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Should I start Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft, and Brandon McManus for Week 2? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers dominated the Detroit Lions in Week 1, winning 27-13 in a contest that never felt close. The Lions had no answers for the Packers' rejuvenated defense, and the passing attack had its way against a hapless Detroit secondary.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love scored a respectable 15.9 PPR fantasy points, tight end Tucker Kraft racked up 9.9 points, and kicker Brandon McManus made all three of his field-goal attempts for a total of nine points. The Detroit defense played well in 2024 before injuries demolished its depth chart.
The Packers will face the Washington Commanders in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football, and many fantasy managers are wondering if these three Packers players are worth starting. So, let's dive into matchup analysis and recommendations for all three!
Should I Start Jordan Love for Fantasy Football?
Love completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns last week. He added three rushes for four yards. The Lions offense didn't do much at all, though. They scored three points in the second quarter and three in the third quarter, and didn't score again until a last-second touchdown pass to WR Isaac TeSlaa.
The loss of key offensive linemen, as well as one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL, Ben Johnson, likely played a large part in Detroit's disappointing offensive performance. But the Commanders might not have as much trouble moving the ball down the field.
A lot of people owe an apology to Deebo Samuel. pic.twitter.com/icqiSy01Av
— Kalshi Sports (@KalshiSports) September 7, 2025
The Commanders had one of the league's best offenses in 2024 and looked to get back on track in Week 1. Were it not for a few missed opportunities, they could have scored 30 or more points in that matchup. It seems unlikely that the Commanders will manage just six points up until garbage time.
So, it's reasonable to expect that Love will be forced to pass more, which will help his fantasy output. A 20-point game from him isn't out of the realm of possibility. Matt LaFleur schemes his receivers wide open constantly. This is great for Love, as he's able to put up big fantasy points even without high rushing volume.
Should I Start Tucker Kraft for Fantasy Football?
Kraft was only targeted four times in Week 1. He salvaged his fantasy day with a touchdown catch, but he only caught two passes for 16 yards. The Packers passing offense is a nightmare to buy into -- it spreads the ball around incredibly evenly between its pass-catchers.
Matthew Golden drafters look away. The Packers passing offense spreads the ball around as much as possible. Matt LaFleur schemes his receivers open. Golden doesn't have the talent to buck that trend and be more than a rotational piece. pic.twitter.com/LEAxFygvEe
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 10, 2025
A rising tide lifts all boats, and if Love ends up attempting more passes in Week 2, things could look better for Kraft. The problem is that these targets would likely be distributed relatively evenly among the other pass-catchers. The third-year TE is talented, but you might be relying on touchdowns to save his fantasy scoring weeks.
Kraft is a nice red-zone target at a massive 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds, but it's hard to count on any receiver scoring every week. There are 16 games that players play in most fantasy football leagues, and 16-touchdown seasons are incredibly rare for any pass-catcher.
Kraft is a borderline TE1/TE2, but at the tight-end position, there usually aren't a lot of options, so he's still a fine player to start as long as you don't have an elite TE.
Should I Start Brandon McManus for Fantasy Football?
The story is much the same for McManus. He didn't miss any of his attempts, but his eventual score will be heavily dependent on how much offense the Packers are forced to produce. He's still an accurate kicker, having missed just one field goal last season and having nailed all of his extra-point attempts.
Brandon McManus finished the year 2nd in the NFL with a 95.2 FG % with his longest being kicked from 55 yards. If the Packers cannot reach a deal with him would you franchise tag him for $6 Million? pic.twitter.com/0duxNI2gzK
— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) February 27, 2025
He's also a good player to start. Kickers on good offenses tend to be that way. You'll have to hope for a shootout in which there will be plenty of opportunity for field-goal kicks and extra-point attempts. The Commanders offense is likely to make that happen.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft, Brandon McManus. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft, Brandon McManus. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 2 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft, Brandon McManus compared to others:
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