Week 1? Absolute rollercoaster.
New coaches, players on new teams, random guys popping off out of nowhere—and half our preseason takes are already up in flames. Some of those breakouts are the real deal. Others? Well, don’t forget that last year in Week 1, Derek Carr finished as QB6, Allen Lazard was the WR3, and Isiah Likely was TE1. We can’t fall for fool’s gold. Now that we’ve got a little bit of data—target shares, snap counts, and red-zone usage—it’s time to cut through the noise and lock onto what actually matters: making the correct lineup decisions. Each week, I’ll look at the FootClan’s most-searched lineup decisions and, with the help of the Fantasy Footballers’ Start/Sit tool, break down what’s making everyone tilt.
Week 2 is here, so let’s get right into it!
Dak Prescott or Justin Fields?
When I saw this as one of the most searched Start/Sits of the week, it hit a little too close to home. I roster both Dak and Fields in my home league, and last week I went with Dak. I was hyped for Thursday night football, loved the George Pickens addition, and figured Fields vs. the Steelers’ defense was a headache I didn’t need. Yeah… about that. Fields drops 29.5 fantasy points, good for QB3 on the week, after throwing for 218 yards and a TD and adding 48 yards with two more rushing scores. Just a beautiful performance. Dak? He gets spit on, finishes QB29, doesn’t even crack eight points, and loses me (and the Cowboys) the week. Brutal.
So now the question is: do we learn from our mistakes, or are we overreacting to Dak’s flop? Let’s break it down.
Dak’s matchup vs the Giants is… meh. The Giants aren’t pushovers against the pass. Just last year, they allowed just 210.6 passing yards per game. Last week, they looked middle-of-the-pack, letting Jayden Daniels finish as QB13 with 20 fantasy points. The real weakness? The run game. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt gashed them for 82 yards and a TD in his first NFL game.
Fields gets his Jets home debut as a Jet against the Bills, who just let Lamar and the Ravens hang 40 on them. Lamar scored both a passing TD and on the ground TWICE. Who did that last week against the Steelers? Fields. One passing TD and two rushing TDs. If last week taught us anything, it’s that Fields’ rushing floor and red-zone usage give him a ceiling Dak doesn’t have right now. The Cowboys should be able to beat the Giants without Dak airing it out anyway, with a ground-and-pound attack from Javonte Williams instead.
Justin Fields looked GREAT week 1 against the Steelers
Are you buying in this year? pic.twitter.com/dZTRNTlaIC
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) September 8, 2025
Verdict: Justin Fields is the play. We learn from our mistakes. Andy has made him his Start of the Week.
Javonte Williams or Jordan Mason?
Seeing Javonte pop up in Start/Sits honestly surprised me after he finished as RB4 last week. But then I remembered, the FootClan doesn’t just chase box scores. Javonte’s two TDs carried his fantasy line, but his underlying numbers were less to be excited about. He had a massive 78.3% opportunity share with 15 carries but only came away with 54 yards (3.6 YPC, 31st among RBs per PlayerProfiler). The thing is, that was against Philly, the No. 1 run defense from last season. Two TDs and 54 yards against that defense? I’ll take it. This week’s matchup with the Giants will be a cakewalk. We just watched Bill Croskey torch them in Week 1 and then get completely shut down by the Packers during Thursday Night Football in Week 2.
On the other side, Jordan Mason quietly had 15 carries of his own and actually out-snapped Aaron Jones 30–28. He turned that into 68 yards against the Bears. The Bears, however, are not the Eagles. The finished 29th against RBs last year. Mason saw three red-zone touches but couldn’t cash one in. Now he gets the Atlanta Falcons, who just bottled up Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. Who had an absolute game? Emeka Egbuka. The Falcons forced the Buccaneers to win through the air, and I expect them to do the same against the Vikings. Mike does have Mason as his Start of the Week, but he has Javonte ranked way higher.
Verdict: Siding with the Ballers here, and we roll with Javonte Williams.
Marquise Brown or Ricky Pearsall?
Last week, Hollywood Brown unexpectedly became the Chiefs’ top receiving option, hauling in 10 of 16 targets for 99 yards. Was that the original plan? Probably not. The opportunity arose after Xavier Worthy left just three plays into the game after dislocating his shoulder after colliding with Travis Kelce. Unexpected opportunity or not, the chemistry with Mahomes looked real at least. Most of Hollywood’s work was short area stuff, though he did flash on a huge 49-yard grab that made me stand up out of my seat. This week, the Chiefs get a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles. Worth noting: Hollywood had just two catches for 15 yards against them in the big game. Xavier Worthy did have 157 yards, but if you look more closely, you will see most of them were in garbage time after the Eagles had already put the game away. Surprisingly enough, Worthy is packed at practice, although he is seriously wrapped up pretty heavily. We will see if he plays.
Rickey Pearsall also led his team in targets after multiple injuries sidelined his teammates. Pearsall finished with four receptions for 108 yards after TE George Kittle left the game with a hamstring injury and Jauan Jennings with a shoulder injury. Kittle is now on IR, Jennings has a shot to return, but the real wrinkle is Brock Purdy hitting the injury report with a toe issue. He will miss this week’s matchup against the Saints. That means Mac Jones is under center. Say what you want about Mac, but he did unlock Brian Thomas Jr. last year in Jacksonville. He’s a first-read QB, and Pearsall could be that guy here.
Brian Thomas Jr. last season…
with Trevor Lawrence (9 games)
53 targets, 35 receptions, 595 yards, 5 TDs
with Mac Jones (8 games)
Ricky Pearsall
https://t.co/rfucivgexs pic.twitter.com/qfOjjiHaoU
— Underdog (@Underdog) September 11, 2025
Verdict: The Ballers lean Hollywood, but I’m rolling with Ricky Pearsall. Philly’s defense erased CeeDee Lamb and suffocated Kansas City until garbage time in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Mac Jones may not be Purdy, but he’s plenty capable of running an efficient offense. Pearsall looked sharper than Brown in Week 1 on fewer opportunities, and I’ll bet on the talent. Hollywood hasn’t shown much upside since a brief three-game heater back in 2022, when he finished as WR3, WR11, and WR10, which, in fantasy terms, was a lifetime ago.
Harold Fannin Jr. or Juwan Johnson?
David Njoku drafters are in shambles right now. TE Harold Fannin Jr. from the Browns (if you didn’t know his name before, you do now) just finished as the TE6 on the week. He ranked second among TEs in both targets and receptions with a 21.4% target share. Stat line? Seven catches on nine targets for 63 yards. I don’t think anyone saw that coming. What’s crazier? He out-targeted and out-produced Njoku (3/6/37) despite playing fewer snaps.
The matchup helped: Cincy’s defense is laughable, and this week’s matchup against the Ravens isn’t much scarier. The Bills’ TEs combined for 19.2 fantasy points, and their WRs torched Baltimore for 43.8. Last season, the Ravens were 22nd against TEs in fantasy points allowed. Vegas has Cleveland as 11.5-point underdogs in a game with a 44.5 total, so Flacco is gonna have to chuck it. Don’t forget about Fannin’s college dominance: 1,555 yards and 10 TDs last season. The Browns clearly want to unlock that upside early. Even OC Tommy Rees is hyping him up:
“Harold Fannin Jr. has done a nice job of coming in and owning the different things we’ve asked of him. You get asked to do a lot in that role — his skill set allows you to ask even more of him in that role. We’ll continue to push him and continue to find ways to get him to be a really impactful player for us.”
Speaking of tapping into early production, Juwan Johnson did exactly that. When the Saints took on the Cardinals in Week 1, a TE1 finish was definitely on the table, just not for the guy everyone expected. Instead of Trey McBride, it was Juwan Johnson who ended the week as the overall TE1, hauling in 8 passes for 76 yards. Spencer Rattler gave us our TE1 on the week. Take that, Kyler.
Johnson played a ridiculous 99% of the snaps and was Rattler’s constant first read. He commanded a 24% target share, which ranked 4th among TEs. Jason is super confident in Juwan, pegging him as his Start of the Week. I, however, am concerned about the matchup. While the Seahawks don’t exactly have a deep TE room, the 49ers still held them to just 1.9 fantasy points. Last season, San Francisco ranked 7th against the position in fantasy points allowed. The game total is set at 40.5, and an implied team total of 18.8 doesn’t exactly get the blood pumping.
Verdict: Harold Fannin Jr., Personally? Given the Ravens’ defensive struggles against TEs, the likely pass-heavy script, and the fact that the Browns are already scheming him up, I lean Fannin. The matchup for Juwan doesn’t feel as fun.
As we roll into Week 2, remember: find the mismatches, ride the hot hands, and trust the process. Don’t get lost in overthinking. If you’re stuck on a tough call, drop a comment here or hit me up on X. And don’t forget—Mike’s Sunday show will have you covered all the way up to kickoff. Pair that with the Ballers’ Start/Sit tool and weekly rankings, and you’ll have everything you need to make the sharp calls. Now let’s stack another W!
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/Knl8yfh
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