September 16, 2025
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Tuesday that wide receiver
Christian Kirk (hamstring) is expected to return in Week 3 against the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars after he missed the first two games of the year with a hamstring injury. Houston will welcome Kirk back with open arms after opening the season 0-2. While Kirk should operate as the starter out of the slot, he'll be a pretty shaky flex play in fantasy in his Texans debut this Sunday, especially since quarterback
C.J. Stroud has been under pressure on 39% of his dropbacks through two weeks -- seventh-most among starting QBs. The return of Kirk should only help Houston's offense, though, and take some attention off All-Pro wideout
Nico Collins. Rookies
Jayden Higgins and
Jaylin Noel will have an even harder time standing out with Kirk back in the fold.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - DJ Bien-Aime
September 16, 2025
Dallas Cowboys running back
Miles Sanders didn't look great in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles as the backup to
Javonte Williams, but he gave fantasy managers a reason to hold on in deeper leagues in the 40-37 overtime win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Sanders scored his first touchdown of the season on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter, but he had only five carries on the day for a total of 15 yards, while Williams ran the ball 18 times for 97 yards and a touchdown. The 28-year-old caught both of his targets for four yards. Sanders isn't going away anytime soon, but with a minimal RB2 role behind Williams, he can remain on the waiver wire in 12-team fantasy leagues. Right now, he's only rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues. Rookie
Jaydon Blue has been a healthy scratch the first two weeks, but if he starts to get involved, Sanders will lose what little fantasy appeal he has left.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 16, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback
Geno Smith struggled in prime time in the 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. Smith got off to a bad start in this one, throwing an interception on the first play of the game and failing to lead the Raiders to a single touchdown all night against a suffocating Chargers defense. All in all, the 34-year-old veteran went 24-for-43 for 180 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. He ran the ball five times for 20 yards and took three sacks. It was a very disappointing performance after Smith threw for 362 yards in a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. While fantasy managers shouldn't be writing Smith off for the rest of the year, it's a reminder of why he's more of a matchup-based QB. Smith will get a better matchup in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
September 16, 2025
Through the first two weeks of his NFL career, Las Vegas Raiders rookie receiver
Jack Bech has caught one ball for 23 yards. The catch came on his only target in Week 1. The second-round pick who became a fan favorite through the pre-draft process has taken the field for only nine offensive snaps to start the year. Reports out of training camp were that fourth-rounder
Dont'e Thornton Jr. was the Raiders' rookie best putting himself in position to make an early impact in the passing game, and through two weeks, those reports have borne some fruit. Thornton has been on the field for 95 total snaps, turning his eight targets into three grabs for 65 yards. While Thornton Jr.'s big-play ability put him on the radar of best ball drafters, he's also worth a look in what is a relatively uninspiring week for waiver pickups. Bech can be dropped in all redraft formats.
--Patrick McGrathSource: ESPN
September 16, 2025
In his Week 2 loss to the Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback
Trevor Lawrence dropped back 45 times and attempted 43 passes. Both numbers were the highest that he's put up since Week 18 of 2023. In his ten games in 2024, Lawrence attempted 28.4 passes per game. Through his first two weeks in Liam Coen's offense, that number sits at 37 attempts per game. Facing entirely different game scripts against the Panthers and Bengals, the raw volume he's putting up is an encouraging sign for fantasy managers who are still waiting for
Brian Thomas Jr. to make an impact. Any fears of Thomas Jr. and
Travis Hunter eating into one another's workload can also be put to rest, as the two have combined for 32 targets through the first two weeks. Now it's just a matter of turning those opportunities into points.
--Patrick McGrathSource: ESPN
September 16, 2025
Houston Texans rookie wide receiver
Jaylin Noel was on the field for only 15 offensive snaps in Monday night's loss to the Buccaneers, and he was held without a target. Through two weeks, he's seen only two looks, resulting in one catch for seven yards. With the Texans' receiving core currently depleted due to injury, Noel had a prime opportunity to carve out a role. Unfortunately, he has been used primarily as a returner on punts and kickoffs. With
Christian Kirk and
Braxton Berrios expected to return to practice this week, any hope Noel had of making an early impact seems to have vanished. He can be dropped for a better option in all redraft leagues.
--Patrick McGrathSource: ESPN
September 16, 2025
With their worst fears confirmed, the Cincinnati Bengals have officially placed quarterback
Joe Burrow (toe) on IR and signed
Brett Rypien to the active roster. Burrow exited Sunday's game after suffering a Grade 3 turf toe injury while taking a second-quarter sack. Burrow has elected to undergo surgery and is expected to miss at least three months. Rypien will serve as a backup to quarterback
Jake Browning, who was able to step in on Sunday and lead the Bengals to a hard-fought 31-27 victory over the Jaguars. Browning was 4-3 in his seven starts in 2023, the last time he filled in for an injured Burrow, and can be viewed as a desperation play by fantasy managers in 2QB/SF leagues.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Ian Rapoport
September 16, 2025
In speaking to reporters on Monday, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo touched upon the lack of designed runs by quarterback
Jalen Hurts through two weeks. A staple of the Eagles' offense over the past few seasons, Patullo pointed to the way teams have defended them as a primary reason Hurts has yet to be unleashed, but was quick to point out that designed quarterback runs and zone read keeps would be coming. Through two games, 74 of Hurts' 77 yards on the ground have come on scrambles, with the tush push accounting for the remainder. For context, nearly 300 of his 630 rushing yards last season came on designed runs. With the Eagles' defense dominating through two weeks, the fear is that Philadelphia will continue to grind out wins by doing only what's needed offensively, but Patullo's assurance that there is another gear still to be reached should comfort fantasy managers waiting for the week-winning performances they're used to from Hurts and the rest of the Eagles' offense.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Jeff McLane
September 16, 2025
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver
Drake London caught three of his four targets in Sunday's 22-6 win over the Vikings, totaling 49 yards receiving in the contest. With only four targets, it would seem he was not heavily involved, but no other pass catcher was targeted more than five times in a game where the team relied heavily on the run. While London's position as the No. 1 option in the passing attack is not in question, his average depth of target thus far in 2025 is something to keep an eye on. The former first-round draft pick held a 10.8 aDOT (average depth of target) in 2024 and an even higher 12.67 aDOT in the final three games where
Michael Penix Jr. was under center. However, through two games in 2025, he owns just a 6.94 aDOT and 9.5 yards per reception. If that trend holds, it could be a challenge for the 24-year-old to get back to the 1000-yards receiving threshold this year. With a matchup against Carolina in Week 3, the Falcons may lean on the ground game again, which would again limit the upside of the receiving corps and, if shorter targets persist, put London further behind the eight ball.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
September 16, 2025
Chicago Bears quarterback
Caleb Williams went 19-for-30 passing for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 52-21 blowout loss in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Williams added five carries for 27 yards and was also sacked four times for a loss of 29 yards. The 23-year-old former first overall pick wasn't terrible in this one, but the Bears' defense really gave them no chance. Both of Williams' touchdown passes went to second-year wideout
Rome Odunze, who is quickly becoming his favorite target early in 2025. Williams hasn't done anything yet to turn the heads of fantasy managers, but he should remain a decent QB2 with upside in head coach Ben Johnson's system. He'll have a prime opportunity for a QB1 performance in Week 3 versus a Dallas Cowboys defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position through two weeks.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 16, 2025
Atlanta Falcons running back
Bijan Robinson is the clear star of Atlanta's backfield, but
Tyler Allgeier is also a big part of the team's ground game, as evidenced in the 22-6 Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. Robinson went off for 22 carries and 143 rushing yards while also catching three passes for 25 yards, but Allgeier wasn't far behind with 16 rushing attempts for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also caught his only target for a four-yard pickup through the air. Allgeier won't always be this heavily involved, but the Falcons leaned on their ground attack in a game that they never trailed. Twelve of Allgeier's 17 carries came in the second half, and his touchdown plunge sealed the game in the fourth quarter. The 25-year-old will be in play as a flex in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers and deserves to be rostered in more than 30% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 16, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (pectoral) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a pectoral injury in Monday night's one-point win over the Houston Texans, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Losing the former first-rounder will be a big blow to a stingy Bucs run defense the rest of the way in 2025. The 24-year-old is most likely dealing with a torn pec muscle that will require surgery. Tampa's interior defensive line is still formidable with Vita Vea filling up gaps, but Kancey's loss cannot be overstated. With Kancey out the rest of the way, both Elijah Roberts and Greg Gaines will be asked to do more next to Vea and Logan Hall. Since entering the league in 2023, Kancey has 11.5 sacks and 55 tackles (42 solo) for the Bucs in 28 starts.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Jordan Schultz
September 16, 2025
Dallas Cowboys tight end
Jake Ferguson had a big performance on Sunday in the team's thrilling back-and-forth overtime win over the New York Giants in Week 2. Ferguson ended up leading the team with 12 targets on the day and tied for the team lead in receptions with nine, while racking up 78 receiving yards. The 26-year-old finished second in yards, behind only top wideout
CeeDee Lamb. It was a nice Week 2 performance after he had a modest day in the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, when he went for five catches on six targets for 23 yards. Despite not scoring a touchdown through two weeks, Ferguson ranks as the TE10 in half-PPR scoring with 14 catches on 18 targets for 101 yards. He's unlikely to be available in your league, as he's currently rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues. Ferguson will have a good shot at scoring his first 2025 TD in Week 3 against a Bears defense that just gave up over 50 points in Week 2 to Detroit.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 16, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders tight end
Michael Mayer was a savvy waiver-wire pickup heading into Week 2 because star tight end
Brock Bowers was questionable to play on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers due to a knee injury he picked up in the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. However, Bowers was inactive in Monday's 20-9 loss and caught five of his eight targets for 38 yards. Meanwhile, Mayer once again took a back seat to Bowers in a Raiders offense that failed to find the end zone all night. The 24-year-old hauled in both of his targets for just nine yards against a stingy and stick Chargers D. The Raiders will continue to use Mayer alongside Bowers, but he's a distant No. 2 in Chip Kelly's offense and should only be rostered in TE-premium leagues. Mayer will not be a realistic fantasy starter going into Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 16, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (knee), defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee), and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) are "improving," but head coach Mike Tomlin said they are "questionable, at best" for Week 3 against the New England Patriots. All three defensive players were ruled out for the Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and could be in danger of missing more time. Porter injured his hamstring in the Week 1 win over the New York Jets. If the 25-year-old is out again, Brandin Echols will be elevated once again as depth behind Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. Harmon is recovering from an MCL sprain that he suffered at the end of training camp and has yet to play in 2025. Elliott suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee in Week 1, so he's most likely looking at a multi-week absence. Pittsburgh's defense is banged up and hasn't played at a high level through two weeks.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Brooke Pryor
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