The Boom or Bust play is one of the most talked about aspects of fantasy football each week. Boom or Bust players can be used in the deep lineup leagues, when it appears you are a heavy underdog in your head-to-head matchup or even in Guaranteed Prize Pool Tournaments in DFS.

In this article, I will cover five of my favorite boom or bust plays for Week 2 of the fantasy football season.

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• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Quarterback

Jay Cutler, Bears QB vs PHI

Jay Cutler did not have a stellar start to the season in a Week 1 loss against the Houston Texans, finishing the week as the QB26 in standard scoring. However, Cutler has a much better matchup at home against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. The Eagles have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL and Cutler should be able to exploit that weakness with a healthy Alshon Jeffery matched up against rookie 7th round cornerback Jalen Mills.

So where is the bust potential? The bust potential is that Kevin White still hasn’t shown anything at the NFL level and the Bears lack a second receiving threat behind Alshon Jeffery, but I don’t project that to be a problem against the Eagles defense.

Verdict: Bust 

Running Back

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers RB vs SF

Jonathan Stewart averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 15 carries with zero receptions against the Denver Broncos Week 1. When a back isn’t heavily involved in the passing game, their production is heavily reliant on touchdowns, making them a boom or bust play.

In Week 2, Stewart and the Panthers are 14-point favorites, the biggest of the week, at home against the San Francisco 49ers. Stewart is one of the few backs left in today's NFL with little to no competition for carries on the running back depth chart. I expect the Panthers to get up early and Stewart will see 20 or more carries. With a projected team total of 31, it is likely that Stewart sees the end zone at least once.

Verdict: Boom

Wide Receiver

Dez Bryant, Cowboys WR vs WAS

What? A First Round Redraft pick on a Boom/Bust list in Week 2? And it is Dez Bryant? Last week against the Giants, Bryant showed that he will be more of a high volatility play than normal this season. The Cowboys will likely be one of the run heaviest teams in the NFL, particularly with Dak Prescott at quarterback.

In Prescott’s first career start, Bryant put up a disappointing one catch for eight receiving yards. However, Bryant was a foot short of adding a 30 yard touchdown to that stat line. If that happened, no one would really be panicking. In Week 1, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington showed that they won’t be using Josh Norman to shadow the opposing team's top wideout. I like Bryant a lot this week, and I think he will be the feature piece of the Cowboys offense this week - as he should be every week.

Verdict: Boom

Tight End

Gary Barnidge, Browns TE vs BAL

Gary Barnidge was one of the best waiver wire breakout players in 2015. After zero catches Week 1 against the Eagles, he is hitting some waiver wires again even though he can return the same value that he did in 2015. Barnidge showed the possibility of being a one-year wonder with his zero point performance, but I am not giving up on Barnidge just yet. He is my favorite boom/bust play at the tight end position Week 2.

With Robert Griffin III on IR, Barnidge will have Josh McCown at quarterback who was under center for his breakout season last year. With Josh Gordon still suspended, Barnidge has a good chance to lead the team in targets this week. If not, he will likely be second behind Corey Coleman. I think with McCown under center, he will lean towards the reliable Barnidge rather than the volatile Terrelle Pryor at wide receiver.

Verdict: Boom

Hail Mary of the Week

In the Hail Mary of the Week, I will choose a Boom/Bust candidate who is available on the waiver wire in most fantasy football leagues and could have a big week:

Breshad Perriman, Ravens WR at CLE

Breshad Perriman came into the NFL in 2015 as a boom/bust prospect with next level speed, and not-so-next level hands in college. His rookie season ended before it started due to injury, and his Week 1 debut occurred without much fanfare as he had a line of one catch for 35 receiving yards. The bust potential is obvious here, as there is no guarantee of target volume. But when looking for a hail-mary-type play, Perriman is the perfect example of a player who can pay off starting him with just one play. In addition, the Browns are likely the worst team in the NFL and Perriman’s skill set matches with quarterback Joe Flacco very well.