Every year it seems that Week 1 of the NFL season is pretty weird. NFL fans spend the offseason hyping up certain teams and players only for reality to prove that was foolish. That can be especially true in fantasy football with teams rarely revealing how they will use players during the preseason.
That can make Week 2 into a unique challenge for fantasy football managers. It is important to take away the right lessons from Week 1 without overreacting to the wrong signals.
So what should you do at the quarterback position this week?
Don't overthink things too much in Week 2 of the fantasy football season. Here are three obvious starts and sits at the quarterback position before this weekend's games.
Week 2 Start âÂÂEm Quarterbacks
Josh Allen, Bills vs. Lions
Allen is obviously the QB1 for the entire league in fantasy football. But the juicy matchup this week makes him a must start.
It's been no secret that Detroit has an awful secondary. There's a reason why they're rumored to be a landing spot for Joey Porter Jr. That was certainly the case in Week 1 against the Saints.
The Lions allowed 469 total yards of offense against the Saints, with Tyler Shough throwing for 410 yards with three touchdowns. So just imagine the kind of damage that Allen could cause on Thursday Night Football.
There may be no way for Detroit's defense to stop Allen. If they lead with heavy coverage, Allen can easily pick them apart from a clean pocket for plenty of fantasy points. However, it could be even worse if defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard dials up a lot of blitzes. Then Allen would be set up to escape the pocket and rip off huge gains as as runner.
Best of all, the Lions have a great offense of their own. If this game becomes a shootout, that should create even more opportunities for Allen and the offense to score points at will.
Start Allen in Week 2 no matter what.
Brock Purdy, 49ers vs. Dolphins
Purdy played surprisingly well in Week 1, scoring 21.1 fantasy points against the vaunted Rams defense. That gave him a QB10 finish to start the season.
San Francisco reminded NFL fans around the world that they are a Super Bowl contender when healthy. Now that they are feeling themselves, they should be ready to flex their muscles in Week 2. And they're going up against the perfect opponent to deliver a beatdown.
Miami allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for three touchdowns in Week 1. They also got shredded by Ashton Jeanty, which could lead to a Week 2 game plan focused on stopping Christian McCaffrey. If that happens, Purdy will be set up to have a great game.
Purdy is a solid QB1 for Week 2, but his upside is unclear because this game has blowout potential.
Jaxson Dart, Giants at Rams
Dart gave fantasy managers a lot to like in his season opener. He scored 26.6 fantasy points and finished as QB4 in Week 1.
The second-year quarterback checked all the boxes. He threw for 230 passing yards with three touchdowns, did not throw an interception, and ripped off 54 rushing yards on the ground.
This is one matchup where fans will learn a lot coming out of Week 1. Was last week's success against the Cowboys just a sign that their defense is bad once again? Or will the Giants be able to have the same success against a Myles Garrett-less Rams defense?
Dart is a bit of a volatile start against LA. But he offers incredibly high upside, which makes it worth the risk to bet on the kid.
Week 2 Start âÂÂEm Quarterbacks
Drake Maye, Patriots vs. Steelers
Maye was dreadful in Week 1, especially for the purposes of fantasy football.
New England's franchise quarterback only managed 9.8 fantasy points after throwing three interceptions against the Seahawks. Now Maye must go up against another great defense in Pittsburgh in Week 2.
Unfortunately, there are even more reasons to doubt Maye now than there were before the season opener.
A.J. Brown is out with a high ankle sprain, which leaves only Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, and a handful of other pass catchers for Maye to target. TreVeyon Henderson is also back at practice, which could result in New England running the ball more than ever this weekend. For comparison, the Patriots had 31 rushing attempts in Week 1 without Henderson.
Even if Maye has a bounce-back performance, his ceiling does not look very high this week.
Bench him and hope the situation improves later this season.
Jordan Love, Packers at Jets
It is difficult to know what to expect from Love right now.
The veteran quarterback played pretty well last week, putting up 19.5 fantasy points and finishing as QB11. But that was with Love throwing for 387 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Does he have a ceiling higher than that in Week 2?
The Jets completely shut down the Titans in Week 1. But at this point, it is difficult to tell if that says more about New York or Tennessee.
Either way, the safe move is to bench Love and gain some more information before starting him with confidence. Love could have a terrible game if David Bailey and the Jets defense is actually legit.
Daniel Jones, Colts at Chiefs
Jones was one of the worst fantasy football quarterbacks in Week 1. He finished with just 9.0 fantasy points, only finishing above guys like Bo Nix and Matthew Stafford who had terrible games.
Is there any reason why that should improve in Week 2?
Remember, the Chiefs defense played a big role in dismantling Nix and the Broncos' offense on Monday Night Football. The same thing could easily happen to the Colts in Week 2.
Jones only had one carry for four yards last week, which is likely a sign that his Achilles injury is still impacting his mobility. If Jones doesn't get extra fantasy points as a runner, he is completely unstartable.
Wait for Jones to look like his 2025 self before considering taking him off the bench.