Week 2 Fantasy Football Matchups: Starts, Sits & Sleepers (2025)
Week 2 Fantasy Football Matchups: Starts, Sits, and Sleepers
I’ve created 7 categories to find the best plays for Week 2 fantasy football. They are:
- Boom/Bust
- Best Matchup
- Must Sit
- Sleeper
- Top Rookie
- Week Winner
- The Hail Mary Play of the Week
We’ll identify a player for each category to help you make those critical lineup decisions. Let’s start with the Boom/Bust Player of Week 2…
Boom/Bust
This is a player with huge upside but a low floor—think high risk/high reward, but I’m rolling the dice with the hopes he explodes.
Cedric Tillman @ BAL
Cedric Tillman got off to a good start in Week 1. He caught 5-of-8 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown, resulting in 16.2 fantasy points and a WR18 finish on the week. But why I’m so ready to call out an incoming boom week for Tillman already is because this is not an out-of-nowhere performance.
Last season—after the Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Bills—Tillman played in 4 games before a concussion ended his season. In those four games, he averaged 18.6 fantasy points and scored fewer than 18 points just once. He had a 22% target share over that stretch and looked like the WR1 in the offense, on the verge of becoming a must-start WR in fantasy.
Now he’s got a matchup against the Ravens in Week 2—a team he torched for 7 catches, 99 yards, and 2 TDs in Week 8 last season, finishing as the WR3 on the week. The Browns trust Joe Flacco to drop back 40+ times a game, so there should be plenty of opportunities for Tillman to make plays—even in the face of target competition (Jeudy, Fannin, Njoku). I’m ranking him as my WR33 this week—ahead of Travis Hunter, Jerry Jeudy, Keon Coleman, and Tyreek Hill.
Other Boom/Bust players to consider: Breece Hall vs BUF, Travis Etienne @ CIN, Calvin Ridley vs LAR, TreVeyon Henderson @ MIA, Ricky Pearsall vs NO.
Best Matchup
Plain and simple, this guy has the nuts matchup for Week 2. Start ‘em if you got ‘em.
James Conner vs CAR
James Conner was underwhelming in Week 1, finishing as the RB16 with just 44 total yards. He ceded some work to Trey Benson, who carried the ball 8 times and out-gained Conner by 30 yards. But Conner still played 63% of the snaps and had 4 targets to Benson’s 1.
Now he gets a matchup with a Panthers defense that routinely got torched on the ground in 2024 and picked up right where they left off in Week 1, allowing Travis Etienne to run for 143 yards. Fantasy managers will remember Week 16 last year when Conner tore up the Panthers for 117 rushing yards, 49 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 26.6 fantasy points (RB6).
This matchup is ripe for another big outing. The Cardinals are at home and will likely get out to a lead, leaning on Conner to grind clock in the second half while racking up yards and fantasy points along the way. Start him if you got him!
Other players with strong Week 2 matchups: Javonte Williams vs NYG, Justin Fields vs BUF, Drake Maye @ MIA.
Must Sit
This is the player with a terrible matchup and needs to be on your bench if you have other options.
Michael Pittman vs DEN
It was a great Week 1 for Michael Pittman as he caught 6-of-8 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown, finishing WR8 with 20 PPR points. But don’t get caught chasing those points. The matchup gets much tougher in Week 2 against the Broncos.
Last year, Denver gave up the 5th-fewest fantasy points to WRs. In Week 1, they harassed Cam Ward and completely shut down the Titans passing game. No Titan receiver reached 30 yards, and Patrick Surtain completely locked up Calvin Ridley, holding him to just 27 yards on 8 targets.
This week, Pittman is likely to see plenty of Surtain. If you don’t need him in your lineup, keep him on the bench for this one.
Other must-sit options: Isiah Pacheco vs PHI, Nick Chubb vs TB, Keon Coleman @ NYJ, Aaron Rodgers vs SEA.
Sleeper
This is the player flying under the radar—not many people are starting him—but the stars are aligned for him to be a good play this week.
Dylan Sampson @ BAL
Jerome Ford led the Browns in snaps (54%) in Week 1, but rookie Dylan Sampson got the most touches. He doubled Ford’s carries (12 to 6) and saw 8 targets, catching all of them for 64 yards. That’s incredible usage on just a 43% snap share.
The Browns made it a point to get the ball in his hands whenever he was out there. With a likely increase in snaps and routes in Week 2, Sampson could see even more work. He faces a Ravens defense that just allowed James Cook to catch 5 passes for 58 yards in Week 1.
Given Joe Flacco’s high drop-back volume and the likelihood of trailing game script, Sampson should continue to thrive as the receiving back. Even if Quinshon Judkins returns, Sampson is a strong sleeper play in Week 2.
Other sleeper candidates: Michael Penix @ MIN, Jayden Higgins vs TB, JK Dobbins @ IND, Drake Maye @ MIA, Trey Benson vs CAR, Harold Fannin @ BAL, Keenan Allen @ LV.
And if you want more sleepers, check out the Yards Per Fantasy YouTube channel every Saturday night where we go live with six sleepers and a bold prediction to cap the show. Don’t miss it!
Top Rookie
Omarion Hampton @ LV
Omarion Hampton was a popular buy-low target after his Week 1 struggles, but his usage was elite. He played 80.6% of snaps, ran a route on 53.7% of Justin Herbert’s drop-backs, and accounted for 89.5% of the backfield touches.
While he finished under 10 fantasy points against the Chiefs’ stout run defense, Hampton gets a much more favorable matchup against the Raiders in Week 2. With the Chargers’ offense looking strong, Hampton could see 20+ touches and post his breakout game.
Other rookies to watch: Jayden Higgins vs TB, Tetairoa McMillan @ ARI, Harold Fannin @ BAL.
Week Winner
Brian Thomas Jr @ CIN
Brian Thomas Jr was quiet in Week 1, recording just 1 catch for 11 yards, but he did score a rushing TD and held a 24% target share. That usage suggests a big game could be on the horizon. Expect the Jaguars to emphasize getting the ball in his hands in Week 2 against the Bengals.
Thomas showed last year he is capable of huge games, finishing as a top-12 WR six times. All signs point to a big performance, with the potential to put up 25+ fantasy points and carry your team to victory this week.
Other players with week-winning potential: Travis Etienne @ CIN, Drake London @ MIN, Breece Hall vs BUF.
Hail Mary
Elic Ayomanor vs LAR
Elic Ayomanor had a quiet debut, but the underlying numbers tell a different story. He had an 82% route participation rate, a 28% target share, and ranked top-5 in air yards. He also led the league in unrealized air yards, meaning the opportunities were there even if the connections weren’t.
Ayomanor is rostered in just 5% of Yahoo leagues but is locked into a big role with the Titans. With Cam Ward likely to have more time against the Rams, Ayomanor has a path to producing as a top-36 WR in Week 2. He’s a desperation flex worth considering.
Other desperation plays: Joe Flacco @ BAL, Kenneth Gainwell @ SEA, Tre Tucker vs LAC, Malik Washington vs NE, Noah Fant vs JAC, Olamide Zaccheus @ DET, Dyami Brown @ CIN, Ray-Ray McCloud @ MIN.
