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Who Should I Start for Week 2? Fantasy Football outlooks for Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, Tucker Kraft, Zach Ertz.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, Tucker Kraft, Zach Ertz. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 2:
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Washington Commanders
After watching how the Washington Commanders used new wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in the Week 1 win over the New York Giants, The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala writes that it's clear the team wants him to "be everywhere" and to "do everything." Samuel played 54 offensive snaps and caught seven of a team-high 10 targets for 77 yards.
Most of his snaps (74.5%) and targets (six) came from the slot, but the 29-year-old also lined up out wide and in the backfield. He had a 19-yard rushing touchdown and was used on three WR screens. With the 49ers, Samuel was a deep target around only eight times per year.
But in Week 1 on Sunday, he was targeted deep twice. He was also Washington's lead returner on kickoffs. It's no secret now that the Commanders plan to use Samuel a lot, and in all situations. It will leave him more vulnerable to injury, but it will also rejuvenate his fantasy appeal.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot) was elevated to limited on the team's estimated injury report on Tuesday, according to Weston Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. Reed was listed as a DNP on the first practice report of the week on Monday.
The 25-year-old has been working his way through a Jones fracture in his foot and was inactive for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, but he was active in the season-opening win and caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown while also returning two punts for 21 yards.
Reed will probably continue to be eased into practices early in the season, but he should be active on Thursday against the Washington Commanders, barring a setback. He scored in Week 1, but Reed played only 18 snaps on offense and could once again have a limited role on a short week. He is a shaky WR4/flex option in Week 2.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders rookie running back out of Arizona, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, aka Bill, is a must-add for fantasy managers in Week 2 if he's available. Currently, he is owned in 78% of Yahoo leagues, and may find himself rostered in more leagues by the end of Week 2. JCM was electric in Week 1, handling the ball 10 times for 82 yards, good enough for an 8.2 YPC. He also scored a touchdown, rewarding fantasy managers with 14.2 points in half-PPR leagues.
In addition, he achieved this while playing in only 33% of the snaps, and that number should only increase from here. Lead back, veteran Austin Ekeler played 47% of the snaps, and while JCM is unlikely to get the full workload with Ekeler involved, he is in line to see 10-15 touches weekly, making him a solid RB3 option for fantasy managers.
If Ekeler goes down, JCM is suddenly approaching top-20 running back territory. In Week 2, the Commanders have a tough matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football, who dominated the Detroit Lions in Week 1.
Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden (ankle) was upgraded from a limited practice participant on Monday's estimated injury report to full on Tuesday. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Dontayvion Wicks (calf) was listed as limited for a second straight day.
The 22-year-old appears to be dealing with a minor ankle issue after the team's Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions, but he should be able to play on a short week on Thursday night in his second NFL game against the Washington Commanders. Golden got nothing but rave reviews during training camp and the preseason, only to disappoint in his debut on Sunday against Detroit.
The Texas product caught both of his targets for only 16 yards. Despite his quiet debut, Golden should be considered an upside WR4/flex option against the Commanders in prime time on Thursday.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (shoulder) is on the initial injury report for Week 2 and was listed as limited on the team's estimated injury report for Monday. The Commanders conducted a walk-through practice.
While Ekeler's status should be followed heading into Thursday night's tilt against the Green Bay Packers, he should be able to suit up in Week 2. The 30-year-old played on only 33 of the team's 70 offensive snaps in their Week 1 win over the New York Giants while carrying the ball six times for 26 yards and catching all three of his targets for 31 yards as a pass-catcher.
Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the team's RBs with 10 carries and had a team-high 82 rushing yards and a touchdown. JCM already looks like the leader on early downs in Washington, leaving Ekeler as the Commanders' primary pass-catching back in a committee.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz recorded three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in his team's 21-6 Week 1 victory over the New York Giants. Ertz finished second on the Commanders in targets (five), behind only wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (10).
The 34-year-old tight end is not an explosive player, but he's proven to be a reliable end zone target for Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. In 21 games (including playoffs) playing with Daniels, Ertz has found the end zone nine times.
He profiles as a fringe fantasy TE1 who is reliant on touchdowns but should provide a safe floor for fantasy managers, particularly in PPR-scoring formats.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, Tucker Kraft, Zach Ertz. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 2 for Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, Tucker Kraft, Zach Ertz:
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