Fantasy football managers know that every lineup decision can make or break a week, and choosing the right players to start or sit is where championships are won. With the 2026 NFL season underway, matchups, stats, and trends are more important than ever. From favorable matchups and scoring trends to players you should avoid in tough spots, my weekly positional start and sit guide is built to give you an edge.
Want your start/sit questions answered within minutes? Join the Blitz Community for free fantasy football advice all season long.
Wide Receivers to Start
Jalen Coker CAR
Jalen Coker has done enough through two weeks that I’m done treating this breakout like a fluke. He opened the season with eight receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets, then followed it with another eight catches for 66 yards against Atlanta. That’s 16 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns through two games, and the Week 1 usage was every bit as impressive as the production. Coker commanded a 26.5% target share and accumulated 102 air yards, showing us that Carolina isn’t simply manufacturing short touches for him. Bryce Young is trusting Coker at multiple levels of the field, and that’s especially important with Young throwing for 648 yards and six touchdowns during his own breakout start to the season.
I’m willing to keep riding that connection against Cleveland. The Browns have leaned heavily on single-high coverage through the first two weeks, a structure Young has handled particularly well during his hot start. Coker also doesn’t need another 138-yard, two-touchdown explosion to help fantasy lineups when the target volume has been this stable. He’s caught eight passes in consecutive games while Tetairoa McMillan gives defenses another legitimate perimeter threat they have to account for. There will eventually be weeks where Carolina’s passing production comes back down, but I’m not sitting a receiver who has immediately established this type of role in an offense playing as well as the Panthers have through two weeks. Coker belongs in the WR2/flex conversation for Week 3 if he suits up this week.
Dontayvion Wicks PHI
Dontayvion Wicks is quickly becoming one of my favorite early-season values because Philadelphia is giving him more than just a situational deep-threat role. Wicks turned four targets into two receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 before catching five passes for 74 yards against Tennessee. That gives him 147 receiving yards through two games while averaging 21.0 yards per reception. According to Fantasy Points Data, Wicks commanded a 16% target share, 23.5% first-read share and two deep targets while producing 2.70 yards per route run in Week 1. Week 2 was even more encouraging from a volume perspective because the Eagles found ways to get him five receptions rather than requiring one massive play to produce a usable fantasy score.
Chicago is exactly the type of matchup where I’m willing to keep him in the lineup. We watched this secondary allow Bryce Young to throw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, and Philadelphia has enough weapons to make it difficult for the Bears to dedicate coverage toward Wicks. DeVonta Smith remains the primary receiver, but that can help Wicks continue finding favorable opportunities elsewhere in the secondary. Jalen Hurts has already connected with him for explosive plays, and Wicks has produced at least 73 receiving yards in both games despite only 10 total targets. That efficiency will eventually come down, but the expanding role gives him more margin for error than he had entering the season. I’m comfortable starting Wicks as a WR3 with legitimate big-play upside.
Romeo Doubs NE
Romeo Doubs gave us exactly the response I wanted after a disastrous Patriots debut. He failed to catch any of his three targets against Seattle in Week 1, including a costly fourth-quarter drop, before rebounding with three receptions for 96 yards against Pittsburgh. Two of those catches gained at least 20 yards, including a 63-yarder, and Doubs led New England’s wide receivers in targets, receptions and receiving yards. More importantly, A.J. Brown’s high-ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve and has pushed Doubs into a much more important role in this passing game. He played the second-most snaps among Patriots wide receivers in Week 2, and New England doesn’t have another established perimeter receiver demanding the opportunities Brown was expected to receive.
Jacksonville gives Doubs an opportunity to build on that performance. The Jaguars have already allowed usable fantasy performances to Denzel Boston and Jaylen Waddle through two weeks, and this is a game where New England may need considerably more from Drake Maye than it did in the 20-3 win over Pittsburgh. I’m still concerned about Maye’s early-season passing efficiency, which keeps Doubs from becoming an automatic start, but the opportunity has changed substantially since Brown went down. Doubs has a history of producing downfield and in the red zone, including 55 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns last season, and now he has a path toward functioning as New England’s primary outside receiver. After seeing the expanded opportunity translate into 96 yards last week, I’m comfortable using him as a WR3/flex.
Wide Receivers to Sit
Jameson Williams DET
Jameson Williams is one of the most frustrating players to sit because the playing time hasn’t disappeared. He ran a route on 91% of Jared Goff’s dropbacks against Buffalo, yet finished with only two receptions for 33 yards on four targets. That’s especially disappointing after Williams commanded nine targets in Week 1 but turned them into only four receptions for 45 yards. Through two games, we’re looking at six catches for 78 yards without a touchdown despite Detroit throwing six touchdown passes. According to FantasyPros, Williams has commanded only a 15.6% target share while producing 1.00 yards per route run. The routes are there, but they simply haven’t translated into enough opportunities or production.
The Jets aren’t the matchup I want to bet on for an immediate correction. According to FantasyPros’ Week 3 matchup data, New York has played two-high coverage on 66.2% of its defensive snaps, and Williams has historically been less productive against those looks. He’s been targeted on only 19% of his routes against two-high while averaging 1.24 yards per route run. Williams can always erase a quiet afternoon with one 60-yard touchdown, so I’m not suggesting his season-long value is collapsing. But Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs give Goff several more consistent options, and Williams hasn’t earned enough volume for me to chase the big play in a matchup that doesn’t particularly suit him. If I have another legitimate WR3 or flex, I’m sitting Williams.
Rome Odunze CHI
Rome Odunze’s talent isn’t the problem. The target volume is. He caught two passes for 52 yards in Week 1 and followed it with three receptions for 43 yards against Minnesota, giving him five catches for 95 yards through two games. The 19.0 yards per reception looks great, but Odunze has received only seven targets despite running the most routes among Chicago’s wide receivers. That’s the disconnect I’m worried about. He’s on the field enough to produce, but the routes haven’t turned into the type of target volume we need from a dependable fantasy starter. Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond have both been involved, while Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland give Chicago two more pass catchers capable of earning targets over the middle.
Now we have another variable with Caleb Williams dealing with a hamstring injury. He’s considered week-to-week and hasn’t officially been ruled out, but even if Williams plays, I’m not comfortable assuming Odunze suddenly jumps from 3.5 targets per game into the seven-to-nine target range we need from a reliable fantasy starter. His efficiency gives him the ability to make this recommendation look bad with one downfield reception, but that’s essentially what we’re betting on right now. Five receptions through two games isn’t enough volume for me to trust, especially with uncertainty at quarterback. Until Chicago starts turning Odunze’s routes into consistent targets, I’m keeping him on the bench.
Carnell Tate TEN
I’m still encouraged by Carnell Tate’s long-term outlook, but Tennessee’s passing offense hasn’t given us enough to start him yet. Tate caught four of six targets for 38 yards in his NFL debut before finishing with three receptions for 27 yards on five targets against Philadelphia. That leaves him with seven receptions for 65 yards on 11 targets through two games. The encouraging part is that the Titans clearly want him involved. Tate led Tennessee’s receivers in snaps, receptions and targets against Philadelphia, and his five targets were also the most on the team. The problem is that Cam Ward attempted only 20 passes, leaving almost no margin for error for anyone trying to produce fantasy points in this passing game.
The Giants matchup is considerably easier than Philadelphia, but I’m not letting matchup alone convince me to start Tate before Tennessee proves it can generate enough passing volume. Eight different Titans were targeted last week despite Ward attempting only 20 passes, and Tate has yet to score or reach 40 receiving yards in either game. His Week 1 usage was promising with a 31.6% first-read share, so I absolutely want to keep him rostered because there’s a path toward Tate eventually emerging as Ward’s top receiver. That’s a different question from whether I want him in my Week 3 lineup. Right now we’re betting on a rookie receiver in a passing game that hasn’t generated enough quarterback volume through two weeks. Until Ward and this offense show us more, Tate remains on my bench.
