Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Debate: Should Jared Goff or Matthew Stafford Be in a Starting Lineup?

Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford head into primetime games for week 2 with one of the quarterbacks being a clear start in Fantasy.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws from the pocket against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Ford Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford are coming off polar opposite week 1 performances with Goff putting on a decent Fantasy performance and Stafford faltering with one of his worst Fantasy games in years.

The veteran QBs take center stage in primetime games in week 2, but who will shine the brightest in Fantasy this week?

Jared Goff

Goff took a backseat to the Jahmyr-Gibbs show for the most part of the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints, but still provided adequate Fantasy production. Goff finished the contest with 16.4 Fantasy points thanks in part to a couple of passing touchdowns. 

Looking ahead to week 2, Goff and the Lions kick off the week against the Buffalo Bills in what is an expected offensive shootout. The Lions-Bills matchup is the highest over/under of week 2 at 54.5 points, which is four points higher than the second closest game in the week. 

The last Lions vs. Bills matchup was INSANE:

🔹️90 total points
🔹️1080 total yards
🔹️12 total TDs
🔹️Josh Allen: 430 total yards, 4 TDs
🔹️Jared Goff: 507 total yards, 5 TDs

We’re in for another legendary TNF 👀 pic.twitter.com/oswJsOVMXD https://t.co/uUXxwCnPt3

— Nick Brandel (@MotorCityBanter) September 16, 2026

This matchup makes Goff a sneaky play as the Lions are coming into this game on a short week where Gibbs tallied 34 touches. It’s hard to envision Gibbs getting that heavy of a workload in a short week, which could lead to more passing opportunities for Goff. 

Matthew Stafford

The Los Angeles Rams came into week 1 as Super Bowl Favorites, but dropped a dud in Australia and Stafford was at the forefront of it. Stafford finished with 5.1 Fantasy points, which ranked 32nd out of all QBs. The 5.1-points performance was Stafford's worst since a 5.0-points performance in 2024 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Stafford should be able to regroup after the poor week 1 performance, but faces a decivingly tough matchup against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. 

The Giants shut down an explosive Dallas Cowboys passing attack thanks in part to effective game management. Despite trailing for the majority of the game, Dak Prescott only passed for 175 yards on 34 pass attempts. The Giants were intentional on keeping passes in front of them as running back Javonte Williams finished as the Cowboys’ second-leading receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. On top of the effective coverage, the Giants had over 14 more minutes of possession than the Cowboys and limited Dallas to just two possessions in the second half. 

Stafford has the tools around him to succeed, but this matchup may not be the best rebound spot to do so. The Giants’ emphasis of controlling the ball and winning the time-of-possession battle limits Stafford’s opportunities to create Fantasy points. This matchup may be more of a Kyren Williams/Blake Corum game as the Giants allowed 24.2 PPR points to Javonte Williams.  

The Verdict

Goff is the clear start over Stafford in week 2. Goff’s game environment outfavors Stafford’s outlook in week 2. Being a part of the highest expected total of the week gives Goff more opportunities to bolster his Fantasy score than Stafford.

Goff should pass the ball more frequently on a short week after Gibbs touched the ball 34 times on Sunday. Stafford may not have as much Fantasy production as the Giants look to control the ball, but struggle in containing opposing running backs. 

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