Start Zay Flowers vs Chris Godwin vs Michael Pittman | Fantasy Football Week 2 Start Decision
The FantasySP “Who Should I Start? tool produces a number of intriguing debates a week. Some of the better trending decisions at the wide receiver position right now include a trio of guys who could be their team’s top targets this week.
For this start/sit debate, we’ll have Baltimore Ravens’ Zay Flowers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Chris Godwin and Indianapolis Colts’ Michael Pittman facing off against each other. Do you have two of these players on your roster but only one starting spot left? Let me help you in determining which player is in store for the best day.
Tough start decision? We have you covered. Find out in depth stats, red zone opportunities, projections, breaking news, and crowdsourcing real fantasy owners faced with the same start/sit decision. Check out our Who Should I Start tool.
Why You Should Start Zay Flowers
Flowers, the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, made quite the first impression in his NFL debut. Flowers caught nine of his 10 targets, going for 78 yards. He picked up five first downs, with a long reception of 21.
Flowers had seven more targets than any other pass catcher on the team, including all three of the team’s red zone looks. He finished second on the team at 54 snaps, behind only Odell Beckham, who was at 59 snaps.
Flowers is the 29th-ranked receiver in our week 2 projections. He’s projected to go for four catches, 52 yards and 0.3 touchdowns on six total targets.
The Ravens and Flowers will be taking on the Cincinnati Bengals, who will be playing with a sense of urgency after a poor week 1 showing. The Bengals only allowed 154 passing yards to the Cleveland Browns in the opener, and the touchdown they allowed came to a tight end. Wide receivers had just 92 of the receiving yards.
Why You Should Start Chris Godwin
Godwin helped the Buccaneers take down the Minnesota Vikings in week 1. Godwin finished with five catches and 51 yards on six total targets. Four of his grabs went for first downs.
Godwin was second on the team to Mike Evans in every statistic, with Evans also scoring in the opener. Their snaps were pretty much even, with Evans at 57 and Godwin at 58. Tight end Cade Otton was the only pass catcher who played more at 66 snaps.
Godwin is ranked 24th in our projections for week 2. He’s projected at eight targets, 6.1 catches, 60 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
The Bucs will take on the Chicago Bears in week 2. The Bears allowed 237 net passing yards to the Green Bay Packers, although only 92 of those yards were to receivers.
Why You Should Start Michael Pittman
Pittman was targeted 11 times in the Colts’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 1. He caught eight of the passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He picked up four first downs for the team and had a long reception of 39.
Pittman was the team’s leader in every receiving statistic. He also played in the most snaps (70). Two of his targets came in the red zone, which tied Josh Downs for the most on the team.
Pittman is projected for seven targets, five catches, 57 yards and 0.3 touchdowns in week 2. He’s the 27th-ranked receiver.
The wideout has a favorable matchup on paper with a game against the Houston Texans this week. The Texans were the team that played the Ravens in the opener, allowing just 155 net passing yards. Almost all of those yards went to receivers.
Final Numbers and the Recommended Start
For owners rostering both Godwin and Pittman, Godwin is being started about 32% of the time to about 16% for Pittman. Godwin is also preferred over Flowers, with owners starting Godwin 41% of the time to just 10% for Flowers. The Pittman and Flowers owners out there are starting Pittman nearly 45% of the time to just 4% for Flowers.
Owners are starting both guys between 30-40% of the time in any scenario.
Looking at last week’s statistics, Pittman appears to have the best matchup on paper. I like Godwin over Pittman and Flowers this week, but think Pittman has the highest floor, so I’d be fine with starting Godwin and Pittman.
I’d lean Godwin just based on his overall history of production. With Evans opposite him, there’s always the chance Godwin struggles to reach projections, but I think both guys will be solid fantasy starts this week.
I like Pittman to breeze past his projections and again serve as the Colts’ top receiving threat. He should be a pretty safe start most weeks given the team’s offensive options right now.
Flowers was a great story in week 1, but I’m usually one to need another week or two of production to feel completely safe starting rookies. The Ravens might pass a bit more after losing J.K. Dobbins, but Beckham and Rashod Bateman could also be guys that lead the team in receiving some weeks.
