Making lineup decisions can be the most frustrating — or most rewarding — part of fantasy football. We’re to help you make those decisions with our fantasy start ’em/sit ’em picks.
It’s only Week 2. Our opinions should shift based on what we saw last week, but be careful not to overreact to one game on each of your players. Nevertheless, we are still evaluating matchups and trying to start the correct players. With that in mind, let’s take a look at our top Week 2 start/sit plays.
Which Players Should You Start in Week 2?
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
It’s always risky to read too much into Week 1, but when it comes to a rookie quarterback, it’s really all we have. We knew Jayden Daniels would be hyper-mobile, but this was another level of rushing production.
Daniels ran the ball 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Sure, garbage time helped, but the key takeaway is Daniels looked to run and was decisive when doing so.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants look like one of the worst teams in the NFL. They surrendered three touchdowns to the Sam Darnold-led Minnesota Vikings, a team that was supposed to be one of their easier foes.
The Commanders look like the same team from last year. They will score a lot of points and give up a lot of points. The latter doesn’t really matter this week. We just need Daniels to continue running, which I expect he will. Daniels is an every-week top-12 QB and a strong option in Week 2.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DEN)
Perhaps Jaylen Warren was more hindered by his hamstring strain than we were made aware of. That could be true. What we saw on the field, though, was not the same timeshare it was last season.
Najee Harris dominated carries in Week 1, handling 77% of his team’s rushes. Even if we include Cordarrelle Patterson’s involvement, it was the Harris show. He carried the ball 20 times for 70 yards. Warren and Patterson combined for just six total touches.
With Justin Fields under center, we shouldn’t expect much from any Steelers back in the passing game. Even so, it’s still worth noting that Harris ran five more routes than Warren. That is a disturbing development for Warren’s managers — but an encouraging one for those rostering Harris.
This week, Harris gets a Denver Broncos defense that was one of the worst at defending the run last season, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. They didn’t look any better in Week 1, surrendering 103 yards on 20 attempts to Kenneth Walker III. Look for Harris to rip apart the Broncos this week and find the end zone for the first time.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
The Commanders floundered in their opening contest, falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 30-17. Yet, amid their struggles, there were some encouraging signs for fantasy purposes.
Despite a negative game script throughout, Brian Robinson Jr. played 56% of the snaps. He handled 12 carries and saw four targets. He even found the end zone. It was about as good of a day as you could ask for from Robinson under the circumstances.
If this is a near-even timeshare in a negative game script, it stands to reason that when the Commanders aren’t trailing constantly, the scales will tip more heavily toward Robinson. That should be the case against a Giants team that looks like one of the worst in the NFL.
Last week, Aaron Jones ran for days against a porous Giants run defense. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry on 14 attempts.
With Jayden Daniels freezing defenders due to the immense threat he poses with his legs, Robinson should have a chance to be far more efficient than the 3.3 yards per carry he averaged in Week 1. Get him in Week 2 lineups.
Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns (at JAX)
This is admittedly one of the riskier recommendations. Amari Cooper is still very good at football. His problem is his quarterback is Deshaun Watson. It was abundantly clear to just about anyone watching football last season that Watson doesn’t have it anymore.
Now, normally, this is where I say something like, “Well, everyone except the Cleveland Browns.” But I’m not sure that’s true. I just think they’re not committed to Watson due to the exorbitant contract they gave him. As a result, we got things like Cooper’s Week 1 stat line, where he caught two passes for 16 yards.
Fantasy managers may be inclined to react and bench Cooper. I wouldn’t blame you if you did. But let’s examine the peripherals. Cooper still saw nine targets, which led the team. He also ran the most routes. He’s still the Browns clear WR1.
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This week, the Browns face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that looks to be the same pass funnel it was in 2023 when they allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Miami Dolphins running backs couldn’t get anything going in Week 1, totaling 67 yards on 21 carries. But through the air, they excelled. Cooper is not Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, but the Miami duo combined for 239 yards on 12 receptions.
The Browns are on the road and likely to face a negative game script. Whether they want to or not, that should lead to more passing. Cooper is poised for a nice bounce back in Week 2.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants (at WAS)
The only thing missing from Malik Nabers’ debut was a touchdown. Otherwise, it went about as well as could be expected.
No, he wasn’t Puka Nacua from last season. But five catches for 66 yards is perfectly fine. Most importantly, Nabers was the unquestioned top option in the Giants’ passing game.
The rookie receiver played every single offensive snap for the Giants and led the team in routes run.
This week is a great opportunity for Nabers to score his first touchdown, as the Giants get a Commanders defense that picked up right where it left off last season. No, that’s not a good thing … for the Commanders.
Last year, the Commanders were historically bad against the pass. They allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. In Week 1, it was more of the same, with Baker Mayfield throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns against them. Fire up Nabers with confidence.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens (vs. LV)
Fantasy managers have a tendency to overreact. It sure looks as though Isaiah Likely has overtaken Mark Andrews as the Ravens’ primary tight end. But is Andrews suddenly bad at football? This is still one of the most talented tight ends in the league.
The Kansas City Chiefs made it a point to take Andrews away on opening night. He was frequently bracketed and double-covered. Andrews also had to block more to help with the Ravens’ struggling offensive line.
This week, things should look much different. The Ravens are home. While the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense is their strong point, this is a much easier opponent than the Chiefs.
Andrews’ name is mostly here to talk fantasy managers off the proverbial ledge. He’s going to be fine. Keep the perennial top tight end in fantasy lineups in Week 2.
Which Players Should You Sit in Week 2?
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. CLE)
In the interest of fairness to Trevor Lawrence, I will throw out his rookie season in light of him playing for the worst head coach in NFL history. Over the past three seasons, including Week 1, Lawrence has made 35 starts. He has reached 20 fantasy points in 10 of them.
Now, to be fair, he has reached 18 fantasy points in 17, which is just under half. It’s not like Lawrence has been a total disaster. But he has not played anywhere near the level expected of him.
This week, Lawrence gets a Browns team that, while challenged offensively, still sports one of the league’s better defenses. They limited Dak Prescott to 179 passing yards and one touchdown last week. That followed a 2023 season where they allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Lawrence had an eerily similar game to Prescott in Week 1, throwing for 162 yards and one touchdown. This week, fantasy managers should expect something similar, except with an interception or two. Lawrence should not be in fantasy lineups in Week 2.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers (vs. LAC)
Many fantasy managers, myself included, were moderately excited by the prospect of drafting what was projected to be a three-down back, at least for the first month of the season, in the double-digit rounds. The entire point of drafting Chuba Hubbard was that he’d see close to 20 opportunities per game while Jonathon Brooks remains sidelined.
Instead, Hubbard carried the ball six times for 14 yards and did not see a single target. He only carried the ball one more time than Miles Sanders and two more times than Mike Boone, a disturbing development.
In Week 1, the Los Angeles Chargers held the Raiders’ running backs to 63 yards on 18 attempts. This looked like a much-improved run defense.
Add in the fact that Bryce Young did not look any better than last year, and this is an offense fantasy managers want to avoid entirely. Hubbard cannot be trusted in Week 2 lineups.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (at BAL)
Sometimes, the fantasy community gets it right. While it’s obviously too early to take any victory laps on Zamir White as a quintessential dead zone running back, everything we saw in Week 1 supported the general fade on the Raiders’ supposed lead back.
White did lead the Raiders in carries with 13. However, he was out-snapped by Alexander Mattison, who also served as the clear third-down and hurry-up back.
The Raiders are not a team likely to spend a ton of time in a positive game script. When they are trailing, we can expect to see a whole lot more of Mattison. They opened the week as eight-point underdogs in Baltimore, a defense that held Isiah Pacheco to 45 yards on 15 carries last week. This is an awful spot for White.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (vs. IND)
How can you bench the overall WR1? You probably can’t, but the Packers are about to look way different offensively over the next couple of weeks.
Jayden Reed is clearly the most talented wide receiver on the Packers. He’s still not an every-down player. Reed played 72% of the snaps in the team’s Friday night opener. He only saw six targets and one carry but managed to total 171 yards and two touchdowns. That is elite and unsustainable efficiency.
In Week 2, the Packers are set to start Malik Willis, who has been with the team less than a month. Willis lost the Tennessee Titans’ backup QB job to Mason Rudolph. I do not believe Willis is one of the 96 best quarterbacks on the planet right now, meaning he should not be in the NFL. Yet, here he is, set to make an NFL start.
If the Packers sign Ryan Tannehill and throw him into the fire like the Rams did with Baker Mayfield two years ago, I would feel more confident in Reed than I do with Willis.
This is not about the matchup. This is purely about the state of the Packers’ offense without Jordan Love. I would be very wary of anyone in this offense until Love returns.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CIN)
I really like Xavier Worthy and what he brings to the Chiefs offense, but NFL defenses have mostly figured out how to stop the deep ball. Worthy’s speed poses such a problem that perhaps the Chiefs can overcome what defenses throw at them. But let’s not pretend like Week 1 wasn’t very fortunate for anyone who started him.
Worthy saw a 63% snap share, three targets, and one carry. It just so happened two of his three touches resulted in touchdowns. The usage was not great.
Additionally, this may be a game where the Chiefs run the ball more than usual. The Bengals were a disaster against the run over the second half of last season. That looks to have bled into this season, as they just allowed Rhamondre Stevenson, on a New England Patriots team with no threats in the passing game, to run for 120 yards on 25 carries.
We should expect Worthy’s role to grow as the season progresses. But right now, the best move is to take what we got in Week 1 and plant Worthy on the bench until we see more consistent usage.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DEN)
Sometimes, reading too much into preseason usage can be dangerous. Other times, it can result in correctly fading a player whose role is poised to decrease significantly. With Pat Freiermuth, we appear to have the latter.
During the preseason, Freiermuth rotated quite a bit with Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt. That carried over into Week 1, with ‘Muth only playing 74% of the snaps.
While Freiermuth did catch all four of his targets for 27 yards, that’s nowhere near enough to justify a spot in lineups.
It is worth noting that no team allowed more fantasy points per game to tight ends last season than the Broncos. But in Week 1, they limited Noah Fant to 11 yards on two receptions.
One week is far too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions regarding the caliber of the Broncos’ tight end defense this season. However, the combination of Justin Fields, the Steelers’ run-heavy approach, and their tight end rotation all point to leaving Freiermuth on the bench this week.