Who Should I Start for Week 2? Fantasy Football outlooks for Joe Burrow, Jaxson Dart, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Malik Willis, Drew Lock, Geno Smith, Cam Ward.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Joe Burrow, Jaxson Dart, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Malik Willis, Drew Lock, Geno Smith, and Cam Ward. 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:
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward faces off against the formidable Eagles defense in a Week 2 showdown at home. The second-year quarterback had an extremely forgettable opening game, managing only 140 passing yards and one touchdown in a loss to the New York Jets, a game in which the Titans were favored.
Ward did add 21 yards on four carries, but the Titans managed just 195 total yards and struggled to sustain drives throughout the game. Things do not get much easier this week against Philadelphia. The Eagles held Jayden Daniels to just 164 passing yards in Week 1, although Daniels did manage two late passing touchdowns.
Philadelphia was also one of the NFL's stingiest pass defenses last season, allowing a league-low 14 passing touchdowns and the sixth-fewest yards through the air. After Ward's struggles last week, fantasy managers should look for other options, even in superflex leagues. He is best viewed as a low-end QB2 this week and should remain on the bench in standard one-quarterback leagues.
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock put together a solid outing in relief of the injured Sam Darnold (glute) in Week 1. Lock was forced to play 90% of Seattle's snaps in Week 1 and went 16/22 for 187 yards and a long touchdown to wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Lock was efficient and effective in Week 1. He should carry that momentum into Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, but it seems unlikely that Lock will reach fantasy starter status this week. Arizona's defense played solid football against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, but the defense as a whole should not be scary over the course of the season.
However, Seattle seems likely to lean on its running game as much as possible until Darnold is back in the lineup. Lock may very well put up respectable numbers once again, but it is unlikely to be enough to consider starting him with so many other quality options available.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis brings unique potential in Week 2, when he will start against the 49ers. In Week 1, he led his team in rushing with 39 rushing yards on six carries while also completing 15-of-27 passes for 220 passing yards. He ran for a touchdown but didn't throw any scores, while also throwing an interception.
He took five sacks and sustained a toe injury, but he was a full participant in practice all week and is going to focus on taking fewer sacks in Week 2. Willis and the Dolphins' offense are still very much a work in progress, but his rushing production is enough to keep him on the radar in dual-QB leagues.
In Week 2, Willis is the No. 21 QB in RotoBaller's rankings, leaving him well outside the starting level in most leagues but on the fringes of QB2 status, even in a difficult matchup by the Bay.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was once again listed on the injury report with a knee injury, but was a full participant in every Kansas City practice heading into Week 2. This injury report listing will likely remain throughout the season as the Chiefs manage Mahomes ' return from his ACL injury. That said, he was practicing fully and should be considered ready to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.
Mahomes had an encouraging season debut in the 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs superstar completed 15 of 27 pass attempts (56%) for 184 yards and two touchdowns, but most encouraging was the fact that he scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown in the middle of the field. The fear surrounding Mahomes coming off the scary knee injury was that his mobility would suffer, but it appears he put those worries to rest.
Mahomes should have an easier time passing the ball against a Colts defense that just allowed 41 points to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. Mahomes is ranked QB12 in our RotoBaller Week 2 rankings, making him a justifiable QB1 for fantasy managers.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (back) is officially listed as questionable but is expected to play in his team's Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. Burrow had a relatively quiet game from a fantasy perspective in Week 1, throwing for 254 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While a fully healthy Burrow can put up points against any defense, he faces a difficult matchup against Houston.
The Texans were beat up by the Buffalo Bills offense in Week 1, but Houston was a top-seven unit in terms of both total passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed in 2025. Burrow battled back tightness throughout this week in practice, which could limit his mobility against the Texans. Between possible lingering effects from the back issue and the difficult matchup, Burrow profiles as a borderline fantasy QB1 in Week 2.
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 - Joe Burrow, Jaxson Dart, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Malik Willis, Drew Lock, Geno Smith, Cam Ward. 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 Joe Burrow, Jaxson Dart, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Malik Willis, Drew Lock, Geno Smith, Cam Ward:
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