Week 2 Sunday of the fantasy football season saw a major quarterback injury, a "reunion" of a former coach against his old team, and puzzling stats put up.
We'll try to dig into what many of these happenings can mean for our fantasy season, especially the major news that could alter the life of a widely drafted No. 1 overall pick.
Scroll down for our spin on the biggest news, player trends, and more as we attempt to label the most important notes from fantasy's Week 2.
TOP PICKUPS: Week 3 fantasy waiver wire
Top Week 2 Sunday fantasy reactions
Lions will be just fine without Ben Johnson, but the Bears have upside, too
Remember last week when Detroit looked lost against the tough Green Bay Packers defense? Funny how much changes one week later.
John Morton's scheme certainly showed Ben Johnson that Detroit was ready to move on. The Lions thrashed the Bears 52-21 on the back of a 334-yard, 5-TD day from Jared Goff, who found Amon-Ra St. Brown for three scores.
On the other side, Johnson's Bears showed some life, even in a blowout -- especially the Caleb Williams-Rome Odunze connection that produced 7 catches, 128 yards, and both of William's TDs.
Detroit still boasts a deep stash of skill players, but the Bears will need to get touted rookies TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden III more involved to find more potential for the rest of the season.
Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals offense could survive Joe Burrow's injury
We won't speak for the team's chances to win, but Jake Browning's comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars again showed why he's one of the NFL's top backup slingers.
Though he threw three interceptions, the Washington alum also threw for 241 passing yards and two scores, while also rushing for the game-winning TD.
Chase piled on the Jags with 14 catches, 165 yards, and 1 TD (from Burrow), with 12 targets coming from Browning. The frequent No. 1 overall fantasy pick from this year's drafts will remain an every-week start for WR1 expectations.
Tee Higgins caught a TD of his own from Browning and also likely would only experience a tiny ding in his weekly ceiling.
Chase Brown has accrued 95.6% of backfield opportunities in Cincy but has finishes of RB22 and a similar value this week (rest of Week 2 games pending). Continue valuing him as a fantasy RB2.
Word of caution on Cincy's tough schedule, though:
Bengals' next four games:
— Joey Gulino (@JGulinoYahoo) September 14, 2025
at Vikings
at Broncos
vs. Lions
at Packers
Losing Joe Burrow for a month-plus could be an especially brutal proposition
49ers OK with Mac Jones, too?
The 49ers may not be without Brock Purdy (toe) for too long, though they'll have to weather George Kittle (hamstring) missing at least a few more weeks.
On the bright side, Jones looks fully capable of running this offense after balling out to 279 yards and three touchdowns on 26-for-39 passing.
Having Christian McCaffrey as a backfield outlet helps, though Jauan Jennings (5-89-1 on 10 targets) and Ricky Pearsall (4 catches, 56 yards on 6 targets) are also equipped to handle starter reps to diversify Jones' targets.
Jones now sits in solid QB2/superflex territory.
Fantasy RBs lightning round
- The New England Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson has a much steeper hill to climb than originally thought to overtake Rhamondre Stsevenson, who had a monster fantasy day with 142 scrimmage yards.
- Quinshon Judkins started with a big share out of the gate with 10 carries and three targets (71 scrimmage yards, 6.1 yards per carry) in his first pro action following legal issues and a lengthy contract settlement. Dylan Sampson scored a touchdown but accounted for just seven touches, while Jerome Ford had 11 (six carries, five catches). Expect a Judkins-Sampson-Ford split moving forward, with the latter two fighting for receiving work to complement Judkins' top spot between the tackles.
- On the back of a 134-yard day from scrimmage, Jaylen Warren has proven the most useful in the Pittsburgh Steelers' backfield and should remain atop the trio ahead of Kenneth Gainwell and (after an egregious special-teams error) Kaleb Johnson.
- On the other side of that game, the Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III took back the lead baton with a 105-yard day that included a touchdown. Zach Charbonnet stalled with just 10 yards on 15 carries. This remains a timeshare, but Walker has nudged back into the lead for now.
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Biggest Week 2 fantasy bust
I'll eschew talking about Derrick Henry (11 carries, 23 yards in a tough draw with the Cleveland Browns defense) in place of someone more concerning on the whole.
We're going to highlight one star who's thoroughly involved (19 targets this year, including 12 in Week 2) but has sputtered in the stats columns (5 receptions, 60 yards total).
Brian Thomas Jr. probably would prefer Mac Jones over Trevor Lawrence.
The sophomore had trouble connecting with T-Law in 2024:
In light of Brian Thomas Jr.’s rough Week 1, here’s a reminder: he averaged 4.5 fewer PPG with Trevor Lawrence than with Mac Jones in 2024. #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/FKmbREIyfR
— Pat Mitchell (@PatMitchellFF) September 9, 2025
Of course, the Jags have perennially changed offensive systems and coaches, which halts their progress. However, perhaps we're finally willing to admit that Lawrence is the problem without a turnaround in the next few weeks.
Expect Jacksonville to continue scheming Thomas' direction, either way.
He did wind up on the end of 12 passes from Lawrence in Week 2, and they even designed a run in Week 1. that led to a TD. This trend justifies high-end WR2 fantasy expectations.
That being said, those who drafted him as their WR1 hopefully didn't wait too long to supplement the position afterward. Otherwise, they may be in for many empty weeks from their top wideout.