Week 1 is in the books, which means half of your fantasy football lineup decisions already look like strokes of genius and the other half… well, let’s just say you’ve got some explaining to do. Don’t worry—we’ve all been there. Week 2 brings new matchups, new headaches, and a fresh round of “Should I really bench this guy?” debates. Luckily, our Featured Pros have done the heavy lifting for you. They’ve combed through the numbers, trends, and gut instincts to deliver their favorite Starts and Duds of the week. So before you overthink your flex spot for the fifth time today, take a deep breath and let the experts steer you in the right direction.
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Fantasy Football Week 2 Start/Sit Advice: Duds
Fantasy Football Week 2 Duds
Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)
“I said it in the pre-season here, and I’ll say it again: A.J. Brown will not have the volume to warrant his lofty ranking. If you look at Jalen Hurts‘ spray chart of pass attempts against the Cowboys, only one completion more than 10 yards downfield. The Eagles stick to what they are good at: running the ball and throwing short, high-percentage passes. A.J. Brown does not figure into that enough anymore.”
– Michael Tomlin (Fantasy Six Pack)
“A.J. Brown is going to be a scary start this week. He gets Kansas City, and they have been good at taking away the team’s No. 1 WRs. Coming off a terrible performance and the consistencies we saw last season, do we bench AJ Brown? Probably not, unless you have some really solid options. The Eagles plan to run the ball and run the clock. Brown’s role could vary week to week in this offense, similar to last year.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ
“Breece Hall could be a letdown for fantasy managers this week, despite a strong performance in Week 1 against the Steelers, where he racked up 107 rushing yards on 19 carries. The concern isn’t about his talent, but more about the matchup. The Jets are set to face the Buffalo Bills, a team that is historically a very tough opponent for fantasy running backs – I know Derrick Henry tore them apart, but he’s a completely different beast. While Hall was good in week 1, a difficult Bills defense and the likelihood of a negative game script for the Jets will limit production.”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)
“Breece Hall – Hall had a very encouraging Week 1, looking like the RB1 for the Jets and a great draft day value. That being said, I’m cautious to buy in too heavily right away, the Jets vs Steelers game was a close-fought offensive shootout which is not the game script we expect going forward for the Jets. This week, they play the Bills, who are favored by 6.5 in a game with a 46.5 O/U – giving the Jets 20 implied points. The larger issue, however, is that Breece was only 22nd in the league in snap share and gave away passing down work to Isaiah Davis (per PFF). We should expect the Jets to be trailing for a lot of this game, which could lead to Breece disappointing at his RB15 ranking.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)
D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)
“D’Andre Swift is 38 overall and RB21 for Week 2. He gets the Lions. After the Week 1 meltdown against the Vikings, the Bears are staring at a likely 0-2 start against Detroit. And Detroit is better than how they played against the Packers in Week 1. I’m looking for the Bears to fall short (and Swift too) in Week 2.”
– Tim Metzler (FantasyPros)
“I am firmly worried about D’Andre Swift. Yes, he had the exact role you wanted him to have with an 81% snap share. However, he did not look effective on Monday night. He had 3.1 yards per carry and was 29th in rushing yards over expected with -20. Of course, Minnesota is a tough matchup, but Swift did no favors for Caleb Williams and company in a tough loss. It will not get any easier for Swift as the Detroit Lions held Josh Jacobs to a quiet day of 19 carries for 66 yards. I would likely bench Swift this week if I were able to.”
– Ryan Prosick (Fantrax)
“D’Andre Swift was meh on Monday against Minnesota, and now faces a tough trip to Detroit against what is going to be an angry Lions defense after last week’s loss to Green Bay. Swift totaled 22 touches in the loss yet only managed 65 yards, an inefficient showing at best. Another question that must be asked is what version of the Bears offense (and Caleb Williams) will show up in Detroit on Sunday, the first half version that moved up and down the field, or the second half version that couldn’t do much of anything right. Swift isn’t a sit because of his safe floor, but expectations should be tempered until the Bears’ offense can figure itself out.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“D’Andre Swift. He’s on the road against a tough Lions run defense, and I suspect the Lions are going to be in an ornery mood after getting thumped by the Packers in Week 1.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
“Temper your expectations for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. While he was great in Week 1, ranking 3rd in the NFL in receiving yards, Smith-Njigba has only recorded 1.20 YPRR against Cover 3 during his career. The Seahawks’ Week 2 opponent, Pittsburgh, played Cover 3 at the 2nd highest rate in the NFL in Week 1. Expect the Steelers to slow down Smith-Njigba and think about looking at other options this week.”
– Will Urion (FantasyNow+)
“Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 30th overall, concerns me a little for Week 2. He had a great Week 1, catching nine of 13 targets for 124 yards and finishing as WR11 in PPR scoring. I don’t think that’s going to be the case in Week 2. The 49ers seemed to let him run all over them, but held up when the Seahawks got into the red zone, only allowing 13 total points. This week, JSN and the Seahawks face the Steelers in Pittsburgh. I know the Steelers just let the New York Jets hang 32 points on them, but the Seahawks are a very different team. I don’t see Smith-Njigba getting WR11 numbers again, so I’m tempering expectations from him this week.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
“Fantasy players shouldn’t bench Jonathan Taylor without question this week. However, temper your expectations against the Denver Broncos. Last week, the Broncos crushed the Tennessee Titans’ rushing attack, holding their running backs to 20 attempts for 62 yards (3.1 yards per attempt) and 8.1 PPR fantasy points, the fewest in Week 1. More importantly, the Colts’ offense won’t have the same scoring success this week after facing an awful Miami Dolphins team last week. While Taylor scored 12.8 fantasy points against the Dolphins, the star running back had two goal-line rushing touchdowns stolen from him by Daniel Jones. Hopefully, Taylor can rip off a big run or two because, without it, the star running back will have a quiet performance in Week 2.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
“De’Von Achane is my choice to be a likely dud in Week 2. Miami’s offense struggled significantly in Week 1, managing only 147 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, with Achane limited to 25 rushing yards on 10 carries and 13 receiving yards. The Dolphins’ offensive line, which lost key run-blocker Terron Armstead, was overpowered, and Achane was stuffed in the backfield repeatedly, raising concerns about his efficiency. Achane’s output could remain limited in a weak Miami offense.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
“The Dolphins’ offense in Week 1 was #notgood, and there are already rumors swirling that Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier could be on the hot seat. Miami faces New England at home this week, and the Patriots are coming off the 9th-best run-defense grade in week 1, per PFF. Last season against New England, De’Von Achane totaled just 50 rushing yards and four receptions for 23 receiving yards across two games. There’s no doubt he has the talent to take it to the house anytime he touches the ball, but this week’s matchup isn’t favorable.”
– Nick Penticoff (Fantasy Football Astronauts)
Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
“Top 40? Let’s make it Top 5. Relatively, Saquon Barkley may have a tough day at the office this week. Of course, you are always playing Barkley, and his volume should come through for fantasy. However, this Chiefs’ defense is elite against the run. Averaging the fewest points allowed to fantasy RBs all of last season, they followed it up by stuffing Omarian Hampton to under 50 yards on 15 carries. Despite an incredible game script for Barkley in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs held him to 57 yards on 25 carries. With Hurts being a threat for rushing touchdowns, I’m going to be ranking Barkley outside of RB1 territory for Week 2.”
– Ellis Johnson (FantasyPros)
Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)
“Tony Pollard (Flex Rank 32, RB20) is a potential Week 2 disappointment despite leading Tennessee’s backfield in touches during the opener. He turned 18 carries into just 60 yards and added one catch for 29 yards in a sluggish offensive showing. While the workload is encouraging, Pollard’s efficiency remains a concern; he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and struggled to generate explosive plays. The Titans face a Rams defense that played fast and physical in Week 1, making this a tough spot for Pollard to deliver RB1 value. Fantasy managers expecting a bounce-back may be let down by a low-yardage, touchdown-dependent outing.”
– Lawrence Iacona (Gridiron Experts)
Drake London (WR – ATL)
“The Falcons have a rough matchup in week two, at least on paper. Atlanta has to go up north to take on the Vikings. Not only do the Vikings have one of the best defenses in the league, but crowd noise could be a factor when it comes to false start penalties and getting off the line of scrimmage. Drake London is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury, which he suffered last week. One bad hit could send him back to the blue tent and crush fantasy managers’ hopes for a week two victory.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
“Tee Higgins is a WR2 who is being ranked higher than some teams’ WR1 (Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, Mike Evans, Rickey Pearsall). He had a rough start to the year with 33 yards on three receptions. The most glaring stat is that he only had four targets. That is something that should worry fantasy managers, especially with him being ranked as a high-end WR2 ahead of some of the aforementioned players. Higgins is a great player, but consistency could be a challenge for him as the 3rd option as a pass catcher for the Bengals.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
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