Fantasy Football Must-Start Players for Week 2

Last Sunday, the 2026-27 NFL season kicked off to plenty of fanfare and an excellent schedule loaded with quality matchups. The slate this week doesn’t have the same pop to it, but you know the drill – anything can happen in this league.

Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, welcome to my weekly fantasy must-start column. I’ll be here for the entire season to bring you a selection of the players you should want in your fantasy football lineups in season-long and/or DFS formats. These guys are screaming starts for one reason or another – it could be an advantageous matchup, a recent hot streak or a value price in DraftKings contests, among others – so we’re looking to find an edge through the lens of actual analysis. I just want to help you win your week!

Let’s jump in with some must-start players for fantasy football in Week 2.

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Fantasy Football Week 2 Must-Start Players

QB: Tyler Shough, Saints at Ravens ($5,300)

There’s one extremely important caveat that this selection hinges on. Chris Olave, questionable with a hamstring injury after logging two limited practices this week, absolutely has to suit up for the Saints. If he doesn’t toss this one out. If he does play, though, I love getting Tyler Shough in at quarterback with a low salary of $5,300.

Last week, the second-year standout played one of the worst first halves of his young career on the road in Detroit. He dealt with a blitz-heavy Lions rush as the Saints went scoreless heading into the break, but he responded with confidence during the second half. Shough recorded 29.2 DKFP as he led his team to a comeback that forced overtime with roughly a minute left in regulation. It was really a pretty incredible effort – he was unafraid to stand and deliver in the pocket, and boy, did he take some hits. While New Orleans ultimately failed to convert a two-point attempt that would’ve won the game in OT, Shough finished with 410 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on an astounding 56 attempts.

The Saints are an 8.5-point underdog on the road at Baltimore even with Zay Flowers now ruled out, so it’s easy to project plenty of volume for Shough again this week. The chemistry he and Olave have shown in his 10 or so games as a starter has been nothing short of impressive, but Devaughn Vele has quietly been good ever since the tail end of last season and Juwan Johnson remains one of the NFL’s underrated tight ends. The Ravens’ defense is good, but there are plenty of avenues for Shough to produce fantasy points in this game given his ability to run the ball, too.

RB: Aaron Jones Sr., Vikings at Bears ($5,100)

Last week, I targeted Chuba Hubbard at running back against the Bears. He responded with a cool 23.7 DKFP with 49 rushing yards and a touchdown on his 10 carries, plus three catches for 38 yards and another tuddy. The reasoning for that pick was a lead role against a soft defense, so why not run it back again with Aaron Jones Sr. as he faces Chicago?

He handled 12 rush attempts in Week 1 – three fewer than teammate Jordan Mason – but played 30 snaps to his teammate’s 29. This was already a split backfield with Jones handling more of the third-down work, but Mason landed on IR earlier this week and will miss the next four games. So, the 31-year-old now steps up as the lead runner in the Vikings’ backfield and should maintain his hold on the receiving role as well, at least for the most part. That’s particularly valuable given that backup Carson Wentz is under center for the Vikes, meaning checkdowns for Jones when the pocket collapses since the quarterback isn’t mobile. It’s unlikely that sixth-round pick Demond Claiborne sees a ton of work just yet, but Jones knows Minnesota’s system and is truly trusted by this coaching staff. Sure, he only totaled 40 rushing yards for an average of 3.3 yards per carry in his season debut, but volume and the matchup are what’ll make him a must-start running back in fantasy this week.

For what it’s worth, Chicago fell 27th in rushing yards allowed per game and 26th in defensive EPA/rush last season. In Week 1, the Bears allowed 125 rushing yards but finished 24th in defensive EPA/rush. Maybe they’re a smidge improved in that regard, but this is still a very porous defense that gave up 37 points and 478 total yards to Carolina last week. Jones tied for the team lead with four carries in the red zone to start 2026, so it won’t be shocking if he sees several chances inside the 20 again. The best part? His DraftKings salary sits around RB30.

WR: CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys vs. Commanders ($7,300)

My Chris Olave pick was a smash hit last week as the wideout popped to the tune of 31.2 DKFP in a thrilling performance. I’m trying to keep the mojo going with another stud this week, this time looking toward CeeDee Lamb as the Cowboys look to bounce back at home against the Commanders.

I know that Week 1 was ugly for Dallas as the team lost on Sunday Night Football to the Giants. I also realize that the offensive output was pretty ugly for Dak Prescott and Co. However, that doesn’t have me worried – the surrounding context of that matchup is that New York dominated the time-of-possession battle and gave the Cowboys’ offense very few opportunities to even get on the field, particularly in the second half. Lamb did lead his team in receiving yards with a meager 44, but he caught five of his eight targets and got into the end zone to finish with 15.4 DKFP. It was far from a poor night for him in fantasy football, and it could’ve been far better had he and Prescott connected on a deep shot that narrowly missed, too.

The reason I like Lamb this week is simple. This game carries a total of 50.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, one of the highest of this slate. Washington ranked second-to-last in defensive EPA/play last season and was 30th in defensive EPA/pass, 28th in passing yards allowed and tied for the third-most passing touchdowns allowed. Woof. The defense made some improvements, but not nearly enough in the secondary to hold the Cowboys’ offense back. It’s a matter of time before that unit gets clicking, and when it does, Lamb should be a focal point. There’s no better chance than now, especially since he excels at finding the soft spot in zone coverage – the Commanders ran it at the seventh-highest rate (84.9%) in Week 1.

TE: Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. Saints ($4,400)

I totally whiffed last week with Charlie Kolar at tight end, so please consider this my official capitulation on a player I thought was potentially the best value on the entire board at the position. Instead of getting cute, I’m rolling with Mark Andrews this week, who should see plenty of work for the Ravens as they deal with the absence of Zay Flowers.

It’s been a while since Andrews looked like a truly elite player on the field, so it’s possible his age is beginning to show. Even with that said, though, he’s still one of the most trusted targets for Lamar Jackson, who will now be without the ascending wideout who exploded for 150 yards and a touchdown in the first game under new head coach Declan Doyle. Plus, rookie standout Ja’Kobi Lane is also now on IR, so two of Baltimore’s three top receivers are out injured at the moment. That leaves lots of volume on the table for the taking – plus, it’s not like Andrews didn’t see any last week after earning six targets with four catches for 49 yards in Week 1. He posted 8.9 DKFP in that matchup and brings a very nice combination of floor and ceiling this time around.

The numbers are slightly inflated due to the Saints’ season opener going to overtime, but they did allow nine targets and six catches to tight ends. They were respectable against the pass overall last season, but they’re far from a bad matchup, especially given the projectable role for Andrews this week in lieu of the missing wideouts. Even something close to a vintage performance would be welcome in lineups.