Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Justin Boone's top lineup picks (and benches) for Week 2 Justin BooneSeptember 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM 0 Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.
- - Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Justin Boone's top lineup picks (and benches) for Week 2
Justin BooneSeptember 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
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Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.
For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult his Week 2 rankings.
StartsJustin Fields, QB, Jets
vs. Bills
All the reports from training camp, which suggested Fields was struggling in practice, are forgotten after Week 1 when he threw for 218 yards and a touchdown while running for another 48 yards and two scores.
Though he won't be fueled by revenge against a former team this week, Fields gets to match up with a Bills defense that just allowed Lamar Jackson to post a very similar stat line against them (209 passing yards, two passing TDs, 70 rushing yards, one rushing TD).
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who was a force in the opener, popped up on the injury report Thursday with an ankle injury and was seen in a walking boot using a scooter to get around the locker room. If he's unable to play, it would be a huge loss for a Buffalo defense that struggled against the Ravens' rushing attack.
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We knew Fields had a solid fantasy floor thanks to his rushing production, but Week 1 showed us the Jets' coaching staff can help him unlock his ceiling, as well. Get ready for another top-seven QB result this week.
Other QBs to start:
Drake Maye at Dolphins - Maye will have a bounce-back week against a Dolphins defense that just let Daniel Jones finish as the QB3 overall in Week 1.
Dak Prescott vs. Giants - Fortunately for Dak, he doesn't have to face the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles for a second straight week. He's thrown for 625 yards and six TDs over his last two meetings with the Giants.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars
at Bengals
Etienne was so successful in the win over the Panthers — with 156 scrimmage yards on 19 touches — it allowed the Jaguars to trade Tank Bigsby this week.
While many fantasy managers are stashing promising rookie Bhayshul Tuten for later in the year, right now, this is Etienne's backfield. And we shouldn't be surprised.
After all, Etienne finished with the sixth most fantasy points per game among running backs in 2023. His down year last season may have thrown us off the scent, but it's certainly possible he keeps this up in Liam Coen's system.
That's especially true against the Bengals, who were a plus matchup for fantasy RBs last season. This game also features the highest projected point total of the week at 48.5.
Etienne is a strong RB2 with RB1 upside for this one, before getting some tougher tests against the Texans, 49ers and Chiefs over the next month.
Other RBs to start:
Javonte Williams vs. Giants - Don't underrate Williams' 64 yards and two scores against a difficult Eagles defense. He's the clear lead back on a team that is favored by 5.5 points this week.
TreVeyon Henderson at Dolphins - The explosive rookie was held relatively in check with 51 yards on 11 touches versus the Raiders. You can expect his role to grow in a positive matchup against a floundering Dolphins defense that just gave up 139 scrimmage yards to the Colts' running backs.
Jordan Mason vs. Falcons - Mason saw slightly more volume than Aaron Jones in the opener, putting him firmly in the fantasy RB3 conversation. The only thing that was missing was a trip to the end zone, but the touchdowns will come in this offense.
Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens
vs. Browns
Flowers is coming off one of his best days as a pro with seven catches for 143 yards and a score versus the Bills. He even added another eight yards on two carries.
The volume is great, but the key to Flowers reaching his fantasy ceiling will be more frequent touchdowns. The 25-year-old has been held to four and five TDs in his prior two seasons.
Next up is a Browns defense that he's excelled against in the past, including a 7-115-0 stat line in his last healthy game facing them.
You can feel confident starting Flowers as a top-20 WR option this week.
Other WRs to start:
Tetairoa McMillan at Cardinals - The rookie showed why he was an early first-round pick, earning nine targets in his debut and turning them into five catches for 68 yards. We're only scratching the surface of his potential.
Rome Odunze at Lions - Odunze salvaged his day with a touchdown, but don't overlook his team-high nine targets. He's still on track to emerge as the Bears' No. 1 receiver in 2025; people just might not realize it yet. That will change after a trip to the fast track in Detroit.
Travis Hunter at Bengals - Early season volume can be more telling than straight-up yardage totals. In his first game, Hunter led the Jags with eight targets and six catches. It only resulted in 33 yards, but bigger days are coming — starting with a high-scoring contest in Cincy.
Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Falcons
at Vikings
Michael Penix Jr. told us in the summer that Pitts would get more passes thrown his way this year and that's exactly what happened in Week 1.
Eight targets resulted in a seven-catch, 59-yard performance that made Pitts a top-12 fantasy tight end.
It helped that Darnell Mooney was sidelined and Drake London got banged up late, but Pitts' 83% route rate and 19% target share are the kind of numbers we want to see for him to be a consistent TE1 option in fantasy.
While the Vikings aren't the easiest matchup, London and Mooney (if he plays) will likely be at less than 100% for this contest — making Pitts a low-end fantasy starter once again.
Other TEs to start:
Harold Fannin Jr. at Ravens - When a rookie coming off one of the most productive college seasons of all-time begins his NFL career with seven catches for 63 yards on nine targets, you take notice. It's possible Fannin turns back into a pumpkin this week, but the Browns coaching staff told us they planned to use him all around the formation, and they did. I'm willing to roll the dice on him being a fantasy difference-maker this season.
Brenton Strange at Bengals - Strange followed up some quality outings as an injury replacement last year with a solid 4-59-0 stat line in the opener. He's yet another player worth targeting in the potential high-scoring affair between the Jags and Bengals.
SitsBaker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
at Texans
Look how quickly last week's recommended quarterback start can become this week's highlighted sit. And it has nothing to do with Mayfield's performance in Week 1, since he threw for three touchdowns and ran for 39 yards.
The bigger question is how the Bucs' offensive line will hold up against a more fierce pass rush from the Texans. Even against the Falcons, Mayfield was one of the most pressured QBs on the week. Houston's front will cause even more problems in that area.
Tackle Tristan Wirfs returned to practice in a limited capacity this week, but he's unlikely to get back in the lineup for another game or two. He'll be missed in a matchup like this.
It's enough to push Mayfield into the fantasy QB2 range, so hopefully you can find another option.
Other QBs to sit:
Bo Nix at Colts - After a down week to start the season, Nix has to face a Colts' defense that looked rejuvenated under new coordinator Lou Anarumo.
Geno Smith vs. Chargers - Smith is normally a decent QB2, but he's less enticing this week with Brock Bowers dealing with a knee injury that could limit him.
D'Andre Swift, RB, Bears
at Lions
Even with the vast majority of the touches in the Bears' backfield, Swift was only able to manage 65 scoreless total yards on 20 touches.
He's also the main reason why the Bears had the worst success rate on running back runs last week. And the degree of difficulty is only going up.
Chicago will take on the Lions, who gave up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to RBs last season and the 11th-fewest in Week 1.
We also heard Ben Johnson express a desire to get rookie Kyle Monangai more involved moving forward. That comes after Johnson's training camp comments when he said the rookie was a player they could trust in the fall.
It all adds up to Swift being a risky RB3 and someone who could begin to lose the only thing holding up his fantasy value: Volume.
Other RBs to sit:
Isiah Pacheco vs. Eagles - A healthy Pacheco resumed his near-even split with Kareem Hunt, which is problematic for his fantasy ceiling. Meanwhile, Jalen Carter will be back on the field for this game, so expect the Eagles' run defense to tighten up.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. at Cowboys - Tracy is another player who was given ideal volume in Week 1, but did very little with it. The Cowboys defense is bad, but Tracy needs to show he can do something with his touches before we trust him in lineups again.
Nick Chubb vs. Buccaneers - The Buccaneers have been one of the 10 hardest matchups for fantasy running backs for six consecutive seasons. Since he doesn't give you much through the air, Chubb is just a TD-or-bust RB3/flex this week.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts
vs. Broncos
Pittman got in on the party in Week 1 with six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, making him the WR8 overall.
Sadly for him, that's the only time the Colts get to play the Dolphins this year.
Their next opponent is none other than Pat Surtain II and the Broncos' defense. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year shut down Calvin Ridley in the opener and will likely be in coverage on Pittman for a big chunk of this matchup.
When you also factor in the uncertainty around how Daniel Jones will deal with the much tougher opponent, I'm sitting Pittman for this week.
Other WRs to sit:
Calvin Ridley vs. Rams - I promise you Ridley will have success this season; he's just starting out with two tough matchups. The Rams were able to hold Nico Collins in check last week, which makes me very wary about playing Ridley against them.
Jaylen Waddle vs. Patriots - The dysfunction in Miami has turned Waddle into a very risky WR4/flex. His path to upside now will only occur if Tyreek Hill is traded at some point.
Khalil Shakir at Jets - Shakir made it back from the high-ankle sprain and was decent in Week 1 with six catches for 64 yards, but he remains a low-ceiling fantasy play. This isn't a matchup to expect more from him, since he failed to top 25 yards in either of his games versus the Jets last year.
Evan Engram, TE, Broncos
at Colts
The offseason talk about Engram being the Broncos' solution at tight end and a possible "Joker" in Sean Payton's offense seems foolish now.
Even before he left early with a calf injury, Engram only took the field for 25 of 57 snaps and ran a route on 17 of 35 passing opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.
It's great news that Engram avoided a serious injury and is expected to suit up this week, but unless his usage significantly changes, he should be left out of fantasy lineups.
Other TEs to sit:
Dalton Kincaid at Jets - Kincaid came through with a touchdown in Week 1, but his playing time is still a problem. He was only on the field for 50% of the Bills' snaps.
Juwan Johnson vs. 49ers - While sitting a player who had 11 targets in the opener might seem insane, the 49ers have been one of the most difficult matchups for fantasy tight ends in seven straight seasons. With Robert Saleh back as their coordinator, they gave up the third fewest points to the position in Week 1.
Source: "AOL Sports"
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