Fantasy Football Week 2 Live Lineup Q&A: Start/Sit, Trades & Waivers (Ep. 2204)

This episode is a live caller Q&A where Chris Welsh and Andrew Erickson field roster-specific start/sit, waiver, and trade questions from Discord members ahead of Week 2. The through-line is that several Week 1 injuries (Nico Collins, Ladd McConkie, AJ Brown) are reshuffling target shares, and the hosts repeatedly push callers toward decisive, non-emotional trade and waiver moves rather than waiting on more information.

The arguments

Nico Collins will not play, and that changes the calculus for Houston pass-catchers. Erickson relayed the update mid-show: Collins suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain, didn't practice Thursday, and re-injuring it in practice is a bad sign. Both hosts moved Dalton Schultz ahead of Jayden Hawkinson at tight end because of it, and flagged that Schultz could see 10-12 targets and a top-10 tight end week purely on volume, even without much explosiveness. On wide receiver, they graded Jayden Ramirez (the "Booty" nickname used) as the clear beneficiary, with Xavier Hutchinson dismissed as not the answer.

With Ladd McConkie banged up, Mac Hollins is the safety option but Trey Harris is the one Erickson can't stop pushing. Erickson cited Patriots practice reports that Mac Hollins has been leading wide receiver drills, making him the likely floor play, with Cassius Concepcion also mentioned as a safe PPR piece. But Erickson repeatedly flagged Trey Harris as his personal dark-horse, arguing Harris ran a lot of Keenan Allen-style underneath/possession routes last year and saw seven targets in Week 1, giving him real weekly PPR floor as a flex over Dalton Schultz if McConkie sits.

Trade AJ Brown now, and take DeVonta Smith or Tet McMillan back over Jaylen Waddle. Both hosts agreed the return package matters more than survivor's bias from Week 1 box scores — McMillan and Smith had solid-but-unspectacular openers that got overshadowed by teammates, while Waddle's outcome is tied to a Dolphins offense they view skeptically. Welsh noted the urgency: if you're moving Brown, do it immediately rather than eating three weeks of lost production while he's out.

When a roster is running back-starved, trade your best wide receiver for the best available running back — don't overthink which receiver to send. Responding to a caller with a gutted RB room (Marshawn Lloyd, Ja'Marr Chase-adjacent depth, multiple guys on IR) facing an owner loaded at receiver but thin at running back, Erickson's framework was explicit: identify which of your top receivers unlocks the best running back in return, not which receiver you personally rate higher. Welsh added a negotiating tactic — offer the other manager a choice of your receivers to trade for their running back, since giving them perceived control often closes deals you've already mentally agreed to.

Mike Evans is a clean, obvious start over Diggs, Odunze, and Deebo Samuel. Both hosts pointed to Miami's defense as historically bad, with Erickson citing a stat suggesting it may be one of the worst units in recent memory. Evans graded as a top-12 receiver for both hosts (11th and 12th respectively) this week, making the decision an easy one despite three intriguing bench names.

Terry McLaurin is a buy despite a quiet Week 1, because his weekly range includes touchdown spikes. Welsh and Erickson both framed McLaurin's bad opener against a strong Cowboys secondary as noise, not signal — his profile is built on boom weeks and long touchdowns, and being available in free agency after a Nico Collins loss is described as a rare, high-value pickup that most leaguemates won't have access to.

Marvin Harrison Jr. isn't worth giving up a usable tight end for yet. A caller asked about swapping Zach Ertz/Godwin-type depth (an unspecified rostered tight end) for Harrison; Erickson was blunt that Harrison is currently the fourth receiver in Arizona's offense facing Seattle, making him a stash at best, not an upgrade worth immediate value.

What it means for your roster

• Bench Nico Collins, and if you have him, prioritize Dalton Schultz over Hawkinson at tight end and consider a speculative claim on Ramirez ahead of Xavier Hutchinson in Houston's receiver room.
• Pick up or roster Trey Harris as a flex-viable dart throw over Dalton Schultz if McConkie sits — Erickson has real conviction here, more than the market price suggests.
• Move AJ Brown now if you're shopping him; target DeVonta Smith or Tet McMillan in return over Jaylen Waddle, and don't wait three weeks for his injury to resolve.
• If your RB room is bad and your WR room is deep, initiate a trade for a top-tier back (Derrick Henry, Ken Walker-caliber) using your best receiver as the centerpiece — don't get stuck picking which receiver "deserves" to be moved based on Week 1 stats.
• Start Mike Evans over Diggs, Odunze, or Deebo Samuel this week given Miami's defensive matchup.
• Claim Terry McLaurin off waivers if you lost a receiver like Collins — the hosts view him as a rare high-end free agent addition, not a market overreaction to fade.
• Hold, don't trade for, Marvin Harrison Jr. unless you have no use for your current tight end depth; he's a bench stash, not an upgrade.