Brian Drake's Week 2 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em picks feat. Brenton Strange, DK Metcalf, and more

Week 1 saw some major stars drop a huge dud in our lineups. Elite receivers like JaMarr Chase and Nico Collins did next to nothing. Out of nowhere, players like Quentin Johnston and Calvin Austin were top-20 players.

That's fantasy football. It's a week-to-week game where you can't get it right all the time. We just need to focus on the matchups and opportunities. Who is getting snaps? Who is getting touches and targets on those snaps? Player utilization matters especially when deciding on your fantasy starting lineup. Let's take a look at my favorite start/sit decisions for Week 2 in fantasy football.

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Week 2 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Picks

Start 'em picks

New England Patriots v Minnesota Vikings - NFL Preseason 2025 - Source: Getty

1] - Kayshon Boutte (WR) NE

Folks are wondering if the Patriots receiver is a fluke or the real deal after his 6/103 outing in Week 1. If you go back to the final weeks of last season, Boutte was ballin' then, too. He was a top 12 PPR receiver in Weeks 16 and 18. His connection with Drake Maye is undeniable. This week, the Patriots face the worst secondary in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins. Per Fantasy Points Data, Boutte has a plus matchup over Jack Jones. Honestly, it doesn't matter who the Dolphins roll out there; it's a good matchup for Boutte. Start him this week.

2] - Brenton Strange (TE) JAX

The zone-heavy Bengals allowed Browns tight ends to carve them up last week. They gave up 10 combined receptions to the Browns. Strange should see plenty of volume in a potential shootout with a combined total of 49. Strange is a good athlete and will play a ton. Last week, Strange played on 70% of the Jags' snaps and saw 14% of the team's targets. Don't sleep on Strange as a TE 1 this week in a strong matchup.

3] - Rickey Pearsall (WR) SF

No George Kittle, no problem. Let's feed the second-year speedster, as it seems most every other 49ers player is injured. Pearsall is a stud waiting to explode on the scene. He accounted for 51% of the 49ers' air yards in Week 1. His 90% route participation is mouth-watering. Throw in a Saints team on the other side that wants to run a ton of plays, and I'm seeing a lot of potential points scored in New Orleans. I'm not worried at all about Mac Jones at quarterback. We saw him feed Brian Thomas Jr. a year ago in Jacksonville to a monster fantasy finish.

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Sit 'em picks

New York Giants v Washington Commanders - Source: Getty

1] - Tyrone Tracy Jr (RB) NYG

Tracy dominated snaps in Week 1 but didn't do much with them. The Giants' offensive line is in shambles without their best player, Andrew Thomas. Tracy's 2.4 yards per carry on 10 attempts is indicative of how pathetic this Giants offense is. He'll face a Cowboys defense that held Saquon Barkley to just 60 yards rushing. This game to me has the feel of the Cowboys offense breaking out and the Giants having to play catch-up. I don't see a big workload for Tracy, and I'd avoid him this week.

2] - Daniel Jones (QB) IND

It's hard not to get excited when you see a QB 2 overall week. You may have picked up Jones off the waiver wire, but don't start him unless you absolutely have to. His Week 2 opponent, the Denver Broncos, has the best defense in the league. They held Cam Ward to 2.48 fantasy points in the opener. With their speedy linebackers and elite corners, I can't see the Colts having much success downfield. Jones will be hard-pressed to top 150 passing yards this week. I'm keeping him out of my one-quarterback league lineups.

3] - DK Metcalf (WR) PIT

A brutal matchup with his former team awaits. Last week, Seattle allowed just 18 total fantasy points to opposing receivers. With Metcalf seeing 25% of Aaron Rodgers' targets, the Seattle secondary is going to have its sights set on its former mate. Seattle can pressure the quarterback at a high level, and that will cause Rodgers to quickly get rid of the football. I don't trust Metcalf to have a big day in this revenge game against one of the league's sneakiest defenses.