Fantasy football managers got their first looks at their respective teams in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Many will be happy with what they saw across a high-scoring 16-game schedule.
Plenty of fantasy managers saw their studs like Caleb Williams, Derrick Henry, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Trey McBride pop off to open the season. That will inspire hope among many that they can contend for fantasy championships.
But Week 2 will bring with it some difficult start 'em, sit 'em decisions where fantasy managers will be faced with a key question: how much should I read into what happened in Week 1?
In some instances, it's fine to trust breakout players from the opening week of the season. Those players can sometimes blossom into key fantasy contributors
and flex players, even if they weren't well-regarded fantasy draft assets.
Other times, their performances should be treated skeptically. Just because a player is a hot waiver-wire pickup doesn't mean they will immediately repeat what put them on the radars of fantasy managers.
Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines eight players to start and eight to sit:
Fantasy football players to start in Week 2
Quarterbacks
- Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Revenge is going to be on the mind of Mayfield as he faces his former team for the first time since the 2022 NFL season. The Browns just allowed Trevor Lawrence to throw for 245 yards and four touchdowns against them, so it's easy to imagine Mayfield and the Buccaneers enjoying similar success – provided the quarterback can clean up his three turnovers from Week 1 against the Bengals.
- Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Miami Dolphins)
Purdy and the 49ers will be jumping time zones after playing their season-opener in Australia, but they are getting a favorable matchup against the Dolphins in Week 2. Miami just let Kirk Cousins throw for three touchdowns against them, so don't be surprised if Purdy improves upon the 205-yard, three-touchdown, one-interception stat-line he posted against the Rams.
Running backs
- Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (at Atlanta Falcons)
Hubbard was the Panthers' clear-cut No. 1 running back ahead of Jonathon Brooks, handling 13 touches to Brooks' five and racking up 87 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. Hubbard's volume advantage, and seeming goal-line workload, should make him a solid RB2 against a Falcons defense that just lost one of its key run stuffers, Da'Shawn Hand, for the season to a torn quad.
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders (at Dallas Cowboys)
Like Hubbard, many wondered exactly what role Croskey-Merritt would have in his team's backfield-by-committee approach. The man known as "Bill" showed he was Washington's leader, handling 16 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown while Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen combined for 38 yards on 11 carries. Croskey-Merritt now gets to face a Cowboys defense that allowed 165 rushing yards to the Giants, giving him legitimate RB2 upside.
Wide receivers
- Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
Odunze may have scared some off after he was targeted just three times (two catches) despite the Bears' blowout win over the Panthers, but they shouldn't be. The Vikings have allowed the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to receivers this season, and their defense's designs to limit the run should force the Bears into a pass-heavy plan. That would bode well for Odunze and Luther Burden III.
- Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints (at Baltimore Ravens)
Tyler Shough attempted 56 passes in the Saints' loss to the Lions, and Vele was targeted nine times across those attempts. He made a couple of nice diving catches and scored a touchdown, so the Utah product should have flex appeal in what figures to be a high-scoring game against a powerful Ravens offense.
Tight end
- Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Backing any of Cleveland's pass-catching weapons may not sound fun given Deshaun Watson's performance at quarterback, but Tampa Bay just got shredded by Cincinnati tight end Mike Gesicki. If the Buccaneers continue to be willing to give space to tight ends, that could allow Fannin to work his way into TE1 territory.
Defense/special teams
- Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
The Chiefs did a good job limiting the Broncos' running game and forcing Bo Nix into mistakes during their "Monday Night Football" game in Week 1. Now, they get to face Daniel Jones and should be able to force the 2019 first-round pick into some turnovers and sacks, especially if they can limit Jonathan Taylor.
Fantasy football players to sit in Week 2
Quarterbacks
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
After one week, the Steelers have allowed the second-fewest FPPG to opposing quarterbacks this year. Granted, they played Cooper Rush in Week 1, but they could still give Maye some issues. Maye will be playing without his No. 1 receiver, A.J. Brown, which will lower his ceiling in a middle-of-the-road matchup.
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (vs. New York Giants)
Yes, we're recommending sitting both the MVP and MVP runner-up in Week 2. Stafford had a rough go against the 49ers in Week 1 and now gets a date with a Giants team that just rattled Dak Prescott and dominated time of possession. That could make for fewer opportunities than Stafford's managers are hoping, making him a risky start.
Running backs
- Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers (at New England Patriots)
Dowdle was out-paced by Jaylen Warren in his Steelers debut, as the former Panthers star totaled just 15 yards while averaging 1.9 yards per carry. That should allow Warren to maintain the edge in Pittsburgh's backfield rotation, which will already have enough trouble getting going against a Patriots defense that ranks 10th in defensive EPA per play against the run this year, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.
- Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Denver Broncos)
Tuten got 16 total touches to Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s five in the Jaguars' blowout win over the Browns. However, Rodriguez got the team's only red-zone carry, implying he might be Jacksonville's top goal-line back. Such an arrangement may limit Tuten's touchdown upside, which will significantly lower his ceiling against a tough Broncos defense.
Wide receivers
- DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers (at New England Patriots)
The Steelers averaged just 10 yards per reception in the Steelers' win against the Falcons and will face a tough matchup against Christian Gonzalez in Week 2. Aaron Rodgers' penchant for throwing the ball short will limit Metcalf's opportunities for explosive plays, so he's more of a middling flex play given his matchup.
- Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (at Atlanta Falcons)
Coker had a massive Week 1 performance against the Bears, but he tweaked his ankle during the game and was wearing a boot Monday because of it. The 24-year-old is expected to play, but he'll be more of a flex option against a Falcons team that allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in Week 1.
Tight end
- Isaiah Likely, New York Giants (at Los Angeles Rams)
Likely had a massive game against the Cowboys, but he will face a tougher test against the Rams. Los Angeles allowed just four catches for 31 yards to the 49ers tight ends last weeks and allowed just 775 receiving yards to the position last year, tied for the eighth-fewest in the league. Likely could still find the end-zone, but he's a much riskier play this week.
Defense/special teams
- Green Bay Packers (at New York Jets)
The Packers just got shredded in the fourth quarter by Carson Wentz and the Vikings. The Jets don't have the same depth of pass-catching weapons as the Vikings, but Geno Smith can still do enough to limit the Packers' scoring upside as Green Bay remains without Micah Parsons.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 2
