this Vikings team.
Not only will fantasy owners have to consider this being the Vikings first road game – Minnesota struggled on the road last season – but the Vikings will be going up against a lethal Pittsburgh Steelers offense.
With that, here is some fantasy football news to consider heading into Week 2.
Who to start
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is one player every fantasy owner should consider starting this week against the Steelers.
Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, Pittsburgh gave up 20 receptions for 222 receiving yards. That mark was good for an average of 11.1 yards per reception; receivers were targeted 28 times too.
Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Diggs was on fire.
From a fantasy football point-of-view, Diggs averaged 27.7 fantasy points. Diggs had seven receptions for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Monday night.
Against this Pittsburgh Steelers defense, Diggs would be a great start.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph is also another high-quality fantasy player.
Last week, Rudolph averaged 11.6 fantasy points per game, as he caught one touchdown against the Saints. He also had three receptions for 26 yards.
Rudolph is interesting because he scores most of his points when he is in the red zone. That reason alone is why fantasy owners should play him; touchdowns are valuable, and a tight end that can get touchdowns could determine a win or a loss in Week 2.
To add on, Pittsburgh defenders struggle against tight ends.
Last week against the Browns, Steelers’ defenders gave up six receptions for 62 yards. Both Cleveland tight ends were targeted seven times as well.
Who to sit
Running back Dalvin Cook is one option for fantasy owners to consider sitting in Week 2, and here is why.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense may be bad against the pass, but they are great against the run. Cleveland offers a very talented running back, in Isaiah Crowell, and he managed to just gain 33 yards on 17 carries in Week 1.
Despite Cook having a breakout game in Week 1 against the Saints, this is a harder environment to get accustomed to on a short week, which is why Cook is my pick for fantasy owners to consider sitting in Week 2.
The Vikings defense/special teams is another to consider sitting in Week 2.
Pittsburgh has too many weapons on offense, and despite the Vikings defense being a top unit in the NFL, the Steelers can match that. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown, and running back Le’Veon Bell are all reasons why Minnesota’s defense/special teams should take the week off.
To me, it is too risky, so if you have an unproductive wide receiver or running back on the bench, I would consider dropping one or the other and picking up another quality defensive/special teams unit.
One to look out for is the Jacksonville Jaguars defense/special teams, which had 35 fantasy points in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
Under the radar options
Quarterback Sam Bradford is one player for fantasy owners to look at for this week’s matchup.
Against the Steelers, in Week 1, Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer threw for 222 yards on a 20-of-30 completion rate. For Pittsburgh, that performance was against the Browns; this will be a much loftier test for the Steeler defense.
Bradford is throwing the ball as well as he ever has, as he threw for three touchdowns, and 346 yards against the Saints on Monday night.
I would consider starting Bradford in Week 2 against a sub-par Steeler defense.
Injury/suspension updates
As of Friday, Bradford was listed as questionable, with a knee injury.
On defense, linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Xavier Rhodes are also both listed as questionable. Barr has a hamstring injury, while Rhodes has a hip injury.
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