Fantasy football busts are a sad, but important aspect of fielding a consistent winning team across the length of the long and sometimes arduous season.
Week 2 of the NFL season is always full of surprises, and it’s important to move with the tide of the season, but with only one week in the books, it’s equally important not to overreact.
*More from Fantasy Football Week 2: Sneaky Starts & Sleepers*
On the other hand, there’s no reason to continue rolling out players who are underperforming only to watch the score sit close to zero while he continues seeing nominal utilization. Below, we are going to run through every fantasy roster position and find some Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts that should remain on your bench or find themselves on the waiver wire.
*More from Fantasy Football Week 2: Good Vibes, Bad Vibes*
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow @ Chiefs
Maybe the blonde hair is ruining his vibes, but Joe Burrow put up an 8.1-point stinker as QB27 in Week 1 against New England. He was without Tee Higgins and his WR1, Ja’Marr Chase, was a question mark due to contract issues up until game time.
Things just don’t feel like they’ll turn around this week against the defending Super Bowl champs in Kansas City, a defensive unit that allowed just 14.7 in QB aFPA last season.
Aaron Rodgers @ Titans
I can’t mention weird vibes without including this guy, but this is purely football-related. The other is a whole different article. It was a rusty return to the field for Aaron Rodgers last week as he put up as many touchdowns as he did interceptions (1). The 40-year-old posted fewer fantasy points than Bryce Young, Gardner Minshew, and Bo Nix, who all had awful outings.
The Titans, who upgraded their secondary this offseason, held Caleb Williams to under 100 passing yards and zero touchdowns in Week 1. Rodgers should do better than that but don’t expect a fantasy QB1 performance in Tennesee.
Get the full Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Rankings!
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Running Backs
Zamir White @ Ravens
The vibe that Alexander Mattison would be as involved as he was in Week 1 was not there a few weeks ago, considering Vegas HC Antonio Pierce made a point to back Zamir White throughout this offseason.
Mattison was on the field for 22% more of the snaps and outscored White by 10.6 half-PPR points, despite six fewer touches. Ouch. The Raiders will likely be playing from behind in this tilt with Baltimore, so expect the game script to not play out in White’s favor.
Ezekiel Elliott vs. Saints
Those of you who invested in Ezekiel Elliott are probably in your positive feelings after his 11.9 half-PPR showing last week. He basically alternated series with Rico Dowdle which is something that will likely continue, but the difference maker was him finding the end zone, something he’ll be dependent on this season for fantasy value.
While it was the Panthers, New Orleans held all three of the Carolina RBs to a total of 43 yards both via ground and air and zero touchdowns.
Get the full Week 2 Fantasy Football RB Rankings!
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Wide Receivers
George Pickens @ Broncos
George Pickens had a pretty nice first week of 2024 as the WR26 in half-PPR scoring considering the QB change to Justin Fields.
The vibes are off in Week 2 due to the matchup with Patrick Surtain and the Broncos corners, who are tough against perimeter WRs at home. Pickens is an option for your flex but don’t count on anything more than a fantasy WR3 outing in the Mile High City.
D.J. Moore @ Texans
Even though he may see a boost in targets due to injuries to both Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, this may still be a down week for D.J. Moore. The Texans held Michael Pittman Jr. to just 31 yards on four receptions last Sunday and Moore himself didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard in Week 1, posting a five-catch, 36-yard output against Tennessee.
He’s still startable, but temper those expectations for the Chicago wideout this week.
Get the full Week 2 Fantasy Football WR Rankings!
Week 2 Fantasy Football Busts: Tight Ends
Evan Engram vs. Browns
Cole Kmet @ Texans
Tyler Conklin @ Titans
Get the full Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Rankings!
Get the full Week 2 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings!