Let’s take a look at whose fantasy football stock went up after Week 1’s performances as we head into Week 2.
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Fantasy Football Stock Report: Week 2
Let’s dive into some players who have seen their fantasy football value rise over the first week of the NFL season.
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
Fifth-round rookie (No. 149 overall) Jaydon Blue was a healthy scratch for last week’s Thursday Night Football contest, leaving Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders as the only active running backs. Before missing time with a knee bruise and later a shoulder injury, Sanders was splitting work with the first team offense in training camp, potentially pushing for the starting gig.
However, Sanders was the clear backup in Week 1, seeing only five opportunities and getting outsnapped 47-11 by Williams. Williams hasn’t looked the same since tearing his ACL, LCL and PCL back in 2022, but shined in his Dallas debut, finding the end zone in each of his first two drives and finishing as the RB5 on the week.
Williams led the backfield with 77% snap share, handling 17 touches on 18 opportunities for 64 yards from scrimmage and a pair of scores, despite facing a stout Eagles defense.
Philadelphia’s defense ranked second in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) against the rush (-24.2%) last season, allowing the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (0.3) and a league-low 16.3 PPR points per game to opposing backfields. Per head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Blue will remain inactive until he shows consistency, locking Williams into a bell-cow back role.
Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)
Quentin Johnston took a significant step forward in year two after a disappointing rookie season, catching 55 balls on just over 90 targets (91) for 711 yards and a team-high eight receiving touchdowns, trailing only Ladd McConkey (22.8%) for second on the team in target share (18.5%) despite missing three games.
Still, after a breakout 2024 campaign, Johnston’s stock plummeted in the offseason with the Chargers spending a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick on wide receivers Tre’ Harris (No. 55 overall) and KeAndre Lambert-Smith (No. 158 overall) and later signing Keenan Allen to a one-year deal in free agency.
Even with the added competition, Johnston picked up right where he left off in the season-opener, finishing as the WR1 overall on the week, catching five passes on seven targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns, trailing only Ladd McConkey (94.6%) for second on the team in route participation rate (86.5%). Although he was behind both McConkey (26.5%) and Allen (29.4%) in target share (20.6%), Johnston looks locked in as the starter in 2-WR sets and should be rostered in most formats.
Hollywood Brown (WR – KC)
The Chiefs were already short-handed without Rashee Rice and fourth-round rookie (No. 133) Jalen Royals entering Friday night, losing Xavier Worthy in the opening drive after only three snaps, who dislocated his shoulder as a result of friendly fire, running into Travis Kelce on an in-breaking mesh route.
As the lone remaining starting wide receiver, Hollywood Brown stepped up hugely, catching double-digit passes (10) on 16 targets for just 99 yards. His 41% target share on the night trailed only Jaxon Smith-Njigba (56.5%) and Zay Flowers (47.4%) for third in the NFL in Week 1. He also led or tied for first in the league in both targets and receptions. Although Worthy’s MRI came back positive, he is currently listed as “day-to-day” by head coach Andy Reid. Injury expert Deepak Chona is less optimistic about the situation, advising an average recovery timeline of at least three weeks.
#Falcons Drake London – Reported day to day w/AC sprain. Suggests mild severity injury. Avg = 1-2 wks. Lean toward playing Wk 2#Chiefs Xavier Worthy – "Day to day". Avg = 3 wks to return. Very high (~50%) re-injury risk, and most re-injuries happen w/in 1st month back
2/10 pic.twitter.com/5kLvcmyigA
— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) September 9, 2025
Until Worthy and/or Rice return, Brown looks locked in as Patrick Mahomes‘s No. 1 target going forward, seeing a team-high 28.3% first-read target share (WR6) in his season debut, per StatRankings.com, without a lot of competition, outside of a 35-year-old Kelce.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WSH)
Third-year running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a surprise inactive Week 1, after being listed third on the unofficial depth chart and reports suggesting he could carve out a significant role as the team’s primary rusher. Unsurprisingly, Austin Ekeler drew the start and played all 13 offensive snaps in the first quarter, leading the backfield in snap share (46.4%) and route participation rate (60.6%), handling nine touches for 57 yards from scrimmage.
However, seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt or “Bill” for short, was a lot more involved from the second quarter on, leading the team in both touches (10) and opportunities (11), rushing for 82 yards and a score on an efficient 8.2 yards per carry, finishing second among all running backs in Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on offense (79.3) and first in rushing (83.9).
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Croskey-Merritt’s 3.91 rushing yards over expected trailed only Travis Eienne Jr. (4.31) for second in the NFL. Although he was outsnapped 23 to 33 by Ekeler in his debut, ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler speculates Croskey-Merritt will eventually take over as the lead back, which may come as soon as Week 2.
Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB)
First-round rookie (No. 19 overall) Emeka Egbuka broke out in his NFL debut, catching four passes on six targets for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a game-winning go-ahead score that gave the Buccaneers a 23-20 lead over the Falcons with under a minute remaining in regulation.
With Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan out in Week 1, Egbuka led Tampa Bay with a 97% route participation rate, trailing only Mike Evans (25%) and tied with Sterling Sheppard (18.8%) for second on the team in target share (18.8%). Until Godwin returns, Egbuka already looks locked in as one of Baker Mayfield‘s top two targets going forward, with tremendous upside in year one.
Juwan Johnson (TE – NO)
Former undrafted free agent Juwan Johnson signed a three-year extension with the Saints this offseason, coming off a breakout 2024 campaign, catching 50 balls on 60 targets for a team-high 548 receiving yards, to go along with three touchdowns. Johnson had a lot of positive coachspeak entering the season and looked to be a focal piece of the Kellen Moore offense, playing on 74 out of 75 offensive snaps (98.7%) and running a route on over 95% of Spencer Rattler‘s dropbacks (47/49, 95.9%), leading all tight ends in both categories.
Johnson finished as the TE1 on the week, leading the position in both targets and receptions, catching eight passes on 11 targets for 79 yards and 15.6 fantasy points. Johnson could have had an even bigger day had it not been for a dropped touchdown. However, his usage was phenomenal and looks to be sticky going forward with Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill both on injured reserve (IR), out at least three more games each, if not more.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE)
Third-round rookie (No. 67 overall) Harold Fannin Jr. rested with the starters in the preseason, foreshadowing his upcoming role as an integral part of the offense. Even with David Njoku as the quote, unquote “starter,” Fannin rarely left the field, playing on 55 out of 76 (72.4%) offensive snaps, while running a route on nearly 65% (31/48, 61.6%) of Joe Flacco‘s dropbacks.
Fannin finished fourth on the team in route participation rate, but led the Browns in target share (22.0%), catching seven balls on nine targets for 63 yards and 13.6 PPR points, sixth among all tight ends. He was also the TE6 in receiving yards, trailing only Juwan Johnson (11 targets, eight receptions) for second at the position in both targets and receptions. Without a real No. 3 wide receiver, Fannin and Njoku both look like weekly starters going forward, with TE1 upside as long as Flacco is under center.
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAX)
Travis Etienne Jr. was listed as a co-starter on the unofficial depth chart entering the season, but served as the clear lead back in his first game under Liam Coen, outsnapping Tank Bigsby 40 to 14 and playing on 60.6% of the team’s offensive snaps. Etienne was one of the most inefficient backs in the league last season, never fully healthy, dealing with multiple injuries, and averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry.
However, the 2021 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) looked like himself in Week 1, handling 16 touches for 156 yards from scrimmage and 18.6 PPR points, sixth among all running backs. His 146 yards on the ground trailed only Derrick Henry (169) for second in the NFL, averaging nearly nine yards per carry (8.9) and finishing second among all running backs in PFF grade on offense (75.6) and rushing (76.8).
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Etienne’s 4.31 rushing yards over expected tops all players entering Week 2. With Bigsby traded to the Eagles earlier this week, Etienne’s stranglehold on the backfield should only increase, likely seeing an uptick in snap share and workload going forward.
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF)
Ricky Pearsall missed the first six games of his rookie season recovering from a gunshot wound. After a slow start, he ended the year strong, finding the end zone and finishing as a top-15 wide receiver in each of his last two games, averaging seven receptions on nine targets for 105 yards and a touchdown in Weeks 17-18.
With Brandon Aiyuk opening training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and Jauan Jennings sidelined for most of the offseason, dealing with a calf injury, while also seeking a new deal, Pearsall had been generating a lot of buzz, stepping up as the No. 1 WR in San Francisco.
In Week 1, Pearsall lived up to the hype, catching four passes on seven targets for 108 yards, trailing Christian McCaffrey (28.6%) for second on the team in target share (20.0%). Although he benefited in the absence of George Kittle, who was quickly ruled out in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, Pearsall’s opportunity should only increase going forward.
Kittle will miss at least four games, if not more, joining Aiyuk on IR. Jennings’ status is also up in the air after suffering a shoulder injury late in the game. The main concern for Pearsall is the health of Brock Purdy, who also banged up his shoulder and is dealing with turf toe. Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, Purdy could miss multiple weeks and is a longshot to suit up this Sunday. That said, even with Mac Jones under center, the volume should be there for Pearsall, who caught six passes on eight targets for a very nice 69 yards in his first and only career game without Purdy in Week 18 of last season.
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