
Last-Minute Week 2 Fantasy Football Lineup Advice
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Fire TV ...
You would think it would be all sunshine and rainbows after the highest-scoring Week 1 in NFL history, but we have a slew of injuries to sift through this morning and some potential weather issues to navigate.
Let’s dig in …
WR Bloodbath: Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, & Michael Pittman OUT
This sucks, but it also does open up some desperation WR plays for deep leagues (or intriguing darts in DFS):
- Rashod Bateman played 78% of the snaps last week and will get all of the burn he can handle, considering the team is down to him, Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester at WR. Mark Andrews also gets a nice bump here (he’s our TE6 on the week).
- Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte are also on the menu considering Collins could miss multiple games, but hopefully you have better options. The strongest start in the Texans’ passing game is TE Dalton Schultz.
- The Steelers WRs have a tough matchup against the Patriots secondary, but I’m curious to see what kind of burn rookie Germie Bernard gets here without Pittman. He’s a good stash.
For more injury notes, including the Patriots WRs without A.J. Brown, check out Zain’s piece here.
WR Question Marks: Ladd McConkey & Puka Nacua
Nacua is considered to be a “pre-game decision” for Monday night’s game vs. the Giants, which makes this especially tricky. Considering the speculation around the injury, I do think there’s a good chance he doesn’t play.
How I’d play it: If you are a big favorite in your matchup, don’t risk it. Play a solid flex option over him. If you think you are an underdog, keep him in your lineup but make sure you have a backup plan in that game (Terrance Ferguson, Malachi Fields, etc.).
As for Ladd, he’s dealing with a cracked rib and is expected to be wearing a flak jacket if he does play today vs. the Raiders.
How I’d play it: Keep him in your lineup for now (he’s our WR33). This game is at 4:05 pm, so you’ll at least have a bunch of options to pivot to in other games (JAX/DEN, WAS/DAL, MIA/SF, SEA/ARI, IND/KC) if he can’t go. Tre Harris is an awesome replacement if he does miss.
BONUS: Jalen McMillan is expected to play, but not in a full-time role. Keep him on the bench for now.
Weather Issues?
I’m always extremely hesitant to worry about weather, but it's worth flagging these three spots (h/t Hayden Winks):
- Vikings/Bears: 20 MPH wind, 50-70% rain
- Packers/Jets: 10 MPH wind, 70-90% rain
- Steelers/Patriots: 5 MPH wind, 70-90% rain
I’m not really adjusting anything from a start/sit perspective, but it might be worth leaning away from Vikings/Bears in DFS (especially because the Vikings side is already projecting to be very popular).

Watch Your Fantasy Team In Action On Fire TV
On football Sundays, isn’t it best when you can watch your fantasy players live? Josh Allen throwing and galloping his way to multiple TDs. Ja’Marr Chase taking the top off the defense on a long bomb. Jahmyr Gibbs blazing past defenders as if they’re standing still. Even better, how about watching without endless scrolling to get to the correct apps? If so, you need Fire TV.
It organizes all your live games from your favorite teams in one place across apps, right on the home screen. No more searching.
Find where the game’s playing and easily subscribe to that streaming service (as needed)—all from one tab on your home screen.
Separate subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
Around the Watercooler
Happy Week 2 Sunday! Here’s the latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from your favorite football nerds …
🏈 Check out the latest rankings, projections and our Game Model before setting your lineups.
👀 ICYMI: Stephania Bell & Matthew went over the latest injuries. Dan Graziano had the latest NFL intel, too.
⬆️⬇️ High enough ranking on Brock Purdy? Low enough on another star QB?
👁️ Keep an eye on the WR/CB matchups. Golden opportunity for a sneaky play.
🤔 So you picked up Jalen Coker … should you see his value on the trade market?
🤩 A star QB is ready for a bounceback. Plus more upgrades and downgrades.
🚨 MORE ICYMI: Matthew’s Love/Hate recap and 10 Facts.
🙌 This star WR is bearing down a struggling defense. Big game loading.
🔮 Time for some bold predictions. Who’s going to be WR1?
📈 Saints-Ravens going to see some points? Over/Unders to watch on 4 games.
👻 Double trouble for these 4 QBs. Scared money don’t make money.


What’s the latest on Zay Flowers? What are we doing with Nico Collins and Michael Pittman Jr. out? Zain Dhanani compiled a comprehensive game-by-game breakdown with all the fantasy-specific information you need to know for Week 2. ⤵️

DFS Roundup: Player Picks & Stacks to Target
Last week was fun, but TODAY we get an even bigger main slate of games and an array of star players and sleepers we can slot into our DFS lineups. No matter the format you play, we have plenty of players and stacks to target for the Week 2 action:
- One RB going on IR opens the door for another as a value play on both FanDuel and DraftKings today.
- Target Jayden Daniels and a Commanders stack in GPPs for high upside at lower ownership.
- Matthew Golden is still too cheap on the DraftKings main slate.
- Build around 2 star RBs on FanDuel and profit.

Week 2 Live Show With Matthew & Cupps
Who better to offer up last-minute fantasy football advice before the first Sunday kickoff of the 2026 NFL season than the godfather of fantasy football himself, Matthew Berry? If you have a start/sit decision, or just want some confirmation that you’re making the correct lineup call, Matthew will be joined by Alex Cupps to answer questions that come into the chat, live during the show.
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