Week 2 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em is here to highlight a few players at each position that we would like to sit or start (where possible).
This series will avoid the “obvious” answers. So, just because I don’t tell you to start the RB1 in the week doesn’t mean you should sit him. It means I just felt it was a no-brainer and didn’t need to be discussed. Also, take these suggestions in context with your lineup. When I say to sit a player, there are obviously going to be situations where you have no choice but to play them. Bye weeks and injuries can cause us to start players we are uncomfortable with. Examine your squad’s situation before blindly following this column.
Week 2 Quarterback Start Of The Week:
Justin Herbert, LAC @ LV
Traveling to Brazil, facing the Super Bowl runner-up, and pulling off the upset win was massive for the Los Angeles Chargers. Specifically, quarterback Justin Herbert looked incredible with a near-flawless performance out there. He had over 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns in a high-stakes matchup without his top left tackle, Rashawn Slater. Herbert’s finish was the 5th-highest amongst quarterbacks in week 1. Herbert should finish as a top-8 quarterback in week 2 against a Raiders defense that just gave up almost 300 yards to Drake Maye last week.
Week 2 Quarterback Sit Of The Week:
Daniel Jones, IND vs. DEN
Don’t even think about it. But wait, Daniel Jones put up 29.48 fantasy points last week and finished as QB3. He also had over 270 yards passing and 3 combined touchdowns. Daniel Jones looked like prime Peyton Manning last week. But all of that was against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins already had a depleted secondary before losing Storm Duck. Pair that with Tua Tagovailoa playing like he’s never been on a football field, giving the Colts offense the ball back quickly. Indianapolis had possession for a dominant 65% of the game. Don’t buy into the Daniel Jones hype on the season, and certainly don’t start him this upcoming week. The Colts play the Denver Broncos, who just held the entire Tennessee Titans offense to 133 yards, with 62 of those yards coming from passing. This is not what Daniel Jones and the Colts want to see. Jones is an absolute must-bench in week 2, despite his week 1 performance.
Week 2 Running Back Start Of The Week
James Conner, AZ vs. CAR
For the 2nd week in a row, James Conner lands himself on the start list. Last week, he was projected to score 15.7 points and finished just short with 14.4 in PPR leagues. This was a little disappointing since the Cardinals had a very favorable opponent in New Orleans. Part of that was Kyler Murray, and the passing game was held to only 163 yards. It wasn’t their best performance, but the Cardinals will get another chance to get the offense firing against Carolina before tougher matchups loom ahead. The Panthers let Jacksonville drop 26 points on them and 200 rushing yards. Their rush defense looked bad; it let Travis Etienne specifically have 143 rushing yards. Conner is a better ground-and-pound player than Etienne. With Arizona facing Carolina, Conner is a must-start in all formats, but especially PPR, where he racks up higher usage than other RBs in the league. Conner is a mid-tier RB1 in week 2.
Week 2 Running Back Sit Of The Week
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS @ GB
Arguably, the biggest riser out of any team’s training camp was rookie back Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the Commanders. The 7th round selection had a debut to remember as he finished with 82 yards rushing and a touchdown. JCM should continue as the lead back for the Commanders, but on a short week, against the Packers, I’m not touching him this week. The Packers’ defense just shut down the Detroit Lions. Yes, the same Detroit Lions that finished with the league’s best offense in 2024. David Montgomery & Jahmyr Gibbs had a combined 44 yards rushing against them. JCM is nowhere near their level, and I don’t like the Commanders to rush the ball against a team that has Micah Parsons waiting right behind the line to attack. After JCM has a poor performance on Thursday Night, try to make a move to trade for him with the disgruntled owner; he’s going to be a great back the rest of the year; this will be just one down game for JCM.
Week 2 Wide Receiver Start Of The Week
Hollywood Brown, KC vs. PHI
After Xavier Worthy went down for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes and the coaches needed to rethink their entire game plan. With Rashee Rice suspended, the Chiefs planned to have Xavier Worthy as their WR1 and the passing game run through him alongside Travis Kelce. Things quickly changed once Worthy went down only a few minutes into the opener. The player that emerged from the shadows was none other than Hollywood Brown. Brown only played in two regular-season games all last year as he suffered a shoulder injury in the 2024 preseason. In those two games, he had a combined 15 targets and 9 receptions. Last week, he had 16 targets and 10 receptions and led the Chiefs in receiving. His 16 targets were the highest in the NFL in week 1. With Worthy set to miss at least this next game, Hollywood Brown should be treated as a WR1 and be started with confidence against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 2 Wide Receiver Sit Of The Week
Cooper Kupp, SEA vs. PIT
After the longtime Los Angeles Rams wide receiver was released, the Seattle Seahawks signed Cooper Kupp to a three-year, $45 million deal. After his first week with his new team, it doesn’t seem like someone who should be making $15 million per year. Cooper Kupp had three targets revolved around fellow receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That’s not going to change anytime soon while new quarterback Sam Darnold gets adjusted to the offense. Kupp is a sit until further notice, especially against a tougher Steelers pass defense.
Week 2 Tight End Start Of The Week:
Hunter Henry, NE @ MIA
I love Drake Maye and the New England Patriots this weekend to put up numbers against the Miami Dolphins’ defense. Drake Maye is situational depending on who you have already, but Hunter Henry is who I am primarily trying to get in my starting lineups. The Dolphins’ defense allowed Indianapolis tight end Tyler Warren to haul in 7 receptions for 76 yards. They made Daniel Jones look like a superstar, which sets up Maye for a big day. But with the discrepancy between tight end tiers vs. quarterback tiers, Hunter Henry is a start unless you have a top-3 player at the position. Putting aside what Miami let the Colts do last weekend, Henry had a game for himself against the Raiders with 4 receptions for 66 yards, which put him at TE15 in PPR leagues for the week. This week, I have him finishing as a top-10 tight end.
Week 2 Tight End Sit Of The Week
Mark Andrews, BAL vs. CLE
With how high-scoring the Baltimore Ravens game was last week, you’d think that Mark Andrews would’ve been utilized more. The Ravens put up 40 points, Lamar Jackson had over 200 yards passing, and Mark Andrews had 1 reception on 1 target for only 5 yards. It was a disappointing week for owners of Mark Andrews, and week 2 is going to be a repeat of that. With how little Andrews was used, I’m fading him regardless of the opponent, until he can prove otherwise. There are plenty of streaming tight ends that I’d rather take over him this week, like Harold Fannin Jr, Jonnu Smith, or Brenton Strange.
For your final lineup decisions, check out the FSAN Rankings Page.