Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 2 Lineups (2025)

September 13, 2025

Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 2 of 2025. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters who will disappoint.

Well, Week 1 has come and gone. Hopefully, you started your fantasy football season with a victory. If not, don't worry. 0-1 is not a huge deal, and there is plenty of time to turn things around. That starts with making some good lineup calls for Week 2. We'll do our best to help you out with some of those decisions.

This week, we’re rolling out a few new additions to the column. We’re adding a “Sonic Boom” section. This is reserved for a player I feel is primed for a MASSIVE game and could single-handedly win your matchup. There’s also a “Landmine of the Week” included now, too. This is reserved for a player whom I believe is set up for a massive flop, and you should avoid that player at all costs. So, who's poised to break out and who's set up to disappoint? Let's get to the good stuff.

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Sonic Boom for Week 2 Fantasy Football

Breece Hall - RB, New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills

What a pleasant surprise Week 1 was for Hall. He toted the rock 19 times for 107 yards and finished Week 1 as the overall PPR RB10.

Among running backs with 5 rush attempts in Week 1, six running backs averaged 2.50 yards before and after contact per attempt per @FantasyPtsData.

👀Breece Hall
👽Derrick Henry
👀Travis Etienne
🎱Jacory Croskey-Merritt
📈Trey Benson
🌬️RJ Harvey pic.twitter.com/U8TMTWYW3T

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) September 10, 2025

Even though he only played 58% of offensive snaps, Hall out-touched fellow running back Braelon Allen by a 21-6 count. Hall looked spry, elusive, and had a few eye-opening runs in this game. It appears, for now at least, that the Allen hype train from the summer was way overblown.

The Jets were surprisingly effective moving the ball against the Steelers' defensive front last week. New York could experience similar success against a Buffalo Bills defense that allowed 238 rushing yards to Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday night.

What's most tantalizing about this matchup for Hall is that Buffalo allowed a ton of explosive rushing yards last week. Per the Fantasy Points Data Suite, Buffalo allowed 178 explosive rushing yards in Week 1. Hall had the fourth-most explosive rushing yards last week, according to Fantasy Points Data Suite.

If New York remains competitive in this game, or is playing with a lead, Hall could go absolutely nuclear here. He is someone I am targeting in my player prop bets as well. Ride the wave and keep Hall in your lineups this week.

Other Week 2 Fantasy Football Booms

Drake Maye - QB, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Maye gets to face a Miami Dolphins defense that just made Daniel Jones look like prime Peyton Manning. Sometimes, a team’s Week 1 performance doesn’t reflect its true talent. In Miami’s case, though, this is a code red situation. This defense has some massive holes, and it’s hard to see them turning things around in one week.

Miami allowed Jones to throw for 272 passing yards. He also ran for 26 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. Maye is not averse to using his legs, so this is a good opportunity for him to accumulate some rushing yards, too. This would put Maye in a position to finish in the QB1 range.

Maye disappointed managers against a soft Raiders secondary last week, but this is a good opportunity for him to get rolling. If Maye turns in another dud against Miami’s defense, then it will be fair to start asking some questions. For now, though, consider Maye an excellent streaming option.

Trey Benson - RB, Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers

James Conner should obviously be left in lineups this week, but don’t forget about his backfield running mate. It appears the offseason talk about Benson having a larger role this year was true. Benson had nine total touches in Week 1 compared to 16 for Conner. Benson also played 33% of offensive snaps last week, which was a number he only hit once in 2024.

Arizona’s Week 2 opponent, the Carolina Panthers, were gashed on the ground last week by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers allowed 200 rushing yards, finished 25th in PFF defensive rushing grade, and 29th in defensive rushing DVOA per FTN Fantasy.

We can expect to see a run-heavy game plan from Arizona this week. There could be plenty of opportunities for Benson to pop off another long run similar to what he did last week against the New Orleans Saints.

2nd year RB Trey Benson for 52 yards

AZvsNO on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/0kWYCp0G2e

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

There’s also a scenario where the Cardinals gain a considerable lead, decide to rest their veteran RB1, and give Benson more work as a result. It all makes Benson a viable flex play this week. Don’t be surprised if he pops for a decent game.

Ricky Pearsall - WR, San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints

We listed Pearsall as a boom last week, and he delivered with a 4-108 line on seven targets. He finished as the PPR WR20. Pearsall loses some shine this week with Brock Purdy expected to miss this Sunday’s game. However, San Francisco has a capable backup in Mac Jones, who is set to start this week.

Now, before you laugh, consider that Brian Thomas Jr. fared relatively well during Jones’ run as the Jacksonville Jaguars starter last year. In eight Jones starts, Thomas had a 52-687-5 line and was the PPR WR7 from Weeks 10-18.

With tight end George Kittle being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and Jauan Jennings dealing with a shoulder injury, Pearsall is in a position to function as San Francisco’s clear WR1. Marvin Harrison Jr. posted a 5-71-1 line against the Saints' defense last week. Pearsall is live for double-digit targets in this game, and he could easily crack triple digits again.

Fire him up as a WR2 or flex play.

Landmine of Week 2 Fantasy Football

Daniel Jones - QB, Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

Jones shocked everyone with his incredible Week 1 performance. He scored three total touchdowns and finished as the overall QB3.

Daniel Jones' second rushing TD today! @Colts lead 30-0

MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PcovE4O122

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

While that was a fun story, Jones has a much more challenging assignment ahead of him in Week 2. Indianapolis takes on a Denver Broncos team that boasts one of the best defenses in the league. Denver finished Week 1 fifth in PFF’s pass rush grade and first in defensive DVOA per FTN Fantasy. The Broncos dominated the line of scrimmage and sacked rookie quarterback Cameron Ward six times in the process.

While the Colts' offensive line is much better than Tennessee’s, Denver also has a good secondary led by cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Jones should be facing smaller windows in coverage this week, and that could force him to make errant throws. He might also hold onto the ball too long and fall victim to Denver’s pass rush.

Last week was a fun experience, but this is still the same Jones we watched for six years with the New York Giants. If we learned anything from Sam Darnold’s 2024 season, it’s that players are who they are in this league. Even during a sustained stretch of solid play, quarterbacks will always revert to their true forms.

Jones has plenty of talent around him and can still be a viable streamer. This is not one of those weeks. Leave him on the bench.

Other Potential Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts

Tyreek Hill - WR, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

Hill only caught four passes for 40 yards last week against the Colts. He was visibly upset on the sidelines and was caught on camera airing out his frustrations to the coaching staff.

If you recall, Hill checked himself out of the season finale last year and told teammates he was “out” after doing so. That incident led to Hill being stripped of his captaincy this year and has reportedly led to issues in the locker room. Why Miami did not just move on from Hill is anybody’s guess, but things seem to be going off the rails already.

All that aside, this is actually not the worst matchup on paper for the Dolphins offense. Hill could pop for a big game as New England’s secondary did not play well last week.

But Miami struggled to consistently move the ball through the air against the Colts in Week 1. The offensive line was also a significant issue, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was under siege, making several bad decisions in the process. With Mike Vrabel now in charge of the Patriots' defense, we could be in for a repeat performance this week, regardless of star cornerback Christian Gonzalez’s status.

Hill’s situation feels like a powder keg waiting to explode. There’s upside here, but this Dolphins offense looked so inept last week. Throw in an unhappy Hill inside a dysfunctional locker room led by a soft head coach, and it’s better to leave him on the bench for the time being.

Baker Mayfield - QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans

Mayfield’s Week 1 results were inflated thanks to three touchdown passes. Despite finishing the week as the overall QB12, he did not play very well. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Mayfield finished 32nd in adjusted completion percentage, 28th in highly accurate throw percentage, and 30th in catchable throw percentage.

Some of the credit goes to the improved Atlanta Falcons defense. However, Mayfield draws another tough matchup this week against a stout Houston Texans defense that finished Week 1 first in PFF’s pass rushing grade.

While Houston’s secondary is vulnerable, Tampa Bay’s offensive line had some issues in pass protection last week that could affect Mayfield in this game. Consider other quarterback options for this week.

Michael Pittman Jr. - WR, Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

Pittman’s 2025 started with a bang last Sunday. He posted a 6-80-1 line and finished as the overall PPR WR8.

Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman Jr. connection!#MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PYMcl8DT11

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

However, Pittman is a huge fade this week for many of the same reasons as his teammate, Jones. The biggest reason to leave Pittman on your bench this week is that he’s set to square off against the previously mentioned Surtain.

Surtain is arguably the best cover corner in the game and completely neutralized Tennessee Titans WR1 Calvin Ridley last week. Ridley only posted a 4-27-0 line on eight targets. We could see similar results this week from Pittman.

In a game where I expect the Indianapolis offense to regress and its starting quarterback to struggle, Pittman could post a real dud. Consider other options for your flex this week.

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