Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Start/Sit Decisions: Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, and More

Painful fantasy lineup decisions are the bane of the weekend during football season. You probably check your team quickly on Thursday to make sure anyone in that game is in the right spot, but many owners don't otherwise look at their lineup until the weekend.

From there, it's a game of ping pong, decisions bouncing back and forth until the final hours before game time. The more information you have, the more thought you can put into your players, both for better or worse. Luckily, we have tools to help that process, like FantasySP's start/sit tool.

Different players show up most on that tool every week, and one of the main QBs popping up has been Baker Mayfield. Let's look at Mayfield versus three of the quarterbacks who have been compared against him most on the start/sit tool: Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray.

Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool each week to help with all your lineup decisions.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans

Mayfield had a rough Week 1, gaining 167 yards on 32 pass attempts, just 5.2 yards per attempt. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 39 yards, though, helping his fantasy score. It was a bit of a slow start, but the touchdown volume matches 2024.

Houston presents a tougher matchup. They allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt last season, though Matthew Stafford had success in Week 1, gaining 245 yards on 8.4 per attempt against the Texans. Houston has high-level talent at all three levels of the defense and is likely to have one of the better units in the league.

Mayfield has a nice ceiling that we've seen in the past, like last year's 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also runs the ball a decent amount, adding on some nice bonus points. This is a tough matchup, though, and I'm looking for Mayfield to again have a modest week.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Burrow is pretty much in matchup-proof zone: you're starting him if you have him. His ceiling is that of an MVP, but we've seen him struggle at times, like in Week 1 against Cleveland. Burrow threw for just 113 yards on 23 attempts, 4.9 per attempt. That's bad by any standard, let alone a QB like Burrow.

I'm willing to bet that Cleveland is a tougher matchup than it may seem, though, and that better days for the Bengals will start this week against Jacksonville. The Jags had a good day in Week 1, but again, I'm trying to put the performance in context; holding Carolina to 154 passing yards on 4.4 yards per attempt might have more to do with the Panthers' ineptitude than the Jaguars' prowess.

Last year, Jacksonville allowed the most yards per pass attempt of any team. They have a few highly regarded players on the defensive line, including Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, but we need to see more evidence of high-level play before believing it.

I like the matchup and the outlook here for Burrow and see no reason to bench him.

Advice: Start Joe Burrow over Baker Mayfield

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders

We are probably overlooking how good Herbert was in Week 1 because his game happened Friday night and was followed by a lot more action on Sunday and Monday. He threw for 314 yards on 34 attempts (9.4 average) with three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Chiefs. His team won by six points and needed every little bit of his performance.

Kansas City had a very good defense the past few years, so we'll see soon if they've taken a step backward or if Herbert was just that good (I'm betting on the latter). Vegas was middling or worse against the pass last season, but they had a decent Week 1 performance: while Drake Maye threw for 287 yards, it took 46 attempts to get there, an average of just 6.2.

The Raiders have some decent defenders and a star pass rusher, but on paper, they lack high-level talent overall. The most likely outcome is that they settle in near the middle defensively, though head coach Pete Carroll could make a difference.

While his volume is down a little at times, Herbert is an effective fantasy player. This matchup isn't a bad one, and he has the chance at another good day.

Advice: Start Justin Herbert over Baker Mayfield

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers

This might be the best matchup of the day. The Panthers allowed more points than any team last season, and they started the year by giving up 26 to the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence didn't have a big day, throwing for just 178 yards on 5.7 yards per attempt, but he didn't need to do a lot, as the game was 20-3 halftime.

Murray also had what looked like a good matchup against the Saints, but he had a rough day of his own, throwing for 163 yards on 5.6 per attempt. He threw for two touchdowns and added 38 rushing yards for an OK fantasy day, but it wasn't an efficient outing.

Carolina poses another supposedly easier matchup, giving Murray the chance at a better Week 2. He hooked up with his top two receivers often in the opener: Marvin Harrison Jr. had five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, and Trey McBride had six catches for 61 yards. Those connections will make his life easier and maybe lead to a big day in this one.

Advice: Start Kyler Murray over Baker Mayfield