5 fantasy football bench players who are must-starts in week 2

Week one of the NFL lived up to every bit of expectations we had. From high octane shootouts, to defensive masterclasses and massive comebacks, we got a little bit of everything. But did your fantasy team live up to those same expectations? Countless managers left high scoring players on their bench, costing them an opening week victory. If you want to avoid being that manager in week two, here are five players you should consider moving into your lineup.

RB Zach Charbonnet vs Pittsburgh

Seattle’s backfield appears to be much more of a 50/50 split under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. In fact, Charbonnet actually outsnapped Kenneth Walker 30 to 21 in their week one, and despite his modest totals in the ground game, posted a whopping 83.3% rushing success rate. He also received the majority of high value snaps, running more routes and receiving most of the red zone work. Things could get slightly easier against a Steelers defense that has a big reputation, but struggles mightily against the run. Stunningly, Charbonnet is only being started in 4.5% of ESPN leagues. That is far too low for a player who looks to be the 1A in his backfield. 

WR Khalil Shakir vs NY Jets

Shakir had a modest start to the season, but there are plenty of reasons to think he’ll be heavily involved in week two. With the combination of Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith, Baltimore is probably the most well equipped defense in the NFL to defend slot receivers over the middle of the field, which is where Shakir almost exclusively operates. The Jets on the other hand, are very vulnerable there. The Steelers put this on display, repeatedly attacking the slot via Calvin Austin and their tight ends. Shakir is more talented than any of those players and could rack up a ton of catches. He’s currently only being started in 8.5% of ESPN leagues. 

TE Dalton Kincaid vs NY Jets

Almost everything I said about Shakir applies to Kincaid as well. He wasn’t super involved in week, but he finally looks fully healthy after an unproductive and injury plagued sophomore year. The presence of Dawson Knox will always cap Kincaid’s season long ceiling a bit, but he can still have big weeks, this being a perfect spot for one. Buffalo’s defense also struggled with a dual threat rushing attack against Baltimore, so perhaps this matchup can be a shootout as well.

TE Brenton Strange vs Cincinnati

This one is pretty simple. Even if Cleveland's offense wasn’t able to show it, the Bengals defense is a disaster. Even with the poor offensive showing, Harold Fannin Jr and David Njoku still combined to catch 10 passes for 100 yards against that unit. Strange also surprisingly led the Jaguars offensive in receiving yards last week, showing he can take advantage of defenses that focus their attention on the exciting duo of Brian Thomas Jr and Travis Hunter. Strange is still only rostered in 24% of leagues and starting in 7.3% of them, making him a great replacement for guys like George Kittle or Colston Loveland. 

RB Travis Etienne Jr. vs Cincinnati

Another double up from a particular matchup. As I said above, facing Cincinnati is always good, but this is more about Etienne’s role. He looks to be about as close to a bell-cow as we see in today’s NFL, taking 64% of the running back rush share and leading the backfield in routes run. On top of that, Tank Bigsby, who was second in both of those categories, was just shipped off to Philadelphia. Rookie Bhayshal Tuten was all the rage this offseason but only saw the field for four snaps. Etienne is already looking like one of the best values from fantasy drafts and should be starting in every 10 and 12 team league. He’s currently only starting in 31.1% of ESPN leagues.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 5 fantasy football bench players who are must-starts in week 2