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.
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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, Jared Goff in a shootout finished as QB16 in fantasy. Among 30 qualifying quarterbacks, he was 27th in yards per attempt and had the seventh-lowest aDOT while finishing 13th in passing success rate, tenth in highly accurate throw rate, and eighth in catchable target rate. Yes, the low aDOT helped the accuracy metrics, no doubt. This Lions’ offense remained reliant upon the “easy button” ideas that we love in Week 1, as they were third in motion rate (75%) and seventh in play action rate. The Bills’ pass defense struggled in Week 1 and could again versus the Lions.. In Week 1, they ranked 18th in yards per attempt while allowing the ninth-highest passer rating, the 14th-highest EPA per dropback, and sporting the 13th-lowest pressure rate. Last year, Buffalo allowed the eighth-highest passing success rate and ranked 15th in passer rating when dealing with play-action. I expect Goff to have a bounce-back game in Week 2.
This wasn’t the start to the season that many envisioned for Justin Herbert and the Bolts’ offense. Herbert was the QB22 for the week. He threw for only 209 yards and one score (one interception). Herbert added 29 yards on the ground with five carries. Herbert was very accurate as a passer despite their offensive shortcomings. Among 32 qualifying passers for Week 1, Herbert was 13th in yards per attempt, third-best in highly accurate throw rate, and seventh in catchable target rate. I expect him to bounce back in Week 2. The question is how much for fantasy purposes. The Raiders faced Malik Willis and the Dolphins in Week 1, so it’s tough to take much away from the pass defense. Last year, Las Vegas allowed the ninth-highest passing success rate, the tenth-highest passer rating, and the tenth-most EPA per dropback. I view this as a middle-of-the-road matchup at worst for Herbert in Week 2.
Brock Purdy was awesome out of the gate for fantasy as the QB10 last week. Among 32 qualifying passers, Purdy was 23rd in yards per attempt, sixth-best in passing success rate, second in catchable target rate, and eighth in hero throw rate. Purdy also added five rushing attempts and 29 yards on the ground in Week 1. Purdy’s rushing equity is also a nice cherry on top of the fantasy cake. In four of his nine games started last season, he had at least 20 rushing yards or a rushing score. Purdy should post strong QB1 numbers again this week. In Week 1, Miami allowed three passing scores to Kirk Cousins while generating pressure on only 6.5% of his dropbacks. Purdy should enjoy clean pockets all game and pick apart the Dolphins’ secondary.
Trevor Lawrence began the 2026 season with a wonderful performance against the Browns as QB5 for the week. In Week 1, among 32 qualifying passers, Lawrence was third in yards per attempt, first in passing success rate, fourth in catchable target rate, and 14th in hero throw rate. I know it’s obvious, but the Browns aren’t the Broncos. This will be a tougher test for Lawrence in Week 2 than Cleveland could conjure up in Week 1. Lawrence shredded this pass defense last year to the tune of a QB2 finish for the week (31.2 points) with 279 passing yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, three passing scores, 20 rushing yards, and a rushing score. Denver wasn’t a shutdown defense in Week 1, ranking 15th in passing success rate and 16th in EPA per dropback, so it’s possible Lawrence, who looked in midseason form in Week 1, could have another strong day in Week 2.
Jaxson Dart picked up right where he left off last season as the QB4 in fantasy in Week 1. He finished Week 1 second in rushing yards among quarterbacks, behind only Caleb Williams. Among 30 qualifying passers, Dart was 12th in yards per attempt, second in passing success rate, eighth in highly accurate throw rate, and 14th in catchable target rate. Dart should see plenty of clean pockets in Week 2 against a Rams’ pass rush that will be without Myles Garrett and had the ninth-lowest pressure rate with him in Week 1. Dart should have another strong outing in Week 2 against a pass defense that in Week 1 allowed the sixth-highest passing success rate, the tenth-highest passer rating, and the 11th-highest EPA per dropback.
Baker Mayfield had butter hands in Week 1, and it cost the Bucs. Mayfield had THREE fumbles in Week 1. He flopped for fantasy as the QB27 for the week. He added 30 rushing yards and a score on the ground, but it wasn’t enough to save his fantasy day. As a passer, he was strong (among 32 qualifying passers), ranking 14th in yards per attempt, third in passing success rate and catchable target rate, and 17th in highly accurate throw rate. Mayfield should go full savage mode in Week 2 against his former team that ran him out of town after he played hurt during his tenure. Last week, Cleveland allowed the third-most yards per attempt, the highest passer rating, and the highest passing success rate.
C.J. Stroud had a strong Week 1 against a talented Bills’ pass defense as the QB14 for the week. Among 30 qualifying receivers, he was 18th in yards per attempt, tenth in passing success rate and hero throw rate, had the highest accurate throw rate, and he had the 12th-lowest aDOT (7.7). It was an encouraging outing for Stroud and arguably the best he’s played over the last few seasons after his standout rookie season. Stroud could stack another solid outing in Week 2 against this new-look Cincy pass defense. In Week 1, Cincy allowed the 14th-highest yards per attempt and the third-highest passing success rate and CPOE. Cincy ranked 15th in pressure rate in Week 1, which isn’t otherworldly. Houston’s offensive line held up well in Week 1 as Stroud faced the 13th-lowest pressure rate, so Stroud should see plenty of clean pockets in Week 2.
Fantasy Football Streamers to Consider
Bryce Young went off in Week 1 against the hapless Bears pass defense as the QB3 for the week. Young directed an offense that had the fifth-highest passing rate. We’ll see if that trend holds as we move through the season, but after one game it’s notable. Among 32 qualified passers in Week 1, Young was fourth in yards per attempt, seventh in passing success rate, and ninth in hero throw rate, but it wasn’t all glitz and glam for Young as he was also 23rd in highly accurate throw rate and 27th in catchable target rate. It was a nice showing for Young, but I’m not ready to say this is some new version of Young who could set the league on fire in 2026. We’ll see how Young holds up this week against an Atlanta pass defense that played well against Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. Last week, Atlanta allowed the ninth-fewest yards per attempt, the fifth-lowest passing success rate, and the eighth-lowest passer rating.
Concerning Starts & Players to Fade
Matthew Stafford was abysmal in Week 1. I’m sorry, but there’s no other way to state it. Stafford was erratic, to put it kindly, as he was misfiring left and right. He finished the week as QB32 in fantasy. Among 30 qualifying passers, he had the tenth-fewest yards per attempt, the fifth-lowest passing success rate, the fifth-lowest highly accurate throw rate, and the sixth-lowest catchable target rate. In his defense, he did face the eighth-highest pressure rate in Week 1, but that’s no excuse. Stafford needs a big bounceback game in Week 2, and I don’t know if it’s coming. The Giants more than held their own as a defense last week against the Cowboys. They allowed the third-fewest yards per attempt and the ninth-lowest passer rating while ranking 17th in passing success rate and 18th in pressure rate. I need to see Stafford bounce back before I’m willing to plug him back into a fantasy lineup. He has zero rushing equity to save his fantasy day if he is horrible as a passer again.
Jordan Love had a busy day slinging it in Week 1 with uneven results. He attempted the second-most passes in Week 1 (42) with the second-most passing yards (387), but his per-dropback metrics were horrible. Among 32 qualifying passers, he was seventh in yards per attempt and had the ninth-highest aDOT (10.4), but he was 12th-lowest in passing success rate, second-worst in highly accurate throw rate, and had the highest off-target rate. Not good, Bob. I’m worried about Love in Week 2. Last week, the Jets allowed the fewest yards per attempt, the 14th-lowest passing success rate, and the tenth-lowest EPA per dropback. I will also say that these numbers were accumulated against Cam Ward, who has a strong case as a bottom-five quarterback in the NFL right now. Take them with a grain of salt for Week 2. My worries about Love really reside more with Love than with believing in the Jets’ pass defense after one game.
Bo Nix looked lost in Week 1 as the QB31 in fantasy. Among 32 qualifying passers, he had the second-fewest yards per attempt, the fourth-lowest passing success rate, the third-lowest EPA per dropback, and he ranked 18th in highly accurate throw rate. He’ll have another difficult task in Week 2, facing a Jacksonville pass defense that last season allowed the third-fewest yards per attempt, the ninth-lowest passing success rate, and the fifth-lowest passer rating. I don’t have high hopes for NIx this week, as the Denver offense and their new play caller, Davis Webb, seem to have a ton to iron out before this offense is humming again.
Tyler Shough looked lost in the first half of Week 1’s game against the Lions, but thankfully he remembered how to play football in the second half and settled down. He finished the week as the QB6 in fantasy with 410 passing yards and three passing scores (two picks). Shough led the entire NFL with 56 passing attempts. I don’t expect that to be a weekly occurrence. Among 32 qualifying passers, he was 16th in yards per attempt, 17th in passing success rate, 26th in highly accurate throw rate, and third in hero throw rate. Shough could see a hefty amount of passing volume again this week if the Saints fall behind early against the Ravens, but this defense won’t be quite as easy as Detroit’s to pass against. In Week 1, Baltimore allowed the seventh-fewest yards per attempt, the sixth-lowest passer rating, and the seventh-lowest passing success rate while generating the 11th-best pressure rate.
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