Start em or sit em? Fantasy football start or sit decisions can be excruciating. While it feels great to make the right call and cruise to fantasy glory, it hurts just as much when you have someone erupt while on your bench. You can use our Who Should I Start? tool to gauge advice from fantasy football experts as you make your lineup decisions. And you can also sync your fantasy football league for free using our My Playbook tool for custom advice, rankings and analysis.
Let’s take a look at a few polarizing players and what fantasy football expert Derek Brown advises. And you can find all of DBro’s fantasy football outlook in this week’s fantasy football primer.
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice: Week 2
Here’s DBro’s start/sit advice for fantasy football Week 2.
Strong Starts
In Week 1, Travis Etienne Jr. finished as the RB16 in PPR, rolling up 16 touches and 78 total yards. He played 59.3% of the snaps with a 36.5% route share, a 14.3% target share, 1.39 yards per route run, and 32 receiving yards. He matched Kendre Miller with a 39.1% designed carry share while producing a 22.2% explosive run rate and 22% missed tackle rate (NOICE!). He could have more volume on the ground in Week 2 if the Saints can keep this game close. Baltimore’s run defense looked suspect in Week 1, allowing the highest explosive run rate, the 11th-best rushing success rate, and the tenth-most yards after contact per attempt.
Please, Seattle. Please. Utilize Jadarian Price more going forward. In Week 1, he played 50% of the snaps with 45.5% of the designed carries while seeing a 40.7% route share. He finished with 12 touches and 58 total scoreless yards. Price’s juice and talent were easy to see. He had a 20% explosive run rate, a 20% missed tackle rate, and 2.90 yards after contact per attempt. Seattle should lean on him at least until Sam Darnold is back, but we’ll see if that happens. In Week 1, Arizona allowed the third-most yards after contact per attempt and the third-highest missed tackle rate. Price should eat this week if Seattle is willing to feed him volume.
David Montgomery was a volume monster in Week 1 as the RB5 in fantasy. He finished with 23 touches, 79 total yards, and three scores. He played 57.5% of the snaps, handled all five of the team’s red zone carries, had a 42.9% route share, and a 7.9% target share (three targets). Montgomery wasn’t immensely efficient with his work, but some of this is on his offensive line. Among 33 qualifying backs in Week 1, Montgomery was 18th in success rate and missed tackle rate, but he had the tenth-fewest yards before contact per attempt. Montgomery could find more running room in Week 2 against a Cincy run defense that allowed the fifth-highest rushing success rate and yards after contact per attempt in Week 1 while also having the 11th-lowest stuff rate.
Kaelon Black operated as the 49ers’ Blake Corum in Week 1 as an early-down complement to Christian McCaffrey. Black played 43.8% of the snaps finishing with 15 touches and 70 total yards (65 rushing yards). He wasn’t impressive as a rusher, though. Among 33 qualifying rushers in Week 1, he was seventh in rushing success rate, but I attribute that to the 3.5 yards before contact per attempt that the offensive line generated for him. Among that same sample of backs, he was 32nd in yards after contact per attempt, and he didn’t force a missed tackle. None of it probably matters in Week 2, though. Black will likely see a similar workload in Week 2 as I expect the 49ers to blow out the Dolphins, which means Black will get plenty of garbage time usage. Miami’s run defense was predictably terrible in Week 1 as well. In Week 1, Miami allowed the seventh-highest explosive run rate, the 12th-highest rushing success rate, and the sixth-most yards after contact per attempt to backs. Black is a strong flex play for Week 2. Black popped up on the injury report this week with a groin issue. He did manage limited practice sessions on Thursday and Friday this week. He has been listed as questionable.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WAS)
In Week 1, Bill was the RB22 in fantasy, seeing a 49.3% snap share and 55.2% of the designed carries. He finished with 17 touches and 65 total yards (one touchdown). Among 34 qualifying rushers, he was 14th in explosive run rate, 21st in yards after contact per attempt, and 22nd in rushing success rate. He had only one of Washington’s five running back red zone carries, which is a problem, but it was one game, so we’ll have to see if that continues. Bill was close behind Rachaad White in route share (34.2% vs. 36.8%). He only saw one target in the game. Bill is a solid flex that could return RB2 production again in Week 2. In Week 1, Dallas was 16th in rushing success rate allowed while giving up the eighth-most yards before contact per attempt and the 11th-highest missed tackle rate.
In Week 1, in a blowout game for Jacksonville, Bhayshul Tuten was the RB28 in fantasy, finishing with 16 touches and 88 total yards. He played 48.2% of the snaps with a 46.9% designed carry share and 33.3% route share (4.3% target share). Tuten looked good on early downs with a 20% explosive run rate and 33% missed tackle rate. Chris Rodriguez handled the only red zone rushing attempt for the backfield, so the concerns of Tuten getting “Kenneth Walker‘d” at the goal line remain until we have a larger sample size of games. Tuten could have a massive game in Week 2 against a run defense that Kenneth Walker just ripped apart in Week 1. Last week, Denver allowed the tenth-highest explosive run rate, the highest yards after contact per attempt, and the highest missed tackle rate.
Chuba Hubbard remained Carolina’s lead back to open the 2026 season as the RB10 for the week. Hubbard handled all three of Carolina’s red zone rushing attempts while playing 67.7% of the snaps with a 52.6% designed carry share and 58.1% route share. Hubbard finished with 13 touches and 87 total yards. Among 43 qualifying rushers in Week 1, Hubbard was 19th in explosive run rate and 17th in missed tackle rate. Hubbard will have uphill sledding in Week 2 if the Falcons’ run defense is as good as they showed in Week 1. Last week, they allowed the third-lowest explosive run rate, had the second-best stuff rate, and the eighth-lowest missed tackle rate. We’ll see if Hubbard keeps this stranglehold on the workload for the Carolina backfield all season, but he is probably again the clear lead for the Panthers this week.
Fantasy Football Flex & Deep Plays to Consider
Last week, MarShawn Lloyd finished with a disappointing stat line with 13 carries and 37 rushing yards (zero receiving yards, one target). He played only 44.8% of the snaps while handling 61.9% of the team’s designed carries. He had only a 15.2% route share and 2.4% target share. I hope his playing time increases this week, but it’s not a sure thing as Chris Brooks could remain involved. Lloyd had only 1.38 yards after contact per attempt and zero missed tackles forced, but it’s a one-game sample. I’m not freaking out about him after one game. Lloyd should find more running room this week against a run defense that in Week 1 allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, the fourth-highest rushing success rate, and the seventh-highest EPA per rush.
The Bears exploded for 59 points in Week 1, and with that offensive firepower output Kyle Monangai finished as the RB11 for the week. Monangai played 44.3% of the snaps with a 39.5% route share. He finished with 12 touches, 124 total yards, and a score. Monangai looked good in Week 1 with his touches popping off with a 22.2% explosive run rate and 7.5 yards after contact per attempt. We’ll see if he can keep it up in Week 2 against what looks like a strong Minnesota run defense. In Week 1, Minnesota allowed the 14th-lowest explosive run rate, the fourth-lowest rushing success rate, and the 11th-fewest yards after contact per attempt. I expect Monangai to continue to be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option.
Jaylen Warren was the backup to Rico Dowdle in Week 1. Yes, if you look at the boxscore it doesn’t look like that, as Warren finished with 15 touches and 73 total yards (Dowdle had ten touches) as the RB25 for the week, but he only played 35.9% of the snaps, had a 30.2% route share, and he didn’t see any red zone rushing attempts. Yes, his fumble in the first quarter could have absolutely played a role in his reduced role for Week 1, but we’ll have to see if that’s the case if Dowdle massively out-snaps him in Week 2. When he was on the field, Warren was his same explosive self, posting 3.0 yards after contact per attempt. Warren could be an RB2 in Week 2 if he sees a similar workload against the Pats. In Week 1, New England allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, the 11th-most yards after contact per attempt, and they had the sixth-lowest stuff rate.
I know Rico Dowdle had only ten touches and 21 total yards in Week 1, but he was the starter for Pittsburgh. He led the backfield with a 57.8% snap rate, a 48.8% route share, and the only red zone carry. Yes, Jaylen Warren fumbled in the first quarter of their game against the Falcons, which could have played a part here, but we’ll have to see the division of labor in Week 2. Dowdle wasn’t amazing on a per-touch basis in Week 1 with only 1.75 yards after contact per attempt and a 13% missed tackle rate, but it’s a small sample, and we have a much larger one over the last two seasons that shows Dowdle is #good. Dowdle has solid flex value this week in a good matchup. In Week 1, New England allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, the 11th-most yards after contact per attempt, and they had the sixth-lowest stuff rate.
Concerning Starts & Players to Fade
Tony Pollard had a disastrous Week 1 as he split the work with Tyjae Spears. Pollard was the RB41 in fantasy, finishing with eight touches and 34 total yards. He played 51% of the snaps with only a 17.9% route share (two targets, 6.3% target share). Pollard had zero red zone rushing attempts. He did post a respectable 2.43 yards after contact per attempt and saw 2.57 yards before contact per attempt, but he’s essentially the early-down grinder for a woeful offense that isn’t likely to sniff the red zone much in 2026. He faces a Philly run defense that allowed the 13th-lowest rushing success rate, the 11th-fewest yards before contact per attempt, and the 14th-fewest yards after contact per attempt in Week 1. Sit Pollard.
J.K. Dobbins reprised his early down only role in Week 1 to open the 2026 season. Dobbins played 40.4% of the snaps while handling 53.3% of the designed carries and seeing only a 15.2% route share. Dobbins finished with eight carries and 36 rushing yards. Dobbins will be a game-script-sensitive flex again this season. He did look like his normal self running the ball with a solid 12.5% explosive run rate and 3.5 yards after contact per attempt. Dobbins is a sit this week, though. I don’t think gamescript is in his favor, and Jacksonville’s run defense should be able to keep him from ripping off any big runs. Last week, Jacksonville allowed the second-lowest explosive run rate, the ninth-fewest yards after contact per attempt, and the sixth-lowest missed tackle rate.
Jonathon Brooks didn’t see a heavy workload out of the gate for Carolina. We’ll see how that evolves over time this season, but until his role grows, he’s just a bench stash. Last week, he played 21% of the snaps with a 21.1% route share. Chuba Hubbard handled all of the red zone rushing work in Week 1. Brooks finished with five touches and 62 total yards. Don’t flex Brooks until we see his workload increase. That could happen as early as this week, but we have to see it first.
Kenneth Gainwell is only a bench stash at this point. In Week 1, he played 45.6% of the snaps with only six touches and 18 total yards. Gainwell had only a 33.3% route share and a 3.6% target share in Week 1. Until his playing time increases, he’s only a handcuff.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
