Ranking Week 2 fantasy football winners and losers and injury impacts from Sunday

Week 2 of the 2025 fantasy football season featured a little bit of everything, from big scores by rookies to surprisingly quiet games from some of the top players in the NFL.

Who were the big winners and losers?

Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analyses.

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Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Biggest injuries and what’s next

Ranking fantasy winners of Week 2

1. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants: He was a sophomore standout on Sunday, scoring a career-high 37.7 PPR fantasy points, including a 48-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown that at the time looked like a game-winner. Brandon Aubrey‘s 64-yard, game-tying field goal bought Nabers, his Giants and the opposing Dallas Cowboys a complete overtime period to pad their stats, but don’t let that take anything away from how impressive Nabers looked in Week 2. His touchdown was a thing of beauty, caught despite having Kaiir Elam‘s hand on his face mask, and one that Next Gen Stats calculated with a 16% catch probability. Nabers is a true superstar, proving his worth as a clear fantasy first-rounder from the preseason, with the only question surrounding him how he might fare should rookie Jaxson Dart emerge as the team’s starting quarterback in the coming weeks.

Credit Russell Wilson for his big game as well, with the only negative being the interception he committed late in overtime that led to a Cowboys walk-off field goal. Wilson scored 30.30 fantasy points and, at times, had similar touch for the deep ball that he had during his Seattle heyday. Wan’Dale Robinson also continues to impress as a heavily targeted, short-range receiver, though Wilson’s willingness to target him deep fueled Robinson’s career-best 28.2 points. — Cockcroft

2. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR; Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions: I’ll take some heat on this, as I expected Goff and this Lions offense to possibly take a step back after their sub-par numbers in the Week 1 loss to Green Bay. However, with Goff working from clean pockets versus an absent Bears pass rush, and St. Brown winning his one-on-ones, this Detroit unit looked explosive again. Goff had 33.96 points, throwing five touchdowns on Sunday, while finishing with 344 yards passing. And St. Brown dropped 39.2 points on the Bears secondary, catching nine passes for 115 yards and three scores. That was a passing game clinic. Up next for Detroit? The Baltimore defense in Week 3. — Bowen

3. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: He scored 36.5 PPR fantasy points, a total he has exceeded in a game only five times previously in his career, which is a performance all the more remarkable if you consider that his quarterback, Joe Burrow, left midway through the second quarter with a toe injury. Chase caught 10 of his 14 passes and scored 22.8 points, with backup Jake Browning in the game, accounting for 11 targets amongst Browning’s 32 pass attempts. That kind of usage is encouraging, in the event that Burrow needs to miss additional time, but Burrow’s injury comes at a terrible time for the Bengals on the schedule, with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos their next two opponents. Chase will need Burrow back under center to have much of a chance at a repeat. — Cockcroft

4. Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears: In the blowout loss to the Lions, Odunze had a career best 31.8 points. Odunze caught seven of a team-high nine targets for 128 yards, and he added two touchdowns. Odunze has now seen a total of 20 targets over his first two games, with at least one touchdown grab in each. Given the volume here, and his deployment in Ben Johnson’s offense, Oduzne has the look of the No.1 target for Caleb Williams. You can move Odunze up as a WR2 for the Week 3 matchup against a Dallas defense that lacks impact players. –Bowen

5. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills: His 26.5 PPR fantasy points led all running backs from the 1 p.m. ET games, and most importantly, he scored two rushing touchdowns. The first was a key one for role evaluation, as he had eight- and six-yard gains to put his Bills into scoring position early in the first quarter at the one-yard line, and received the goal-line chance which he promptly converted. For the season, Josh Allen has four goal-line carries to Cook’s three, but that’s enough for the latter to give him a chance to approach last year’s 16 rushing scores. He should be in for another big day against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. — Cockcroft

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6. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots: Maye had 26.3 points in the Week 3 win at Miami, and he used his dual-threat ability to create rushing totals. Maye looked poised as a thrower in Josh McDaniels’ offense, completing 19 of 23 passing for 230 yards and two scores, plus he had 31 yards rushing and a touchdown on 10 carries. With the schemed concepts in McDaniels’ pass game, plus Maye’s ability to produce as a runner, I’ll have the second-year pro ranked as a lower-tier QB1 for the Week 3 matchup versus Pittsburgh. — Bowen

7. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams: For the second consecutive week, he exceeded 20 PPR fantasy points, following up Week 1’s 23.1 with a 27.6 point score that placed among the top six at his position from the 1 p.m. ET games. Granted, Davante Adams led the Rams in targets in this game, 13 to Nacua’s nine, but Nacua’s 33% team target share through two contests (Adams’ number, granted, is 34%) demonstrates his big-play ability and Matthew Stafford‘s reliance upon him. These two will likely be similarly active in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. — Cockcroft

8. Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys: Williams finished with 25.0 points in a Cowboys overtime win against the Giants, his second straight game with 20 or more points. Williams, who looks explosive when he gets downhill with the ball, had 130 total yards — and a touchdown — on 24 touches in this one. Williams is seeing consistent volume in the Dallas offense, and the play speed is there. We can see it. Williams is a must start in Week 3 against the Chicago defense. — Bowen

9. Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers: Kraft scored 24.4 points in the Thursday night win over the Commanders, catching six of a team-high seven targets for 124 yards and a touchdown. Packers coach Matt LaFleur set-up Kraft on seam routes versus zone coverage, and we saw his ability to rumble after the catch. Kraft has now scored a touchdown in both games played this season (on end zone targets), and with a route tree that works multiple levels of the field, he should be locked in as a TE1 for the Week 3 matchup versus the Browns. — Bowen

10. Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts: That’s two weeks, two wins, two interception-free games and two performances worth 20-plus fantasy points for Jones, but this week’s task was considerably tougher than last’s. Jones scored 22.84 points against the Denver Broncos, widely considered the league’s best defense, after 29.48 in Week 1 against what might be the worst in the Miami Dolphins. He even chipped in a rushing score, though the Colts did give him three consecutive tries from the one-yard line to make it happen. Jones’ hot start will be one that many doubt, but he has a good matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 that again could make him a viable fantasy starter. — Cockcroft

11. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts: He rushed for 165 yards, caught a seven-yard touchdown and totaled 29.5 PPR fantasy points against the vaunted Denver Broncos defense, playing a huge part in setting up three consecutive field goals in the second half that gave the Colts a come-from-behind win. Taylor rushed for 56 yards more than expected, per Next Gen Stats, and his performance has played a big part in opening things up for the QB Jones. Next up is the Titans, which makes Taylor a surefire RB1 for Week 3. — Cockcroft

Ranking fantasy losers of Week 2

1. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens: For the second consecutive season, he’s off to a shaky start, as Andrews followed up Week 1’s 1.5 PPR fantasy points (on one target) with 1.4 in Week 2 (this time on three targets), representing two of his six worst single-game scores across 106 career NFL contests. Andrews did begin 2024 similarly quietly — he had 12.5 points and nine targets total across his first four weeks, before scoring more than 10 points in 10 of his final 13 games — but his age (30) and the Ravens’ run-oriented offense are working against him. His fantasy managers need to root for more poor defensive play, à la Week 1 or most of 2024, for Andrews to draw the targets he needs to rebound. — Cockcroft

2. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Henry managed just 2.3 points in the Ravens Week 2 win over the Browns. Henry had real trouble finding daylight versus the Browns defensive front seven here, as he averaged only 2.1 yards per carry (on 11 attempts). Plus, Henry didn’t factor into the passing game in this one (zero targets). Disappointing day for Henry managers, which includes the limited volume, but he’ll remain a lower-tier RB1 in my rankings for the Week 3 game versus Detroit. — Bowen

3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: After leading many a fantasy team to a Week 1 victory, Allen was an afterthought in a 30-10 blowout of the division rival New York Jets, scoring only 11.82 fantasy points. He did miss two offensive snaps at the end of the first quarter after suffering a bloody nose, and rested the final eight-plus minutes, and the Bills appeared to lighten his load considering both the injury and game circumstances. Allen’s Week 3 matchup against the Dolphins provides oodles of bounce-back potential, with the only knock on it being the possibility of the Bills again mounting a big, early lead. — Cockcroft

4. Jalen Hurts, QB; A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: A fourth quarter score on a quarterback sneak pushed Hurts into double-digits (11.54 points), but he had only 115 yards passing and totaled 15 yards rushing (on seven carries) in the Week 2 win over the Chiefs. The Eagles pass game right now lacks a vertical element, and we are seeing that in Browns’ numbers, too. Brown did have eight targets on Sunday, catching five. But he finished with just 27 yards receiving (7.7 points). The Eagles need to find passing game answers ahead of their Week 3 game versus the Rams, and that includes scheming for Brown at the third level of the field to create explosive plays. — Bowen

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5. Brian Thomas, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Thomas is getting the looks. I’ll start there, because Thomas saw a team-high 12 targets from Trevor Lawrence in the Week 2 loss to the Bengals. However, Thomas caught just four passes for 49 yards (8.9 points). And it was the same script in Week 1 when Thomas brought in only one of seven targets. Yes, Thomas had a drop on Sunday, but he saw multiple end zone targets, and the game plan under new coach Liam Coen is creating volume for the wide receiver. Rough start to the season for sure, but I’m still betting on the upper-level traits of Thomas here. Let’s see if he can capitalize on the volume in Week 3 versus the Texans. — Bowen

6. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: He couldn’t find many open running lanes against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense, scoring only 8.5 PPR fantasy points while finishing his day with 17 fewer rushing yards than expected, per Next Gen Stats. The concern is that Joe Burrow’s injury comes at a terrible time in the schedule for the quarterback — with games against the Vikings, Broncos, Lions and Packers in the next four weeks — representing the position’s toughest upcoming slate. — Cockcroft

7. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets: Hall failed to produce on the ground in the Week 2 loss to the Bills, rushing for 29 yards on 10 carries, and he managed only nine yards receiving on two receptions (5.8 points). Buffalo absolutely controlled the tempo of this football game from the jump, and this Jets offense couldn’t find any traction. Tough one to watch. Hall will look to rebound in Week 3 when New York travels to Tampa. — Bowen

8. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals: Harrison managed just 4.7 points in the Week 2 win over the Cardinals, catching two of five targets for 27 yards. Back in Week 1, Harrison did finish with 18.7 points, but he’s only seen 11 targets over his first two games. Even with the presence of tight end Trey McBride, I expected Harrison to be featured much more as a perimeter option for quarterback Kyler Murray. Let’s see if Harrison can get a bump in volume for the Week 3 game at San Francisco. — Bowen

Injury impact

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

What we know: Burrow suffered a toe injury in the first half versus the Jaguars, and he did not return to the game. Before exiting, Burrow completed seven of 13 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown (7.04 points).

What’s next: If Burrow is out for the Week 3 game at Minnesota, Jake Browning will get the start for the Bengals. In relief of Burrow on Sunday, Browning did throw three interceptions. He has an aggressive mentality. However, Browning also passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns, plus he added a rushing touchdown on the game-winning quarterback sneak (17.74 points). — Bowen

Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

What we know: Fields left the game in the second half with a concussion, and he did not return. Fields completed just three passes on the day and finished with 3.98 points.

What’s next: Tyrod Taylor replaced Fields in the second half, throwing for 56 yards and score, while rushing for 21 yards on three carries. Taylor would be in line to start the Week 3 game at Tampa if Fields is out. — Bowen