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Who Should I Start for Week 2? Fantasy Football outlooks for Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, Cooper Rush.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, and Cooper Rush. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye could continue to deal with adversity during Sunday's Week 2 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maye struggled in the season opener last week, tallying one touchdown and three interceptions while looking rattled by the Seahawks' aggressive pressure on defense.
The former No. 3 pick still has the top-five upside we saw from him last season, but he needs to prove himself capable of performing against high-caliber defenses. He didn't have much of an answer for the Seahawks last week, and he could continue to struggle against a Steelers defense led by star pass-rusher T.J. Watt. Because of Maye's track record from 2025, fantasy managers might have trouble benching him entirely in Week 2.
However, at the very least, he's dropping to the low-end QB1 range for the time being. He ranks as the QB13 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for Week 2.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz is a playable option with a favorable matchup Sunday at Chicago now that Minnesota has ruled out starter Kyler Murray (concussion) from returning in Week 2. The veteran backup played well in relief last week against Green Bay, recovering from a few poor throws early to connect on three touchdowns as the Vikings rallied to beat Green Bay.
Now, Wentz will face a Bears defense that ranks 29th in air yards allowed and surrendered 156 yards after the catch last week. The journeyman naturally comes with the risk of turnovers and the inability to avoid sacks that have plagued him most of his career, but he's still facing a shaky defense and throwing to a corps of pass catchers led by receiver Justin Jefferson.
As one of RotoBaller's top 24 QB options this week, Wentz is startable in formats that play more than one quarterback.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love carries QB1 upside into an intriguing Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets after showing significant downfield potential in the season opener. Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota while completing seven passes of at least 20 yards. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combined for 242 receiving yards, giving Love multiple explosive weapons entering Sunday.
The real question is whether Green Bay can keep its quarterback clean.
Love was sacked four times and pressured on 54% of his dropbacks in Week 1, while New York blitzed at an aggressive 46.2% rate. Packers offensive linemen Aaron Banks (knee) and Zach Bako-Bewele (knee) are questionable with knee injuries, adding to Green Bay's protection concerns. For the Jets, starting safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (groin) and edge rusher Joseph Ossai (foot) have been ruled out.
At the same time, Will McDonald IV (ankle) is questionable, though head coach Aaron Glenn says he expects him to play.
Love's limited rushing production caps his fantasy floor, but his passing volume and downfield ability offer a realistic path to a QB1 finish. He profiles as a borderline high-end QB2 and is RotoBaller's QB16 in the latest Week 2 rankings. In DFS, Love carries tournament appeal, especially when stacked with Watson, Golden, or both.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks to bounce back at home on Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. Herbert and the Chargers' offense are coming off a letdown Week 1 performance, failing to produce 300 yards of offense and managing only 14 points. The 28-year-old enters Week 2 as RotoBaller's QB8 in a favorable matchup against a Raiders' defense that surrendered 220 passing yards to a shaky Dolphins passing game.
However, the Chargers' WR1, Ladd McConkey (ribs), is listed as questionable heading into the game.
The Chargers ran a McConkey-centric offense in Week 1 and relied heavily on him to keep the offense moving. With him off the field, the team averaged 3.9 yards per pass and had a -0.61 EPA per play, according to Trevor Sikkema of NFL.com. Herbert can still be plugged into starting lineups in Week 2 but might see a capped upside if McConkey is unable to play.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had solid numbers in Week 1 against the Bills, but he lost his top receiver, Nico Collins (hamstring), to a midweek injury and is in a tough matchup against the Bengals in Week 2. Stroud threw for 274 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the season opener but lost two costly fumbles, including one when trying to rally his team for a win.
He finished Week 1 as the QB15, and for Week 2, he's ranked as RotoBaller's QB20. Without Collins, though, he is a much higher-risk start since his receiving corps is very unproven. The Bengals' defense held Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in check in Week 1, which further makes Stroud an unattractive play in single-QB leagues. He remains a low-end QB2, but comes with significant risk factors.
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 - Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, Cooper Rush. 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 Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, Cooper Rush:
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