Week Two Fantasy Football Winners
Week Two provided fans nationwide with a handful of stellar performances from the league's brightest stars. Half of the games were one-score games, while the others were decided by an average of 17.38 points. The margin was heavily skewed by the Lions dropping a 50-burger, taking down the Ben Johnson-led Bears by 31 points, the Ravens surging late to beat the Browns 41-17, and the Bills holding strong, beating the Jets by 20. On the other hand, the Giants took the Cowboys all the way to the end of overtime but fell short to the leg of Brandon Aubrey, losing 40-37, and the Buccaneers rallied behind Baker Mayfield’s game-winning drive on Monday Night Football to defeat the Houston Texans by one point. All these games showed great performances on both sides of the ball. This list highlights a few players or groups of players from the same team who warrant a waiver wire addition or a second thought when deciding who to start in Week Three.
TE Tucker Kraft – 24.4 Fantasy Points
Tucker Kraft finished 2024 as the TE10, which is not very high considering the drop off after the top five TE options, but consistent tight end scoring is hard to come by. In the Week One win over Detroit, Kraft brought in two of his four targets for 16 yards and a touchdown, securing just under 10 fantasy points and a TE18 ranking for the week. Just four days later, on a short week, Kraft shot out of a cannon, with a long reception in the first quarter versus the Commanders. The Packers kept their foot on the pedal, giving Kraft six receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown, securing a TE1 finish. Kraft is a huge part of the Green Bay offense that looks to be a true Super Bowl contender, taking down two 2024 playoff teams, which gives reason to start Kraft weekly, if one has not already.
QB Jared Goff – 33.36 and WR Amon Ra St. Brown – 39.2 Fantasy Points
The Lions began their season with a lot of doubts from fans. With the departure of both their offensive and defensive coordinators, hecklers challenged whether the Lions would be the same team in 2025, compared to the juggernauts they were in 2023 and 2024. The Lions struggled against the Packers, but had a chance to prove they have moved on by battling Ben Johnson in his second-ever game as a head coach for the Bears. Jared Goff threw five touchdowns in the game, but all came after the five-minute mark of the second quarter. The Lions kept their foot on the pedal as Goff completed 23 of his 28 passes for 334 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. His top receiver was Amon Ra St. Brown, who hauled in nine of his 11 targets for 115 yards and three touchdowns. St. Brown would have still notched 30 fantasy points if one’s league were not PPR, earning him a rightful spot on this list as a true fantasy football winner of Week Two, despite being a first-round selection in almost all fantasy drafts.
Rome Odunze – 31.8 Fantasy Points
Despite only scoring 21 points in a 31-point loss to Detroit, Rome Odunze kept Chicago in the game, scoring two first-half touchdowns. The second-year receiver easily finished above any other Chicago receiver, finishing with seven receptions for 128 yards and the two scores. Odunze is another must-start player whose success is very matchup dependent, but is still proving why he deserves to be the WR1 ahead of DJ Moore in the Bears’ offense. Odunze’s stock rose after the Bears brought in former Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the head coach, and it will be intriguing to watch the 0-2 2025 Bears in a tough NFC North as the season continues.
QB Russell Wilson – 31.3, Malik Nabers – 37.7, and Wan’Dale Robinson – 28.2 Fantasy Points
Fantasy players nationwide did not doubt that Malik Nabers would have a handful of games like his performance versus the Cowboys, resulting in an extremely high ADP. With a 48-yard touchdown to take the short-lived lead with 30 seconds left, Nabers caught nine of his 13 targets for 167 yards and two total touchdowns, but he was not alone in being spectacular. Russell Wilson completed 75% of his passes for a whopping 450 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson was two yards short of breaking his career high in single-game passing yards, set in 2017, but also marked the first time since Week 13 of 2024 that he completed over 70% of his passes, threw for over 400 yards and had a passer rating of over 120. The receiver on the other end of Wilson’s spectacular Sunday versus Dallas was Wan’Dale Robinson. Robinson is set to have a successful season, as the Giants are underdogs in most of their games, playing from behind, and are required to pass the ball. Most defenses are focused on the deep ball to Nabers more than anything, allowing Robinson to capitalize in the open field with eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. Nabers is a must-start every week, Robinson is an optimistic matchup-dependent flex, while Wilson should remain out of the starting lineups until he strings together another great game that isn’t an offensive shootout.
Rhamondre Stevenson – 21.2 Fantasy Points
The RB situation in New England has yet to be decided. No one has taken the job as snaps are still being split semi-evenly. Rhamondre Stevenson took 11 carries for 54 yards while Antonio Gibson and rookie TreVeon Henderson combined for eight rushes for 37 yards. Drake Maye is also one to take carries away from the trio, as he had 10 carries in the 33-27 win over Miami. However, what made Stevenson stand out was his involvement in the passing game, recording five receptions for 88 yards. This was not a groundbreaking game by any means. 21 points is normal work for someone like Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, or Derrick Henry. However, in the context of Stevenson’s situation in New England and his struggles over the last few seasons, his value dropped significantly. With that in mind, Stevenson’s stock is not rising, but I commend those who started Stevenson in Week Two.
Brandon Aubrey – 23.0 Fantasy Points
The fact that a kicker made this list is not very surprising. It is actually less surprising that it is Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey. In a 40-37 overtime win over the New York Giants, Aubrey almost finished his day with significantly fewer points and a Cowboys loss. Down 37-34 with either a Hail Mary or a 64-yard field goal, the Cowboys trusted their star kicker, and he drilled it, sending the game to overtime. As time was expiring in the overtime period, Aubrey kicked another field goal, from 46 yards, to give the Cowboys the walk-off win. Aubrey is the first player in NFL history to kick and make a game-tying field goal and a game-winning field goal as time was expiring in both the fourth quarter and overtime periods. Aubrey also made a 51-yard and 44-yard field goal, along with four extra points. Aubrey’s consistency and range are highly sought characteristics, and he will continue to be a force to be reckoned with for a long time.
