Lions at Bills Start/Sit: Thursday Night Football Week 2 Lineup Calls

Thursday Night Football opens Week 2 with a heavyweight matchup: the Detroit Lions visit the Buffalo Bills for Buffalo's home opener at the new Highmark Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Two of the best offenses in football, but a short week and a banged-up Detroit offensive line shape the fantasy calls. Both teams can score in bunches, so this shapes up as one of the higher-scoring games on the slate, and the primary pass-catchers on each side carry real appeal even with the injury clouds. Here is who to start, who to temper, and the streamers worth a look.

Start with confidence

Josh Allen

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo. A home opener for the most valuable dual-threat quarterback in fantasy. He is the top quarterback play on the short slate and a cornerstone DFS piece. Start him and do not think about it.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit. St. Brown commanded a team-high 14 targets and scored twice in Week 1. Volume like that travels regardless of venue, and Jared Goff looks his way first when the pocket gets messy, which it might. Elite WR1 start.

Jahmyr Gibbs

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit. With Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, Gibbs is a true bell-cow, and his goal-line role was even bigger than the box score showed in Week 1 after two carries inside the 2-yard line were wiped out by penalties. Start him as a top-five back, with a small note on the offensive line below.

James Cook

James Cook, RB, Buffalo. Cook is the clear lead back at home, and change-of-pace back Ty Johnson is questionable with a hamstring injury, which only firms up Cook's workload. Start him as a strong RB2 with weekly RB1 upside.

Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit. LaPorta is healthy again and ran a route on more than 82% of dropbacks with eight targets in Week 1. At a position this thin, that usage makes him a set-and-forget TE1.

Start, but temper expectations

The Detroit offense as a whole. The Lions are down three starting offensive linemen: right tackle Blake Miller (knee) and left guard Christian Mahogany (hip) are both out for Thursday, and center Cade Mays is on the shelf for eight to 10 weeks. On a short week, on the road, in a loud home opener against a good Buffalo front, that is a real headwind. Do not bench your Detroit studs, but understand the ceiling is a little lower and the game could get bumpy for Goff and the run game.

Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit. The big-play juice is real, but he is a boom-or-bust flex, and an offensive line that shortens Detroit's dropbacks raises the bust risk. Play him for the ceiling, not the floor.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo. Buffalo's top target was practicing this week after a camp issue. He is a solid flex if he is a full go, so confirm his status is clear before you lock him in.

Streamers and darts

• Jared Goff, QB, Detroit. Still a fine streamer with these weapons, but the offensive line injuries plus a road Thursday spot cap the ceiling. A matchup-dependent QB2.
• Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo. A dart in a good offense if you are chasing points at tight end.

Bottom line

This is a great television game between two elite offenses, but the fantasy story is Detroit's offensive line. Start Allen, St. Brown, Gibbs, Cook, and LaPorta without hesitation, treat Jameson Williams and Goff as ceiling plays that carry more risk than usual, and confirm Shakir is active before kickoff. For the rest of your Week 2 lineup, our Week 1 waiver wire has the adds that can plug holes, the backfields breakdown covers the committees, and the rankings have everyone slotted. Then enjoy the opener at the new Highmark.