Fantasy Football Warning Signals for Week 2 - Kenneth Walker, James Conner, Josh Downs, more

September 13, 2025

Dan's warning signals and tough fantasy football sit 'em decisions for Week 2 (2025). Which players are we concerned about - are they worth benching, sitting, avoiding?

Hello, RotoBallers, and welcome back to another season of fantasy football! How did you finish in Week 1? Is your team already firing on all cylinders? Or did some of your stars stumble out of the starting blocks? Did you have one of the 12 top-25 wide receivers (per Yahoo ADP) who failed to reach 10 PPR points? Did you start Joe Burrow, Bo Nix, or Dak Prescott (all of whom were outscored by Spencer Rattler)?

Flukes like that are going to happen, especially in Week 1. Still, after weeks, if not months, of planning for the perfect draft and crafting a team destined for the championship round, last weekend was a kick in the teeth for many of us! For the last few days, I’ve had a bit of Robert Burns’ “To a Mouse” rattling around in my head:

But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes of mice and men
Go oft awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

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There’s a lot of season left, so I’m not about to start grieving for unrealized joys, but I am watching out for how my best-laid schemes might go awry in Week 2. Nothing could have prepared me for the aforementioned anomalies in the first week of a new season, but I can take what I saw in Week 1 and hope it will help me avoid pitfalls that might lie ahead. Here now and in the weeks ahead, I will be writing this column to present warning signs that stand out to me so you can weigh them in your sit/start decisions in the coming week.

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Rumblings of a backfield takeover in Seattle have been brewing since Zach Charbonnet was drafted by the Seahawks in 2023. Bear in mind that was the year immediately after Kenneth Walker III ran for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns in his rookie season. Walker ceded situational work to his understudy but, for all intents and purposes, he maintained his lead role in 2023 and 2024.

The changing of the guard may finally be upon us, however. In Week 1 against the 49ers, Walker drew the start as expected but played just 21 snaps to Charbonnet’s 30. Charbonnet got all of the goal-line work (resulting in his one-yard touchdown in the second quarter) and was more involved on early downs than he had been in the past. Between the two, Charbonnet was the more effective runner, taking 12 carries for 47 yards, while Walker had 10 rushes for just 20 yards. Half of Walker’s attempts went nowhere or for negative yardage.

In Week 2, the Seahawks take on the Steelers, who just gave up 107 rushing yards to Breece Hall, the third-most gained by a running back in Week 1. Walker was the 17th running back off the board, according to Yahoo’s ADP, but he is projected as an RB3 this week. I would not go as far as to say he is a must-sit, but he certainly feels more like a flex option than a lock for an RB slot.

James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

I was at odds with myself over the inclusion of James Conner. I’m relying on him in a couple of leagues to do some heavy lifting and didn’t want to acknowledge my concerns over his Week 1 production, but if I’m including Walker over timeshare and efficiency woes, then Conner should be on my list, too.

Conner saw 12 carries last Sunday against the Saints and managed just 39 yards on the ground against a tepid Saints defense. He also caught all four of his targets, eking out a mere five yards. One of those catches went for a score, though, granting him a halfway decent fantasy score at the end of the day.

Just as concerning as the meager stat line was Trey Benson’s increased role in the backfield. Sure, Conner had the majority of the carries, but it was a 60-40 split between the two. Benson was also the go-to back on third downs, seeing 10 snaps to Conner’s three in those situations.

Conner has a promising matchup in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers. Travis Etienne Jr. ran roughshod over the Panthers in Week 1 to the tune of 143 yards, so I am optimistic that Conner can bounce back this weekend with a more legitimate fantasy score. He should certainly be in starting lineups, but I can’t ignore the warning signs that he may no longer be the bell cow I thought I had drafted.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

In 2024, Josh Downs put up an uncannily similar line to teammate Michael Pittman Jr. The former finished 72-803-5 on 107 targets, and the latter had 69-808-3 on 111 targets. Downs’ statistical step forward in his sophomore season over an already encouraging rookie year in 2023, combined with Pittman’s regression, led many to believe the 24-year-old was on the cusp of usurping Pittman as the alpha receiver in Indianapolis.

Those who banked on Downs getting an even greater piece of the pie were disappointed in Week 1. Even though he was listed as the second wide receiver on the Colts’ depth chart, Downs got little attention from new quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones instead focused on Pittman, who saw eight targets, and rookie tight end Tyler Warren. Warren led the team with nine targets, putting him in rare territory.

Downs himself saw three targets and ended the day with two catches for 12 yards. Pittman was hampered in 2024 by a lower back fracture, and now that he is fully recovered, he looks like the clear-cut primary receiver again.

Indianapolis was committed to getting Warren involved early and often, looking like a worthy second option. The sample size is as small as it can be for the regular season, but the result of the Colts’ first game and the fact that they will next be up against the Broncos make betting on Downs for a rebound not worth the risk in Week 2.

Tyler Warren had an elite role, leading the Colts with 9 targets for an elite 0.39 TPRR. He tied Michael Pittman for a really impressive 30% 1st read target share.

On that note, Josh Downs could be the odd man out here. He garnered just a 48% route share with Warren in town.

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) September 8, 2025

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Heading into Sunday Night Football, I thought Mark Andrews’ outlook was pretty rosy. With Isaiah Likely (foot) inactive, Andrews would surely see a bump in his target share and would be a preferred target for Lamar Jackson in the end zone.

Despite Baltimore putting up 40 points in its one-point loss to the Bills in an instant classic, Andrews was barely involved in the passing game.

The tight end saw a single target in the game and made good on the catch for a gain of five yards. Over the course of the game, he ran only 13 routes. His lone target equated to a 7.7% rate of targets per routes run, his lowest number since Week 1 of last season, when he was recovering from a preseason car accident.

Andrews rebounded slightly last year after an injury-shortened 2023. After a dismal five-game stretch to start 2024, wherein he had eight catches for 120 yards and put up two goose eggs, Andrews managed to score 11 touchdowns over the Ravens’ last 12 games, salvaging his season.

Once an elite option at tight end and one who made his mark by earning an abundance of red-zone targets that translated into touchdowns, he is no longer a vital piece of Baltimore’s offense. Start him if you have him, but treat him as you would any other TD-dependent tight end at this point.

MARK ANDREWS DROPPED THE GAME-TYING PASS 😳

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/dGHC30xxun

— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2025

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