Fantasy Football Start/Sits: NFL 2026 Week 2
Are ya winning son? Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is in the books and hopefully your squads came up with a W. Don't fret if you didn't, we forgive you. It just means you didn't read last week's Start/Sits article on our website and for that we do not forgive you. You can make up for it by seeing what we have to say below.
Last week, we told you to sit Marvin Harrison Jr., start Jaxson Dart, fade Marshawn Lloyd and the Pittsburgh backfield, start Isaiah Likely and so on. We didn't really miss much. And we will continue to do so, trust.
The way we go about this weekly article is: several 4QWI staff members select one player from the major fantasy football positions to write about, whether it be starting or sitting them. We don't communicate at all, and at times there may be some overlap of advice, or even disagreements about the same player. Of course, we will generally avoid the obvious no-brainer starts every week such as Josh Allen and Jahmyr Gibbs. With that, let's get some Week 2 advice poppin.
Quarterbacks:
(@Endydoe) Start: Patrick Mahomes vs. Indianapolis Colts (SNF, 9/20 @ 8:20 PM EST)
Of course, a couple seasons ago putting Mahomes down as a start on a column like this would be a waste of typing but as he and the Chiefs have shown us, he is down the totem pole especially in terms of fantasy relevancy over the last couple years. Coming off of a torn knee back in December 2025, Mahomes was able to suit up last week in the Chiefs home/season opener against the Broncos. Mahomes got off to a super slow start passing-wise, but did grab the first Kansas City touchdown of the season off of a 15 yard run. That touchdown especially means that despite the knee injury, Mahomes is still capable of scrambling when he needs to, which has historically added to his fantasy value in past seasons.
In the air, Mahomes started off rough: going 8 for 18 for 62 yards and a touchdown, and he really wasn't passing the eye test outside of his TD rush. Pat would end up finding a rhtyhm in the second half, going 7/9 for 122 yards and a touchdown.
On to the Colts. Arrowhead Stadium will host Indianapolis in the bright Sunday Night Football lights this week and after a decisive win over Denver, this game seems almost a foregone conclusion for the Chiefs. Without even factoring in the context surrounding the game, the Colts themselves got blown up by Lamar Jackson in their Week 1 game, surrendering 324 air yards alongside a passing touchdown. To me, Mahomes will carry the momentum from the second half of Week 1 into Arrowhead this week.
All this in mind makes Mahomes NEARLY a must-start this week. Of course one week is a very small sample size, but assuming Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce remain both healthy and out of trouble, they will pair nicely with Kenneth Walker as a slew of competent weapons that could very well propel Mahomes back to a Top 10+ fantasy season at the QB position.
(@jvr1210) Start: Carson Wentz @ Chicago Bears (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
I cannot believe that I am saying to start Carson Wentz in the year 2026 but here we are. Carson Wentz came off the bench in the first quarter of the Vikings season opener to replace an injured Kyler Murray who in all likelihood will be out again in Week 2 as he is still in concussion protocol (on the off-chance Murray is cleared and the Vikings decide to start him, I would also recommend starting Murray). Wentz came in and went 12 for 19 for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns, leading the Vikings to victory over the Packers.
In Week 2 the Vikings will play the Chicago Bears whose defense just got absolutely shredded by the Carolina Panthers, allowing Bryce Young to throw for nearly 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. I would not be surprised if the Bears defense has another meltdown, particularly allowing Justin Jefferson to have a big game which in turn will allow Wentz to have another big game at QB. If you find yourself disappointed in your QB1 (Bo Nix owners I’m looking at you), or an injured or questionable QB (Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray), Carson Wentz may be worth a streaming start in Week 2.
(@spechty49) Start: Brock Purdy vs. Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 9/20 @ 4:25 PM EST)
New weapons and some old friends returning home made Purdy look pretty good last week! Personally I considered that an upset. Purdy and the sure handed duo of Samuel and Evans take on the Dolphins and respectfully… I’ll take that matchup all day. Once Purdy throws his government mandated interception he usually keeps it pretty tight. Against a defense who let up 3 touchdowns against a Bowers-less Raiders? Yes please.
(@BreTT_Shevlin) Start: Brock Purdy vs. Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 9/20 @ 4:25 PM EST)
Brock Purdy was one of the biggest winners of Week 1, throwing for 205 yards and three touchdowns in San Francisco’s 27-7 demolition of the Rams. He also added some rushing production, showing the mobility that can give him an added fantasy floor. Now Purdy gets to come home and face Miami. The Dolphins allowed the fifth most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in Week 1, and San Francisco’s offense looked extremely efficient against Los Angeles. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans give Purdy plenty of weapons, and Kyle Shanahan’s offense should continue to put him in favorable situations.
This isn’t exactly a hot take considering Purdy just threw three touchdowns, but we’re still willing to plant our flag.
(austinkh0ury) Sit: Baker Mayfield vs. Cleveland Browns vs. (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Mayfield had an absolute turd of a season opener against the Bengals, throwing for a measly 216 yards while enduring 4 sacks and fumbling the ball 3 times. The only saving grace for Mayfield’s fantasy day was with his legs, rushing 5 times for 30 yards and a TD. This week he draws what most would consider a much tougher defense in the Browns. I am sure Mayfield has been working on ball protection all week during practice, but he will need to prove to us that this opening game was a fluke before trusting him in your fantasy lineup this season. Unless your QB went down with injury in Week 1, Baker Mayfield should ride the bench this Sunday.
Running Backs:
(austinkh0ury) Sit: Jadarian Price @ Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 9/20 @ 4:25 PM EST)
Week 1 showed us Price’s explosiveness and efficiency when running the ball on the ground, however it also showed us Seattle’s plan on splitting carries with backfield mate George Holani. For comparison, Price rushed 10 times for 52 yards, while Holani rushed 8 times for 29 yards. The workload was a 60/40 split on the ground, and until we see that workload shift more in Price’s favor, I would temper expectations if you’re starting him. Price certainly holds the skill and vision to deliver high fantasy production, but until he can cement a higher workload or find the endzone, he is merely a low-end flex option in Week 2.
(@BreTT_Shevlin) Start: Aaron Jones @ Chicago Bears (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Look, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I have some groundbreaking statistical argument for Aaron Jones this week. I just have a feeling. Jones already found the end zone in Week 1 against Green Bay, and now Jordan Mason who had 15 carries in that game is heading to IR with a fractured thumb and will miss at least the next four games.
So yeah… give me Aaron Jones.
The Vikings are heading into Chicago, and the Bears just gave up a solid day to Chuba Hubbard, including a rushing and receiving touchdown on 4.9 YPC in Week 1. Trust the matchup and pray that Carson Wentz doesn’t completely throw up on himself.
(@spechty49) Sit: Bhayshul Tuten @ Denver Broncos (Sunday, 9/20 @ 4:05 PM EST)
I don’t wanna sound like a Tuten hater. But remember when I said to wait and see? I am still waiting and seeing. I didn’t get a great look at the Tuten Supremacy fantasy sites had us prepping for. He did not have that much of a dramatic snap percentage share over his counterpart Rodriguez Jr. Tuten being 49% and Rodriguez being 40%. Tuten did lead with 15 carries. I also don’t think that Denver is as bad against the run as they seemed on Monday Night Football. I want to see more of a true number 1 role out of the Virginia Tech product.
(@jvr1210) Start: Chuba Hubbard @ Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Chuba Hubbard got out to a fantastic start to the season, getting involved in both the rushing and the receiving game in a Week 1 shoot-out against the Bears. Chuba Hubbard also emerged as the early favorite in the Panthers backfield, outpacing Jonathon Brooks with 13 touches in a passing heavy game to Jonathon Brook’s 5 touches. With those 13 touches Hubbard managed 87 total yards, 1 rushing touchdown, and 1 receiving touchdown.
Hubbard will face a tougher Falcons defense who mostly contained Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in Week 1, holding them to a combined 61 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Despite this I expect Chuba Hubbard to continue to take over the Panthers backfield in Week 2, adding immensely to his fantasy stock.
(@Endydoe) Sit: Quinshon Judkins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
As Logan Paul once said: I’ve made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement.
I went ahead and grabbed Judkins as my drafted RB2 in the most important fantasy league I am in, and if last week’s season opener for the Browns is any indication, Judkins won’t be immune from this team’s offensive woes…at least for this week.
This week, the Browns travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers, a team who did lose to the Bengals in Week 1, giving up 76 yards and a rushing touchdown combined to Cincy’s Chase Brown and Samaje Perine. If Judkins could put together a stat line like that, we’d be talking about RB2 movement this week, but the one tough thing about rushing touchdowns (and rushing reps in general) is that it helps to be in the red zone and/or close to the goal line and not multiple scores behind your opponent: all things this Browns offense, especially under the “command” of Deshaun Watson are pretty incapable of.
The prevailing notion is that Watson is being fed to the wolves one more time before the Browns home opener in Week 3 against the Panthers where Shedeur Sanders will take over. Sanders is obviously raw and extremely rough around the edges, but he could very well at LEAST make this Browns offense exciting and make use of the new-look O-Line the organization put together in the offseason.
And if Carolina’s first game is any indication (giving up 59 to the Bears), this could be a great launching point for the Browns heading into October. It’s all conjecture though. At that point Judkins could move right back to weekly start territory. But for right now, I would very much advise leaving him on your bench against the Bucs; I am doing the same this week.
Wide Receivers:
(@spechty49) Sit: DK Metcalf @ New England Patriots (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
If DK draws coverage from Christian Gonzalez??? Smell ya. It’s wraps. Gonzo held Smith-Njigba to 1 catch and 5 yards when covering him. Gonzalez is a bonafide lock down corner. So unless your plan is to pray Gonzalez is covering Pitmann I’d leave DK out for just this week. DK has always had historic success against the Patriots… as a Seahawk. Last year against a Gonzalez-less Patriots DK posted 3 catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. I expect Gonzalez to limit the passing numbers this week.
(@jvr1210) Sit: Luther Burden III vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
If there was ever a time for Luther Burden to announce his fantasy stardom it would have been the game where the Chicago Bears scored 59 points and amassed 552 total yards of offense. Instead Luther Burden only saw 5 targets. Granted he turned those 5 targets into 5 receptions for 63 yards, it was still a bit of a letdown after all the offseason hype surrounding Burden. This game also had fellow WR Rome Odunze a bit limited with a calf injury and 2025 breakout Coleston Loveland only had 2 targets. If there was any game for Burden to make something big happen it was last week.
Luther Burden instead was out targeted by veteran journeyman Khalif Raymond and Chicago’s passing game as a whole was outshined by the rushing game of D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and Caleb Williams. Ben Johnson as we all know loves a dynamic running back duo so it appears Swift and Monangai are the two must own guys of the Bears offense this year and I highly anticipate Coleston Loveland to take a drastic step up in targets and production. I would recommend sitting Burden until the Bears passing game works itself out a bit more.
(austinkh0ury) Sit: Tetairoa McMillan @ Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
Outshined by 3rd year wide-out Jalen Coker in the season opener, McMillan finds himself longing for a big game to bounce back. After a successful rookie campaign, fantasy managers likely drafted McMillan in the 3rd or 4th rounds, and to them, Week 1 was a total fail. Posting a stat line of 5/75/0. Week 2 does not look like it's going to be any different for the sophomore, as he heads into Atlanta likely to be shadowed by AJ Terrell most of the game. McMillan surely will get his fair share of targets, however with the Falcons secondary likely going to be focused on McMillan, it opens the door of opportunity more for Coker than it does for him. McMillan is another player who if you have to start, don’t be surprised if he fails to amass double digit scoring in Week 2.
(@BreTT_Shevlin) Sit: Romeo Doubs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 9/20 @ 1:00 PM EST)
This one might be the most difficult recommendation of the three because, on paper Romeo Doubs’ opportunity should be getting better. A.J. Brown is expected to miss at least four weeks with a high ankle sprain, and Kayshon Boutte is now in Houston. That leaves the Patriots needing other receivers to step up (Romeo that means you)
So why are we telling you to sit him? Because we haven’t actually seen Doubs take advantage of the opportunity yet. In his Patriots debut, Doubs finished with zero catches and dropped a pass late in the game. Meanwhile, Mack Hollins became more involved after Brown left and finished with four catches. If you have Doubs, we’re not telling you to drop him. We’re just saying that until we see the targets actually translate into production, we’d rather put him on the bench and make him prove us wrong.
Tight Ends:
(@Endydoe) Start: Jake Ferguson vs. Washington Commanders (Sunday 9/20 @ 4:25 PM EST)
I’m holding it down for the Tight End position as (I’m assuming) no one else chose to write about one this week. Last week I was super high on Isaiah Likely’s Giants debut, and he went ahead and put up one of the best Week 1 Tight End performances of the last decade. This week, I’m going to propose to you: Jake Ferguson.
Listen, I know Ferguson has been an established fantasy commodity, especially last season as he posted 600 yards for 8 touchdowns. However, social media seems to be hitting the panic alarm for those that drafted him after he had just two catches for 12 yards against NYG on Sunday Night Football. I want the context of the Cowboys’ Week 1 matchup to be remembered as well: Dallas struggled against the Giants, sure, but this included having just two possessions the entire second half. However, what happened on those two Cowboy drives? Tuddies. Just for further reference to this point, in 2025 the Cowboys averaged 10.4 drives per game.
This week, the Cowboys play their home opener as they host the Washington Commanders, a team that just gave up a monster game to Philly’s Tight End Dallas Goedert: as he put up four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. I think Ferguson is poised to be more involved this week simply by virtue of the fact that they will surely have more than seven possessions in this game, and if the Cowboys are indeed a dark horse Super Bowl contender like some people online think, this is a must-win situation, lest they fall to 0-2 early in the season and at home no less.
Start Ferguson. You know you want to.
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