Week 2 Fantasy Football Quarterback Start/Sit: Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow and More

Three quarterbacks worth considering for your lineup this week and three who should be on your bench.

We suffered the first major QB injury of the season when Jordan Love went down at the end of Green Bay’s game against the Eagles in Brazil. Fantasy owners who were counting on Love are now in need of a fill-in for a few weeks, and that’s where the Week 2 Quarterback Start/Sit comes into play.

Some guys will start every week in fantasy, and others will almost never get the call. The start/sit concept is more about the big group in the middle, the guys who are all very close in skill and see their fantasy value rise and fall based on opponent more than skill level. When injuries and bye weeks start rolling around, fantasy owners will be tasked with deciding which middling players have the best chance at success.

The byes aren’t here yet, but they’re coming; until then, we’ll look at replacing the injured and maximizing streaming opportunities. Here are three quarterbacks to consider starting and three to consider benching in Week 2.

Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.

Start

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers @ Carolina Panthers

Carolina had a decent pass defense last year among the pool of poor performances. They lost their best defensive player, Brian Burns, in a trade to the Giants this offseason, and D-tackle Derrick Brown is out for the foreseeable future after an injury suffered in the opening game. That’s a lot of talent subtracted from the worst team in the league.

Derek Carr threw for just 200 yards last week against the Panthers but did that on 23 attempts, averaging nearly nine yards per pass. More importantly, he had three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Saints overwhelmed Carolina, creating a lot of scoring opportunities.

That’s going to be a common theme this season. While most basement teams can add a blue-chip rookie, Carolina didn’t get that chance because their first-round pick, the top overall selection, had previously been traded to the Bears. While they made moves in free agency and trades to add NFL-level talent, the Panthers were almost building from scratch; this team will probably take several years to become even average.

Herbert is a star talent who has never quite popped to that next level. The team was drained of skill-player talent this offseason, leaving Herbert with a highly drafted but inexperienced set of receivers.

Quentin Johnston, last year’s first-round pick, and Ladd McConkey, the 34th overall selection this year, were the team’s top receivers in Week 1…with 38 and 39 yards, respectively. Even if volume is an issue, though, the team still has a chance to produce efficiently against a bad team.

Pass rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack both recorded at least one sack against the Raiders; Young was sacked four times by the Saints. Stars going against a struggling quarterback and offensive line sounds like a rough day for the offense.

There’s a likely scenario in which this week looks a lot like last week, and the Chargers dominate Carolina in all facets. Herbert may not see a ton of volume, but he’s likely to get quality opportunities against a well below-average team.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants @ Washington Commanders

Call me crazy; you’re probably right. What’s even crazier, though, is the lack of pass defense the Commanders have shown over the last year-plus. In 2023, Washington allowed the most passing yards and passing touchdowns of any team and the third-most yards per pass attempt. They had the third-least interceptions and seventh-least sacks.

Every season is different, but nothing changed for the Washington pass defense in Week 1. Baker Mayfield completed 80% of his passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while only being sacked once. He even ran three times for 21 yards. The Commanders are as susceptible to allowing passing yards as any team in football (and that might include college…and high school).

Jones had a horrible return from a major knee injury, completing just over 50% of his passes for 186 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He essentially handed a pick-six to the Vikings and was sacked five times. There was no silver lining.

It seems like the most likely outcome is Jones playing poorly until he is benched to avoid injury then released after the season. It’s only been one week, though, and the worst pass defense in the NFL is up next. Jones will be in position to look much better against Washington.

He’s still just a streamer, but Jones is at least on the fantasy radar. He runs the ball a decent amount (six times in Week 1, albeit for just 15 yards) and will add points with his legs. There won’t be many weeks that Jones is a fantasy-relevant player, but Week 2 is an opportunity.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions

We just talked about Mayfield’s wonderful performance, and there’s not much else to say. He ended 2023 on maybe the hottest streak of his career, culminating with two playoff games that combined for 686 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions against the Eagles and Lions.

Well, look who it is: Tampa plays those same Lions here in Week 2 at the same location of the NFC Divisional Round game. Mayfield threw for 349 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in that game, keeping the Bucs in it but falling eight points short.

Detroit made moves to upgrade their pass defense after being a bottom-five unit in 2023. Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. were drafted in the first and second round, respectively, Carlton Davis was acquired from the Bucs in a trade, and Amik Robertson was signed to be an immediate veteran contributor; cornerback was completely turned over after last year’s disappointing results.

And yet, Matthew Stafford accumulated 317 passing yards against Detroit in Week 1. It took him 49 pass attempts to get there, so it wasn’t like he picked apart the Lions, but the Rams were able to move the ball through the air against a team with a lot of new pieces coming together.

Big volume might come into play for Mayfield as well. The Lions look like one of the best teams in the league, operating efficiently on offense and putting pressure on their opponents to keep up. Mayfield threw 41 times in the playoff matchup last season; a similar game plan is likely this time around.

Finally, Mayfield has the weapons to succeed. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin need no introduction, and they combined for 144 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. Mayfield is set up for success again as a streamer in Week 2.

Sit

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs

Burrow in Week 1: 164 yards (5.7 per attempt), no touchdowns, no interceptions. His team lost 16-10 to the Patriots, who many saw as one of the worst teams in the league. It was a completely ineffective game for a guy who was missing one star receiver and with another who didn’t practice most of the preseason.

Burrow has a history of starting seasons slow, so this shouldn’t necessarily be surprising given the circumstances. Even if Tee Higgins returns for Week 2, circumstances might be even worse with a trip to Kansas City.

The Chiefs had one of the best pass defenses in football last season, ranking in the top five in passing yards, passing touchdowns and yards per attempt allowed. They kept things rolling in Week 1, chasing Lamar Jackson all over the field and making everything hard on the two-time MVP.

Jackson put up decent numbers, but that’s a product of his greatness more than the defense faltering. With stars like Trent McDuffie and Chris Jones in place, Kansas City has the upside of the best defense in football.

It wouldn’t be surprising for the Bengals to take some time to work into form. The schedule might dictate their success, as this week’s trip to KC is followed by games against Washington and Carolina; things are likely to look much rosier after those matchups.

It’s worth considering benching Burrow if you can find a better option (like one of the three listed above).

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers

Darnold’s Minnesota debut made everyone forget that they even drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round; the rookie is still the future, but it helps soften the blow of his injury that Darnold shined against the Giants.

Like Carr, Darnold was only around 200 yards (208) but averaged nearly nine yards per attempt and threw multiple touchdowns. Darnold completed his first 12 passes and close to 80% overall. It was the perfect performance for what Minnesota needed in this game.

One of the most obvious statements of the week: The Giants are not the 49ers. San Francisco is probably the best team in the NFC again, and that extends to the defense. It’s easy to forget about San Fran’s D given how automatic the offense can be, but Nick Bosa leads a group with stars at every level and depth through most of the unit.

Darnold isn’t going to have such a nice time in Week 2. The field position battle will probably also swing away from the Vikings, making things tougher all around.

Volume could be a factor in Darnold’s favor if the 49ers build a lead, and Justin Jefferson is around to provide top-line pass catching. With a juggernaut coming to town, though, this is probably a week in which Darnold is off the streaming radar.

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks @ New England Patriots

I try to put guys in this section who you would usually start or consider as a streamer; Smith toes that line, generally as a low-end guy at best. Look above at what the Patriots did to Burrow, though, and it’s clear that this isn’t the week to consider the Seattle passer.

New England had a very good pass defense last year, ranking in the top 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns and yards per attempt allowed. The team seemed to be crumbling around Bill Belichick at times, but the defense was a stout unit. It just wasn’t enough to carry such a bad offense.

Every team is going to have trouble throwing against the Pats, something that should worry a middling pass offense. Smith is fine, but the matchup often dictates his ceiling, both in real life and fantasy. This isn’t the week to roll the dice.

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