Fantasy Football’s Sideline Sage w/ Frank Ober. Week Two

Fantasy Football Article: 2025 – 2026 Season Week 2

Week one is in the books.  Overall, fantasy scoring was down as defenses have the early edge on offenses.  Several high draft picks had disappointing performances; however, the most important thing to remember is not to overreact to a player’s week one performance whether good or bad.

Coming into the season several teams had questions about the running back position.  Who would be the primary ball carrier?  What would be the workload between the top two running backs on the team?  Week one provided insight, but it requires continuous monitoring.  The teams to monitor include the following:

• Minnesota Vikings:  Aaron Jones started and scored on a nice receiving TD, but Jordan Mason had more carries and was more explosive.
• Denver Broncos:  JK Dobbins led the team in carries and scored a rushing TD while RJ Harvey showed how explosive he is with a 50-yard run.
• Arizona Cardinals:  James Conner had the most carries but averaged just over 3 yards per carry.  He did score a receiving TD.  Trey Benson showed his explosiveness with a 52-yard run.
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Travis Etienne had a huge game with 143 yards rushing including a 71-yard run.  Tank Bigsby had minimal impact and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he will back up Saquan Barkley.  Rookie Bhayshul Tuten is now Etienne’s primary backup although the Jaguars signed Cody Schrader from the Los Angeles Rams.
• Cleveland Browns:  Neither Dylan Sampson nor Jerome Ford was effective running the ball although Sampson had 12 carries to Ford’s 6.  Sampson did have a nice game receiving.  This situation is more complicated now that rookie Quinshon Judkins has signed.  I expect him to take over as the primary ball carrier once he is ready to play.
• New England Patriots: Neither Rhamondre Stevenson nor TreVeyon Henderson had great numbers on roughly the same number of touches.  However, Henderson showed much more of a burst running the ball.
• Washington Commanders:  Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt took over as the lead back and had a nice game including a 42-yard run and a TD.  Austin Ekeler had some carries and was effective as a receiver, but he is taking a backseat to the rookie.
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Jaylen Warren was the unquestioned lead RB.  Rookie Kaleb Johnson had only one carry for negative yardage.  Kenneth Gainwell actually served as Warren’s backup.
• Seattle Seahawks:  Zach Charbonnet clearly outperformed Kenneth Walker, which is a trend that is carrying over from last season.  If Kenneth Walker is on your fantasy team, you have a reason to be concerned.  Although unlikely that he is available, pick up Charbonnet via the waiver wire.
• Los Angeles Chargers:  Rookie Omarion Hampton dominated the carries, but Najee Harris is just returning from injury.  I expect Hampton to continue as the lead RB but will concede more carries to Harris.

Although it’s only one week, a player worth picking up is WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown of the Kansas City Chiefs.  He had 10 receptions for 99 yards but more importantly 16 targets against the Chargers.  With WR Rashee Rice serving a six-game suspension and WR Xavier Worthy dealing with a shoulder injury, Brown is currently the number one receiver for QB Patrick Mahomes.

Additionally, the San Francisco 49ers replaced their inconsistent PK Jake Moody with free agent Eddy Pineiro.

Week 1 Results

QB: Kyle Murray (Arizona Cardinals):  163 total yards, 2 TDs, 0 Int

Drake Maye (New England Patriots):  298 total yards, 1 TD, 1 Int

RB: Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers):  89 total yards, 1 TD

Sleeper – RJ Harvey (Denver Broncos):  69 total yards, 0 TD

WR: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals):  5 receptions, 71 total yards, 1 TD

Sleeper – Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay Buccaneers):  4 receptions, 76 total yards, 2 TDs

TE: David Njoku (Cleveland Browns):  3 receptions, 37 total yards, 0 TD

Tyler Warren (Indianapolis Colts):  7 receptions, 79 total yards, 0 TD

PK: Chad Ryland (Arizona Cardinals):  8 points, 2 PATs, 2 FGs

Matt Gay (Washington Commanders):  3 points, 3 PATs, 0 FGs

DF: Seattle Seahawks:  17 points against, 384 total yards allowed, 1 sack, 2 takeaways

Los Angeles Rams:  9 points against, 265 total yards allowed, 3 sacks, 2 takeaways

Players to Start Week 2

QB: Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants)

Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

RB: Breece Hall (New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills)

Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals)

WR: DK Metcalf (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Ricky Pearsall (San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints)

TE: Hunter Henry (New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins)

Sleeper – Harold Fannin Jr. (Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens)

PK: Tyler Loop (Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns)

Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks)

DF: San Francisco 49ers (at New Orleans Saints)

Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

Week 1 Selections vs. the Point Spread

Philadelphia Eagles (-7.0) vs. Dallas Cowboys Final Score: Phi. 24  Dal. 20

Buffalo Bills (-1.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens Final Score: Buf. 41  Bal. 40

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) at Chicago Bears Final Score: Minn.  27  Chi.  24

Week 1 Record:  1 – 2 Season Record:  1 – 2

Week 2 Selections vs. the Point Spread

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) vs. Washington Commanders

How can I pick against the Packers when they dominated the Detroit Lions and their vaunted offense.  The Packers defense played an exceptional game and RB Josh Jacobs is solid running the ball.

Minnesota Vikings (-4.5) vs. Atlanta Falcons

Vikings QB JJ McCarthy looked like a rookie in the first three quarters against the Bears, but he really stepped up in the fourth quarter.  The Vikings defense is solid, so I expect QB Michael Penix to struggle.  Take the Vikings in their home opener.

Houston Texans (-2.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A solid matchup between two division winners.  The Buccaneers were fortunate to beat the Falcons in week one while the Texans lost in a defensive struggle against the Rams.  Take the home team and give the points as the Texans defense will cause problems for QB Baker Mayfield.