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Week 2 Starts: These Players Will Win You Your Week

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.

16 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 19, 2026
Published
Sat, September 19, 2026
13
Player insights
13
Players mentioned
Topics
Brock PurdyChristian WatsonChuba HubbardDalton SchultzDrake LondonHarold FanninJonathon BrooksJosh JacobsMatthew GoldenMichael MayerParker WashingtonPat FreiermuthPatrick Mahomes
Player analysis

Player insights

13

Brock Purdy

PositiveProjection0:13

Brock Purdy is a must-start quarterback for Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, benefiting from a 29-point implied team total. While ranked as QB10 in consensus, he should realistically be viewed as a QB6 or QB7. He is the best middle-of-the-field thrower in the NFL, and despite interception bias, he is a high-upside play who should be started over Drake Maye and Dak Prescott.

Insight page

Christian Watson

PositiveUsage17:22

Christian Watson was the primary beneficiary of the Packers' passing attack in week one, recording an 81-yard touchdown catch and an additional red-zone score.

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Chuba Hubbard

PositiveProjection6:46

Chuba Hubbard is a must-start running back ranked well ahead of consensus for the upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. He is expected to maintain a monopoly on goal-line work and could see 15+ carries as the Panthers lean into a run-heavy approach. His outlook is further bolstered by offensive game scripts that favor his involvement.

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Dalton Schultz

PositiveUsage13:19

Dalton Schultz is a strong start recommendation, coming off a 64% snap share and eight targets. With Nico Collins, Jaden Higgins, and Tank Dell out, Schultz is expected to lead the Texans' passing attack, with a high probability of a touchdown and potential for a 10-reception game. Brock Perie notes Schultz should sleepwalk to a 4-catch, 40-yard floor with a 40-45% touchdown probability.

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Drake London

NegativeValue12:07

While ranked higher than Parker Washington for the upcoming week, Drake London's outlook is tempered by the quarterback situation, specifically noting his recent two-catch performance with Cooper Rush.

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Harold Fannin

NegativeBust14:41

Brock Perie would start Dalton Schultz over Harold Fannon, citing poor quarterback play from Deshaun Watson and expected rain as reasons to fade Fannon.

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Jonathon Brooks

NegativeDepth Chart7:11

Jonathan Brooks is expected to see his snap count increase from 12 to 15-16 snaps this week. By weeks 4 or 5, it is possible he could surpass Chuba Hubbard in touches and snaps as the team transitions toward him.

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Josh Jacobs

NegativeInjury15:50

The Packers' running game is viewed with skepticism until Josh Jacobs returns to the lineup.

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Matthew Golden

PositiveBreakout14:58

Matthew Golden is viewed as an ascending superstar wide receiver coming off a 15.5-point performance with 12 targets and 82% snap share. Brock Perie ranks him aggressively as a top-40 flex play, starting him over established names like Davante Adams and Terry McLaurin.

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Michael Mayer

PositiveProjection13:12

Michael Mayer is being ranked aggressively by the speaker and is considered a viable start, even potentially over Dalton Schultz.

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Parker Washington

PositiveBreakout12:07

Parker Washington is a clear start following a week one performance where he was WR11 with a team-leading target share and 5.5 yards per route run. He is expected to function as an extension of the run game via screens and RPOs to neutralize Denver's pass rush. Brock Perie suggests he could be a top-15 wide receiver and a potential second-round draft pick next year.

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Pat Freiermuth

PositiveProjection13:10

The speaker is ranking Pat Freiermuth aggressively for the upcoming week.

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Patrick Mahomes

PositiveProjection3:41

Patrick Mahomes is a must-start quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts, despite being ranked as low as QB16 in some expert consensus rankings. He looked nimble in Week 1, scoring a rushing touchdown, and faces a Colts defense that struggled against the Ravens. While his raw passing yardage may fluctuate due to game script, he is expected to generate 20+ fantasy points in this matchup.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

484
0:00absolute must starts in fantasy football
0:02this week. We are going to go
0:03quarterback, running back, wide
0:04receiver, tight end, and a defense at
0:05the end. These are all going to be
0:06players that are on the borderline.
0:08Should I start them? Should I not start
0:09them? These are Davis Matic starts of
0:11the week. We are going to begin at the
0:13quarterback position with Brock Perie.
0:15Had an awesome game in week one against
0:17the Los Angeles Rams. Gets an even
0:18better matchup this week against the
0:20Miami Dolphins. And I've already started
0:22to field some questions here, trade
0:24questions, start set questions like, oh,
0:26you know, the 49ers are going to be up
0:27by so much. They don't have Deshun
0:29Stribbling. Demarcus Robinson is going
0:30to be a part of this year. Brock Pury to
0:32me against the Miami Dolphins is the
0:34definition of a mustart player. Would
0:37you ever think about benching Josh Allen
0:40against the Miami Dolphins? Would you
0:41ever think about benching Lamar Jackson
0:44against the Dolphins? No, you wouldn't.
0:45You would look at that insane point
0:47spread and you would say, "Well, the
0:48only way that this team ends up getting
0:51and covering this insane point spread,
0:54you know, double digits, win by three
0:55touchdowns, is if the quarterback has a
0:57great game." And for whatever reason, we
0:59do not talk about Brock Pury that way. I
1:01mean, I actually think we know the
1:02reason, which is that he was the last
1:04pick in the National Football League
1:05draft. And Jimmy Garopppolo also posted
1:08great numbers in the San Francisco 49ers
1:10offense under Kyle Shanahan. I don't buy
1:12any of those. Brock Pury is one of the
1:14best. In fact, Brock Birdie in the NFL
1:17is the actual best middle of the field
1:20thrower in the National Football League.
1:22It is the reason that he's able to be so
1:23effective. It's also why he throws more
1:25interceptions than the average
1:27quarterback and the interceptions are
1:28something that makes people a little bit
1:30biased against Brock Party. But this is
1:31an absolute dream matchup. 29 point
1:35implied team total. His weekly rank is
1:37the quarterback 10. I frankly think that
1:40Brock Party this week probably should
1:41rank around the quarterback six or
1:43seven. I've not fully finalized my
1:45weekly rankings over on flockfanasy.com.
1:47You guys can sign up over there using
1:49code Davis. If you want to ask me a
1:51question, trade question, team review,
1:53start it, anything like that. Pretty
1:55though, there's it's really really hard
1:57for me to see a scenario where you would
1:59have two quarterbacks and the other one
2:01is so good. I mean, sure, if you have
2:02Josh Allen, if you have Lamar Jackson,
2:04go ahead. But I would start Brock Perie
2:06over Drake May. I would even start, this
2:08is this is true. I would start Brock
2:10Purie over Dak Prescott against the
2:11Commanders, which is not going to be a
2:13popular opinion. That's not going to be
2:14the way most people have that rank, but
2:16Perie to me is the definition of a
2:18mustart quarterback. Moving on to my
2:21second quarterback, we have Patrick
2:22Mahomes, who is coming off of a 21point
2:26game as well. Finishes the quarterback
2:28nine on the week. Only through 27
2:30passes, did have two passing touchdowns.
2:32Obviously, the big deal was that he did
2:34get the rushing touchdown. He looked
2:36rather live. He looked rather nimble in
2:38that game. The Kansas City Chiefs and
2:40Eric Benemy and Andy Reid called a speed
2:43option play nine months to the day after
2:46Patrick Mahomes came back from his torn
2:48ACL. He gets to play an Indianapolis
2:50Colts defense that looked completely
2:52hapless against the Baltimore Ravens.
2:54They have already changed who was
2:56wearing the green dot which is the
2:58headset communicator to the defensive
3:00coordinator. I don't think the
3:01Indianapolis Colts are going to have a
3:02very good game plan against the Chiefs
3:04and against Patrick Mahomes. And one
3:07thing that the detractors of Mahomes
3:09will point out was that hey, you only
3:10had 184 passing yards. The team was
3:12negative pass rate over expectation. At
3:14one point in that game, he was two for
3:1614. All of these things are true. I will
3:18say this, obviously, you are going to
3:20trust Mahomes to generate touchdowns
3:22inside the red zone. Having an explosive
3:24run game is going to end up being a huge
3:26help to Mahomes. It's going to be a huge
3:27help to the Chiefs. Mahomes' raw yardage
3:30might be down a little bit this year
3:32compared to where it was as a passer
3:33last year just because I think they'll
3:35have some blowouts like they had that
3:37game against the Broncos where they're
3:38able to just run downhill. But with a 26
3:41point implied total, it doesn't make
3:43very much sense to me that across the
3:45board he is being ranked as a
3:47quarterback too. I think his fantasy
3:49pros expert consensus ranking has him as
3:51the quarterback 16 on the week. I would
3:53have thought that you all would have
3:54learned. Has anyone who ever made money
3:57doubting Andy Reid, doubting Eric
4:00Benemy, doubting Patrick Mahomes as a
4:02combination? I I don't think they have.
4:04And I want you guys to make money this
4:06week. I want you guys to win your
4:07fantasy football matchups. And I want
4:09you guys to know that Patrick Mahomes is
4:10going to get 20 or more fantasy points
4:12this week against the Indianapolis
4:14Colts. Moving to the running back
4:16position, we are going right back to the
4:17well with Jaka Crosky Merritt. 16 rushes
4:20for 63 yards last week. actually was
4:22more involved in the passing game than I
4:24thought in terms of routes run. Got to
4:2612 TBR points. He did have a fumble at
4:29the end of the game where the ball got
4:30punched out on a very heads up defensive
4:32play by one of the Philadelphia Eagles
4:34defenders and after that play he ended
4:37up being benched for Kron Allen. Kron
4:39came in immediately after that ball was
4:42recovered. However, the coaching staff
4:44said exactly what you want them to say.
4:47He said, "Hey, basically our only
4:49running back with any juice, our only
4:51running back with any verticality, with
4:53any wiggle, with any ability to plant
4:55their foot in the dirt and then go is
4:57JCM. They know that Rashad White is not
4:59an explosive runner. Frankly, they also
5:01know that Kron is not an explosive
5:03runner. I think the way that they view
5:04Kron is very similarly to how they
5:06viewed Chris Rodriguez Jr. where Crod
5:09sure, I mean, he is like, if you made me
5:11bet over the course of the year, who is
5:13more likely to have a higher success
5:14rate if they were each given a carry?"
5:16So, if this was like, you know, if every
5:18carry they got to do a mulligan and JCM
5:20would get the carry and then Katron
5:22would get the carry. Sure, Katron could
5:24have a higher success rate, but I would
5:25bet JCM would have the better rushing
5:27yards over expectation. I would bet he
5:29have he would have the better yards
5:30after contact average. I would bet that
5:32he would have a higher yards per carry.
5:34It's an absolute nutted matchup this
5:36week. Very, very high total between the
5:38Washington Commanders and the Dallas
5:40Cowboys. The Commanders are also going
5:42to need to keep up with the Cowboys
5:44offense because I don't expect the
5:45Commanders defense to be very good this
5:46year and they certainly they were not
5:48very good in week one against the
5:49Eagles. And when you are in that, hey,
5:52we need to score points mode. I just
5:54don't think you have the ability to play
5:56Rashad White too much. You don't have
5:57the ability to kind of work Kron Allen
5:59in. So, I'm expecting another 15 plus
6:01rushes for JCM. I'm expecting more goal
6:04line carries. I would also expect him to
6:06have more work in the passing game this
6:08week than he did last week because
6:10they're just the team needs to find some
6:12juice. You you can't you start your
6:14season 0 and two, it's a very very bad
6:16look. So, it's kind of already backs
6:18against the wall stuff here for the
6:19Washington Commander. So, JCM inside my
6:22top 24 running backs this week. He
6:24should be in your starting lineup as
6:26well. I would just as a global kind of
6:29deal on Jakori Krosky Merritt, I would
6:30be buying. Now, obviously, if he fumbles
6:33in this game, Yeah. Yeah, I mean it's
6:34over, right? You you know that is the
6:36deal, but this is a really good matchup.
6:38The the Giants, I mean, got whatever
6:40they wanted on the ground against this
6:41Cowboys defense, and I think the
6:42Commanders will be able to do the same
6:44thing. Our second must start running
6:46back, a guy I've got ranked well ahead
6:48of consensus this week, is Chuba Hubard.
6:51He played 69% of the snaps last week,
6:53only 10 carries, was much more involved
6:55as a receiver than I thought. Ended up
6:57being targeted three times, including
6:59once on the goal line. Got three rushes
7:02inside the red zone. got two rushes
7:04inside the five. Also had his uh
7:07receiving touchdown come from the four
7:09yardd line. Now I think over the course
7:11of the season, Jonathan Brooks is
7:14absolutely going to get more snaps. He
7:15is not going to play 12 snaps. In fact,
7:17he'll probably play 15 or 16 snaps this
7:20game. And by week four, week five, it
7:22wouldn't even be impossible to me that
7:23Jonathan Brooks is just straight up out
7:25touching and out snapping Chubber
7:27because that's clearly the way the team
7:28wants to go. But for this matchup
7:31against the Atlanta Falcons who just
7:32gave up, you know, uh I believe it was
7:3519 and a half expected points to Rico
7:37Dowel and uh Jaylen Warren in the
7:39Steelers backfield. And we know the
7:41Carolina Panthers are not going to play
7:43offense the same way the Steelers do.
7:45The Steelers after week one were number
7:47one in the NFL in pass rate over
7:48expectation. The Carolina Panthers are
7:51not even going to be top half in the
7:52league in pass rate over expectation
7:54this week or any other week. We are
7:56going to see the Panthers run downhill.
7:58actually would not surprise me to see 15
8:00plus rushes for Hubard and then like
8:02five, six, seven, eight rushes for
8:03Jonathan Brooks as well. I expect Hubard
8:05to have a monopoly of the goal line work
8:07here against the Atlanta Falcons. And
8:09really, this is kind of just about my
8:11perceived game script. Cooper Rush last
8:14week generated.
8:17EPA per play. So every time Cooper Rush
8:20dropped backed or scrambled or basically
8:21anytime Cooper Rush didn't just
8:23immediately hand the ball off, that
8:25meant that he lost on average half a
8:27point, which means that for every 13
8:29dropbacks for Cooper Rush last week, it
8:32was basically giving the other team a
8:33touchdown. That is going to set up very
8:35well for Chuba Hubard. There's almost no
8:37scenario. I went through and set all my
8:39lineups on stream yesterday, and there
8:41was no team where I had Chuba Hubard
8:44where he was not at least a flex play
8:45for me. I I cannot imagine being gifted
8:48Hubard in the later rounds of your draft
8:50and then looking at this spot against
8:52the Atlanta Falcons and choosing not to
8:54start him. He is a clear start for me
8:56this week. Moving to the wide receiver
8:58position, we have got Matthew Golden
9:00coming off a 15.5 point performance, 82%
9:03of the snaps, 12 targets in that
9:05eventual loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
9:07They now get to play the New York
9:09Football Jets. The Jets are a very
9:11interesting team overall because they
9:14were not expected to be that great this
9:16year in the NFL. They had a
9:18comprehensive win week one. They were
9:21super super negative pass rate over
9:23expectation. They are not going to be
9:24able to get away with that. Also,
9:26there's another little bit of a bonus
9:27thing here with Matthew Golden both as a
9:30start this week and just in general,
9:31which is that it doesn't look like the
9:32Packers defense is very good. So, teams
9:35are going to be able to throw because
9:36the Packers are not going to be able to
9:38get any pressure. I could actually see
9:40this game pretty easily going over its
9:4244 and a half point total. The Packers
9:44are favored by three and a half points
9:46here with an implied total of 24 points.
9:48So, three touchdowns expected. Also,
9:50just until Josh Jacobs is back, I'm very
9:52skeptical of the Packers running game.
9:55Uh Chris Brooks did start last week
9:57really nice. He had a 16ard rush to
10:00begin with and then did not gain over
10:01five yards on any of his rushes after
10:03that. Marshon Lloyd had absolutely
10:05nothing. He had 13 rushes for 37 yards
10:08in that game. So all the things that you
10:10know your favorite fantasy football
10:11analysts were saying in the offseason
10:13about the Packers tilting much more
10:14towards the pass condensing their
10:16passing volume. All that was true in
10:18week one and I'm betting on that being
10:20true in week two as well. I have Matthew
10:22Golden ranked super aggressively this
10:24week. I have him ranked as a top 40 flex
10:27player again. Like I would start him
10:28over Devonte Adams. I would start him
10:30over Terry McLuren. You know some of
10:32these guys that you would have drafted
10:33well ahead. Um, Matthew Golden to me
10:35looks like an ascending superstar wide
10:38receiver in the NFL and I don't want you
10:40guys leaving his points on the bench.
10:42Obviously, the big numbers went to
10:44Christian Watson who scored the long 81
10:46yard catch and run touchdown and then
10:48another red zone touchdown. No touchdown
10:50for Golden. I would bet that the
10:52touchdowns will be coming for Matthew
10:54Golden and I want him in your lineup as
10:56he continues to score. I feel great
10:57about Golden this week and just in
11:00general in fantasy football. Do not
11:02leave him on your bench. And then Parker
11:04Washington. This is a very interesting
11:05one. Three-point dogs to the Denver
11:08Broncos. Obviously Washington was
11:10incredible in week one. Wide receiver
11:1211. 61% of the snaps. Six targets, five
11:14receptions, 83 yards, and a touchdown.
11:165.5 yards per route run. Barely had to
11:19play. Led the team in target share. Led
11:22the team in yards per route run as you
11:24would anticipate. This is obviously
11:26going to be a much more competitive
11:27game. I'm willing to bet that in a much
11:30more competitive game, Parker Washington
11:32kind of kind of similar to like how
11:34Rashi Rice or Josh DS functions where he
11:37will be an extension of the running game
11:39as well with like kind of the quick RPO
11:41type things. I would expect him to get a
11:42screen or two in this game. Obviously,
11:44Denver has that very fearsome pass rush
11:47that you have to do your best to try and
11:48equalize and I think one of the ways
11:50that you can do that is throwing
11:51screens, quick crossers, and things like
11:53that. Parker Washington is obviously
11:55going to excel at that compared to Brian
11:56Thomas Jr. Obviously, he's I well, maybe
11:59not obviously, but to me, he is much
12:01better at that job than Jacobe Myers is.
12:04I I think we could see a phenomenal game
12:06here for Parker Washington. And the
12:08reason why he's a clear start for me is
12:09a lot of you guys drafted Parker
12:11Washington in the sixth round, seventh
12:12round. I mean, that was just his ADP on
12:14ESPN was in the 80s, right? So, if that
12:17is the case, then a lot of you guys are
12:19going to have other wide receiver
12:20options, you know? I I'll give you I'll
12:22give you a super crazy one that and some
12:24of you guys might be considering this.
12:25You can ask me in the comments. If you
12:27asked me Drake London verse Parker
12:30Washington, I guess I would probably
12:31have to tell you Drake London. I I would
12:34I'm going to have Drake London ranked
12:35higher than Parker Washington in my
12:37final ranks on Sunday. But do I think
12:39that's crazy? Drake London with Cooper
12:41Rush coming off a two catch game. Like I
12:44I wonder is Parker Washington just a top
12:4715 wide receiver in fantasy football? I
12:49think he might be. Is Is Parker Are we
12:50going to take Parker Washington in the
12:52second round of our drafts next year? We
12:54might. we really might be taking Parker
12:56Washington. So, I want you guys I mean,
12:58you know, clearly ask me any questions
13:00you want. You can do it over on the
13:01site, but I want you guys to get Parker
13:03Washington in your lineups this week. A
13:07clear start at the tight end position
13:09for me. Got a bunch of questions about
13:11Pat Frymouth. Got a question a bunch of
13:12questions about Michael Mayer. I'm I'm
13:14going to have both of those guys ranked
13:16pretty aggressively this week over on
13:17Flock Fantasy. But I did just want to
13:19highlight Daltton Schultz who played 64%
13:21of the snaps last week, had eight
13:23targets, only converted four of them for
13:2535 yards, 33 routes run. Schultz to me
13:29is just kind of the definition of like
13:31this is why you this is why guys like
13:33Daltton Schultz exists. This is why we
13:35drafted Daltton Schultz in basketball.
13:37Nico Collins is not playing in this
13:38game. Jaden Higgins is on IR. Tank Dell
13:40is on IR. So 11 personnel. The 11
13:43personnel for the Texans in a game
13:45against the Bengals that they should
13:46have to throw is going to be Dalton
13:48Schultz, Jaylen Null, Xavier Hutchinson,
13:51Kahan Booty, and David Montgomery. I
13:53mean, there's a chance that Daltton
13:54Schultz leads that group over the course
13:56of the season and targets per route run.
13:58They're they're certainly going to try
13:59and get Kahan Booty the ball, and it
14:01would not surprise me if Jaylen Null has
14:03like a pretty good game coming out of
14:04the slot. He's like a decent a decent
14:06little stash play. But for me, Daltton
14:09Schultz should just kind of sleepwalk to
14:12a four for 40 game. He's got, you know,
14:14a 40 45% probability of coming up with a
14:17touchdown here. Got ceiling for much
14:18more. I mean, if the if the Bengals get
14:20a lead here and the Texans are not able
14:22to run the ball, we could have a I mean,
14:24it's it's hard to imagine, but we could
14:26have a 10 reception Daltton Schultz game
14:29here. Um, the only tight end who's kind
14:32of in that area of like should I start
14:34him, should I not that I would start
14:36over Daltton Schultz is Michael Mayer.
14:38But there there are plenty of guys like
14:40I might start Dalton Schultz over Harold
14:42Fannon this week. That's how bad Deshawn
14:45Watson is. I I mean it's a tough call to
14:46make because you would have drafted
14:47Harold Fannon so much earlier in your
14:49drafts, but it's just so hard to invest
14:51in the Browns. There's going to be rain
14:52in that game. So, I feel really really
14:54good about Daltton Schultz this week.
14:55And I did actually want to highlight a
14:57defense uh start as well. The Carolina
15:00Panthers against Cooper Rush. I talked
15:01about the Cooper Rush EPA statistics,
15:04but right now on flockfantasy.com, the
15:06Panthers are outside the top 12 defenses
15:08in fantasy football. That is not how I
15:10have them ranked. I have them ranked a
15:11little bit more aggressively. I have the
15:13Pan Really, I just have any defense
15:15against Cooper Rush or Deshawn Watson.
15:17These two quarterbacks, that is any
15:19defense, dude. I would start I would
15:21start the Raiders defense against Cooper
15:23Rush. I really would like things are
15:25things are that bad. I would start the
15:26Jets defense against I would start I
15:28would start the Titans defense. How
15:29about that? I would start the Tennessee
15:31Titans defense or the Miami Dolphins
15:33defense against Cooper Rush right now.
15:34So the Panthers seem like a great one
15:36there. Make sure you like the video.
15:39Comment down below any of your start
15:41questions. I'll try to get to them. I'll
15:42try to get to as many of them as I can.
15:45If you want to guarantee an answer, you
15:46can go over to blockfantasy.com, sign
15:48up. You can get a start set question
15:50answered there. trade question, team
15:52review, whatever you would like.

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