Fantasy Football Week 2 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Trevor Lawrence vs. Drake Maye
![Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_99,w_2917,h_1640/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/fantasy_sports_on_si/01m2rbe2hk1cj9q6xhsy.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
The AFC has entered a new age. The days of Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger are in the past. The conference now lives on through Pat Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, and many others. That is the basis of today's debate — young stars at quarterback. I will discuss which is the better Week 2 option: Trevor Lawrence or AFC Champion Drake Maye.
The Case of Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence falls down the board this week. I have him currently listed as the QB14, but that is just a number. It does not factor in a ton of risk or upside. It simply crunches power ratings, key matchups, road versus away, and many other minute but effective factors. This does not mean I rank Lawrence as QB14; rather, he projects as QB14.
When considering upside, I would view Lawrence as a weekly plug-and-play. He was the QB4 in 2025, and while retaining much of the same offense around him, there is little reason that Lawrence cannot finish top-5 for the second year straight.
In Week 1, Lawrence was explosive. He threw just 5 incompletions while scoring 4 touchdowns and committing no turnovers. I do think he has QB1 upside, although it will be difficult for anyone to overtake a healthy Josh Allen.
The lower projection on Lawrence this week depends on his opponent. Lawrence has to play at elevation in Denver. Not only is Empower Field among the most difficult places to play, but Jacksonville also departs from their league-leading home-field advantage from out east.
In 2025, the Jaguars led the NFL in home-field advantage, averaging 17.4 points per game more at home than on a neutral field. Over the past 5 seasons, the Jaguars are 3rd in home-field advantage, averaging 7.34 points per game more at home.
I have the Broncos earning the 3rd-best home-field advantage of the week by nearly 2 full points. In a week where the Jaguars could put up in the 22-24 point range, I have them listed at 20.0.
Not only is Lawrence behind the eight-ball in that respect, but Denver fields what I rate as the 6th-best coverage unit in the NFL and the 7th-best overall defense. In totality, Lawrence is slated to have 20.3 completions, 31.4 attempts, 223.1 yards, 1.4 touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions through the air. Lawrence plans to add another 19.3 yards on the ground.
The Case of Drake Maye
After 11 days of rest, confidence can be restored to Drake Maye. We cannot react to one bad game. He did have to face the NFL's best defense in Seattle, where they raised a Super Bowl banner.
I have Maye all the way up to QB4 in the week's projections. Maye offers the No. 1 home-field advantage of the week at Gillette Stadium. The main factor is indeed those 11 days of rest, 4 more than Pittsburgh had.
The numbers for Maye are as follows: 30.5 attempts, 19.7 completions, 216.3 yards, 1.4 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions. Maye projects to add another 26.3 yards on the ground, the 5th-most of all quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh will offer a difficult defensive battle, but not quite a shutdown one. I rank the Steelers as the NFL's 11th-best defense. They will rely heavily on a pass rush rated 3rd in the NFL rather than a coverage rated 21st. The Patriots have a mid-pack pass block.
I am not so sure that Maye has immense upside this week. He also has to take the field without AJ Brown, who has been placed on the IR. Nonetheless, the team has depth to support a good day for Maye.
The depth chart will feature Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Demario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson, and the return of TreVeyon Henderson. The FPI expects the Patriots to average 0.5 points more than the NFL's most mediocre group.
Trevor Lawrence or Drake Maye?
I think there is a lot of volatility between these two quarterbacks. Lawrence clearly has top-3 upside at the position. He also has to face a tough away environment and an elite pass defense.
Maye comes off a bad Week 1, but he has the rest advantage, as he is still expected to have that 2025 MVP-caliber form in his arm. So what gives?
I would run with the projections in this case. I do not view either quarterback as significantly better than the other in terms of pure skill. They have deep depth charts. They both can scramble. The projections result from many inputs that are to be trusted. Maye is the guy in Week 2.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.