Week 2 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Bengals vs Cowboys

A pair of teams coming off disappointing losses meet head-to-head in Week 2 as the Cincinnati Bengals look to defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds have the Bengals tabbed as 7.5-point road favorites in this meeting.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's our start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 2 showdown.

Bengals D/ST Fantasy

Start Bengals D/ST: While the Bengals' defensive and special teams units were among the worst in Week 1, they have a nice opportunity to rebound against the Cowboys. First of all, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST recorded 13 fantasy points against Dallas last week — tied for fourth-best. The Cowboys only generated 244 total offensive yards in the game, giving up four sacks and an interception along the way. Now that injured quarterback Dak Prescott is being replaced by Cooper Rush (who has one start in five years) and Dallas' offensive line looking like a mess, the Bengals D/ST is a must-start here.

Tony Pollard Fantasy

Start Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys: With the mess that the Cowboys' offense is in, few players are worth starting. Fortunately for Tony Pollard owners, the elusive running back is still viable in PPR formats. His 4.2 fantasy points in Week 1 (RB56 in PPR) left a lot to be desired, but I expect he'll see more work Rush under center. Rush simply doesn't have the arm that Prescott does, meaning the Cowboys are more likely to favor shorter passes as opposed to down-field bombs. Considering how Pollard is Dallas' primary pass-catching RB and the likelihood of the Cowboys playing from behind, he has some PPR FLEX appeal.

Drew Sample Fantasy

Sit Drew Sample, TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Despite Drew Sample being with the Bengals since 2019, free-agent addition Hayden Hurst is the tight end to own in Cincinnati. Hurst's eight targets in Week 1 were the third-highest on the team, whereas Sample only saw one pass thrown his way for two yards. The 26-year-old was also only on the field for 29 offensive snaps — 46 fewer than Hurst. It's always tempting to own a piece of a high-flying offense, but Sample isn't worth any consideration, even in deeper 14/16-team leagues.

Ezekiel Elliott Fantasy

Sit Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys: Fans hoping for a bounce-back fantasy campaign from Ezekiel Elliott were disappointed by his 5.9-point stat line in Week 1 (RB50). Now that Prescott is sidelined and the o-line is a mess, it's tough to recommend a start here. Knowing Rush's limitations, the Bengals could potentially stack the box against Elliott, making his life hell. Even if that isn't the case, the veteran rusher only saw 10 carries against the Bucs, making it difficult to predict his workload. Most Elliott owners likely drafted him as their RB2 (including myself), but it's hard to find anything to like about his upcoming matchup.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.