Week 2 fantasy football lineups hang in the balance, and the difference between a win and a frustrating loss could come down to one start/sit decision. James Conner is in line for workhorse usage, James Cook’s role continues to expand in Buffalo’s high-powered offense, and Alvin Kamara is shaping up as a risky play you’ll want to avoid. Here’s the last-second fantasy advice you need before kickoff.
Should You Start or Sit James Conner in Week 2?
Trey Benson came in to handle the third drive last weekend, but James Conner continued to be the featured Arizona back, and in this matchup, that gives him the potential to be a top-12 producer.
His 12 carries may have gained just 39 yards against the Saints, but he caught all four of his targets, one of which was a well-designed play-action shovel pass. I expect we will get some DFS ownership reprieve because of the limited efficiency and the highlight 51-yard run by Benson, and if that proves accurate, you can find me on Conner island this weekend.
Carolina allowed 4.9 yards per carry after contact to Jaguar running backs last week. One big carry skewed that, but if that’s going to happen again, Conner is still the percentage play to be the beneficiary (the Panthers were 11th worst in this regard last season, so it’s not as if Week 1 was some shocking result).
Conner impressed with a 21-carry, 122-yard, 1-TD performance against the Rams in Week 2 last season, and I don’t think that’s far from what we get in the late slate on Sunday.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 2 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em article.
Should You Start or Sit Alvin Kamara in Week 2?
You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that Alvin Kamara makes it through all of 2025 as a locked-in fantasy starter.
His 18-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter was impressive and cost me my “will not score” bets, but I’d make them again. Outside of that Herculean effort, he had 12 touches for 39 yards.
The versatility is a nice floor elevator, but where is the ceiling going to come from? Scoring opportunities are going to be few and far between, and that’s before I mentioned that Kendre Miller got the first carry of New Orleans’ second drive last week.
Kamara was on my do-not-draft list, so I don’t have a great feel for what offers look like around him (check out our trade tool for help in that regard), but if you can recoup 90% of what you spent on draft day, I’d take that offer to the bank.
James Cook Set For Massive Week
Cook finished as RB4 in Week 1, riding the coattails of Allen in an instant classic. His evening was highlighted by a 51-yard catch-and-run, a splash play that is always a possibility when tethered to this offense.
His other 17 touches combined for 51 yards, but I’m not sweating the lack of efficiency. After refusing to call Cook’s number inside the 10-yard line (19 carries through his first two seasons), he’s totaled 30 such carries since.
We aren’t talking about a player who is elite in any one category but checks every box needed to consistently sustain strong value.
- Scoring role
- Versatility
- Potent offense
- Big-play ability
Cook has produced 20.8% over expectations in his past two games against the Jets, with 46.9% of his carries in those contests gaining 5+ yards. I’m buying more into his past success in this spot than New York’s strong showing against Pittsburgh’s shaky run game in Week 1 (-0.11 yards allowed per carry before contact to RBs).
Should You Start or Sit Daniel Jones in Week 2?
Daniel Jones was great last week, but let’s take a deep breath.
The Dolphins might be that bad, and even if they aren’t, the odds of Jones getting two short rushing touchdowns in the same game aren’t great.
Everything came together in the season opener, and if something like that happens for a QB in Week 9, we probably don’t flinch. But because this happened in Week 1, it’s human nature to make a big deal about it.
The ‘Fins blitzed 54.5% of the time in that standout performance, thus leaving their underdeveloped secondary vulnerable.
Denver was the exact opposite last week, and their secondary is their strength.
The Colts are more talented on the offensive side of the ball than they are given credit for, and that has me believing in Jones as a matchup streamer this season, but that’s as far as I’ll go with it.
He’s barely a top-20 QB for me in this spot.
Keon Coleman To Struggle in Week 2
Like most Bills, Coleman was a ghost for the better part of three quarters on Sunday night. That’s why they play 60 minutes.
The second-year receiver scored 22.5 PPR points in the final stanza (no other Flex player reached even 13.5 fourth-quarter points). The deep targets are one thing, the deflected touchdown is another, but how about five targets coming no more than 10 yards downfield?
We saw some route development from Marvin Harrison Jr. over the weekend, and if this is the start of that for Coleman, could he be the bona fide WR1 that Buffalo has been thirsting for?
I’m not there yet, and Coleman is still hovering around WR40 in my Week 2 ranks (alongside veterans like Calvin Ridley and Keenan Allen). Still, I’ll be locked into this game and ready to act.
Last season, Coleman saw 11 targets on 53 routes against Gang Green, but picked up just 53 yards in the process, and that’s not going to cut it. I’m optimistic that we’ll get a Buffalo receiver into the top 25 next week; I’m just not sure if it’ll be Coleman or Shakir.
