There was no shortage of big-name busts in the season’s opening week, and they likely sunk more than a few fantasy football squads. Owners tend to be leery of these players heading into Week 2, but last week’s stars can easily be this week’s busts (lookin’ at you, Jahan Dotson, Jamaal Williams, Christian Kirk, and Rashod Bateman). We do our best to keep level heads about everything and inform your start ’em, sit ’em decisions on guys like Tom Brady (yes, Tom Brady) and Joe Burrow with our Week 2 fantasy bust picks.
We all know that even superstars bust from time-to-time, but you won’t see those players on this list unless we truly advise sitting them. We usually stick to players on the start-or-sit bubble — not “must-starts” and not guys with sub-30-percent ownership levels. We also know you can’t always avoid players on this list (especially when byes and injuries strike). Sometimes you don’t have the depth to reasonably bench these players. You might just totally disagree with our assessments. Either way, it’s your team, and it’s almost always better to trust your gut.
Last week’s picks were mostly a success. Rookies Breece Hall, Dameon Pierce, and George Pickens all struggled like we expected, while Trey Lance, Tua Tagovailoa, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Cole Kmet, Hunter Henry, the Packers’ D/ST, Cowboys’ D/ST, and Commanders’ D/ST also disappointed. AJ Dillon and Rashod Bateman defied our expectations, but that’s still a pretty good batting average.
WEEK 2 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Start ’em, sit ’em
We’ll try to keep the good times going with our Week 2 bust picks.
Week 2 Fantasy Busts: Running backs
Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Commanders (Nick Musial). Williams made the most of his touches, scoring 15 fantasy points and finishing as the overall RB11 in standard formats. A large chunk of his fantasy production came from his two rushing TDs, though, and it’s unlikely he’s able to maintain that type of efficiency moving forward, especially when logging just 23 snaps.
Rashaad Penny, Seahawks @ 49ers (Vinnie Iyer). The matchup isn’t great, and the game script will likely push Penny out of key action, especially with Kenneth Walker III (hernia) expected to return. There’s also always the possibility the brittle Penny gets hurt against a physical defense like San Francisco’s.
Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Colts (Matt Lutovsky). To be fair, Etienne should’ve had two TDs in Week 1, but he dropped one and Trevor Lawrence overthrew him on another. He played two more snaps than James Robinson, but until he gets more than six touches, it’s tough to trust him against a solid defense.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, Saints vs. Buccaneers (Musial). Winston finished as the overall QB7 following his 269-yard, two-TD output in the Saints’ 27-26 come-from-behind victory against Atlanta, but he looks to be in line for a rougher performance against a well-rounded Tampa Bay defense that only allowed three points in Week 1. He still has long-term upside, but it’s unlikely he finishes as a top-10 QB in back-to-back weeks.
Tom Brady, Buccaneers @ Saints (Iyer). Brady has had trouble with Dennis Allen’s defense, and Tampa Bay can get it done with own defense and running game this week.
Joe Burrow, Bengals @ Cowboys (Lutovsky). We’re not too worried about the turnovers, but the Bengals’ offensive line (seven sacks allowed last week) continues to be an issue. Dallas’s defense is even better than Pittsburgh’s, so Cincinnati might opt to pound the run like Tampa did against Dallas in Week 1.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Wide receivers
Rashod Bateman, Ravens vs. Dolphins (Musial). The second-year wideout finished with a respectable 11.9 fantasy points in standard formats last week, but the majority of his fantasy production was derived from his 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. Bateman only saw a 71-percent route participation, which is a bit low for a wideout with fairly lofty expectations. Given the Ravens are expected to be in a much closer contest against a better defense, it’s possible Bateman underperforms on Sunday.
Christian Kirk, Jaguars @ Colts (Iyer). The matchup is better on the outside for the Joneses and Trevor Lawrence. Kenny Moore will handle Kirk inside.
Jahan Dotson, Commanders vs. Lions (Lutovsky). Dotson looked great in Week 1, but how often do rookies follow up a two-TD game with another good outing? Dotson clearly has upside in a favorable matchup, but he’s still behind Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Logan Thomas in the Commanders’ passing game. He just seems destined to disappoint.
WEEK 2 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Tight ends
Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. Falcons (Musial). Outside of Cooper Kupp (15 targets), Higbee saw the second-most targets (11) out of all Rams’ pass-catchers in their 31-10 loss to the Bills. Most of Higbee’s targets came in garbage time, and it’s unlikely he garners that type of target share this week. With the Rams pegged as double-digit favorites, look for Los Angeles to get the ground game back running, resulting in a subpar fantasy week for Higbee.
Dawson Knox, Bills vs. Titans (Iyer). It’s a hard Knox life when the Bills are revving up their wide receivers at will for his good buddy Josh Allen.
Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Steelers (Lutovsky). We didn’t like anything we saw from the Patriots’ offense last week, including Henry’s three targets. He’s always a candidate for a TD, but the Steelers’ defense, even without T.J. Watt (pec), will be tough to drive on.
WEEK 2 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
Week 2 Fantasy Busts: Defenses
Minnesota Vikings @ Eagles (Musial). Minnesota’s defense got off to a great start in their 23-7 win over Green Bay, but it’s going to be tough to replicate that effort on the road against a more dynamic Philadelphia offense that poses a real threat in both the passing and rushing games.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Bengals (Iyer). Don’t go chasing the Steelers’ box score vs. Joe Burrow. It’s not happening again for the Cowboys as home underdogs.
New Orleans Saints vs. Buccaneers (Lutovsky). Tom Brady and the Bucs weren’t at their sharpest on Sunday night, but this offense is still a machine. New Orleans should be able to get a few sacks and possibly keep the score in the teens, but don’t expect much more. The Bucs will likely lean on Leonard Fournette again after watching Cordarrelle Patterson run all over the Saints last week.
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