Fantasy football 2024: One player I’m fading, starting in Week 2 for each position

Start/sit decisions are tough. All of us have spent Sunday mornings racking our brains over what to do, moving someone in and out of the flex spot, over and over and over and over until we finally locked in a final decision just before kick-off, a decision that we immediately regretted, especially after the guy we benched went for 150 yards and a touchdown.

So to help you out with that, let’s look at a couple of players at each position and figure out what to do with them in fantasy football this week.

While I don’t have enough time to go through every single player this week, I do want to highlight one top start and one fade at each position. Read on to see which players I’m in on and out on in Week 2.

Week 2 quarterbacks to fade and start

Fade: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers run game did really well in the team’s 32-19 win over the New York Jets, but quarterback Brock Purdy was held without a touchdown pass in the game. He was 19-for-29 for 231 yards and also added an 11-yard run.

Now, he faces a Minnesota Vikings defense that held the Giants to just six points last week.

A big part of that is definitely that it’s the Giants, right? With Daniel Jones at QB, the Giants have a major disadvantage at that spot. Sorry, Danny Dimes. Purdy is going to be much tougher to stop than Jones was.

Even with that in mind, Purdy worries me this weekend. Minnesota has a lot of talent in its defensive secondary and the 49ers might just wind up leaning on the run game again. The team had more carries than pass attempts in Week 1, ranking 27th in pass rate.

Start: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Caleb Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but after Week 1 you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jayden Daniels was the top QB taken. Sure, he couldn’t lead his Commanders team to a win against the Buccaneers but Daniels had a strong debut.

Through the air, the 2023 Heisman winner was 17-for-24 for 184 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he also didn’t throw an interception, so you know … I’d call that a win.

But where he really popped on the scoresheet was in the run game, as Daniels led the Commanders in carries with 16. He finished with 88 yards and two touchdowns. I’m not sure that level of rushing usage is sustainable if Washington wants to keep their young QB healthy, but it’s something I expect to see continue against the Giants in Week 2

Week 2 running backs to fade and start

Fade: James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

James Conner got the volume and the touchdown against the Bills, but his 3.1 yards per carry wasn’t particularly impressive, especially when 20 of his 50 yards came on one of his 16 carries. Aside from that, his longest run was for four yards.

This week, Conner faces the Rams. If we’re looking just at Week 1’s data, it’s a good matchup, as the Rams allowed 91 yards to David Montgomery last week. Montgomery is a better back than Conner at this point, and I still tend to think that 15 of Conner’s 16 carries going for under five yards is more important than the defensive matchup.

Start: Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers

With Christian McCaffrey expected to miss another week, fantasy managers should be all over Jordan Mason again this weekend. 

Mason carried the ball 28 times in the opener. Deebo Samuel had some carries, but the 49ers didn’t give a single carry to a running back other than Mason. And he delivered big numbers on those carries, gaining 147 yards and finding the end zone in the third quarter.

One thing that stands out against Mason is that he runs the ball hard. He gets moving up the field quickly and can take advantage of the huge holes this offensive line opens. He’s a strong fantasy play against the Vikings this weekend, even considering the Vikings run defense dominated the Giants last weekend.

Week 2 wide receivers to fade and start

Fade: Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

Longterm, I think Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to be fine, but his NFL debut was a disaster and I just don’t see him turning it around in one week. He just looked off when he was on the field, and his lack of speed really stuck out.

In fact, ESPN’s Seth Walder tweeted that Harrison Jr.’s top speed of 16.7 miles per hour ranks 1,699th out of the 1,730 games played by wide receivers since the start of the last season (minimum 25 snaps). So it wasn’t just our eyes saying something was off there.

The rookie was targeted just three times in the loss to Buffalo, catching one pass for four yards. Up next are the Rams, who allowed just eight receptions to wide receivers in Week 1. It’s likely going to be tough sledding again for the former Ohio State standout.

Start: Malik Nabers, New York Giants

I’m fully committed to targeting players going against the Washington defense, even when those players have the impediment of playing in an offense with Daniel Jones at quarterback.

Rookie Malik Nabers had a solid NFL debut against the Vikings last week, catching five of his seven targets for 66 yards. Considering the Giants scored just six points in the game, Nabers’s performance can be considered a success.

This week, Daniel Jones will probably have a better showing against a defense that made Baker Mayfield look like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Week 1. I mean…Mayfield is better than Jones by a wide margin, but Jones should at least look serviceable against this defense.

Week 2 tight end to fade and start

Fade: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

The Week 1 game against the Chiefs showed us that the Ravens have a new No. 1 tight end. 

Mark Andrews was targeted just twice in the loss to KC, catching both for 14 yards. Meanwhile, Isaiah Likely saw 12 targets, catching nine for 111 yards and a score. Andrews played 59 snaps to Likely’s 53, and Andrews ran 38 routes to Likely’s 35 according to CBS’s Heath Cummings.

Likely just did a much better job earning looks from Lamar Jackson. I think Andrews can still have a healthy role in this offense and the landscape at TE this season is ROUGH, so I’m not saying to bench him for someone like…I don’t know, Foster Moreau, who was a top-five fantasy TE in Week 1. We’re not getting that extreme. But Andrews is just barely in the top 10 for me at the position this week. I’d rather play guys like Brock Bowers, Kyle Pitts and maybe even Dallas Goedert over him.

Start: Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Trust the process.

Dalton Kincaid was targeted just twice in Buffalo’s season opener against the Cardinals, catching one pass for 11 yards. He was expected to be one of Josh Allen’s top options, but that just didn’t happen.

Still, Kincaid played 84% of the team’s offensive snaps. The only players on the field more were the offensive line and the quarterback. He was running routes, but the defense worked hard to take him out of the game. He’s still a top-10 tight-end play with top-five upside.