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Should you start Travis Hunter, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Elic Ayomanor in Week 2? John Johnson explores the outlooks for three rookie running backs in Week 2 of the 2025 season.
Rookie wide receivers can be difficult to predict, but they've shown over the past few years that they have a clear ability to elevate fantasy football teams. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (head), Los Angeles Chargers wideout Ladd McConkey, and New York Giants WR Malik Nabers (back) are perfect examples.
This year's crop of freshman wideouts wasn't considered to be an elite group, but several of them are already showing early promise. We may not have a "this year's Nacua," but that doesn't matter -- players who score much less than he does are still often fantasy relevant.
None of the players featured on this list had huge games in their first seasons, so it might be difficult for you to put them in your starting lineups. But are they worth putting your Week 2 games on the line for? Let's dive into fantasy outlooks for three rookie wideouts for Week 2!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
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- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Travis Hunter Fantasy Football Outlook
Hunter's usage in Week 1 was very encouraging. He was targeted eight times, leading his team in targets. Though he caught six of those passes, he only gained 33 receiving yards, ultimately turning in a pedestrian PPR point total in his debut.
The ONLY player over the last 20 seasons with 5+ receptions and 5+ defensive snaps in a game
Travis Hunter pic.twitter.com/c3IGfPdh0k
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 7, 2025
Hunter is expected to play more defensive snaps in his second game. It's unclear if he'll be used less as a receiver as a result, but it seems unlikely. The Bengals have an elite wide receiver duo in Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, though, that could present trouble for the Jaguars' defense.
Hunter actually out-targeted Brian Thomas Jr. by one look in Week 1, which was surprising, much to the chagrin of Thomas' managers in fantasy football. Purely from a volume perspective, and due to the talent and potential Hunter possesses, he's worth starting at least as a flex in PPR leagues in Week 2.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
There's reason to believe that Thornton is poised for a huge breakout. I'm of the opinion that it should happen very soon. It's difficult to time these things, but I was adamant that the aforementioned Jaguars wide receiver Thomas was on the verge of his breakout last season, a week before he scored 21.9 PPR fantasy points against the Houston Texans and 23.2 against the Indianapolis Colts.
The irony isn't lost on me that the closest NFL comparison I can think of for Thornton is Thomas. Both are rare in the NFL in their physical measurables -- they're both insanely fast, with absurd total length -- the combination of outstretched arm length and height.
You should be drafting Dont'e Thornton in every league this season that has a decent sized bench. It's a Brian Thomas Jr. situation all over again. Despite his negatives, his absurd athletic profile means he only has to make modest improvements in his game to be a stud.
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) August 22, 2025
Thornton has a rare athletic profile. He's 6-foot-5 and ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash, putting him in an athletic tier only with Hall of Fame WRs Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss as receivers who were 6-foot-5 or taller and ran faster than a 4.35-second 40-yard dash.
As I point out in the above tweet, it wouldn't take huge improvements in Thornton's game for him to have a big breakout. The signs are all pointing to it being a strong possibility, which is why I've predicted that he'll have his first game of more than 15.0 PPR fantasy points within the next three weeks.
Dont'e Thornton's first target (top of the screen)
Blows past his defender against single high coverage. If Geno Smith throws this on time, it's an 87-yard touchdown.
Clear vertical separation, but he has to slow down because it's underthrown. But they'll get on the same page pic.twitter.com/sGYrr0uXVv
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 10, 2025
Thornton actually had a chance for a massive, 87-yard score, had he not been underthrown by his QB, Geno Smith, in Week 1. At some point, Smith and the rookie will start connecting on these throws, and it might only take one or two for Thornton to have a huge day.
So the freshman is honestly not a bad start in the flex spots of deeper leagues. I've already locked him into my starting lineups of leagues with 12 or more teams and at least two flex spots, and he'll remain there all year because of his upside.
If he's on waivers in your league, he's a player you should pick up with the greatest urgency. Make sure you try your best to trade for him, too.
Elic Ayomanor Fantasy Football Outlook
Ayomanor was targeted seven times in his pro debut by his rookie quarterback, Cam Ward. But that turned into just two catches for 13 yards. It's funny, because fellow Tennessee Titans wideout Calvin Ridley had much the same problem last season with a different quarterback -- a ton of missed opportunities to gain yards.
Ward struggled in his first game in the NFL, completing just 12 of his 28 passes for 112 yards and zero touchdowns. He also took a ton of unnecessary sacks, losing 50 yards on those plays and fumbling the ball away. Ward made some nice throws, but the bad outweighed the good.
Cam Ward was objectively awful in Week 1. Idk why ESPN is trying to gaslight you
1.82 ANY/A [2nd-worst of 32 QBs]
35.7% highly-accurate throw rate [worst]
-9.7% CPOE [2nd-worst]
67.9% catchable throw rate [6th-worst]
42.9% pressure to sack [4th-worst]@FantasyPtsData https://t.co/Wa7rfo1xu9— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) September 9, 2025
Effusive praise for Ward was plastered all over social media, but the advanced statistics showed that he was extremely inaccurate, completed passes at a low rate relative to expectation, and converted pressures to sacks (a bad thing) very often. Not great news for any of his receivers.
The WRs were maligned for drops, but a group of pass-catchers doesn't magically start dropping the ball more than any other team. Ward throws fastballs that are tough to grab consistently. It's hard to trust Ayomanor in any starting lineup yet.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Travis Hunter, Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Elic Ayomanor. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Travis Hunter, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Elic Ayomanor. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 2 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Travis Hunter, Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Elic Ayomanor, compared to others:
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