Week 2 of the NFL season saw a huge uptick in performance for those of us in the fantasy football game, with offenses around the league exploding. Not everyone was an active participant in the fun, however, as some of the league's best top fantasy performers delivered duds that led to losses for fantasy owners who chose to start them.
While Joe Burrow's potentially serious toe injury is its own case, there are plenty of other disappointing stars who should hit your bench in Week 2. Anyone who checked out this space last week benefitted from our calls on TreVeyon Henderson (who got just three carries for 10 yards) and James Conner (11 carries for 34 yards, a day saved by a touchdown).
Let's start with another quarterback who is dealing with an injury situation of his own in Justin Fields.
Week 2 fantasy busts who should be benched in Week 3
QB Justin Fields (New York Jets)
A week after delivering the best passing performance of his career in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added), Fields had his worst in Week 2 against Buffalo. The Bills' defense ran circles around Fields, who completed just 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards while getting sacked twice, delivering a QBR of 1.1.
The 49 yards Fields picked up on the ground were of little solace to his fantasy owners, who also saw him exit the game in the second half and enter concussion protocol. Even if Fields is able to clear the protocol and return for Week 3 against Tampa Bay, the vast extremes between Fields' first two starts with the Jets merit a cautious approach.
If Fields is able to come close to the level he displayed in Week 1 again, he could be a league winner at a price, but the floor he demonstrated in Week 2 is worse than the unseen sub-basement in that Seattle hospital in Season 2 of The Last Of Us. With a tricky draw against a solid Bucs defense, Fields should be on your bench until you have more data to make an informed decision about his potential to win or wreck your lineups.
WR D.J. Moore (Chicago Bears)
The anticipated revival of the Bears' offense under Ben Johnson hasn't come to fruition, as Caleb Williams has continued to demonstrate uneven play over the first two weeks of the season. One of the casualties of Chicago's continued struggles is D.J. Moore, who has delivered decent PPR lines over the first few weeks that are more flex worthy than WR2 quality.
Sunday saw Moore catch 5-of-6 targets for 46 yards in a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions, which is a very low target total for a game with extended garbage time. Second-year man Rome Odunze significantly out-targeted Moore, turning 11 targets into seven catches for 128 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Until Williams can demonstrate consistent play, it is tough to trust Moore as a fantasy starter, even with a Dallas defense upcoming in Week 3 that was shredded by Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson in Week 2. Managers with limited options could probably feel comfortable that they will get a usable flex line in PPR leagues out of Moore but his ceiling is significantly lower after two suspect weeks of production.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals)
Despite being the first non-quarterback taken in the 2024 draft, there has been a lingering sense that Marvin Harrison Jr is a disappointment relative to his draft position. The chemistry between Harrison and Kyler Murray has been slow to develop, and Week 2 saw Harrison deliver a dud against a Carolina defense shredded by Trevor Lawrence in Week 1.
Harrison was targeted just five times by Murray on the afternoon, catching two passes for 27 yards in Arizona's 27-22 victory. Tight end Trey McBride is the focal point of the passing attack, leading the team in targets (7), catches (6) and receiving yards (78) while Michael Wilson caught the team's lone passing touchdown.
The going won't get easier for Harrison next week against San Francisco's stout defense, and the fact the game could be low scoring if Brock Purdy sits works against Harrison's fantasy potential. This is a spot where Harrison is likely to deliver another dud so owners with options should sit him and regroup in Week 4.
RB Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals)
The loss of Burrow will have a cascading effect on Cincinnati's offense, and while the attention will fall to his pass-catchers, it will also impact running back Chase Brown. The Bengals couldn't do much on the ground against Jacksonville on Sunday, turning 16 carries into 47 yards while adding just two catches for 18 yards.
With Jake Browning in line to start for a while, the way opposing teams scheme the Bengals defensively will change significantly. While the presence of Burrow would open up running lanes for Brown, who was one of fantasy's top performers in the second half of last season, it makes more sense for teams to gear up to stop the run and force Browning to beat them through the air.
The matchup for Brown in Week 3 is Denver's stout run defense, which will be looking to bounce back after a rare rough outing against Indy's Jonathan Taylor. The Colts have a much better offensive line than Cincinnati does, however, so Brown could be in line for a few duds despite a potential for increased volume as teams will make him the target of their game plans for as long as Burrow sits.