Week 2 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

As is often the case, Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season brought electric finishes, stunning results and surprising fantasy performances.

While predicting which fantasy stars will flourish and which will flop in Week 2 will be a slightly easier process, challenges still exist. Teams often play a sloppy brand of ball in early September, and it's hard to know exactly how much of what we saw in Week 1 is real.

Does the Cincinnati Bengals passing attack really have issues, or is the Cleveland Browns defense really just great again?

Based on last week's results, past performances, matchups and projected roles, let's examine a few start/sit recommendations for Week 2.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start: Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

The Kansas City Chiefs have serious issues at the wide receiver position (again). Rashee Rice is still serving his suspension, while Xavier Worthy is sidelined by a shoulder injury.

This has left Marquise Brown as Patrick Mahomes' top perimeter target. He caught a whopping 10 passes for 99 yards in Kansas City's season-opener.

The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, showcased a lot of uncertainty in the secondary during their opener. They only surrendered 188 passing yards on the day, but they were repeatedly burned by CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb had several late drops and still finished with seven catches for 110 yards. Brown may not perfectly mirror that production, but the volume he's likely to see pushes him into must-start territory.

Sit: Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Quarterback Spencer Rattler wasn't the disaster some might have expected in Week 1. While he made too many mistakes for the Saints to come back against the Arizona Cardinals, he did a great job of extending drives and spreading the ball around.

Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Rattler didn't rely too heavily on any one receiver. Tight end Juwan Johnson led the team with eight receptions, while Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed had seven and six, respectively.

Olave and Shaheed are both risky plays this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Rattler didn't push the ball downfield consistently—Olave averaged just 7.7 yards per catch—and he'll have even more trouble doing it against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers defense appears to be right back in playoff form, thanks to the return of coordinator Robert Saleh. San Francisco allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers in Week 1.

Start: David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Though the Detroit Lions had an abysmal game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, managers will continue to rely on starting back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs' involvement in the passing game creates a PPR floor that is simply too high to ignore.

Managers might not be as confident in No. 2 back David Montgomery. This week, however, they should feel comfortable starting him against his former team.

The Chicago Bears' defense looked terrific for about a half on Monday night. However, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen struggled to adjust when the Minnesota Vikings started hammering the defense with the power running game.

Expect the Lions to dole out a heavy dose of Gibbs and Montgomery while trying to create the offensive rhythm that was missing last week. Montgomery logged three receptions and 124 scrimmage yards the last time he faced the Bears.

Sit: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Managers who have Tyler Allgeier rosters can keep him on the bench as a high-end handcuff, but hit value as a flex option is entirely matchup-dependent.

The good news for Allgeier managers is that he logged 10 carries to Bijan Robinson's 12 in Week 1. The bad news is that Robinson, as expected, saw the majority of the work on passing downs. He finished with six catches, 100 yards and a touchdown, while Allgeier didn't log a reception.

The Atlanta Falcons of course, faced a terrific Tampa Bay Buccaneers run defense in Week 1. Neither of their backs averaged more than 2.5 yards per carry. Things will only get slightly easier this week on the road against the Vikings.

Minnesota allowed a few big runs early, but largely held D'Andre Swift in check. Overall, the Vikings allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs in Week 1. Allgeier can stay on the bench this week.