Fantasy Football Week 2 Start 'Em And Sit' Em: Jaylen Waddle Vs. Michael Pittman Jr.

We have some great Week 2 wide receiver rankings to help with all your start/sit decisions this week, but today, we’re going to dive into whether fantasy managers should start Jaylen Waddle or Michael Pittman.

Dec 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) celebrates after making a catch for the two point conversion during the second half against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Welcome to Week 2! I hope this article finds you sitting at 1-0 in all of your fantasy football leagues.  

As we prepare to enter Week 3 sitting at 2-0, it’s time to start digging into our tricky start/sit decisions for Week 2. 

There are obviously some players on your roster who are just set-it-and-forget-it guys (also known as the “start your studs” approach), but things get a lot trickier when you’re trying to choose between similarly ranked players for your flex spot.

We have some great Week 2 wide receiver rankings to help with all your start/sit decisions this week, but today, we’re going to dive into whether fantasy managers should start Jaylen Waddle or Michael Pittman Jr.

WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

After starting the year as a top-30 receiver in fantasy football drafts, Jaylen Waddle has slipped to WR43 in our Week 2 wide receiver rankings. 

Week 1 was an outright disaster for Waddle and the rest of the Dolphins offense as they only put up 133 passing yards – with Waddle accounting for just 30 of those yards on four catches (and five targets). Waddle’s production was capped due to the fact that he missed a quarter-plus with a shoulder injury, but there wasn’t much offensive output to go around for Miami in Week 1 regardless.

While both Waddle and the Dolphins have had success against the Patriots in the past, New England has a new coach/system/scheme and could have star cornerback Christian Gonzalez back this week. It’s worth noting that the Patriots’ new coach/system/scheme gave up over 350 passing yards last week, so there’s a world in which Waddle and the Dolphins are able to get back on track this week.

WR Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

Michael Pittman Jr. barely broke into the top-50 wide receivers in fantasy football drafts, and heads into Week 2 as WR40 in our Week 2 wide receiver rankings. 

The 27-year-old’s draft stock is on the rise after turning eight targets into six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. The Colts have a few mouths to feed on offense, but Pittman looks to be the WR1 for Daniel Jones. 

While preseason concerns about Jones have somewhat dissipated over the last week, Pittman and the Colts will face a tough Broncos defense in Week 2. And Pittman, specifically, will likely have the toughest task as he’s likely to see a lot of Patrick Surtain on Sunday. 

The Verdict

While Pittman has most of what we’re looking for in his favor (more targets, more Week 1 stability, better quarterback play so far), I’m scared of the matchup this week. Surtain is arguably the best corner in the league, and while he may not shadow Pittman all day, he’s going to be on him a lot.

Waddle isn’t exactly a sure thing either, but he’s unlikely to see Christian Gonzalez tailing him all day even if Gonzalez plays. And though Tua Tagovailoa looked abysmal against the Colts last week, he’s 7-0 against the Patriots lifetime, and the Patriots defense made Geno Smith look like Patrick Mahomes last week.

I’m locking in Jaylen Waddle over Michael Pittman Jr. for Week 2.