Fantasy Football Start/Sits - NFL Week 2 2025 (QB, RB, WR, TE)

Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season is here, and after a week of many big names throwing out dud performances and some unexpected stars (a few of them we'll name here) it is time to figure out who is worth trotting out to either maintain the Week 1 momentum after a win or or get on the right track if your first games didn't go your way.

Either way, using data, gut feelings and ethereal projections, we will provide you the tools needed to get that juicy dub week after week with 100% accuracy. We will, of course, omit matchup-proof choices such as Saquon Barkley and Lamar Jackson.

Quarterbacks: @Endydoe

Start: Justin Fields vs. Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Somehow, some way, the Jets played a great game against the Steelers last week and just narrowly lost. A big portion of why the Jets were able to make the game close is because of Justin Fields, who, remember, went 4-2 as a starter in Pittsburgh last year. Other than entering Week 2 tied for QB2 in standard scoring, Fields passed the eye test against the Steelers and a connection with Garrett Wilson is obviously there. For fantasy purposes, Fields is startable in most formats as a true dual threat at the position.

The Bills, despite their win last week on Monday Night Football against their Ravens, did give up 40 points that included 238 yards on the ground, 70 of which were to QB Lamar Jackson. If I have Fields, I'm starting him in even an 8 team league expecting a strong ground performance supplemented by 200ish passing yards and a tuddy or two.

Start: Drake Maye @ Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

This is a bonus start because this is not a start I'd necessarily recommend outside of 10-team leagues and up, and because I am biased. Listen, I am a Patriots fan saying to start a Pats player in fantasy with some confidence and that is something that has been lacking for the last few years. Case in point, Maye travels to Miami to take on perhaps the worst looking team in the league following Week 1. Despite the 20-13 loss to Las Vegas last week, Maye looked decent enough with a 287/1/1 split. The Dolphins just ceded 271/1/0 to Daniel Jones, and I expect the Patriots to further exploit Miami.

Drake Maye

Start: Justin Herbert @ Las Vegas Raiders (MNF, 9/15 @ 10:00 PM EST)

Herbert showed up in Brazil to defeat the reigning AFC Champions last week, and I'm a big fan of riding this hot hand. After a 318/3/0 line against the objectively better Kansas City defense, Herbert and the Chargers take aim at their divisional rivals in the Raiders, and on two more days of rest. The Raiders defeated the Patriots last week, but were not overly effective against the pass. As I just mentioned, Drake Maye posted nearly 300 yards and a touchdown, including 107 yards to Kayshon Boutte.

It's safe to say the Chargers have a more high-powered and established offensive attack than the Patriots, and with momentum on their side I'm a big fan of starting Herbert in all formats this week.

Sit: Bo Nix @ Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 9/14 @ 4:05 PM EST)

I'm on record as a big Bo-liever entering the 2025 season owing to Nix's solid rookie campaign in 2024 and relative ease of schedule, but there are a few things making me look the other way this week. Against the Titans, Nix posted a 176/1/2 line last week, including a fumble. For their part, the Titans are actually a tough matchup for a passing game, but on the road against the Colts who just held the Tua-Tyreek-Waddle-Achane Dolphins to just eight points last week, I'm fading Nix until we see a solid outing. I'm putting my literal money where my mouth is, as I have Maye in over Nix in one of my money leagues.

Sit: Daniel Jones vs. Denver Broncos (Sunday, 9/14 @ 4:05 PM EST)

On the other side of riding the hot hand as I am with Justin Herbert, I strongly urge Danny Dimes enjoyers to chill out this week. I picked him up in my main league as a "wait and see"; perhaps he actually is this season's Geno Smith or Sam Darnold sort of breakout candidate, but I don't like the matchup. After finishing last week tied for QB2 in fantasy with a 271/1/0 line along with 26 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, I find it difficult to trust a similar performance being in the works against the tremendous Broncos defense. I could be wrong, but I'm not starting Jones and finding out the hard way. Keep him on your bench if you snagged him off Free Agency, however.

Running Backs: @spechty49

Start: Jordan Mason vs. Atlanta Falcons (SNF, 9/14 @ 8:20 PM EST)

A Minnesota offense that seemed to absolutely suck in the first half of the game turned it up in the second half. Mason out carried Aaron Jones 15 to 8. Mason was also much more efficient with 4.5 yards per carry. He most importantly had a majority of the goal line work.

Dylan Sampson @ Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

He only ran the ball 12 times but he has great PPR value in the passing game. Catching all 8 of his targets and racking up 93 yards from scrimmage. Things may change once Judkins finally plays but for now I think he will at least have passing back play.

Dylan Sampson

Sit: RJ Harvey @ Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 9/14 @ 4:05 PM EST)

I am in shambles writing this. He is on my team. I think if you fast forward to mid season he may look better. But man the snap share is not there. He popped for a 50 yard run so maybe in a deep league you may have some big play capability angle to play. But all the redzone work went to J.K. Dobbins. Only 31% of the snaps went to Harvey. Give it time but for now it’s a tough play.

Sit: Kenneth Walker III @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

It’s Zach Charbonnet's backfield. 40 percent of snaps went to Walker for 13 touches and he only mustered 24 yards. Charbonnet's looked better, got more work, got more yards, and got all the goal line touches. Could Walker find value? Maybe but he’s gonna need to prove it.

Wide Receivers: @jvr1210

Start: Hollywood Brown vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 9/14 @ 4:25 PM EST)

The Chiefs entered their season opener down a wide receiver with Rashee Rice serving the first game of a 6 game suspension. On the third play from scrimmage WR Xavier Worthy went down with a dislocated shoulder after colliding with teammate Travis Kelce. With the receiving core depleted Patrick Mahomes turned his attention to Hollywood Brown. Brown saw a whopping total of 16 targets, hauling in 10 catches for 99 yards, good for just short of 20 points in a PPR format.

With Worthy still out going into week 2 and the Chiefs slated for a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hollywood Brown looks primed to play a big role again in the passing game. The Eagles defense got off to a bit of a rocky start against the passing game allowing a solid portion of the 188 passing yards the Cowboys amassed in the first half. Ceedee Lamb was able to pick up 100+ receiving yards in this one. A weather delay seemed to suck all the energy out of both offenses, as no points were put on the board after the delay. Brown versus the Eagles may be a sneaky pick in Week 2.

Start: Deebo Samuel @ Green Bay Packers (TNF, 9/11 @ 8:15 PM EST)

Deebo looked a lot like his old self in his Commanders debut versus the Giants. Samuels hauled in 7 receptions on 10 targets for 77 total receiving yards, leading the Commanders receivers in all the respective categories. Deebo also added a 19 yard rush, which he took to the endzone for a touchdown. Getting involved in both the passing game (with a 35% target share) and the running game reminded me a lot of Deebo Samuel from 2021.

On a day sophomore QB Jayden Daniels called sloppy, Deebo shined. As the Commanders offense kicks into the higher gear they are capable of I expect Deebo to continue to play an important role. A versatile dual threat QB like Jayden Daniels will only serve to improve Deebo’s output on the dual option and end-around rushes he is known for. The Commanders face a much more difficult opponent in the Green Bay Packers whose defense looked mightily impressive against the Lions in Micah Parson’s debut. The Commanders will be spread thin against this defense and I expect Deebo to play an important part in the game plan.

Deebo Samuel

Start: Jakobi Meyers vs. Los Angeles Chargers (MNF, 9/15 @ 10:00 PM EST)

The Geno Smith and Pete Carroll era is underway in Las Vegas. The Raiders looked impressive in their season opener against the Patriots, immediately torching the Patriots defense with a 66 yard TD drive that took 2:38 on their opening drive. The Raiders managed to pick up 333 passing yards, with Jakobi Meyers playing one of the leading roles. Meyers brought in 8 receptions for 97 yards on 10 targets. Meyers seems to have cemented himself as one of Geno Smith’s favorite receiving options and will look to take that momentum into a matchup against the Chargers.

Sit: Cooper Kupp @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

The Seahawks were oh so close to snatching a win in their season opener against their division rivals the 49ers. Unfortunately Sam Darnold fumbled the ball on the 9 yard line with less than a minute to go, sealing the Seahawks fate. This was not a pretty game in any facet for the Seahawks offense. They lost two fumbles, barely amassed 150 passing yards and the running game struggled, barely surpassing 3.0 yards per carry. Kupp’s Seahawk debut saw him overshadowed by Jaxon Smith-Nijigba, as Kupp only had 2 receptions for 15 yards. Kupp had 3 targets to JSNs 13.

The Seahawks face another tough on paper defense with a matchup against the Steelers. The Steelers defense did struggle in their season opener against the Jets, but I expect better results this week. Kupp may play a bit better, but I still don’t expect numbers worthy of starting him in week two.

Sit: Chris Olave vs. San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Last but not least, we turn our attention to Chris Olave and the New Orleans Saints. This pick is less about Olave and more about the QB at the helm, Spencer Rattler. It took Rattler 46 attempts to throw for 214 yards, a pitiful 4.7 passing yards per attempt. Olave brought in 7 receptions of 13 targets for a total of 54 yards, good for just over 12 points in PPR formats. Olave saw a fairly even share with Juwan Johnson who had 11 targets. With Rattler at the helm against the 49ers who tormented Sam Darnold in week one, I can’t justify starting Olave outside of super deep leagues.

Tight Ends: @BreTT_Shevlin

Start: Jonnu Smith vs. Seattle Seahawks (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Last week Jonnu saw 6 targets and hauled in a TD against the Jets. Most of his catches were near the line of scrimmage, but it appears he seems to be a go to check down option for Rodgers. Aside from Metcalf, the Steelers don’t have much going on offense so Jonnu should see a healthy workload again in this game vs Seattle.

Jonnu Smith

George Kittle was having a really good game vs the Seahawks last week until his hamstring injury happened. When Kittle went out Jake Tonges the backup tight end came in and finished with a solid game himself catching the game winning TD. Covering Tight Ends may not be Seattle’s strong suit so you should feel good about starting Jonnu in your week 2 lineups.

Start: Hunter Henry @ Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Man is Miami’s defense horrific. This is a no brainer start for me. Henry played 93% of the patriots snaps last week and tied for the most targets (😎). Hunter Henry is clearly at worst the #2 option for Drake Maye and should be involved heavily.

Tyler Warren completely torched the Miami defense with 7 catches for 76 yards in his debut in the NFL. Hunter Henry is not as talented as Warren, but there should be enough meat on the bone for him to finish as a TE1 this week.

Sit: Colston Loveland @ Detroit Lions (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

We finally got to see how Ben Johnson’s offense would function on Monday Night Football and it wasn’t great for Loveland owners. Cole Kmet is still firmly entrenched as the starting tight end on this team as he saw 91% of the snaps compared to Loveland who played 56% of the snaps. The Bears used high draft capital to take Loveland, but until we see a higher usage rate he belongs on the bench for now.

Sit: Jake Ferguson vs. New York Giants (Sunday, 9/14 @ 1:00 PM EST)

This has more to do with the Giants than it does the Cowboys. The Giants upgraded significantly at defense from a year ago adding Abdul Carter to an already insane pass rush. Dak is gonna have his work cut out for him in this game and we know how much he likes throwing to Ceedee Lamb. Last week I said to sit George Pickens and I was right so listen to me on Jake Ferguson and find someone else to stream on Sunday.