Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 2 lineup picks from Justin Boone

Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.

For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult his Week 2 rankings.

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Starts

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

vs. Commanders

After a surprising upset loss to the Giants and a subdued stat line from Prescott, the Cowboys head home to Dallas for a get-right game against the Commanders.

Washington just allowed a three-touchdown day to Jalen Hurts and remains a matchup to target. Prescott topped 22 fantasy points against the Commanders in both their meetings last year, finishing as a top-10 QB on both occasions.

The Cowboys defense still looks like a work in progress, so you can expect plenty of fireworks in a contest with the second-highest projected point total on the week (50.5).

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Other QBs to start:

Brock Purdy vs. Dolphins – Purdy has quickly become one of the most consistent fantasy quarterbacks. If he was able to throw for three touchdowns when facing the Rams, there should be no issues against a Dolphins defense that just let Kirk Cousins toss three scores.

Jaxson Dart at LAR – Dart picked up where he left off last season, making plays through the air and on the ground. His rushing upside alone makes him a weekly fantasy starter and the matchup is far less concerning against a Rams defense returning from Australia with Myles Garrett now on injured reserve.

Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Vikings

at Bears

A thumb injury has landed Jordan Mason on IR, paving the way for Jones to jump back into the fantasy RB2 mix.

In his four starts against the Bears since arriving in Minnesota, Jones has averaged 96 scrimmage yards per game and scored three touchdowns against them. We also just watched another veteran back, Chuba Hubbard, put up 87 yards and two TDs on Chicago last week.

With rookie Demond Claiborne still getting acclimated to the NFL and DeeJay Dallas being more of a special-teams asset, Jones is a strong start this week.

Other RBs to start:

Javonte Williams vs. Commanders – Williams has very little competition for touches in what's projected to be a high-scoring outing where the Cowboys are favored. He scored touchdowns in both appearances against Washington last season and I expect him to find the end zone once again.

Bucky Irving vs. Browns – Despite the addition of Kenneth Gainwell this offseason, Irving dominated the Buccaneers backfield work in Week 1. He's positioned for another big day as a mid-range fantasy RB2 with RB1 upside as the Bucs are eight-point favorites at home.

Chuba Hubbard at Falcons – While Jonathon Brooks will likely earn an increased role as the season goes along, Hubbard dominated the backfield with a 71% snap share. This is a positive matchup for the Panthers versus a Falcons team that is struggling to find competent quarterback play.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers

at Jets

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After finishing as the WR16 in fantasy points per game last year during his 10 outings, Watson took his game to yet another tier in Week 1 with six catches, 147 yards and two scores.

While we can't expect him to be the second-highest scoring fantasy wideout every week, that's the kind of ceiling Watson offers thanks to his big-play ability — even against a tougher opponent like the Vikings.

The degree of difficulty won't be nearly as challenging versus the Jets, who were barely tested by the Titans' passing attack last week. Watson is flirting with low-end WR1 status in this matchup.

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Other WRs to start:

Mike Evans vs. Dolphins – De'Zhaun Stribling on IR, George Kittle still rounding into form and the 49ers still projected for the second-most points on the week. I'll be shocked if Evans doesn't come down with at least one of the scores in this spot.

Garrett Wilson vs. Packers – Wilson may not have found the end zone last week, but his 6-79-0 stat line was a positive indicator of things to come. Green Bay's secondary is a major weakness and one he can exploit, just like Justin Jefferson did en route to a two-TD performance in Week 1.

Tetairoa McMillan/Jalen Coker at Falcons – After a solid Week 1 from McMillan (75 yards) and a monster performance from Coker (138 yards, two TDs) the Panthers should feast again in Atlanta. McMillan's best outing as a rookie (130 yards, two TDs) came against the Falcons in Week 11.

Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens

vs. Saints

Zay Flowers is dealing with a hamstring injury that will likely sideline him in Week 2. Rising rookie Ja'Kobi Lane is on IR after undergoing wrist surgery. Rashod Bateman has never proven himself as a consistent threat and the depth chart behind him is filled with role players.

That points to a more old-school approach from the Ravens offense, which will need to lean on Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Andrews against the Saints.

In his first game under promising new OC Declan Doyle, Andrews posted six catches and 49 yards. Those totals would have been his second-highest marks all of last season. He's a strong volume-based TE1 this week.

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Other TEs to start:

Dalton Schultz vs. Bengals – With Nico Collins expected to miss Week 2 and Jayden Higgins out for the season, the Texans have no choice but to rely on their veteran tight end. He's another volume-based low-end TE1.

Hunter Henry vs. Steelers – Are you sensing a theme? The Patriots also lost their top receiver A.J. Brown to injury, which vaults Henry back into the fantasy streamer conversation. His best performance of 2025 came against the Steelers (8-90-2). He also had a decent outing against their new DC Patrick Graham (4-66-0) when he was with the Raiders.

Sits

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals

at Texans

Whenever you have a quarterback of Burrow's caliber with weapons like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown, it's hard to recommend sitting them in fantasy. Burrow is often matchup-proof, but there are a few reasons why you may want to consider another option this week.

The first is a back issue that's led to two straight limited practices. While it's possible Burrow is just taking it easy and will be fine for Sunday (he said he would play), we know back problems can be sporadic and impact a quarterback's accuracy.

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We also have the matchup with the Texans to consider. Though Josh Allen was able to carve them up, there are no guarantees a less-than-100% Burrow will have the same success versus one of the better defenses in the league. I'm treating Burrow as a volatile high-end fantasy QB2 this week.

Other QBs to sit:

Malik Willis at 49ers – Willis' rushing stats will always keep him in the fantasy streamer mix, but I'm not risking him in my lineup on a cross-country trip to battle a 49ers defense that looked ferocious in the opener.

C.J. Stroud vs. Bengals – If Collins doesn't suit up, it's impossible to use Stroud as anything other than a desperation low-end QB2 in Superflex leagues.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns

at Buccaneers

Judkins occupied this space last week due to a tough matchup with the Jaguars and the result was 12 carries for 33 rushing yards, two receptions for 17 yards and an RB39 fantasy finish.

Better days will come for the talented sophomore, but it likely won't be as part of eight-point road dogs against the Buccaneers. Vita Vea and the Bucs front has historically been tough sledding for running backs and Judkins' limited role in the passing game is a problem.

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When Dylan Sampson went down, third-stringer Raheim Sanders stepped into his role. It's possible Judkins will earn more work in the receiving game moving forward, but I'm not banking on that this week. He's once again a TD-or-bust RB3 for fantasy.

Other RBs to sit:

J.K. Dobbins vs. Jaguars – The Jaguars are a shutdown unit against opposing rushing attacks and Dobbins is on a short week after putting up just 36 yards against the Chiefs on Monday.

Tony Pollard vs. Eagles – Pollard only managed 35 yards on seven carries versus the Jets last week. It's not even the near 50-50 split with Tyjae Spears that scares me. I'm more worried about the state of the Titans offense and their awful blocking. A matchup with the Eagles isn't going to help.

Rico Dowdle at Patriots – Despite leading the backfield in snaps last week, Dowdle only produced 21 yards on his 10 touches. New England boasts a quality run defense that will be focused on shutting down the Steelers' backs.

Drake London, WR, Falcons

vs. Panthers

The Falcons' quarterback situation is absolutely tanking London's fantasy value early in the season. With Tua Tagovailoa suffering from an oblique injury, Atlanta hasn't had a bridge quarterback to cover until Michael Penix Jr. is fully recovered from his ACL tear.

Penix practiced in full last week before being ruled out and, according to reports, that's the most likely scenario for Sunday. Though Penix has split first-team reps with Cooper Rush, it's Rush who's expected to get another start.

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That is disastrous for London, who managed just two catches for 29 yards on five targets in the opener. Once Penix returns, London will go back to being a potential fantasy WR1 like we saw last season, when he finished as the WR7 in fppg and was the third-highest scoring wideout through the first 11 weeks before injuries struck. However, until Penix starts, London is down in the fantasy WR3 range.

Other WRs to sit:

Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Seahawks – After being out-targeted by Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and even Kendrick Bourne in Week 1, we need to see something from Harrison before we trust him in our lineups.

Jayden Reed at Jets – The hope that the Packers would use more three-receiver sets and make Reed something closer to a full-time player didn't materialize in Week 1. Instead, he played just 57% of the snaps and only came away with three catches for 20 yards. He's a WR4/flex at best right now, with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden being the Packers wideouts you want to roster.

Carnell Tate/Wan'Dale Robinson vs. Eagles – The Titans offense looks like the worst in the league at the moment. While we can give them a bit of grace as they get comfortable in Brian Daboll's scheme, there aren't a lot of signs that this is going to improve anytime soon.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns

at Buccaneers

The Browns drafting two receivers early was always a concern for Fannin's target share and we saw that come to fruition in Week 1.

Fannin earned just three targets, fewer than wideouts Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion Jr. and Jerry Jeudy. It's particularly discouraging since the Browns were trailing all afternoon, something they project to do often this year.

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Fannin will still have some strong outings in 2026, but averaging nearly seven targets per contest like he did as a rookie seems unlikely. That bumps him down to low-end TE1 territory.

Other TEs to sit:

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