Brian Thomas Jr. or Jadarian Price: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Start Jadarian Price while Seattle's favorable script and confirmed role hold

Price gets the nod because Seattle has confirmed him as its Week 2 starter, giving the rookie the clearest path to carries in a game his team is expected to control (SI.com (OnSI) 2026-09-17). The favorable script matters more here than the nearly identical defensive matchups, while Thomas' limited early role makes his projection less reliable. Thomas still offers the superior big-play ceiling as Jacksonville's primary vertical threat, but his re-aggravated shoulder adds another layer of volatility (Yahoo Sports 2026-09-17).

What flips it: A late change to Price's starting role or a setback in Thomas' shoulder.

Sources: SI.com (OnSI) · Sep 17, 2026 · Yahoo Sports · Sep 17, 2026

AI editor

Brian Thomas Jr.

Brian Thomas Jr.

WR40JAXvs DEN

Projected Points

Toss-Up
Jadarian Price

Jadarian Price

RB23SEAvs ARI

Projected Points

Start· medium

Brian Thomas Jr.’s market

REC
O/U 2.5
-121 / -106
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 34.5
-113 / -113
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+330
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Jadarian Price’s market

RUSH YDS
O/U 60.5
-113 / -113
REC
O/U 1.5
-112 / -114
REC YDS
O/U 7.5
-116 / -108
ATD
Anytime TD
+155
JAX@
DENSun, Sep 20, 4:05 PM ETView the game →
SEA@
ARISun, Sep 20, 4:25 PM ETView the game →

Why Brian Thomas Jr.

Toss-Up

WR1 and primary vertical threat. Long-striding field-stretcher with contested-catch radius; bounce-back candidate after inefficient season.

Toss-up — WR40 consensus, projects WR48 this week: DEN is the 6th-toughest matchup vs WRs, 14% target share.

  • Thomas' vertical WR1 role can produce a splash play even if his weekly volume remains modest.
  • His shoulder bears watching after a re-aggravation, despite practicing without a non-contact jersey (Yahoo Sports 2026-09-17).

Latest on Thomas

Status

Thomas re-aggravated his shoulder in Week 1 and was seen at Wednesday's Week 2 practice without a non-contact jersey despite his Limited designation, which is worth monitoring but not currently viewed as a threat to his availability.

Yahoo Sports · Sep 17, 2026
StatusPreviously

Thomas left the Week 1 game with a shoulder injury, was questionable to return, but came back before halftime; head coach Liam Coen said Monday he is optimistic Thomas will play in Week 2 though he may be limited in practice.

Yahoo Sports · Sep 14, 2026
Which Jaguars WRs will lead in catches, TDs, yards in 2026?

Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers will compete for Trevor Lawrence's targets when the season starts Sunday vs. the Browns.

ESPN · Sep 12, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Jadarian Price

Start· medium

Rookie RB atop the depth chart. Explosive, home-run-speed runner with no prior NFL sample.

Price is the confirmed Week 2 starter with Seattle favored by 10 and a 27.3 implied total — RB23 projection with the best positive-script profile on the board.

  • Seattle has named Price its starter after an efficient NFL debut, strengthening his workload case (SI.com (OnSI) 2026-09-17).
  • The rookie's main risk is an incomplete workload; his explosive running gives him a chance to overcome it.

The call

  • He's named the starter after a 10-carry, 52-yard (5.2 YPC) debut plus 2 catches, so the backfield lead role is locked in for this week.
  • A -10.0 spread and 27.3 implied team total is the ideal run-game script: Seattle should be sitting on leads and feeding the ground game late.
  • The DvP composite of 7-of-32 reads tough on paper, but it's a one-game sample with 0.00 confidence — not enough to bench an RB23 projection of 13.2.
  • Main risk is workload share: 48% snaps and an 8% target share mean he's not a bell cow yet, which caps the PPR ceiling if Arizona keeps it close.

Latest on Price

Role

Price will start at running back for Seattle in Week 2 at Arizona after rushing for 52 yards on 10 carries (5.2 yards/attempt) and catching 2 passes for 6 yards in his NFL debut against New England.

SI.com (OnSI), Yahoo Sports (Seahawks Wire) · Sep 17, 2026
Jadarian Price Looking Forward To Playing Against Former Teammate Jeremiyah Love

Seahawks rookie Jadarian Price is looking forward to playing against his former teammate and Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love on Sunday.

seahawks.com · Sep 14, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricBrian Thomas Jr.Jadarian Price
Projected points
Consensus rankWR40RB23
Opponent vs positionDEN · 6 of 321-game sampleARI · 7 of 321-game sample
Receptions2 of 321 of 32
Receiving Yards1 of 322 of 32
Receiving TDs13 of 32—
Targets2 of 32—
Anytime TD13 of 3213 of 32
Rushing Yards—4 of 32
Rushing TDs—15 of 32
Rushing Attempts—8 of 32
Target share14%8%
Reception share17%12%
Implied total · spread20.5+2.527.3-10.0
Depth chartWR1RB1
Snap share35%48%
Start/Sit record0–10–0+1 toss-up

Recent form

Brian Thomas Jr. — last 1 week

Week 1vs CLE

Jadarian Price — last 1 week

Week 1vs NE

Signal breakdown

  • 9.7 vs 13.2 projected PPR pointsJadarian Price +
  • Rank 40 vs 23Jadarian Price +
  • Opponent DvP rank 6 vs 7 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 20.5 vs 27.3 team pointsJadarian Price +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 35% vs 48% snap shareJadarian Price +

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