Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 2: Jonathan Taylor, Mark Andrews, and More

Week 1's attempt at finding fantasy stars who would struggle was a struggle of my own. This exercise can go sideways sometimes because we're looking at some of the best players in fantasy football, but it was just simply way off:

• Patrick Mahomes was OK throwing the ball, but he really made up the difference with his legs, running for 57 yards and a touchdown. That helped vault him to QB6 in Week 1.
• James Cook was held down running the ball, gaining just 44 yards on 13 carries. He scored a touchdown, which helps, and added five receptions for 58 yards, a big boost. He was RB4 in both standard and PPR.
• Calvin Ridley received eight targets but only caught four passes for 27 yards. Ridley will have better days as Tennessee's top receiver, but no one is going to have big games against the Broncos.
• Jonnu Smith's day doesn't look great at first glance, as he had just 15 yards on five catches, but he also scored a touchdown. That plus the volume made him a top-10 tight end in PPR.

That's rough. Three fantasy starters and only one guy who struggled. Let's do it again, though, and try to identify one weekly fantasy starter at each offensive position who will struggle to live up to expectations in Week 2.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings guide to keep up with which teams create the best matchups at every position.

Quarterback

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Let's go back to the well! Mahomes burned me in Week 1, but he has another really tough matchup in his second game. Philadelphia held Dak Prescott to 188 yards on 34 attempts (5.5 per attempt) with no touchdowns or interceptions. They also didn't sack him, but Philly made it hard for Prescott all day.

Mahomes' fantasy score inflated because he added nearly 12 points with his legs. That's unusual: the last time Mahomes had 12 fantasy points from running was in 2022. He reached the 57 yards he had in Week 1 just once last year. Mahomes is a great scrambler, but he doesn't get many designed runs, so his production on the ground is inconsistent.

The most likely outcome is that Mahomes has fewer rushing yards and probably not a touchdown in Week 2. His passing production alone in Week 1 was worth around 14 points, which would have put him around QB20. Mahomes is likely to score lower at the position in Week 2, especially with the tough matchup.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

You can essentially lock it in that someone playing against the Broncos will be listed here each week. Denver had one of the best defenses in football last season, and they again looked like a top unit in Week 1, holding Tennessee to less than 200 total yards and 12 points. Top running back Tony Pollard gained just 60 yards on 18 carries, a paltry 3.3 yards per attempt.

Last year, the Broncos were second in fewest yards per rush attempt allowed. Pollard did break loose for a 29-yard reception, but things like that happen. Denver is strong against both the pass and run and will limit Taylor in all facets.

Taylor was part of the fun that Indianapolis had in Week 1, when they beat the Dolphins 33-8. He had 71 yards on 18 carries and 27 yards on three receptions. Because of the blowout, backup RB DJ Giddens got 12 carries, but I'm betting that was just about the score, and Taylor will be the clear lead back moving forward.

Taylor will be involved, and he usually gets his yards, but this is likely one of the toughest matchups he will have all year. If you are spoiled at running back, it's worth considering your options (though most owners are going to start Taylor).

Wide Receiver

Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams @ Tennessee Titans

The real bold move would be putting Puka Nacua here. Nacua is matchup-proof, though, especially in PPR leagues, so I'll look instead to the Rams' WR2, who is seen as a weekly starter.

It's reasonable to question how much there will be for Adams each week while working behind a target hog in Nacua. In Week 1, Adams caught four of eight targets for 51 yards. That's fine against a tough team in Houston, but Nacua caught 10 of 11 targets for 130 yards, blowing Adams away.

There's another tough matchup here in Week 2 against the Titans. Last season, Tennessee allowed the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt. They continued their strong defensive play in Week 1, holding Bo Nix to 176 yards on 40 attempts, just 4.4 per attempt. Nix also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Denver's top receiver, Courtland Sutton, had a good day with six catches, 61 yards, and a touchdown, but no one else got more than four receptions or 44 yards. A similar outlook would seem to cap Adams' fantasy value, making him more of a WR3/4 type worthy of bench consideration.

Tight End

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

With Isaiah Likely out, it seemed like Andrews was in line for a big day against the Bills in Week 1. Despite scoring 40 points, the Ravens did most of their damage on the ground: Lamar Jackson threw just 19 passes, and Andrews caught his only target for five yards.

Likely is questionable for Week 2 and hasn't practiced yet, so we can expect that Andrews will again be on the field; he played more offensive snaps than every Baltimore skill player aside from Jackson and Zay Flowers.

While no one would mistake the Browns for a contender, they have a strong core of defensive players. Cleveland caused all kinds of problems for Joe Burrow in Week 1, holding him to 113 yards on 23 pass attempts, just 4.9 yards per attempt. Noah Fant found the end zone, but otherwise, Cincinnati tight ends combined for just five catches on nine targets for 40 yards.

If Baltimore gets the lead and again has more focus on the ground game, that would also lessen passing attempts, something that is very possible in this matchup. Andrews had a quiet first game and is at risk of the same outcome here with a potentially tough TE matchup.