By admin 
Each week, I’ll be looking to spotlight players and defenses that I think have a tough matchup that could prevent them from producing their usual value. However, this is not intended as blanket advice to play fringe players ahead of established studs—for example, even if I call out a negative matchup for Josh Allen, it doesn’t mean he should be benched for Bryce Young—so always consider your own lineup alternatives.
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With that out of the way, let’s look at Week 2:
Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
For the gamers out there, when you go from easy cannon fodder to a tough-as-nails boss fight with no ramp up, it’s known as a difficulty spike. Going from facing the Cleveland Browns at home in Week 1 to the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 2 is the NFL equivalent. Yes, I know the Broncos struggled on Monday night, but it was mostly the running game that gave them fits—Patrick Mahomes completed just 15 passes and almost none of them were downfield. To be fair, Lawrence was excellent in a 2025 trip to Mile High, throwing for 279 yards and three scores without a pick. Despite that, I’d still strongly consider my alternatives before plugging Lawrence into my QB1 slot this week. Others I don’t like:
- Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: It’s hard not to be bullish on Williams after he had 269 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, and four combined TDs in Week 1. He had pedestrian numbers versus the Minnesota Vikings last season, though, averaging 202 yards and 0.5 TDs as a passer, and 42 yards and 0.5 TDs as a runner. I don’t think you can bench Williams coming off what he did in the opener, but there are reasons for pessimism this Sunday.
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots: Maye has had plenty of time to stew on what was a tough outing last Wednesday when he tossed three interceptions in a loss. Are we sure things are going to get appreciably better in Week 2? The Pats managed just 14 points in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, and there’s no A.J. Brown (ankle).
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: Quiet starts have been Burrow’s MO for years now, and I’d imagine he’ll be seeing a fired-up Houston Texans defense in Week 2 after they were shredded by Josh Allen to open the season. I’d be tempted to sit Burrow depending on my options, and his recent back strain is another reason for concern.
Running Backs
Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals
Easily the biggest upset in Week 1 was the Cardinals beating the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. Love was a big part of that, scoring one of the team’s two TDs. He only logged 13 touches, though, which was six fewer than Tyler Allgeier. While I don’t think Allgeier will get more work over the long haul than Love, I do think the split will be a lot closer than some anticipated given that Love was the third overall pick. No matter who runs the ball this Sunday, it figures to be tough going as the Seattle Seahawks allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing backs last season. That pushes Love into flex territory. Others I don’t like:
- J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos: Nothing looked good from Denver’s offense during their Monday night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This week, they face the NFL’s No. 1 run defense from a season ago in the Jaguars. You may want to bench Dobbins this week.
- Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears: While Monangai’s final numbers (12 touches, 124 yards, 1 TD) look great, much of the damage came on a 61-yard touchdown. My larger concern as it relates to Monangai (hamstring), though, was how much more D’Andre Swift (knee, ankle) played until late in the game. In 2025, it was about a 55/45 split in Swift’s favor. In Week 1, it was 65/35 with a lot of that 35 coming in the second half. In a closer game, how much will Monangai play? It’s something to watch.
Wide Receivers
Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you thought Washington’s late-season ascent was a fluke, or that a reinvigorated Brian Thomas Jr. would be back at WR1, a Week 1 performance where Washington led the team in targets (6), receptions (5), and yards (83) while catching one of Lawrence’s four touchdown passes suggests otherwise. Washington cooked the Broncos last December for 145 yards and a score, but I wouldn’t bank on a repeat. Denver completely locked down the Chiefs tandem of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, and you don’t get far in life betting against Patrick Surtain II. I can get behind Washington as a WR3, but not more than that. Others I don’t like:
- Drake London, Atlanta Falcons: This has everything to do with who is getting the ball to London in Week 2 as it’s currently unclear if it will be Tua Tagovailoa (oblique), Michael Penix Jr. (knee), Cooper Rush (back), or even undrafted rookie Jack Strand. If it’s anyone other than Tagovailoa, I would have serious reservations about playing London after last week’s 2-29-0 disaster.
- Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears: In four career matchups with the Vikings, Odunze has finished with 39, 39, 37, and 41 yards, respectively. His 15 receptions include one touchdown. After Odunze posted a 2-52-0 line in a game where the Bears scored 59 points, I wouldn’t go out of my way to find a spot for him in my Week 2 lineup.
- Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos: Sutton had two catches for 11 yards in Week 1. While one bad game doesn’t concern me, there seemed to be a lot of Pat Bryant on Monday night. If Bryant is on the rise, then it’s Sutton’s role that concerns me more than Jaylen Waddle, who was also MIA in Kansas City. There’s some risk in trusting Sutton versus the Jags.
Tight Ends
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
No team in the NFL allowed fewer receptions to tight ends in 2025 than the Buffalo Bills, which gave up just 46 catches (2.7 per game) for an NFL-low 504 yards. After watching their own defense wilt in Week 1, you’d have to think the Lions are going to let Jahmyr Gibbs do as much of the heavy lifting as possible on Thursday night in an effort to keep Josh Allen and company off the field. Between that and Buffalo’s recent success defending tight ends, I worry about LaPorta generating TE1 numbers. Others I don’t like:
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- Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons: Go ahead and circle back to what I wrote above about London and apply it to Pitts, who went without a catch last Sunday for the first time since Week 13 in 2024. If Rush (or Strand) starts in Week 2, I’m seeking a plug-and-play alternative.
Defensive Teams
Los Angeles Rams: With Myles Garrett (knee) landing on IR and Aaron Donald still working his way back into shape, I’m not sure I trust the Rams to produce fantasy points outside of clear plus matchups, which the New York Giants are not based on Week 1.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals got off to a phenomenal start defensively. I’m still maintaining a healthy level of skepticism until they show some consistency. As such, I wouldn’t be too quick to trust them in Houston, especially if Nico Collins (hamstring) plays.
Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota eventually broke through against the Green Bay Packers, but through three quarters they’d generated almost nothing. The Bears, meanwhile, were busy hanging 59 points on the Carolina Panthers. The downside is too high to risk trusting this defense in Week 2.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 4:49 PM.