The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 2

Week 1 is always a wild ride. Joe Burrow reminded us that the “slow start” narrative is alive and well after a dreadful fantasy outing. Mark Andrews? Completely vanished. And for anyone who rolled the dice on David Njoku, Fanin’s breakout made that call look rough in hindsight. The good news: Week 1 chaos gives way to clarity. Andy, Mike, and Jason now have real usage data, clearer roles, and actual performances to lean on. So without further ado, here are The Ballers’ Starts of the Week:

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Andy’s Starts of the Week

QB – Justin Fields @ BUF

Andy admitted he wasn’t feeling great about the Jets and Fields coming into the season, but Fields shut that down real quick. He looked like a true NFL QB out there. His decision-making was better all around—not just taking off when plays broke down, but staying composed and working through his reads. On paper, Pittsburgh was supposed to be a good defense, and for Fields to play the way he did in his first game as a Jet is definitely promising. He led all QBs in Completion Percentage Over Expectation and finished third in Yards per Attempt (9.9). Last week, the Bills’ defense gave up 40 points to Lamar and the Ravens. They ranked dead last in yards allowed per play, giving up a whopping 8.6. Andy expects Fields to run and throw all over Buffalo in a game with a total set at 46.5. Lock him in.

RB – Breece Hall @ BUF

All that offseason committee talk? Yeah, Week 1 shut that down quick. Breece was on the field for 58% of snaps, but his workload was even bigger than it looks: 70% of the Jets’ RB carries and literally every single RB target. That’s full-on feature-back usage. And just like I mentioned above, the matchup doesn’t get any better. The Bills just got steamrolled by Derrick Henry, and this defense has been soft against RBs dating back to last year—2nd-most receptions allowed and 8th-most fantasy points given up to the position in 2024. With both rushing volume and passing work locked up, Hall is a locked-in RB1 this week.

WR – Keenan Allen @ LV

Age is just a number when you’re Keenan Allen. In Week 1, he picked up right where he left off when he was a Charger as Justin Herbert’s go-to guy. He earned a team-high 28% target rate in Week 1. Ladd McConkey drafters were not prepared. Volume like that in PPR formats is gold. The Chargers travel to Vegas this week in a matchup Keenan Allen has exploited before. Ok, 18 times to be exact. In those matchups, he’s averaged a steady six catches for 65 yards per game. That’s an excellent baseline for anyone you plug into a FLEX.

TE – Brenton Strange vs. CIN

In Week 1, Strange quietly led his team in receiving, hauling in all 4 of his targets for 59 yards. With talk of Travis Hunter playing more defensive snaps this week, Strange could see even more opportunity. The matchup is juicy: a 48.5-point total with a Bengals defense that’s been a TE funnel for years. Last season, they allowed the most receptions and fantasy points to the position. Andy has Strange ranked as a top-10 play this week, especially for managers scrambling without George Kittle or if you drafted Mark Andrews.

Jason’s Starts of the Week

QB – Justin Herbert @ LV

Herbert came out firing in Week 1, throwing for 318 passing yards and adding 32 on the ground. He averaged a crisp 9.4 yards per attempt, looking every bit the elite QB we all knew he was. The concern going into the season was whether the volume would be there for Herbert with coach Harbaugh calling the shots. We should’ve had faith in good coaches knowing how to utilize their weapons and focus less on what they may have done in the past. Harbaugh definitely utilized his weapon in Justin Herbert. The Chargers travel to Vegas in a game where they have the 4th-highest implied team total on the week. Last year, Justin lit it up against the Raiders- finishing QB3. Jason thinks he runs it back! Start Herbert.

RB – Travis Etienne @ CIN

Not only did the Jaguars use Travis Ettienne as their lead back, they traded away the guy we all thought would steal work! Etienne handled 31% of the team’s total rush attempts + targets. This was the most carries he’s seen since 2023. Then, Tank Bigsby was traded away to the Eagles, further proving their trust in Etienne. The offensive line looked great, ranking 4th in adjusted yards BEFORE contact in Week 1. Now Etienne gets to face the Bengals—wheels up.

WR – DK Metcalf vs. SEA

DK didn’t exactly flop in Week 1 — seven targets, four grabs, 83 yards — but the TD didn’t come thanks to his dance with Sauce Gardner. The usage was legit, though, with a 26% target rate on his routes. That’s WR1 volume, and now he gets the juiciest narrative we’ve got: REVENGE against Seattle. This isn’t just a vibes play either. Aaron Rodgers is hyping him up as that guy:

“He’s about the right stuff. He cares about it enough to watch the film and put in the time and take notes and ask questions and come over and sit next to me during the week … that’s unfortunately not the standard around the league.”

You go right back to DK this week. The Seahawks’ secondary is about to find out what they let walk out the door.

TE – Juwan Johnson vs. SF

If you snagged Juwan off the wire, don’t hesitate, drop him right into your lineup. The Saints didn’t just stumble into using him; they committed: 3-year, $30.75 extension ($21M guaranteed). That’s real money. In Week 1, Juwan was basically their slot WR. He played 99% of the snaps, ran 24 routes from the slot (5th-most of any player), and commanded a 24% target share, which was 4th among TEs. What has Jason really bought in? Nine first-read targets- most among ALL TEs. The usage is too good to ignore. Even against San Francisco, you don’t bench a guy who’s being schemed like this. Juwan’s here to stay.

Mike’s Starts of the Week

QB – Kyler Murray vs. CAR

Mike is hoping Kyler got the jitters out of the way in Week 1 after coming off a classic “floor” game with 18 fantasy points. The Cardinals get the Carolina Panthers this week, where they are favored by 6.5 points. If history is on Kyler’s side, then this should be a good game for him. In 12 career games as a 6+ point favorite, he’s averaged 251 passing yards, a 71% completion rate, and Arizona covered the spread two-thirds of the time. Translation: When Vegas expects the Cards to roll, Kyler usually delivers. Mike isn’t worried about the Panthers’ defense stopping Kyler, and neither should you.

RB – Jordan Mason vs. ATL

Aaron Jones got the TD in Week 1, but the real story? Jordan Mason owned the early downs. On 1st and 2nd down carries, Mason racked up 13 for 69 yards while Jones managed just 7 for 21. That’s a clear role distinction. And the Vikings showed us exactly who they want to be with J.J. under center: a ground-and-pound offense. They ranked 31st in Pass Rate Over Expectation and 28th in neutral pass rate. They want to run, and Mason’s the guy getting the bulk of those carries. With Minnesota sitting as 3.5-point home favorites against the Falcons, the game script lines up perfectly. Mason is a sneaky start who could rumble his way into your RB2 slot.

WR – Garrett Wilson vs. BUF

Sticking with Andy’s Jets theme here, Mike says Fields doesn’t have a big day without Garrett Wilson. Wilson reminded everyone he’s that dude in Week 1. He commanded a monster 36% target share and turned it into seven catches, 95 yards, and a TD. True alpha numbers. The Jets moved him everywhere, too: 46% of his routes out wide, 54% from the slot. That versatility makes him nearly impossible to lock down. And if last week was any indication, Buffalo’s secondary isn’t locking anyone down. They just gave up the 3rd-most fantasy points to WRs while allowing a whopping 17+ yards per catch to Baltimore’s receivers. Wilson is locked in as a start. The volume, talent, and matchup all scream ceiling play that you can’t leave on the bench.

TE– Kyle Pitts Sr. @ MIN

Time to finally take those “Pitts breakout” victory laps! Right? In Week 1, he drew eight targets, hauled in seven for 59 yards, and finished as the TE12. Okay, maybe not a full-on breakout… but definitely more than anyone expected coming into the season. This is the kind of usage we’ve been begging for — and now you want to bench him?! The role is what really pops: 49% of his snaps came from the slot, and he ran a route on 81% of Michael Penix Jr.’s dropbacks, ranking 4th among all TEs in Week 1. And the matchup couldn’t be better. If you want to beat Minnesota, you throw the ball. Opponents averaged 37 pass attempts per game against the Vikings last year. Indoors, in a dome, against a defense that funnels you to the air? Pitts is set up for another busy day. Better late than never!

 

 

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