The fantasy football season is officially underway, and managers already are focusing on the ever-challenging objectives of making the correct start/sit decisions for their lineups.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11) or check out our player projections for Week 2:
Sit: TE Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
Week 2 Opponent: at New Orleans Saints
Hurst had a strong debut with the Panthers and rookie quarterback Bryce Young, finishing last week as the TE2. We shouldn’t ignore the fact that he held a 23% target share and found the end zone, but the matchup against the Saints isn’t a favorable one. They didn’t allow a reception to the position in Week 1, and the Saints defense should be trouble for Young. The tight end landscape isn’t fun, but there seem to be more upside plays than Hurst this week.
Start: TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Week 2 Opponent: vs. New York Jets
Ferguson only had two catches in the opener, but it’s pretty clear that he will be a favorite target for quarterback Dak Prescott. Playing on 72% of the snaps, Ferguson gathered a 28% target share despite the Cowboys putting on a blowout against the New York Giants. The Jets defense is a strong one, but they did allow seven receptions to the position in Week 1. Ferguson could be highly targeted again in Week 2.
Sit: WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Week 2 opponent: at Denver Broncos
Posting just a 14% target share in Week 1, McLaurin was a major disappointment in the opener. It’s possible that the toe injury from the preseason is still bothering him, and the Commanders passing attack was lackluster against a beatable Cardinals defense. Now, McLaurin is likely to line up against Patrick Surtain II, which likely isn’t going to be a fun matchup.
Start: WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Week 2 opponent: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Coming out of opening week, Collins is the clear leader in the Texans’ passing attack. The fact that he put together a 26% target share with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud (shoulder) in their first game together could be a signal of a strong connection moving forward. The Colts were gashed by the wide receiver position in Week 1, and Collins should find plenty of targets coming his way against an inexperienced secondary.
Sit: WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Week 2 opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
It couldn’t have gone much worse for London in Week 1. He saw just one target and finished the game without a catch. That’s not going to happen every week, but it’s clear the Falcons aren’t deviating from their run-heavy approach anytime soon. Now, he takes on a tough matchup against Jaire Alexander, who allowed just one reception for four yards on two targets in Week 1. He should still be rostered, but London is trending to be more of a flex play right now until we see a change in the passing game.
Start: WR Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
In what should be potentially the highest-scoring matchup of the week, Jones has the chance to be a strong sleeper against the Chiefs. Though most of the attention will rightfully go to Calvin Ridley, there is plenty of room for Jones to be an upside flex play in Week 2. Jones ran just one fewer route than Ridley in the opener while putting together five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. All three of the Jaguars wideouts have upside this week, but Jones is the right type of bet to make.
Sit: RB Dalvin Cook, New York Jets
Week 2 opponent: at Dallas Cowboys
Even though Cook saw the majority of the work in the Jets backfield — and Breece Hall is expected to remain on a pitch count — managers should be weary about trusting him in this matchup against the Cowboys. He played on just 50% of the snaps in the opener while averaging just 2.5 yards per carry on 13 attempts. In their blowout victory, the Cowboys did a strong job containing Saquon Barkley while allowing the seventh-fewest PPR points to the position in Week 1. It may have been a different story if Aaron Rodgers was healthy, but it’s far more difficult to trust the Jets with Zach Wilson leading the way.
Start: RB Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts
Week 2 opponent: at Houston Texans
Moss is expected to make his season debut Sunday against the Texans after missing the opener due to the forearm injury he suffered during training camp. After a paltry performance from Deon Jackson in Week 1, we should expect Moss to take the bulk of the work against the Texans. Though there’s always the chance Anthony Richardson is used as the true goal-line back, Moss torched the Texans the last time he played against them, taking 18 carries for 114 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Sit: RB Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
Week 2 opponent: at Denver Broncos
It wasn’t a good look having Gibson as one of my sleepers in Week 1. He was a massive disappointment on all fronts. He played on just 35% of the snaps while seeing four total opportunities for 19 total yards. He also had a fumble in the second quarter, which hopefully is the reason he saw such a small workload. Regardless, Gibson can’t be trusted in fantasy lineups until we see his usage improve. On top of that, the matchup against the Broncos isn’t inviting at all for the Commanders backfield this week.
Start: RB Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 2 opponent: vs. Chicago Bears
It’s easy to look at the production from Week 1 and be worried about White moving forward. It’s completely understandable. However, the usage he had in the opener was very encouraging. On 79% of the snaps, White took 71% of the running back carries. His 6% target share was surprising considering how often he was used in that role during his rookie season. The Bears should offer the chance for him to bounce back in what could be a positive game script for the Buccaneers.
Sit: QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Week 2 opponent: vs. New York Jets
We shouldn’t hold Prescott’s finish in Week 1 against him. It was an incredible blowout led by the Cowboys defense. Prescott didn’t need to do much at all. But his QB29 finish in the opener isn’t the reason he’s a sit this week. The Jets defense looks legit under Robert Saleh as a turnover machine, and Prescott is coming off a season in which he struggled to protect the football. On top of that, Prescott isn’t the runner he used to be. He averaged just 3.8 carries per game in 2022 and had just one rushing attempt in Week 1. The rushing boost simply isn’t there. This could be an ugly game between both defenses, and it may be best to look at a higher upside option at quarterback.
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Week 2 opponent: at Arizona Cardinals
You may be scratching your head considering what we just saw from the Giants offense in Week 1. The offensive line was truly, immaculately abysmal. Jones was under duress the entire night. However, he should have a get-right game coming against a very beatable Cardinals defense. Add in the fact that he had 13 carries in Week 1, we should be looking at Jones as a back-end QB1 option despite what we saw from the Giants offensive line in the opener. Sam Howell threw for just 202 yards but still finished as a QB1 against Arizona thanks to a rushing touchdown, which is something Jones could certainly achieve this week.
