6 Big-Name Wide Receivers Who Struggled: Buy or Sell for Fantasy Football Week 2?

September 10, 2025

Dominick analyzes 6 big-name fantasy football wide receivers who struggled last week. His Week 2 buy or sell recommendations for AJ Brown, Nico Collins, Brian Thomas, more.

Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy season was a bit of a struggle for many of us. Whether you were counting on RBs like Bucky Irving, R.J. Harvey, or offseason darling Tank Bigsby, you were disappointed in the results.

Tight ends were not much better. If it was not Mark Andrews going for just three points, it was the likes of Brock Bowers leaving the game or George Kittle landing on IR. Lucky for managers, Bowers came back and finished with five receptions for 103 yards. Unfortunately, not all matters are fixed so quickly. A.J. Brown had one catch for three yards in the season opener for the Philadelphia Eagles. He may not be too disappointed as the Eagles won 24-20, and he came to the stadium in his Rolls-Royce.

But this does nothing to help those who took him with top-2 or three round selections. The same can be said for many other receivers as well. So, let us look at some of the wide receivers who left us pondering and how to move on, or whether to move on, over the next week or two.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

• ADP: 1.01
• Week 1: 2-26-0 on 5 targets

It is tough for any receiver, even the best in the NFL, to get anything going when their Pro Bowl QB finishes the day 15 of 24 passing for 114 yards. Despite the numbers, the Bengals finally pulled out a victory over the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. These teams always start the season against each other. It never ends well for Cincinnati.

Chase, the No. 1 pick in many Fantasy drafts, only managed to bring in two of five targets from Joe Burrow for a paltry 26 yards. It is not as though the run game picked up the slack as Chase Brown led the team with 42 yards on the ground. This was just a bad all-around game from the Cincinnati Bengals. This happens to Chase and Burrow on a few occasions each year. Let us hope they got their worst game out of the way early in 2025.

Conclusion:

Sell him at your own risk. But would you really want to face him later in the season?

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

• ADP 1.04
• Week 1: 4-44-1 on 7 targets, 4 rushing yards

The game on Monday night against the Chicago Bears started slowly for all the Minnesota Vikings' offensive players. J.J. McCarthy was able to score a rushing TD, but nothing else much happened until a fourth-quarter comeback.

With McCarthy struggling a bit in his NFL debut, Jefferson also had a tough time getting into the swing of the season. Particularly with Jefferson being hampered and unable to build a connection with McCarthy in the preseason.

Unlike all the other receivers on this list, Jefferson salvaged his day with a late TD. It not only helped the Vikings pull off the victory, but it also helped immensely the fantasy managers who were counting on him for a Monday night miracle.

Conclusion:

Jefferson was being targeted, and McCarthy built confidence as the game went on. There is no hesitation in keeping Jefferson. Lacking injury, he is again in contention for the WR 1 spot at season’s end.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

• ADP: 1.10
• Week 1: 3-25-0 on 5 targets

Yikes. The Houston Texans played badly on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. This started with C.J. Stroud and Nick Chubb before finishing with Nico Collins.

The only person to make any form of headway in this game was Rams WR 1 Puka Nacua, who finished with 10 receptions and 130 yards on 11 targets. Collins, on the other hand, was unable to do anything as Stroud continued to struggle, much like the way he did in his sophomore season of 2024. This is getting to be a bit concerning. It will be important to see how Houston bounces back on Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Conclusion:

Hold. But it is not set in stone. If Stroud continues his struggles, Collins will see the largest dip in production for the Texans. Houston will be forced to utilize the running game more and the short pass to the tight end. If this happens, Collins will disappoint the managers who took him as their first-round selection.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

• ADP: 1.11
• Week 1: 4-45-0 on 6 targets

In Week 1, the Detroit Lions went into Lambeau Field and pulled off a complete no-show.

Detroit has an offensive block when they hit the ground in Green Bay. This was evident yet again as they lost to the Green Bay Packers 27-13.

While Josh Jacobs was setting a Packers record with his ninth-straight game with a rushing TD, the Lions were flailing around like a fish pulled out of the surrounding bay.

The concern level is not high, as St. Brown and Jared Goff have a good connection, and they will not have to go to Green Bay again. They also get to play at home this week for a game against a Chicago Bears team that blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead on Monday against division foe Minnesota. On top of this, Goff is not likely to have such a bad game moving forward. While going 31 of 39 for 222 yards, one TD, and one interception does not sound terrible, the story behind some of the numbers does.

The main stat showing this was pointed out by Henry McKenna of Fox Sports. McKenna showed that despite having 31 completions, 26 of them traveled less than six yards down the field. This means the downfield game of Jamison Williams and St. Brown was void. This was the key reason Detroit could not get anything done on offense.

Expect St. Brown and Goff to get off the bench here and into the action.

Conclusion:

Buy Low. I do not think anyone will be silly enough to bail this early on any of these players. But if someone is that impatient, make it to your benefit. Do not pay too much. But what is too much when talking about a top-3 receiver?

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

• ADP 2.03
• Week 1: 1-11-0 on 7 targets, 9 yards rushing, one rushing TD

Travis Hunter is in Jacksonville. This means many of the targets that went to Thomas in 2024 are now going to be directed to Hunter. He is the most unique athlete in the league since Bo Jackson. Ok, let’s stop the hype train already.

It was not the six catches for 33 yards on eight targets to Hunter that caused Thomas to fall flat. No, the blame for that falls directly on QB Trevor Lawrence, who has yet to fulfill his No. 1 draft selection or his contract extension.

Lawrence finished with a line of 19 for 31 passing for 178 yards, one TD, and one INT. This was not what the Jaguars were hoping for when trading up to No. 2 to draft Hunter to pair with Thomas. Much like Collins in Houston, if Thomas Jr. does not get enhanced play from his QB, his numbers will be the first to go down on the team.

Conclusion:

Hold for now. He is not a full hold as Lawrence and rookie Hunter will have a significant impact on what Thomas ends up doing in 2025. For this week, continue to be patient. If another week goes by and Lawrence cannot figure himself out, or if Hunter gains most targets, selling before the bottom falls out is the play.

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

• ADP: 2.06
• Week 1: 1-8-0 on one target

Jalen Hurts was unstoppable on the ground, scoring two rushing TDs on 14 rushes and 62 rushing yards. The opposite can be said for his pass game, which was 19 of 23 for 152 yards and no TDs. 51 of those passing yards came on one pass to Jahan Dotson, which helped no one whatsoever. On his other 18 completions, Hurts averaged only 5.7 yards per catch, and Brown was only found on one of these receptions for a measly eight yards. We know these two are best of friends, with Brown even being the godfather to Hurts' baby. But a little concern is still alright, just do not make it too much of a concern.

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the top three rosters in the NFL. They are the defending Super Bowl champions, and the team does whatever it needs that week to win. Fans know this, and so do the players. It is time fantasy managers also learn this. Brown will have down games, but he will also have monster games to make up for it, so just R.E.L.A.X!

Conclusion:

Be patient. A.J. Brown will get his, and if you have DeVonta Smith? Be patient also. Just not as patient as you should be with Brown.

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