Who Should I Start for Week 2? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Malachi Fields, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Mike Washington Jr., Troy Franklin, Braelon Allen, Cooper Kupp.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Malachi Fields, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Mike Washington Jr., Troy Franklin, Braelon Allen, and Cooper Kupp. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2026 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.
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Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 2:
Malachi Fields, New York Giants
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields did not have a huge statistical day in his team's Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, recording two catches for 25 yards on four targets. However, the 23-year-old was on the field for 72% of his team's offensive snaps, by far the most of any Giants wide receiver.
New York has a clear WR1 in Malik Nabers, who played just 52% of the snaps in his first game back from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Still, if Fields can secure the WR2 spot in New York, he could eventually see consistent target volume on a week-to-week basis. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 79.3% of his pass attempts for 230 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, which should give fantasy managers some added faith in the overall health of the team's passing game.
Given his season-long upside, Fields profiles as a worthy stash candidate in deeper league formats coming out of Week 1. Entering Week 2, managers should only view him as a desperation FLEX option in deeper 14+ team, three-WR formats.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. made good use of his limited work in Sunday's 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, turning seven carries into 41 yards. Ashton Jeanty still owned the backfield with 23 carries and six catches, so Washington is not pushing for a starting fantasy spot in Week 2. He is becoming harder to leave on waiver wires, though.
The Raiders traded up to take Washington 122nd overall in April, and the 6-foot-2, 228-pound rookie opened the season second to Jeanty on the depth chart. Washington also handled first-team work when Jeanty left an August practice with an injury, giving Las Vegas a chance to see him with the starting offense before the games counted.
Seven carries do not give Washington much standalone value yet, especially with Jeanty healthy. They do reinforce his place as the back fantasy managers want behind him. Washington should be stashed in 12-team leagues before that role becomes more expensive, rather than viewed as a Week 2 play against the Chargers.
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
The New York Jets offense had a solid showing in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, and running back Braelon Allen showed that he can be one of the players who carve out standalone value in fantasy football. Despite operating behind Breece Hall, Allen put together an impressive box score on Sunday, rushing for 40 yards on 10 carries with a 40% snap share. The Jets placed a heavy emphasis on running the ball, and Allen benefited as a result.
He came close to scoring a touchdown, which would have made him a top-36 fantasy running back for Week 1. The Jets' schedule gets tougher going forward, so we can't guarantee they'll run the ball quite as much as they did against the Lions.
Still, this rushing attack finally looks potent, and Allen can have low-end RB3/flex appeal with just a little more goal-line work or receiving work. He should be a waiver wire target for all managers in 12+ team leagues, and he's particularly a priority addition for managers who already have Hall on their roster.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) missed the team's season opener with a knee injury sustained in training camp, but he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, according to head coach Todd Bowles. McMillan has struggled to stay on the field through his first three seasons, but his impact has been felt when healthy and available, finishing as a top-20 fantasy wide receiver in six of his last nine starts and cracking the top 12 three times in that stretch.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield spread the ball around in a Week 1 loss to the Bengals, with five different players making at least three catches, so McMillan's ceiling could be capped upon his return. Still, monitor him to see if he can keep stringing together full practices ahead of a potential Week 2 debut against the Browns.
If cleared to play, McMillan could carve out deep-league FLEX appeal in a potent Tampa Bay offense.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Malachi Fields, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Mike Washington Jr., Troy Franklin, Braelon Allen, Cooper Kupp. 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 (2026)? 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 2 for Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Malachi Fields, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Mike Washington Jr., Troy Franklin, Braelon Allen, Cooper Kupp:
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