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Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 2 of the 2026 season? Ryan's potential fantasy football busts to avoid in Week 2 fantasy football lineups.
Even after just one week of the 2026 NFL season, we all got fresh reminders of the types of players who can bust from week to week. Did you have Colston Loveland, Ja'Marr Chase, or De'Von Achane? Your team was at a disadvantage if you did. But these players will be must-starts when healthy. What about the players who could be busts based on matchups or usage? The tough calls are what we want to look at.
This year's weekly bust list won't focus on the names you are likely not starting on your roster; we know players picked near the end of drafts belong on the bench in most cases. This is also not automatically a recommendation to sit a player. Look at the bust list as a way to manage expectations for players who might be on-the-fence decisions.
Below are my 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Good luck in the opening week, RotoBallers! May all your lineup decisions be correct.
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Bhayshul Tuten (RB, JAX) at Denver
Bhayshul Tuten's Week 1 performance looks much better when you don't compare it to his workload in the opening game. He played only 49% of the Jaguars' offensive snaps and split work with Chris Rodriguez Jr. In addition, he had a very limited receiving role, so he needs the full-time rushing workload and efficiency
Denver couldn't contain Kenneth Walker III in Week 1, but this road environment in Denver should be especially tough for many of the Jacksonville skill players, as we will see in more of the names on this list below. Tuten will likely need more than Week 1's 16 opportunities to make him an RB1 or RB2 this week.
Cam Skattebo (RB, NYG) at Los Angeles Rams
Second-year running back Cam Skattebo returned from his ankle injury with over 14 fantasy points, but he also split time with Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. He also did not see a single target in the game despite 29 pass attempts from Jaxson Dart.
SKATT IS BACK 🙌
📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/Dwsu7Hy3Ht
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 14, 2026
The Rams held Christian McCaffrey to 13.8 fantasy points on 15 touches and ranked seventh-best against running backs last season. Skattebo still has enough volume to start in most leagues, but his Week 2 floor is considerably lower than it was against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
Jaylen Warren (RB, PIT) vs. New England
Warren draws a New England defense that should be one of the toughest against running backs in Week 2, and the concern is that we now have a game's worth of information that tells us how much work Rico Dowdle will get in this offense. Dowdle played 58% of snaps (Warren was at 38%), and Dowdle also saw 10 touches.
With Pittsburgh having other options like Dowdle, Pat Freiermuth, and DK Metcalf around the goal line, Warren profiles more as a volume-dependent RB2/flex than someone with a huge ceiling this week.
Drake London (WR, ATL) vs. Carolina
Well, if the Week 1 trend continues (two catches for 29 yards), Drake London will be absolutely a bust every week of the season. The Week 2 matchup looks great on paper after Carolina was just torched for 59 points (although strangely Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III had just seven combined receptions), but Atlanta's quarterback situation makes London extremely difficult to trust at his usual second-round value.
Cooper Rush had an ugly passing performance in Week 1, and the Falcons could attack Carolina much more heavily with Bijan Robinson instead. London still has WR1 talent, but another horrific passing day could leave him well short of expectations. We dream of the day Michael Penix Jr. will come back for London and Kyle Pitts Sr. right now.
Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, JAX) at Denver
After a very tumultuous 2025 season and offseason that followed, we all know the story about the fall of Brian Thomas Jr. In Week 2, expectations should be lowered considerably against Denver. Jacksonville has to contend with Pat Surtain II and a Broncos secondary that held Kansas City's wide receivers to only five catches and 37 yards combined in Week 1.
Brian Thomas Jr. Remains Limited in Practice https://t.co/yXuNrmMBO9
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 17, 2026
Thomas also entered the week dealing with a shoulder issue, adding another layer of risk. It looks like he will recover from that and be able to play, but with Parker Washington, Brenton Strange, and Jakobi Meyers as pass-catching competition, this is not the week I am expecting a lot of production.
Jaylen Waddle (WR, DEN) vs. Jacksonville
I really don't want to put Jaylen Waddle on this list after his disastrous Denver debut, but there was nothing yet to show us he will be a WR1 superstar in Denver. Waddle's Denver debut couldn't have gone much worse, producing just one reception for two yards, and Week 2 is necessarily the easiest spot to land after that.
Jacksonville is a tough Week 2 matchup for opposing wide receivers, with Travis Hunter and Montaric Brown shutting down the passing game in Week 1 except for one long play to Denzel Boston. Until we see Waddle consistently involved in his new offense, there is more risk here than I'm willing to accept for a WR2. He is more WR3/Flex for me in Week 2.
Tyler Warren (TE, IND) at Kansas City
Tyler Warren was able to salvage his Week 1 fantasy line with a touchdown because the rest of the production was just three catches for 13 yards. His target competition is also considerably stronger this season, with Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Keenan Allen occupying the same areas of the field, which could make consistent volume harder to find.
Kansas City allowed just 8.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends last season, eighth-fewest in the NFL, and even though Evan Engram scored a touchdown, the Chiefs only gave up 53 yards to all tight ends in the game. Warren is still a player most fantasy managers are starting, but after the touchdown covered a poor Week 1 line, he's a strong candidate to disappoint this week.
Mike Gesicki (TE, CIN) at Houston
Mike Gesicki was one of Week 1's biggest tight end surprises, scoring a touchdown and ending with nearly a 21% target share. That's exactly the kind of performance fantasy managers can overreact to after one week, and definitely one that should regress against the Houston Texans defense.
Houston did get lit up by Dalton Kincaid for 130 yards in Week 1, but this was a defense that was difficult on tight ends last season, and one bad game shouldn't completely change the evaluation. Gesicki is unlikely to maintain anything close to a 20% target share with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, and the rest of Cincinnati's weapons involved, making him a strong candidate to go way backward from what he did last week.
Joe Burrow (QB, CIN) at Houston
Joe Burrow is dealing with a back issue and is headed into Houston and their ferocious pass rush. That isn't something that makes me confident about his fantasy prospects in Week 2. Burrow was just average in Week 1, but there is some concern that he couldn't get the ball to Chase and Higgins because of a back that was bothering him.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow told reporters that he is dealing with “back tightness”, but he expects to play Sunday at Houston against the Texans.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2026
Burrow is still difficult to bench, and I still think he is a top-12 option for the week, but this looks like a week where he could finish well below his normal top-5 expectations. I would start quarterbacks like Brock Purdy and Jordan Love over Burrow this week.
Trevor Lawrence (QB, JAX) at Denver
Trevor Lawrence has a lot of things working against him after a nice game in Week 1. He has a road game against Denver with a receiving corps that has some injury questions. Then there are the Broncos' cornerbacks. Despite the Week 1 result, Denver remains a defense capable of generating pressure and taking away explosive plays.
This should be a completely different game environment than Week 1, when Jacksonville came out passed heavily early and got up big on Cleveland. This game should remain much more competitive, but there will be a lot more pressure on Lawrence, who was only sacked once in Week 1.
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