TST NFL Fantasy Football Week 2 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em

Week One of the NFL season was full of exciting moments and nail biting finishes, including in the fantasy football realm. Transitioning to Week Two, I am back again to go over which three players I would start and sit this week.  

While looking to help fantasy managers make difficult decisions to their lineup, we won’t be mentioning the players that are obviously no-brainers (ex. Ja’Marr Chase, Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, etc.). So instead, we will explore more debatable scenarios. 

Quick note: I know not every player made the cut in this week’s column; I had to draw the line somewhere. Keep an eye out for expanded coverage in future weeks where I hope to create a full rankings list for every player at their position.

QUARTERBACKS 

Start ‘Em 

Justin Fields - New York Jets; Proj. FPTS - 19.3: I think Fields opened a lot of eyes for fantasy managers in Week One. Yes, he’s always been a fantasy friendly QB, but solely for his mobility. Against the Steelers though, he not only displayed how dynamic he still is with his legs, but he showed how much he’s improved as a passer, completing multiple tight window throws. Finishing with nearly 30 FPTS, he threw for 218 yards with a touchdown and completed 72.7% of his passes. He also ran 12 times, rushed for 48 yards and scored two short touchdowns. This week he will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills that just got shredded by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, giving up 209 passing yards and a whopping 238 yards on the ground. You should feel confident that Fields will have another great performance. 

Drake Maye - New England Patriots; Proj. FPTS - 18.4: Maye’s Week One performance was disappointing to say the least, concluding with 15.78 FPTS. I expected a stronger outing for the second-year QB, but the weather did have an impact regardless of his 46 attempts through the air. This week in Miami, I do expect bigger things for him, facing a Dolphins secondary that is very thin at depth and got torched by Daniel Jones for 272 yards last week. Maye should take advantage of a unit that also registered the fourth-lowest pressure rate during the first week. If you are a Brock Purdy owner or in need of a streamer, Maye is a strong and viable replacement. 

Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys; Proj. FPTS - 18.1: Prescott’s first showing in 2025 was solid, but didn’t translate well for fantasy purposes. In fairness, he did face a tough Eagles defense on the road. He has a strong chance to rebound against another division opponent in the Giants that allowed Jayden Daniels to throw for 233 yards and rush for 68 yards. Obviously, Prescott will hardly run the rock, but he will certainly be slinging it to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. He’s also had great career success against the G-Men, averaging 22 FPTS and has thrown for more than 300 yards and at least three touchdowns in five contests. In his last two meetings, he has scored seven TDs with an interception. The Giants also struggled with creating pressure against Washington and gave up the second-most total yards allowed. Definitely expect him to have a high ceiling this week. 

Sit ‘Em 

J.J McCarthy - Minnesota Vikings; Proj. FPTS - 17.7: McCarthy had quite the debut game against Chicago. Now only throwing for 143 yards and was getting harassed by the Bears pass rush, he did manage to salvage his night throwing for two touchdowns, rushing in the game winning score from 14 yards out and finishing with 22.22 FPTS. However, he will face another stout defensive unit in the Falcons that held Baker Mayfield to 167 passing yards and limited him to 5.2 yards per-attempt, which was the league's eighth lowest. The Falcons defense only chalked up a pair of 20+ yard completions that is tied for the second fewest. The Vikings O-line also allowed McCarthy to get sacked three times, which sparked some doubts in the ability for McCarthy and the offense to conduct a comeback. Entering his first regular season start at home, McCarthy should be viewed as a risky play with high upside. 

Aaron Rodgers - Pittsburgh Steelers; Proj. FPTS - 16.6: Regardless if he admits to it or not, Rodgers was looking forward to his Week One matchup against his former team. His play on field certainly showcased that he’s not tapped out and still can play at a high level for Pittsburgh. But for fantasy purposes, even though I wrote in my waiver wire column that he is worth stashing on your bench, Rodgers has to prove to me and other fantasy managers that he is worth streaming on a weekly basis. His four touchdown performance could be a one off, entirely motivated by the fuel of hatred he has toward Jets new coach Aaron Glenn. Given his multi-TD day, he was sacked on 13% of his dropbacks and has gone over for 300 yards just once since 2022. And with no mobility left to his game, he will have to have outings like last week to make himself relevant. Entering Week Two in his debut at Heinz Field (Yes, I still call it that and won’t acknowledge it as Acrisure Stadium), it’s hard to imagine him doing it again in consecutive weeks. 

Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars; Proj. FPTS - 17.5: At first glance, I assumed that Lawerence would be no brainer to have in the Start ‘Em category against the Bengals. However, Lawrence hasn’t proved or given any reassurance that he could take advantage of a poor secondary. Against Carolina in Week One, he threw for 178 yards, throwing for a touchdown and an interception despite having a clean pocket for most of the afternoon. The concerns come from him missing throws to both first round receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. And the assumption from this offseason is that new head coach Liam Coen could boost the former No.1 overall pick. Lawrence could struggle this week against the Bengals, who were solid last week at generating pass rush against Joe Flacco. Before Lawrence can be trusted, he must exhibit more in favorable matchups. 

RUNNING BACKS 

Start ‘Em

Travis Etienne Jr. - Jacksonville Jaguars; Proj. FPTS - 12.8: Before the season started, I was heavily targeting Etienne in most of my fantasy drafts. Due in part, he’s coming off a lackluster campaign the year prior and he enters a contract year. There were questions if Etienne would regain a prominent role, but Week One revealed he is an important piece to the Jaguars offense. He played 61% of the snaps and rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries, including a 71 yard run. Etienne’s 156 yards scrimmage yards accounted for the Jaguars’ 378 total yards (41%). This week he takes on the Bengals, who allowed more than 25 FPTS to the Browns’ backfield. This should equate to a strong outing for Etienne.  

Breece Hall - New York Jets; Proj. FPTS - 13.4: Hall was another running back that faced some adversity this off season. Some people were wary if he would be splitting carries with Braelon Allen, and it ended up being Hall with 58% of the snaps and Allen with 31%. And in Week One, Hall led the backfield with 107 yards on 19 carries. He gets another golden opportunity against the Bills, who allowed the Ravens to rush for 238 yards and averaged 8.2 per carry with three touchdowns. Historically, Hall does have success against the Bills. In four games, Hall has totaled 308 yards rushing yards, 134 receiving yards with a touchdown. He’s recorded double-digit fantasy points in three of four meetings, averaging 15.5 FPTS. Don’t think twice about it, start Hall. 

Omarion Hampton - Los Angeles Chargers; Proj. FPTS - 12.6: I completely understand why people would be worried about Hampton considering where he was being drafted. But don’t panic fantasy managers. Hampton played 80% of the snaps in Week One against the Chiefs in Brazil. I consider his debut a wash since the Chiefs were allowed the fewest FPTS per-game to RBs last season. I expect bigger and better results this week against the Raiders, who shut down TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson to 45 yards with no touchdowns. This should be a tougher challenge for the Raiders, who identify as a run heavy team. This could be Hampton’s breakout game if he gets the same amount of workload.  

Sit ‘Em 

Kenneth Walker III - Seattle Seahawks; Proj. FPTS - 11.6: Raise the alarms. We have our first potential bust alert. Walker was somebody I tried to avoid in my drafts because of his ability to stay healthy through a full season. Now with the emerging role of Zach Charbonnet, it has me and other fantasy managers wondering “Why in the world did I take a chance on him?” Charbonnet finished with more snaps (30-21) and had slightly more carries (12-10). The only thing Walker had more was his three catches out of the backfield. Nonetheless, if you drafted Walker within the first four or five rounds, you have to feel sick with what's to come if the timeshare stays the same or if Charbonnet becomes the lead back. Walker and the Seahawks will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, who struggled to stop Hall, Allen and Fields. There is a slight chance Walker has a positive effort but I have more confidence in Charbonnet this week.   

RJ Harvey - Denver Broncos; Proj. FPTS - 8.4: I think it is too early to expect big outings out of Harvey. Playing in only 29% of the snaps, he did find a way to break off a 50-yard run and led the Broncos in scrimmage yards but only received seven touches. It also hurt his fantasy ceiling when J.K. Dobbins got all the red-zone touches. Taking on the Colts this week, it is not far-fetched to expect more glimpses of his explosiveness out of the backfield. However, it is hard to find confidence in him until you see him take on a larger role. I would start Dobbins over Harvey this week.   

Isiah Pacheco - Kansas City Chiefs; Proj. FPTS - 9.8: Pacheco’s usage in Week One was concerning in my eyes. He only recorded 51% of the snaps, while Kareem Hunt registered 38%. He only touched the ball seven times and posted 4.8 FPTS, missing out on valuable opportunities in the game. Pacheco's involvement in the passing game has been limited by rookie Brashard Smith. Now he will take on the Eagles, who allowed the second fewest fantasy points per-game and fewest TDs to RBs last season. There will be better days ahead, but if you are in a position where you have to start him, I guess you have to ride it out this week.   

WIDE RECEIVERS

Start ‘Em

DK Metcalf - Pittsburgh Steelers; Proj. FPTS - 11.6: Metcalf is in a similar position as his QB, facing his former team. While both situations were both polar opposites, Metcalf will definitely look to have revenge on the team that traded him during the offseason. Metcalf had a solid debut in the Black and Gold, targeted seven times, catching four of them for 83 yards while being shadowed by superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner. During Week One, the Seahawks allowed Purdy to throw for the seventh-most yards (277) and fifth-most touchdowns to receivers. They also allowed five 20+ and one 40+ yard completions. I am certain Rodgers will look to help his teammate get the last laugh this week in their debut in Pittsburgh.

Ricky Pearsall - San Francisco 49ers; Proj. FPTS - 11.3: Some might feel skeptical about Pearsall this week with the news of Purdy being labeled as a longshot to play this week. However, the Niners will also be without George Kittle and other receiver Jauan Jennings enters the week also banged up, that leaves Christian McCaffrey and Pearsall as the only weapons for San Francisco. Pearsall finished Week One as the WR20, going for 108 yards on four receptions and was one of eight receivers that finished with over 100 yards. He also was tied for second most 20+ yard receptions (3). He will very likely be the team’s top wide out again against the Saints, who have given up the fourth-most FPTS per-game to WRs last season. Last week the Saints allowed Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. to have their best game together. While I do think Pearsall would benefit more with Purdy under center, Mac Jones should suffice to fill in for the injured starter. 

Emeka Egbuka - Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Proj. FPTS - 11.5: Last week in my Week One column I had Egbuka as one of my start ‘em, and I am doing it again this week. I mean did you see what he did last week? The rookie impressed a lot of people in his debut and even led all Tampa Bay receivers with 93% of the snaps while being the No.2 behind Mike Evans. He managed to score 23.6 FPTS while only being targeted six times. He ended with four catches, 67 yards and scored two TDs, including the game winner. Facing the Texans, they allowed the third-most yards to receivers and the most yards to slot receivers in Week One. While you want to keep a tight leash on rookies in fantasy, Egbuka is a player you can count on in fantasy friendly offense with Baker Mayfield at the helm. Start Egbuka this week.  

Sit ‘Em

Michael Pittman Jr.- Indianapolis Colts; Proj. FPTS - 11.8: I would like to start this by apologizing for having Pittman in my sit ‘ems last week after his 20 FPTS against Miami. However, I still don’t trust him, especially this week against the Broncos. It’s a complete 180 for the Colts, who go from one of the most favorable secondaries to one of the toughest when it comes to receivers. While the Broncos only won by eight points, not a single Titans receiver reached 30 yards receiving. I expect Pittman to be shadowed by Patrick Surtain for most of the day. Week One can be deceiving, that’s why I am not buying in on Daniel Jones until proven otherwise, which means I am not trusting Pittman. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. - Arizona Cardinals; Proj. FPTS - 14.0: I could be alone on this selection but I am not backing down on it. Harrison is coming off a five catch, 71 yard, one TD performance against the Saints, which sparked some confidence in the chemistry between him and his QB. However, I think Harrison will have a tough day against the Panthers secondary that limited Thomas Jr. to a single catch for 11 yards and held Hunter to 33 yards. He will be heavily watched by highly talented cornerback Jaycee Horn, who recorded an interception on Lawrence. Also, Harrison recorded 2.8 yards of separation per route, which is under the league average, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Obviously, most people will disagree with this choice given the name and the talent associated, but players like him have bad, quiet days too. Don’t believe me? Look at how many yards Ja’Marr Chase had last week. I believe Harrison will finish under his projection this week.  

Jerry Jeudy - Cleveland Browns; Proj. FPTS - 13.6: Last week, the Browns spread the ball around to eight different players against the Bengals. Jeudy was targeted eight times and finished with the most receiving yards with 66 on five catches. However, he will go against a tougher opponent in the Ravens regardless of what Josh Allen did to them last week. Before the reigning MVP led a historic comeback, the Ravens secondary was playing lights out and has vastly improved since last year. Also, the Browns will head to Baltimore to face an angry Ravens team and given that it is an AFC North matchup, this can be a low scoring contest. I understand if you have to roll with Jeudy, but if you have better options on the table, definitely choose it this week. 

TIGHT ENDS

Start ‘Em

Tyler Warren - Indianapolis Colts; Proj. FPTS - 10.8: Warren proved to the world that is already a top dog in the tight end realm. For receivers, he led the Colts in targets (nine) and catches (seven) while finishing with second-most receiving yards (76). He was basically Jones’ first option on all of his passes. The only thing that Warren was missing was a score but he was close to one if the ball was better placed. Being one of the only threats on this offense, expect the ball to be facilitated through him against the Broncos. Warren is a must start in Week Two. 

Jake Ferguson - Dallas Cowboys; Proj. FPTS - 9.5: It was a tough Week One for Ferguson playing against the Eagles. However, one positive from that night was consistent usage in the offense, being the No. 2 target with six targets only behind CeeDee Lamb (13). With numbers like that, you should feel confident that Ferguson will have a good opportunity this week against the Giants, who allowed Zach Ertz to reach the end zone during Week One. Ferguson has also had success against New York with his last productive outing in Week Four last season, scoring 12 FPTS. Dealing with a tough D-line this week, expect the Cowboys to throw a lot more this week. Ferguson displays a safe floor while also having some upside. 

Hunter Henry - New England Patriots; Proj. FPTS - 9.7: Henry and his QB, Maye, are like peanut butter and jelly. The pair always seem to be in sync with each other, and it continues to be shown following his 10.6 FPTS performance in Week One. Even though he was held without a TD, Henry had four catches for 66 yards on eight targets. Henry is Maye’s security blanket, especially in the red zone, and is expected to be heavily targeted this week against the Dolphins, who allowed Warren to finish as the TE3 last week. 

Sit ‘Em

Dalton Kincaid - Buffalo Bills; Proj. FPTS - 7.5: Kincaid actually surprised in his Week One game, catching all four of his targets for 48 yards and a touchdown. But, if you take a deeper look, Kincaid actually played less snaps than Dawson Knox and was fifth in the pecking order when it comes to targets. My assumption from their Week One game is that the team will be centered around their receivers. Which means, Kincaid will likely be touchdown-dependent. Look for other options at tight end this week. 

Colston Loveland - Chicago Bears; Proj. FPTS - 7.2: This is a long, patient game with Loveland, who only had two catches for 12 yards in Week One. He is definitely worth stashing on your bench because he will eventually become a weapon. However he is not worth starting against Detroit. Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft did find the end zone last week but was held in check for most of the game. Detroit also was No. 1 in fewest FPTS allowed to opposing tight ends. Avoid him this week. 

Tucker Kraft - Green Bay Packers; Proj. FPTS - 9.8: Even with the hype surrounding him before the season, I believe Kraft is a boom-or-bust option. If he didn’t score a touchdown to salvage his day last week, he would have finished with one catch for a yard. He ended up with 9.6 FPTS. Things could be different in Week Two against the Commanders, who allowed the fourth-fewest receiving yards to tight ends last season, but I don’t imagine much will change. I would avoid Kraft this week. 

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

Start ‘Em 

Los Angeles Rams; Proj. FPTS - 7.4: The Rams should be a lock to start this week against the Titans. The Titans failed to score a touchdown and allowed this year’s first overall pick to be sacked six times in his debut. Ward has to be feeling the aches and pains heading into this week against another dominant front seven. The Rams had no problem creating havoc onto C.J. Stroud, creating pressure on 41% of his drop backs. 

San Francisco 49ers; Proj. FPTS - 7.2: While the Arizona defense did not live up to the performance I expected them to have last week, I fully expect the Niners to get the job done. The Saints still struggled with Spencer Rattler at QB and have scored 13 or fewer points in five of the eight games he has played. I would strongly consider starting against anytime he is the QB.     

Arizona Cardinals; Proj. FPTS - 7.3: While they failed expectations against the Saints, if you are in need of a solid option at defense, the Cardinals have another opportunity this week against the Panthers. Carolina struggled on offense last week against the Jaguars and turned the ball over three times. 

Sit ‘Em

New York Jets; Proj. FPTS - 2.9: I think it wise for all fantasy users to avoid the Jets this week. I mean, if you watched Sunday Night Football last week, you should know not to pick a defense playing Josh Allen. He torched a talented Ravens defense that finished with -3 FPTS. For future reference, just avoid any defense playing Buffalo. 

Kansas City Chiefs; Proj. FPTS - 5.1: The Eagles are near the same boat as the Bills when it comes to offenses to avoid streaming against. Dallas’ defense finished with one FPT last week. The Chiefs also didn’t have answers for Justin Herbert and the Chargers. I know the Chiefs are known to having a solid defense, but it is wise to look elsewhere this week. 

New York Giants; Proj. FPTS - 5.4: Even with all the amazing pass rushers the Giants have, the moment I saw their schedule, I knew I would avoid starting them. This week against the Cowboys, I can see a world where they can make tough on Prescott, but if the Eagles weren’t able to keep the Cowboys offense in check, I can’t see the Giants doing any better. Even in Week One, the Giants created the third-lowest pressure rate against the Commanders. 

KICKERS

Start ‘Em

Chris Boswell - Pittsburgh Steelers; Proj. FPTS: 8.2 

Brandon Aubrey - Dallas Cowboys; Proj. FPTS: 8.4

Cameron Dicker - Los Angeles Chargers; FPTS: 8.5

Chase McLaughlin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: FPTS: 8.3  

Sit ‘Em

Joshua Karty - Los Angeles Rams; Proj. FPTS: 8.3

Joey Slye - Tennessee Titans; Proj. FPTS: 7.5 

Matt Gay - Washington Commanders; Proj. FPTS: 8.1 

Blake Grupe - New Orleans Saints: Proj. FPTS: 7.5