Drake Maye, Dylan Sampson, And 3 More Overlooked Bench Players To Start In Week 2

Find out why Drake Maye, Dylan Sampson, and other overlooked fantasy football bench players deserve a starting spot in Week 2 lineups.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) practices before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Sometimes in fantasy football, we have a player on our bench that we can't stop thinking about starting. However, we would have to figure out who to bench. You know your star has a bad matchup or is a little bit banged up, but can you risk benching him? At times, that is the right decision. Here are some of those bench players you should consider starting in Week 2. 

QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots

In most leagues, Maye was drafted to be a backup quarterback. So, odds are you have a higher-end QB1 that you can start in front of him. With that said, he plays the Miami Dolphins this week. The same Dolphins that allowed Daniel Jones to go 22 of 29 for 272 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 26 yards and two more TDs. 

If we are like-minded individuals, then you don't believe that Jones suddenly became an elite quarterback, which can only lead to one conclusion. The Miami pass defense is as bad, if not worse, than they were projected to be. To make matters worse for them, they lost their top cornerback, Storm Duck, in the game against Indy. Being that Maye is a much better quarterback, he should go nuts this week, and there are a lot of cases where he should be started over your usual top guy.    

RB Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) runs with the ball against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

If we learned one thing about the Minnesota offense on Monday Night Football, it's that Mason is going to be the team's top rusher. He carries the ball 15 times for 68 yards at 4.5 yards per carry, while Aaron Jones ran just eight times for 23 yards at 2.9 yards per carry. Mason is going to get the bulk of the carries this year and the goal-line work. He'll be a flexible option most weeks. 

RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns

Once Quinshon Judkins is a full-go, things could change. We are willing to bet that won't be this week after he missed the entire summer and just signed with the team last week. In Week 1, the rookie saw 12 carries and caught all eight of his targets for a total of 93 yards. That's with them giving Jerome Ford a shot early in the game. That's done with. We expect a similar usage this week; the only thing that might change is who the RB2 is.  

WR Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) goes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the New York Giants at Northwest Stadium. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

There weren't many fantasy owners who were high on Samuel heading into this season. 10 targets and a 19-yard TD run later, and here we are. He was the focal point of the offense, catching seven passes for 77 yards, while Terry McLaurin was targeted just four times and caught two of them. The combination of the volume and how good he looked has to put him in consideration to be a starter.  

WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

Ridley had a bad Week 1, but he was always going to. He was matched up against Patrick Surtain II with a rookie quarterback making his first career start against an elite defense. That's why it's surprising to see that in the Week 2 ECR, he is ranked as the WR37. The plan should have always been to bench him in Week 1 and start him in Week 2.