PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys attempts to catch a pass in the end zone during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 4, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Week one of the fantasy football season was crazy, but today we’re here to help with your start or sit decisions for week two. If you’re new to the series, we’ll be helping with some of the most polarizing start or sit decisions at each position.
The catch is that these players can’t be obvious names in hopes of providing value to everyone reading this. For wide receivers, all these players must be ranked outside the top 36 to be eligible for a start and inside the top 36 to be a sit.
The rankings we’re pulling from are the Fantasy Pros Week 2 expert consensus rankings. For running backs, that goes down to 24, while wide receivers and quarterbacks drop all the way down to 12.
Start Wide Receiver Cedric Tillman (WR44)
Cedric Tillman was a player that I was a fan of heading into the year, so after seeing him score 16.2 points in week one, you should be totally comfortable having him in your flex.
Tillman passes the eye test, and he had a three-game stretch last year of 18.1, 28.9, and 19.5 points. Unfortunately, Tillman would score just 7.7 points in week 11, and then he suffered a concussion in week 12.
This week, the Cleveland Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens, and this actually favors Tillman. With the Browns currently at +11.5 point underdogs per FanDuel right now, they’re likely going to be passing for most of the game.
That directly benefits Tillman. Not only that, but an over/under of 45.5 points isn’t super low, indicating that this shouldn’t be a defensive battle.
Sit Wide Receiver George Pickens (WR31)
Today is not a great week to roster anyone in the Dallas Cowboys offense outside of CeeDee Lamb and Javonte Williams. Last week, Dak Prescott had 34 passing attempts and had just four targets.
Now the Cowboys take on the New York Giants as 5.5-point favorites, indicating that they should be running the ball more and throwing less. George Pickens is a talented player, but he’s used to help create space for Lamb quite a bit.
Unless the game is projected to have a ton of passing volume, Pickens is a risky play.
Start Running Back Aaron Jones (RB28)
It’s a bit confusing why Aaron Jones is outside of the top 24 running backs after a great week one performance. There were concerns coming in that J.J. McCarthy could struggle to start the year, and he did so early on.
However, McCarthy had a great end to the game, and Minnesota Vikings fans are hoping he can carry that into week two. If Jones had 14.2 points even with a slow start from this offense, why can’t he have an even better week two?
Not only that, but the Vikings are 4.5-point favorites against the Atlanta Falcons. Everything is pointing towards Jones having at least 15 points in week two.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 20: Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after a third quarter touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Sit Running Back Kenneth Walker (RB23)
Kenneth Walker is a running back you can’t start until he proves it. Although Walker has shown flashes throughout his NFL career, he’s coming off a season with 3.7 YPC.
Zach Charbonnet had 4.2 YPC last year and looked like the Seahawks’ lead back in week one. Charbonnet had 30 snaps (versus Walker with 21), 11 routes run (versus nine), and Walker only beat him in targets with three per PFF.
It’s not as if this is a great matchup, as the over/under for next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers is at 39.5. Avoid Walker until his role is clearly defined in this offense.
Start Quarterback Caleb Williams (QB18)
Despite not having a great Week 1 in terms of accuracy, Caleb Williams was just fine for fantasy football. It was encouraging that we saw Williams record his first rushing touchdown of his NFL career and also run for 58 yards.
The Chicago Bears looked great to start the game, then stalled out. With Williams, you’re hoping that as the year goes on, Ben Johnson will get more comfortable, leading to a better offense.
This week, Williams and the Bears take on the Detroit Lions as 5.5-point underdogs. Williams is hoping to build on a 15-point week one, and he should be able to do so in a pass-friendly environment where the over/under is 47.5 points.
Sit Quarterback Drake Maye (QB10)
Although Drake Maye is a quarterback that I was a big fan of coming into the year, he had just a fine game with 15.8 points. One of the main concerns with Maye is that he only had four rushing attempts for 11 yards.
If Maye wants to lock himself in as a top 12 option each week, he’s going to do that with his legs, not just his arm. The New England Patriots are only 1.5-point underdogs against the Miami Dolphins, and the over/under is at 43.5.
Maye could be a good start, still in the right matchup, but this is a good week to look elsewhere.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 07: Harold Fannin Jr. #44 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball against Jordan Battle #27 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter during the game at Huntington Bank Field on September 07, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Start Tight End Harold Fannin Jr (TE17)
Harold Fannin Jr was my number one waiver wire target of the week, and he immediately makes my list of startable tight ends. You can read my full breakdown in the article below, but I’ll leave you with one more stat.
Fannin tied another rookie, Tyler Warren, for the most catches of all time by a tight end in week one. As mentioned with Tillman, the Browns are heavy underdogs and should be passing the ball a ton.
Typically, rookies take time to adjust and improve as the season goes on. If Fannin was able to score 13.6 points in his debut, it’s a scary thought to leave him on your bench for week two.
Sit Tight End Jake Ferguson (TE10)
Going back to the Cowboys, they simply don’t have a great matchup for the offense this week. Jake Ferguson only had 7.3 points, and he also had more targets than Pickens with six.
While you still shouldn’t expect Pickens to have a big game, there’s a strong chance that Pickens has six targets and Ferguson has four next week. Pickens is simply the better talent when you turn on the film.
Despite all of this, Ferguson is ranked as the TE10 while Fannin is down at TE17. Ferguson is a player you should be avoiding in fantasy football, and if you’re questioning whether to start or sit him, leave the Cowboys tight end on your bench for week two.