Biggest Fantasy Football Busts of the Week - Fantasy Outlooks for Derrick Henry, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Marvin Harrison Jr., Matthew Golden, Mark Andrews

September 16, 2025

Several NFL players underwhelmed in Week 2 of the 2025 fantasy football season. Andersen Pickard identifies busts at each position and if they'll bounce back.

The second Sunday of the 2025 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers.

Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved in Week 2. These players did not meet fantasy expectations this week, and it cost their managers in a big way.

Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 2, as well as whether or not we can still have some trust in these players moving forward. All point totals are based on the PPR scoring system. Players who missed part of the game due to injury are exempt from being featured.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts

Michael Penix Jr., 6.7 FPTS

Sunday night's field goal fest resulted in a pair of underwhelming quarterback performances. Penix threw for just 135 yards and didn't score a touchdown, which was a massive letdown for his fantasy managers. He should bounce back as a high-end QB2 next week against the Panthers, who just surrendered 252 total yards and one touchdown to Kyler Murray.

J.J. McCarthy, 4.4 FPTS

On the opposite side of the field from Penix was McCarthy, who played even worse. He finished Sunday's primetime contest with 158 passing yards, two interceptions, and one fumble lost. It has been far from a smooth start to McCarthy's debut season. He should be benched in most fantasy leagues when he takes on the Bengals next week.

The Falcons defense pressured J.J. McCarthy 16 times, including 6 sacks. They generated pressure on 53.3% of dropbacks, the highest rate by Atlanta in a game since Week 15 of 2018.

Six different pass rushers recorded at least 3 pressures.

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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 15, 2025

Fantasy Football Running Back Busts

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, 1.7 FPTS

It was fun while it lasted. The buzz around Croskey-Merritt faded on Thursday night as he rushed just four times for 17 yards and didn't catch a pass. He still has upside going forward, but any optimism about being a workhorse back is shattered. With that said, his volume should increase with Austin Ekeler (Achilles) sidelined. The rookie is a low-end RB3 in Week 3 against Las Vegas.

Derrick Henry, 2.3 FPTS

After a remarkably dominant season opener, Henry came tumbling back down to earth in Week 2. He fumbled for the second game in a row, but fortunately for him, it was recovered by Baltimore. That was essentially the only thing that went right for Henry as he rushed for just 23 yards on 11 carries and didn't register a reception or touchdown.

Of course, he's still King Henry and should be viewed as a mid-to-high RB1 in Week 3.

Kareem Hunt, 4.4 FPTS

The weirdest backfield dynamic in the NFL continues. Patrick Mahomes was the Chiefs' leading rusher as Hunt mustered just 31 yards on the ground and three yards through the air. He should be benched in most leagues next week, but a juicy matchup against the Giants could vault him up to RB3/flex territory in deeper formats.

TreVeyon Henderson, 6.0 FPTS

Henderson's ascension into the lead-back role has been put on pause. The rookie had five touches for 40 yards while backfield-mate Rhamondre Stevenson led all Patriots players in carries, rushing yards, targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Henderson should remain stashed on your bench against the Steelers in Week 3.

Isiah Pacheco, 3.9 FPTS

Hunt's Week 2 was bad, and Pacheco's performance wasn't any better. He rushed 10 times but averaged just 2.2 yards per carry, adding one catch along the way. The outlook for Pacheco is similar to Hunt's: he should be benched in most leagues, but a perfectly-timed matchup against the Giants could give him RB3/flex appeal in deeper formats.

Breece Hall, 5.8 FPTS

Hall couldn't pick up where he left off in Week 1. Facing a much tougher defense this week, Hall rushed 10 times for 29 yards on the ground, adding a pair of short receptions. Next week's matchup against the Buccaneers may be slightly easier than this week's against the Bills, but the state of the offense looks bleak with Justin Fields (concussion) sidelined. Hall drops to the mid-range RB2 tier.

Zach Charbonnet, 1.0 FPTS

It looked like Charbonnet was coming for Kenneth Walker III's job in Week 1, but that couldn't have been further from the truth this past Sunday. Walker rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Charbonnet rushed for 10 yards on 15 carries. Yes, you read that right: Charbonnet had 95 fewer yards than Walker despite handling two more rushing attempts, and he finished with just 0.7 yards per carry.

R.J. Harvey, 3.4 FPTS

Sean Payton had declared that he wanted to run the ball more this week. While J.K. Dobbins carved out a sizable role, Harvey couldn't relate. He rushed for just eight yards and added a 16-yard reception. The rookie will rank outside the top 36 fantasy running backs heading into a battle with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Jordan Mason, 5.8 FPTS

Mason's quiet performance coincided with an overall poor showing from the Minnesota offense. Even with Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) missing the entire fourth quarter, Mason could only muster 30 rushing yards and eight receiving yards. He's primed to bounce back as a mid-to-low RB2 if Jones misses next week's game against the Bengals.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

A.J. Brown, 7.7 FPTS

Brown was more involved this weekend than in the season opener, but it was still an underwhelming showing from Philadelphia's alpha receiver. Even with top target Dallas Goedert (knee) sidelined, Brown totaled just 27 yards on five receptions. He'll rank as a WR2 heading into next week's clash with the Rams.

Marvin Harrison Jr., 4.7 FPTS

Harrison caught two of five targets for 27 yards on Sunday as he watched teammate Michael Wilson vulture a touchdown in the back of the end zone. The former first-round pick should bounce back as a mid-range WR2 against the 49ers next week.

Drake London, 5.9 FPTS

London is just one of many players from the Falcons vs. Vikings game featured here. He caught three passes for 49 yards and lost a fumble in Atlanta's victory. Sunday Night Football this week was a weird game all-around, so we can't fault London too much. He should bounce back as a low-end WR1 against Carolina in Week 3.

Matthew Golden, 1.5 FPTS

Golden couldn't haul in either of his two targets on Sunday, but he did get onto the box score with 15 rushing yards. Even with Jayden Reed (collarbone) exiting in the first half, Golden wasn't able to carve out a sizable role. Instead, many of Reed's vacated opportunities went to Dontayvion Wicks. The first-round pick should be stashed on your bench in Week 3 against the Browns.

Rashod Bateman, 3.5 FPTS

It was another frustratingly quiet week for Bateman, who was held in check as he watched several of his teammates explode. The 25-year-old has just four catches for 25 yards through two games, keeping him firmly off the fantasy radar ahead of Week 3 against the Lions.

Xavier Legette, 0.8 FPTS

A quick look at Legette's final stats (one catch, negative two yards) would suggest that his role has dwindled severely amidst the emergence of Tetairoa McMillan. In reality, Legette was targeted eight times on Sunday. He now has an absurd ratio of 15 targets to four catches through the first two weeks of the season.

Once things get clicking between Legette and Bryce Young, he could be a strong flex. For now, he should be stashed on your bench.

Darnell Mooney, 4.0 FPTS

Mooney made his season debut on Sunday night and was another one of the busts in that ugly Falcons vs. Vikings contest. He caught two of four targets for 20 yards, taking a backseat to London and Kyle Pitts. Moving forward, Mooney is a matchup-based WR3/flex who is worth starting in deeper leagues against the Panthers next week.

DeMario Douglas, 1.8 FPTS

It's been a weird start to the season for Douglas. In Week 1, he saw seven targets, finished with negative two receiving yards, and scored a touchdown. This week, he was targeted just once and produced an eight-yard reception. The 24-year-old can be dropped in most fantasy leagues ahead of Week 3 versus Pittsburgh.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, 1.5 FPTS

Smith-Schuster was a hot commodity on the waiver wire this week. After all, he caught five passes for 55 yards after Xavier Worthy (shoulder) went down in the season opener. This Sunday, though, Smith-Schuster caught just one of three targets for five yards as the Chiefs fell to 0-2. He ranks outside the top 36 fantasy receivers for Week 3 and should be benched in most leagues.

Keon Coleman, 5.6 FPTS

Coleman came back down to earth in Week 2, catching just three passes for 26 yards even as the Bills dropped 30 points on the Jets. His production was very inconsistent week in and week out last year, and it looks like he could follow a similar pattern in 2025. The 22-year-old is a mid-range WR3/flex option for Week 3 against a struggling Dolphins defense.

That’s not what we meant by separation, Keon

Coleman’s OPI hurts the #Bills, forces a punt with plenty of time left for the Jets#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/PmCJReGIfN

— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) September 14, 2025

Calvin Austin III, 3.2 FPTS

Austin is the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh, and while he looked great in the Steelers' season opener, his volume didn't lead to much production this Sunday. The 26-year-old caught one pass for 22 yards in the loss to Seattle. He and DK Metcalf combined for only 42 yards as the duo accounted for roughly just one-fifth of the total passing offense. Austin can be benched in most leagues ahead of Week 3 against New England.

Fantasy Football Tight End Busts

Hunter Henry, 1.9 FPTS

Henry couldn't replicate his strong Week 1 as he caught just one pass for nine yards against the Dolphins on Sunday. Austin Hooper outproduced him, and it might not be the last time we see that happen, given that the Patriots routinely get both of their tight ends involved. Henry is a mid-range TE2 for Week 3 against the Steelers.

Brenton Strange, 4.7 FPTS

The Bengals are known for allowing significant production to tight ends, so Strange seemed like a great fantasy option on Sunday. Instead, he was held in check by Cincinnati, catching just three of five targets for 17 yards. He's a mid-to-high TE2 heading into Week 3 against the Texans.

Mark Andrews, 1.4 FPTS

It's been a rough start to the year for Andrews, whose four-yard reception on Sunday brought him up to just two catches and seven yards through Week 2. We've seen Lamar Jackson look his direction in the red zone quite often, but the quarterback hasn't shown much desire to throw to his big-bodied tight end so far. Andrews ranks outside the top 12 fantasy tight ends for Week 3 versus the Lions.

Mark Andrews can’t hang on for a touchdown on this play after the ball gets punched out pic.twitter.com/j97tTy5fdg

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 14, 2025

T.J. Hockenson, 2.2 FPTS

Hockenson caught just one pass for 12 yards on Sunday night, finishing with fewer than five fantasy points for the second week in a row. He currently can't be trusted in fantasy football, especially as quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to endure growing pains. The veteran tight end should be benched in Week 3.

Colston Loveland, 0.0 FPTS

Loveland wasn't able to haul in his only target on Sunday as the Lions destroyed the Bears. The rookie tight end is still facing some adversity as he adjusts to the NFL. Cole Kmet is the top tight end in Chicago for now, which means that Loveland belongs on the bench in most fantasy leagues.

Sam LaPorta, 5.6 FPTS

Despite the Lions dropping 52 points and Jared Goff throwing for five touchdowns, LaPorta was held in check against the Bears on Sunday. He caught just three passes for 26 yards and was outproduced by fellow tight end Brock Wright, albeit in garbage time. LaPorta should bounce back as a mid-to-low TE1 in Week 3 against the Browns, who just allowed Harold Fannin Jr. and David Njoku to combine for nine catches and 88 yards.

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