Week 2 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Cardinals vs Raiders

A pair of high-powered offenses meet head-to-head in Week 2 as the Arizona Cardinals take on the Las Vegas Raiders. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds list the Raiders a 5.5-point favorite in a game that is full of talented playmakers on both sides of the football.

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

Zach Ertz Fantasy

Start Zach Erts, TE, Arizona Cardinals: Despite dealing with an injury concern, and playing only 60% of the snaps, Zach Ertz picked up where he left off last year in terms of chemistry with Kyler Murray. The veteran finished off a TE11 performance and has a chance for a better stat line in Week 2. The Raiders defense got thrashed by Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Week 1, and rank just 29th in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA metric as a result. It was a methodical approach considering the Raiders' allowed an average depth of target (ADOT) at just 6.9 yards, but still gave up 279 yards through the air. Ertz's 5.5-yards ADOT is right on par with eating up the middle of this defense and projects safer than an unpredictable deep threat like Marquise Brown (16.8-yard ADOT). Ertz was also a red zone threat, seeing 2 of his six targets near the goal line.

Darren Waller Fantasy

Start Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders: Fantasy managers feared the Davante Adams addition would tear into Darren Waller's fantasy outlook. That wasn't the case in Week 1 after Waller put up TE9 numbers, and projects for another big outing in Week 2. Coming in ranked as TE5 in The Duel's Week 2 PPR rankings, Waller will feast against a weak Cardinals secondary. Arizona got demolished by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 1, ranking dead last in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA after surrendering 360 yards and 5 TDs. It was clear Josh McDaniels wanted his passing game in top form, passing the ball on 74% of the offensive snaps. Adams led the way with an absurd 17 targets and Waller came in second with 6. He also saw 1 of the Raiders' five red zone targets.

Greg Dortch Fantasy

Sit Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals: It was actually the relatively unknown Greg Dortch who led the Cardinals in targets in Week 1. Dortch saw nine targets, and three more than any other playmaker on the roster, but it's not time to get cute and expect that volume week in and week out. His WR29 performance equates to his ceiling and there's a reason he's listed as a fourth option on the Cardinals' depth chart. Marquise Brown is the No. 1 option until DeAndre Hopkins returns. If Rondale Moore returns, that dashes all of Dortch's potential value. The young wideout did haul in seven receptions but didn't receive a single opportunity in the red zone. Don't expect a repeat of his Week 1 performance.

Josh Jacobs Fantasy

Sit Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: This goes back to a volume equation. The Raiders passed the ball a stunning 74% of the time in Week 1, meaning Josh Jacobs tallied a team-high 10 rushing attempts. McDaniels' offense likely won't put up that ridiculous pass-rush ratio every week, but that doesn't help Jacobs' fantasy value. It's clear the Raiders don't value him as a pass-catcher (1 target), considering he was out-targeted by Brandon Bolden and given the same passing opportunities as Ameer Abdullah and fullback Jakob Johnson. Against a Cardinals' defense that looked helpless against the pass, this won't be the week McDaniels decides to lean heavily on his run game.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. 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.