Week 2 of the NFL season has arrived! Week 1 always concludes with the revelation of new fantasy information and opportunities. As a result, there’s no shortage of tough decisions in the following slate, so let’s break down my start/sit fantasy football picks for Week 2.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Justin Fields (Jets) vs. Bills
Justin Fields, I owe you an apology. I wasn’t familiar with your game.
Well, I was, but I admittedly had concerns about Fields’ fantasy prospects heading into a matchup against a stout Steelers defense.
Those concerns proved to be quite trivial. New York’s new signal caller proved to be a scoring machine, racking up one passing touchdown and a pair on the ground, finishing with 256 total yards and 29.5 fantasy points. While I don’t expect another near 30-point outing for the dual-threat QB against Buffalo, Fields’ rushing upside clearly puts him in fantasy starting territory until proven otherwise.
Sit ‘Em: Aaron Rodgers (Steelers) vs. Seahawks.
While both Fields and Rodgers excelled in the Week 1 Jets-Steelers quarterback revenge battle, I only expect fantasy success to carry over for one of them.
Spoiler alert, it’s not the 41-year-old.
Rodgers was fantastic in his regular-season debut for Pittsburgh, racking up 244 passing yards and four touchdowns. That said, it’s not realistic to expect the veteran to record more than a couple TDs on a weekly basis, especially considering how much Arthur Smith wants to establish the run.
Rodgers’ lack of rushing upside makes him a risky fantasy option moving forward, and he draws a tricky Week 2 matchup against a Seahawks defense that just held Brock Purdy and company to only 17 points.
Check out all of my Week 2 start/sit quarterback picks here!
Running Back
Start ‘Em: Travis Etienne (Jaguars) at Bengals
There were a LOT of questions about Jacksonville’s backfield heading into the season opener. It appears most of them have been answered. Tank Bigsby, who some expected to be the leading rusher, received five carries and turned them into 12 yards. He was then traded to the Eagles on Monday. I’d say that’s a pretty definitive statement.
Travis Etienne, on the other hand, earned 16 rushing attempts. He converted those carries into a whopping 143 yards, also tallying three receptions. It’s not fair to expect the former first-rounder to 8.9 yards per attempt moving forward, but he appears to have regained a stranglehold of the starting role.
Etienne checks in as an RB2 with obvious upside against a Bengals defense that didn’t exactly light the world on fire in their 17-16 win over Cleveland.
Sit ‘Em: Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs) vs. Eagles
I recommended sitting Pacheco in last week’s start/sit installment, and that proved to be the right decision. Despite declaring the 2025 season a “revenge tour”, the angry downhill rusher managed a meager 25 yards on only five attempts, also catching two balls for three yards.
Kareem Hunt remained the receiving back, earning just as many touches as Pacheco. Without a clearly defined role in a volatile Chiefs offense, it’s hard to feel confident about the 26-year-old’s fantasy prospects.
Things won’t get any easier against an Eagles defense that allowed starter Javonte Williams to average just 3.6 yards per attempt (even if he did score twice) in the season opener. It’s best to play the waiting game with Kansas City’s backfield until a larger sample size is established.
Check out all of my Week 2 running back start/sit picks here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: Hollywood Brown (Chiefs) vs. Eagles
The signs were there to predict Hollywood’s Week 1 performance. In Brown’s only two healthy regular-season contests last year, he racked up 15 targets, suggesting Patrick Mahomes held trust in the veteran even if their rapport had not been established.
So, when Xavier Worthy dislocated his shoulder on Kansas City’s first drive of the season, it’s not surprising that Mahomes turned to the 28-year-old route technician. Brown saw a whopping 16 targets against the Chargers, catching 10 of them for 99 yards.
Next up, Hollywood and the Chiefs draw a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. While Philly remained elite defensively against the run in Week 1, their secondary was vulnerable, and Dak Prescott took advantage of it. Andy Reid’s squad will have to operate through the air early and often to find success, setting up Brown for another strong fantasy outing.
Sit ‘Em: Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins) vs. Patriots
The Dolphins weren’t just decimated by Indy in their season opener; they were flat-out embarrassed on both sides of the ball. Tua Tagovailoa looked like a shell of the former signal caller for Miami’s 2023 high-octane passing attack that struck fear in opposing secondaries. The lefty completed just 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the fantasy outlook of Tagovailoa’s receivers. Waddle was a relative no-show against Indy, catching four of five targets for 30 yards. The Patriots’ secondary didn’t exactly dominate against Geno Smith in their Week 1 loss, but that defensive unit is good enough to give a struggling Dolphins offense problems once again this week.
Check out all of my Week 2 wide receiver start/sit picks here!
Tight End
Start ‘Em: Tyler Warren (Colts) vs. Broncos
Despite being taken 14th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, there were concerns about Warren’s fantasy prospects heading into the year with Daniel Jones at quarterback.
Apparently, those worries were unnecessary, as Jones resembled Josh Allen in the season opener against Miami, recording 272 passing yards and a touchdown along with 26 yards and two scores on the ground. Warren served as one of Danny Dimes’ top two targets, racking up seven receptions for 76 yards in his NFL debut.
The Broncos are no joke defensively, and it’s not realistic to expect another masterclass of an outing by Jones under center. Still, Warren’s immediate impact suggests that he’ll hold a decent fantasy floor as one of the go-to guys until proven otherwise.
Sit ‘Em: Dalton Schultz (Texans) vs. Buccaneers
The good news: Schultz led the Texans in targets in their Week 1 matchup with the Rams.
The bad news: Leading the team in targets wasn’t necessarily an impressive feat, as he only saw five.
The unfortunate reality that is playing out in front of our very eyes is that C.J. Stroud just might not be that great at football. After an offseason to study tape on the young QB, defenses came back and dominated Houston’s offense in Year 2, and that appears to have carried over to 2025 thus far.
Tampa Bay boasts a steady secondary, giving reason to doubt the fantasy outlook for any Texan outside of Nico Collins. Schultz could find the end zone every few games, but without a touchdown his upside is pretty limited.
Check out all of my Week 2 tight end start/sit picks here!
Those are my start/sit Week 2 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy football positional start ’em, sit ’em analysis throughout the week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
