2025 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 2

How did your fantasy draft hold up after Week 1? Did any of your late-round sleepers pay off?

There weren’t any new quarterback darlings in fantasy football after the opening week. We did get some possible post-hype sleepers like Daniel Jones play very well in his Colts debut.

There were some rookie wide receivers that made some noise right away. It appears that is the position we could see some new long-term fantasy studs, like Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillan.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

  • QB Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) – Now that Burrow’s yearly Week 1 slow-start is under his belt, he should be just fine. He hasn’t played much better in the second week of the season either, but he has a good match-up. He faces the Jaguars, and if he gets time in the pocket, should have a big game.
  • WR Quentin Johnson (Los Angeles Chargers) – Johnson is still WR3, but it is clear that Herbert is looking for him in the redzone. He faces a rebuilding Raiders secondary this weekend.
  • TE Hunter Henry (New England Patriots) – Patriots QB Drake Maye had a rather so-so fantasy week in their opener. I expect that he will be able to air it out against a Dolphins secondary destined to be near the bottom of the league this year.
  • RB Dylan Sampson (Cleveland Browns) – The Browns backfield is a little more clearer after Week 1. Sampson appears to be RB1 in the offense with Jerome Ford as the backup. Sampson is the better receiver of the two and QB Joe Flacco needs some check-down options. Rookie RB Quinshon Judkins could be waiting in the wings, but may need to serve a suspension for a domestic violence violation.
  • QB Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) – Herbert had a great opener in Brazil. The Chargers are going to air it out this year. Herbert was great in the second-half of last season doing just that.
  • Los Angeles Rams Defense & Special Teams – It might be smart money to just stream whichever Def/ST plays against Tennessee. The defenses will often be available in the below-average AFC South. The Rams are an easy start this week.
  • WR Hollywood Brown (Kansas City Chiefs) – I was high on Brown going into Week 1 and it paid off. He moved into Rashee Rice’s spot while he’s serving his suspension. Brown is arguably more talented than Rice, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps this gig. Brown should see a lot of action with WR Xavier Worthy banged up.
  • RB Travis Etienne Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) – The Jaguars are all-in with Eitenne after shipping backup RB Tank Bigsby to Philly. He gained 143 yards on the ground and a few receptions. If he stays healthy, he could be a top-six fantasy running back when you add in his receiving talent.
  • TE Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) – Johnson had a big game against the Cardinals, after snagging eight receptions for 76 yards. Saints will need big receiving games from Johnson and RB Alvin Kamara, and both should get a lot of targets every week.
  • WR Kayshon Boutte (New England Patriots) – As I said above, I believe Maye will be airing the ball out against a bad Dolphins secondary. Boutte could be in line for a few deep gains.
  • RB Javonte Williams (Dallas Cowboys) – I wasn’t high on the Cowboys running game going into Week 1, but Williams surprised me. I loved him in college, but he has had trouble staying on the field. He has good hands and could be a Tony Pollard-like weapon for QB Dak Prescott.
  • San Francisco 49ers Defense & Special Teams – The 49ers travel to the Saints this weekend. San Francisco is dealing with a few injuries on offense, but I think their defense still up to the task of limiting the Saints on the scoreboard and forcing a few turnovers.
  • QB Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers) – I was down on Rodgers going into Week 1. He proved me wrong with a four touchdown performance against the Jets. He was probably available on the waiver wire this week to pick up. I like him against the Seahawks better than some of the young quarterbacks that have a higher start-percentage than Rodgers.

SIT’EM

  • RB Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) – Skattebo getsa lot of love on Twitter with clips of him running guys over, but don’t expect him to be much of a fantasy player in Year 1. The rookie is stuck is a bad offense, so just enjoy the Reels and Shorts of him right now.
  • QB Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) – Jones had a fantastic debut on the Colts. Some of that may have been due to the Dolphins piss-poor defense. He has a tough task to do the same against the Broncos. I wouldn’t trust him until I see him do it again. I’d rather start Aaron Rodgers or Geno Smith.
  • WR Cooper Kupp (Seattle Seahawks) – Kupp is still an outstanding talent, but I don’t trust QB Sam Darnold to get the ball out fast enough on the short slants and out-routes. I’d rather start Niners WR Ricky Pearsall or Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown.
  • RB Jerome Ford (Cleveland Browns) – Ford lost the starting job in Cleveland, with rookie Dylan Sampson getting more snaps. I think Ford will have some weeks of fantasy relevance, but I doubt it will happen in Week 2 against Baltimore. Also, Judkins could suit up any week now.
  • QB Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears) – Williams just needs to be more consistent. He will be good for three quarters, but there’s one quarter a game that he just can’t make the throws or holds the ball too long.
  • TE Colston Loveland (Chicago Bears) – It’s wild to me that backup TE Cole Kmet got four targets and Loveland only got two in his debut. I’ve said it last week, but the Bears just have trouble incorporating young tight ends into the offense. I hope the new head coach proves me wrong, but I’d rather start Falcons TE Kyle Pitts St. or Patriots TE Hunter Henry.
  • New York Jets Defense & Special Teams – The Jets defense didn’t look great in Week 1. They allowed Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers to throw four touchdowns. It ruined a rather solid debut by their own new quarterback. They face a tough Buffalo offense in Week 2.
  • TE Darren Waller (Miami Dolphins) – Waller could eventually get back to being a solid tight end, but he needs to get his football legs back. He could eventually be a nice weapon for QB Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins.
  • Houston Texans Defense & Special Teams – The Texans face a stout passing attack when the Buccaneers come to town. It’s not a great match-up for Houston. I’d rather start the Arizona Cardinals Def/ST or the New England Patriots Def/ST over the Texans in Week 2.
  • WR Marvin Mims Jr. (Denver Broncos) – Mims is clearly the deep threat in Denver, but I don’t see him being too effective against the Colts. I liked how Indy’s secondary played last week and should cut the field off.
  • QB Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers) – A lot of people were high on Young going into the season (like myself). The Panthers invested in the offense by adding receiving weapons like WR Tetairoa McMillan. I think Young could become a better ‘real-life quarterback’ before he achieves much in fantasy. He must master a balanced offense with his talented backfield first before the Panthers really lean on him too much.

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sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.