Boom or Bench: Week 2 start/sit fantasy tips
Boom or Bench provides insight and analysis to help you handle your difficult fantasy football starting lineup decisions every week.
QB: Patriots' Drake Maye at Dolphins
Surely Drake Maye will have a strong day facing the Dolphins after Daniel Jones looked like prime Tom Brady against them. The Patriots are unlikely to duplicate the feat of scoring on every possession versus Miami, but the New England offense, which finished sixth in passing yards a week ago, should continue to produce in this AFC East matchup.
Week 1 didn't go the Patriots' way overall, with the club falling 20-13 to the Raiders. However, Maye had 287 passing yards with one touchdown against one interception, and Kayshon Boutte looks like he could be taking a step forward after going for 106 yards. Veterans Hunter Henry and Stefon Diggs are also reliable chain movers.
Projection: 281 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 31 rushing yards
Other QBs primed to boom:
- Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence at Cincinnati Bengals
- Jets' Justin Fields vs. Buffalo Bills
RB: Cowboys' Javonte Williams vs. Giants
Williams earned a 77% offensive snap share in Philadelphia, and there's no reason to expect a dramatic dip in opportunities against a lesser NFC East foe. The 25-year-old will ideally improve upon his 3.6 yards per carry average from Week 1 while maintaining a commanding lead in running back touches.
The Giants surrendered the second-most total offensive yards (432) to open the season, including a whopping 220 rushing yards, while the Cowboys posted 119 rushing yards versus the Eagles' stout defense.
Projection: 87 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards, 3 receptions, TD
RB: Lions' David Montgomery vs. Bears
Montgomery has averaged 102.4 scrimmage yards in three career games against the Bears, and the 28-year-old registered at least 66 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards in each of those contests. The positive history versus his former team is only part of why Montgomery lands here though.
Detroit's entire offense needs a get-back game after failing to do much of anything notable against the Packers in Week 1. Expect the Lions to lean on their running game, especially after the Bears conceded the ninth-most rushing yards as a team in their opener.
Projection: 76 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, 2 receptions, 2 TDs
Other RBs primed to boom:
- Seahawks' Zach Charbonnet at Steelers
- Cardinals' Trey Benson vs. Panthers
WR: Patriots' Stefon Diggs at Dolphins
Maye is set up well in this matchup, and so is Diggs. The Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. tallied six receptions for 80 yards and a score against the Dolphins in Week 1. Diggs' ability to work underneath routes could net similar production.
Daniel Jones' big game happened despite him having an average depth of target (ADOT) of just 6.8 yards, which trails Maye's Week 1 mark of 7.9 yards. Diggs' ADOT mark of 8.7 yards on eight targets is also higher than Pittman's 6.8. Diggs stands to benefit from a lot of easy completions.
Projection: 104 yards, 8 receptions, 1 TD
WR: Chiefs' Hollywood Brown vs. Eagles
After tallying 16 targets and an NFL-high 10 receptions in Week 1, Brown is set up well against the Eagles even if Xavier Worthy plays through his shoulder injury suffered last week.
Philadelphia will likely have a hard time keeping up with Brown's speed on deeper routes, but the shallower ones are where the wideout could feast. He finished with 99 yards against the Chargers despite having an ADOT of just 6.3 yards.
Projection: 11 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards, 7 receptions, 1 TD
Other WRs primed to boom:
- Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka at Texans
- Bears' Rome Odunze at Lions
- Lions' Jameson Williams vs. Bears
TE: Cowboys' Jake Ferguson vs. Giants
Ferguson wasn't a big factor in the yardage department during the season opener, but he had six targets and five receptions while playing 77% of the offensive snaps. He'll record a solid fantasy week against New York if he gets a similar number of looks but averages more than last week's 4.6 yards per reception.
The Giants struggled in a lot of ways to open their season, but they actually held the Commanders to just one passing touchdown. Jayden Daniels connected with veteran Zach Ertz for that lone score, so Dak Prescott and Ferguson have a plan to emulate.
Projection: 64 receiving yards, 6 receptions, 1 TD
Other TEs primed to boom:
- Ravens' Mark Andrews vs. Browns
- Commanders' Zach Ertz at Packers
QB: Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. at Vikings
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for his exotic looks. That doesn't seem like it's going to change this season after his unit tallied 30 pressures against Caleb Williams on Monday Night Football. While the 25-year-old Penix is on the older end for a player in their second season, he doesn't have a ton of experience facing a creative DC like Flores.
I'd be even more hesitant to have Penix in your lineup if your league penalizes sacks. The Vikings tallied two of them in Week 1, and Minnesota finished tied for fourth in team sacks (49) last year.
Projection: 235 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 2 INTs, 12 rushing yards
Other QBs to bench:
- Texans' C.J. Stroud vs. Buccaneers
- Browns' Joe Flacco at Ravens
RB: Saints' Alvin Kamara vs. 49ers
It's difficult to bench someone with as much elite fantasy history as Kamara, but this matchup isn't a great one for him. And he isn't coming off an elite performance either. Kamara only had 57 scrimmage yards last week but salvaged his fantasy performance with a rushing score.
His underwhelming performance (save for the touchdown) came against the Cardinals, who allowed 315 total yards. The 49ers only surrendered 230 yards to a Seahawks offense with significantly more talent than the Saints' unit.
Projection: 28 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards, 4 receptions
RB: Cardinals' James Conner vs. Panthers
Like Kamara, Conner turned a complete Week 1 stinker into an adequate fantasy performance with a touchdown. Unlike Kamara, Conner averaged fewer than three yards per touch and finished with just 44 scrimmage yards. He gained 39 of Arizona's 146 rushing yards, while teammate Trey Benson had 69. The majority of Benson's total came on one run, but it still overshadowed Conner.
Another issue Conner faces this week is how his style matches up. Conner plays closer to Tank Bigsby, who had just 12 yards on five carries against the Panthers. Benson's skills are closer to those of Travis Etienne, who recorded 156 yards on 19 touches to start the season. Don't be surprised if the Cardinals work Benson into the lineup more often this week.
Projection: 40 rushing yards, 13 receiving yards, 1 reception
Other RBs to bench:
- Bears' D'Andre Swift at Lions
- Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson at Dolphins
WR: Dolphins' Tyreek Hill vs. Patriots
Hill hasn't been dominant for some time now. The Dolphins' issues with quarterback health and consistency have been a factor, but Hill hasn't had a reception of 30 yards or more since Week 1 of the 2024 season.
The 31-year-old needs a bit more help to put up big numbers now, but it's hard to see that happening in most games. The Dolphins allowed three sacks, Tua Tagovailoa threw a pair of interceptions, and no Miami player registered more than 75 scrimmage yards in the team's abysmal Week 1 outing against the Colts.
Projection: 47 yards, 4 receptions
WR: 49ers' Ricky Pearsall/Jauan Jennings at Saints
Jennings is dealing with a shoulder injury that could prevent him from suiting up this weekend, but he's not worth a start even if he's healthy enough to play. The 28-year-old hauled in just two of his five targets against the Seahawks for only 16 yards, and he'll be catching passes from Mac Jones on Sunday after Brock Purdy was ruled out with shoulder and toe injuries.
Even Pearsall, who had a solid Week 1, is unlikely to be worth the risk this week. Expect the 49ers to pound the rock with Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. as injuries continue to impact the offense.
Projection (Pearsall): 54 receiving yards, 4 receptions
Projection (Jennings): 28 receiving yards, 3 receptions
Other WRs to bench:
- Titans' Calvin Ridley vs. Rams
- Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Broncos
- Seahawks' Cooper Kupp at Steelers
TE: Packers' Tucker Kraft vs. Commanders
Kraft played 92% of the offensive snaps in Week 1 but finished with just two receptions for 16 yards. It would've been an awful week if it weren't for one of those catches being a touchdown.
The Packers have significantly more offensive talent than the Giants, but the Commanders held Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson to a combined two receptions for 19 yards last week. Washington's defense is likely to keep Kraft from having a huge outing as well.
Projection: 33 receiving yards, 3 receptions
Other TEs to bench:
- Browns' David Njoku/Harold Fannin Jr. at Ravens
- Bills' Dalton Kincaid at Jets
Andrew Dixon is a contributing fantasy analyst for theScore.