Following a rather lackluster opening week around the NFL, where scoring was minimal and it seemed that most teams were still attempting to knock the rust off from the preseason, Week 2 saw a flurry of touchdowns. We had some truly monumental statistical performances, especially at the wide receiver position (which I’ll touch on shortly).
A bevy of low-rostered options broke out, which should result in this week’s fantasy football waiver wire run being more impactful than the last go-around. Especially early on in the season, when grabbing players can provide the best long-term investment, being aggressive to shore up holes in your team as we head into Week 3 is a good decision.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 2
Two games currently remain on the books (there is a doubleheader tonight with Tampa Bay versus Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers taking on Las Vegas), but as things stand heading into Monday afternoon, here is a review of Week 2’s best and worst performances.
Quarterbacks
Stud: Jared Goff (QB – DET)
After riding the struggle bus in Week 1 on the road against Green Bay, Jared Goff (along with the entire rest of the Detroit offense) decided to take off the kids gloves against divisional rival Chicago in Week 2, passing for 334 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-21 stomping. Goff peppered multiple receivers all over the field and picked apart a hapless Bears secondary that struggled to cover or put any pressure on the 10-year veteran.
With time in the pocket to spare, Goff threw three touchdowns to Amon-Ra St. Brown and one each to Brock Wright and Jameson Williams. It was good to see Detroit’s offense clicking again, as I was concerned about what sort of impact the loss of coordinator Ben Johnson would have on this team. Throughout his career, Goff has had significant home versus road splits (along with being in a dome versus open-air stadiums), so it will be interesting to see if that divide continues in 2025. Detroit travels on the road to Baltimore in Week 3, in what should be a thrilling matchup.
Stud: Russell Wilson (QB – NYG)
From zero to hero? The New York media was in a feeding frenzy over Russell Wilson’s struggles in Week 1, barraging head coach Brian Daboll with questions about if (or when) the switch would happen from Wilson to rookie Jaxson Dart. A few more performances like this, and he might not have to continue fielding those scenarios. Wilson went full YOLO mode against Dallas in Week 2, passing for a career-high 450 yards and three touchdowns, continually taking shots downfield to Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson.
A costly interception at the end of the game led to New York falling in overtime to their divisional rivals, but Wilson was able to prove he has some gas left in his tank, and likely bought himself a little breathing room moving forward. The Giants square off on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, in a battle of 0-2 teams. Call it a hunch, but I think New York takes another loss in their next contest.
Dud: Aaron Rodgers (QB – PIT)
I expected Aaron Rodgers’ play to fall off in Week 2 (coming from his four-touchdown revenge performance against the New York Jets in the opener), but didn’t think he would struggle quite this much versus Seattle. Rodgers’ receivers didn’t do him any favors (specifically regarding drops), but he seemed hesitant to throw the ball downfield, averaging a meager 6.2 yards per attempt (YPA), completing just 18-of-33 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Outside of DK Metcalf, Rodgers has little proven talent capable of instilling fear into an opponent’s secondary, which will result in plenty of loaded boxes and pressure in his face. His lack of mobility at this point in his career compounds matters further, coupled with a shaky offensive line and middling options at running back. I’d expect more performances like this in the future.
Dud: Joe Flacco (QB – CLE)
Joe Flacco has struggled out of the gate this season and now has consecutive games with just one passing touchdown, despite throwing 90 times in two games. On the road against a stingy Baltimore Ravens defense, Flacco completed just 25-of-45 attempts for 199 yards, with two costly turnovers and one score (and even that came on a fluky tipped-ball catch).
Cleveland knew going into the year that their quarterback situation would likely prove to be an Achilles’ heel, and that has proven to be the case. The problem doesn’t improve in the short-term either, with the Browns facing Green Bay and Detroit the next two weeks. In each of those contests, I’d expect the Browns to quickly fall behind and continue to rely on Flacco’s arm to move the ball downfield. It remains to be seen what sort of leash he’s working with to fend off Shedeur Sanders from starting, but with each loss, it grows a little shorter.
Running Backs
Stud: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
Jonarhan Taylor eclipsed the 200-yard mark in Week 2, rushing for 165 yards on 25 carries and securing two receptions for 50 yards and a score as a receiver. The most notable thing? This terrific performance came against arguably the league’s best defense in Denver, and Taylor’s contributions as the focal point in this offense propelled the team to a 2-0 record in an upset victory.
Indianapolis will continue to feed Taylor touches, with quarterback Daniel Jones the only real threat to “vulture” touchdowns around the goal line. As of this moment, the overwhelming majority of touches for the Colts siphon through Taylor and their top three passing targets, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. Taylor will continue to be a locked-in top five option at running back for fantasy managers as long as he remains healthy, with matchups on the road against Tennessee and the Los Angeles Rams upcoming.
Stud: James Cook (RB – BUF)
Perhaps the prolonged contract dispute was a blessing in disguise for both Buffalo and James Cook? In a blowout victory over the New York Jets, Cook rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, including a magnificent 44-yard scamper in the second quarter to put the game out of reach. The clear alpha running back for this team, Cook is answering loudly if his breakout 2024 season with 16 rushing touchdowns was a fluke. We don’t think it was.
The Bills’ offense is an unstoppable juggernaut that benefits from Cook’s multi-purpose utility as a receiving threat. Ray Davis and Ty Johnson are simply afterthoughts at this point, with Cook dominating backfield touches. Miami’s horrific defense is next up in Week 3, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Cook finished with another top-three performance at the position. Barring injury, he is in for another stellar finish in 2025.
Dud: Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)
At this point, how concerned are fantasy managers about Isiah Pacheco? Pegged for a bounce-back campaign by many analysts after he was given a full offseason to recover from his 2024 leg injury, Pacheco has failed to eclipse the five-point mark in PPR formats for consecutive weeks. With limited total touches due to Kansas City’s inability to run the ball while playing perpetually from behind, Pacheco has received a total of 18 touches this season — not good enough.
The Chiefs face an easier matchup in Week 3 against a New York Giants defense that was just gashed on the ground by Dallas’ Javonte Williams, and a bounce-back effort should be in store to propel Pacheco back towards the RB2/Flex ranks moving forward. Following that “get right” game, Pacheco will square off against Baltimore at home. Temper expectations for that matchup instead.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
It is difficult to select only a few “studs” at receiver this week, given how many players enjoyed strong performances after a slow opening weekend. Amon-Ra St.Brown headlines the list, as he secured nine receptions on 11 targets for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Able to consistently carve apart the hapless Chicago secondary, St.Brown was continually wide open for quarterback Jared Goff, and seeing him succeed was a welcome sight.
As alluded to before in the Goff blurb, Detroit will be squaring off against Baltimore in one of the best matchups on paper of the year. It will be interesting to see if Goff can find the same level of success against a much stronger Ravens defensive back group. St. Brown should continue to be the focal point of the Lions’ passing attack each week, supported by Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta.
Studs: Malik Nabers (WR – NYG) & Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
Malik Nabers currently sits as the WR2 on the week (with Wan’Dale Robinson right behind him at WR5). In a game that needed a full overtime to reach its eventual conclusion, Nabers reeled in nine of his 13 targets for 167 yards and two touchdowns, with Robinson catching eight of his 10 targets for 142 yards and a score. Nabers continues to be utilized all over the field as a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses to account for and cover, while Robinson actually saw several downfield and deep shots — a new wrinkle in his arsenal.
It appears Robinson has firmly surpassed Darius Slayton in the pecking order for targets, with tight end Theo Johnson also emerging as a threat. New York’s porous defense will continue to put pressure on Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart to become pass-heavy early and often, despite supposedly making improvements to their secondary and pass rush in the offseason.
Dud: Drake London (WR – ATL)
Expectations were high on London to finish as a top-five option at wideout this season, following his breakout 2024 campaign. Thus far, the early returns aren’t promising. After a middling 8/55 performance on 15 targets (and multiple dropped touchdowns) in Week 1, London was nearly non-existent in the Sunday Night Football game against Minnesota, catching just three passes on four targets for 49 yards, losing a fumble in the process.
Atlanta seemed utterly determined to beat the Vikings on the ground — the scary thing is that the plan was successful. I’m hopeful that head coach Raheem Morris decides not to make this an every-week plan, but the conservative nature of this staff has me on edge and concerned. Atlanta squares off against Carolina in Week 3, a team that they should utterly boat race. Once the Falcons have the lead, I’d expect another heavy helping of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to milk the clock away. Hopefully, London helps to build that lead first.
Dud: A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)
Similar to London above, A.J. Brown hasn’t lived up to expectations out of the gate. If there is a silver lining to his inclusion within this list, I suppose that it stems from his “improvement” from 1.8 to 7.7 PPR points in Week 2. Philadelphia is allergic to throwing the ball on offense in competitive situations, which severely caps the upside of both Brown and cohort DeVonta Smith.
As long as the Eagles continue to win with an ultra run-heavy package, I doubt this situation will magically rectify itself soon, until they square off against an opponent who can actually score on their defense. Both Brown and Smith are buy-low candidates, especially with Philadelphia facing the Giants twice before Week 9. Rumors swirled earlier in the week that Brown wasn’t moving as well as he had in the past due to a lingering injury, but this appears to be hearsay until the team comments as such.
Tight Ends
Stud: Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)
Tucker Kraft currently sits atop the tight end leaderboard, following a magnificent performance against Washington at home on Thursday Night Football. Kraft managed to finish with the first 100-yard game of his career, and appears to be the central cog in this passing attack, with Jayden Reed now expected to miss several weeks and rookie Matthew Golden still learning the offense.
Kraft’s presence on the field reminds me of a young Rob Gronkowski — someone who can find gaps in zone coverage to exploit, while generating a ton of yards after the catch, seeking contact against smaller defenders. He is a nightmare to cover up the same due to his size/speed combination, and is entrenched as an upside TE1 moving forward.
Dud: T.J. Hockenson (TE – MIN)
It has been a slow start for T.J. Hockenson, with J.J. McCarthy being eased into this offense in what is essentially his rookie season. Called to block repeatedly to fend off Atlanta’s ferocious pass-rush, Hockenson only drew three targets on Sunday evening, catching just one pass for 12 yards.
The long-term hope for Hockenson is that either McCarthy’s play and processing speed will dramatically improve in the upcoming weeks, or a temporary shift to Carson Wentz while McCarthy recovers from his high-ankle sprain will result in improved statistics. Either way, he’s too talented for performances like this to continue.
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