Fantasy Football Week 2 Wide Receiver Start/Sit: Keon Coleman, Cedric Tillman and More

Welcome to Week 2's breakdown of the wide receivers you can trust (and those you can't) in your fantasy football lineups. But before we get into Week 2, let's start by looking back at my Week 1 results … which were mixed. 

I fully whiffed on the start side, as Matthew Golden and Jauan Jennings both scored exactly 2.6 half-PPR points, while Darnell Mooney didn't even play with a shoulder injury (in my defense, Jennings also exited early with a shoulder injury). I should have instead featured my honorable mentions: Emeka Egbuka, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Cedric Tillman each ranked as top-15 receivers on the week, with a whopping 18.1-point average between the three of them.

Things were slightly better on the sit side. Travis Hunter (6.3) and Calvin Ridley (4.7) both finished outside the top-50 receivers. However, Ricky Pearsall took advantage of the injury to Jennings and another to George Kittle to finish with over 100 yards and 12.8 points. 

Hopefully this week all of my picks look like last week's honorable mentions. And, more importantly, we can dodge these dang shoulder injuries. Let's get started.

For more help with your toughest Week 2 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP's NFL Start/Sit tool!

Wide Receivers to Start Week 2

Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Here's a simple rule of thumb: if a player leads the league in targets one week, they should be in your fantasy football lineup the next week. That's extra true when those targets are coming from Patrick Mahomes.

With Rashee Rice suspended, Xavier Worthy going down early, and Travis Kelce looking his age, “Hollywood” Brown was the Chiefs' clear top target in Week 1. He ran a route on all but one of Mahomes' dropbacks, easily leading the team. Brown also posted a whopping 16 targets, which, if you couldn't tell by the last paragraph, led the NFL for the week. (Some sites with more strict definitions of what counts as a “target” have him at 14 … still tied for first in the league with Drake London.) 

Now, Brown and the Chiefs host the Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch. The Eagles' defense is elite, but so is their offense. Mahomes will likely have to drop back plenty to keep up, which means Hollywood will get his opportunities. Lock him into your lineups with confidence. 

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns

Tillman was in my honorable mentions section last week, but he has now officially earned a promotion to the big leagues. Including games last season before he suffered a season-ending concussion, here are Tillman's per-game stats in complete outings since Amari Cooper was traded away from the Browns: an 88% route participation rate, 9.4 targets, a 25% first-read target share, and 15.2 half-PPR points. 

At this point, it's time to start asking whether Jerry Jeudy is actually the Browns' WR1. More importantly, it doesn't really matter. With Joe Flacco under center and Kevin Stefanski calling plays, this Cleveland offense is a fantasy points machine. That should be especially true this week as they try to keep up with Lamar Jackson and King Derrick Henry. 

Since he was likely a late-round pick or even waiver pickup, you might have safer options than Tillman. But if you're at all unsure about your current starting receivers, don't hesitate to plug the third-year WR in ahead of them.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

Last year, the fantasy community was all over Coleman's upside as a first-round pick with the opportunity to cement himself as Josh Allen's clear WR1. After a disappointing rookie season, that hype understandably died down … but now that ceiling may be coming to fruition.

In Week 1, Coleman ran 50 routes on 53 dropbacks from Allen. He led the team with 11 targets (a 24% share), including an elite 35% first-read target share. Unsurprisingly, all that usage turned into production, as he finished with eight catches for 112 yards and a score, ranking as the WR4 on the week. 

My only slight hesitation with this pick is that the Bills might be able to take it easy, now that they are facing the Jets instead of the Ravens. But Justin Fields and New York's offense looked at least competent in Week 1. Hopefully, they can do enough to force Allen to lean on his potential new WR1. 

Honorable Mentions: Chris Olave, Calvin Ridley, Kayshon Boutte (deep leagues)

Wide Receivers to Sit Week 2

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Reed finished with 12 half-PPR points in Week 1. That's not bad at all, especially considering he is reportedly somehow playing through a Jones fracture in his foot. Unfortunately, everything else about his 2025 debut was very concerning.

Reed played only 38% of the Packers' offensive snaps, 10% fewer than Dontayvion Wicks, not to mention Romeo Doubs and Golden. He ran just 12 routes, for a miserable route participation rate of 52%. To be fair, his per-route numbers were, as always, excellent: seeing five targets on 12 routes is very impressive.

But impressive per-route numbers simply aren't good enough when your overall usage is that low. We saw this in the back half of last season, as Reed averaged just 6.8 half-PPR points per game from Week 10 onward. And that was when he still had at least a 64% route participation rate, 12% above where he was on Sunday. He's a talented player capable of having usable fantasy days even on low volume, but I expect a lot more busts than booms in Reed's future. Leave him on the bench this week. 

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Downs is remarkably comparable to Reed. Another undersized slot-specialist, he has relied on excellent per-route efficiency to make up for being a part-time player in the Colts' offense. Unfortunately, just like Reed, Downs saw his already part-time role reduced even further in Week 1. He posted just a 48.5% route participation rate, down from a 73% average in 2024.

And unlike Reed, Downs didn't get it done on that reduced role. He finished with two catches on three targets for just 12 yards. Instead, it was Tyler Warren who racked up underneath targets for the Colts. The first-round rookie TE ran 39% of his routes from Downs' preferred position in the slot and led the team with nine targets.

Like Reed, Downs dealt with an injury (a hamstring) in the preseason. But unlike Reed, he was completely off the injury report heading into Week 1, so that excuse holds even less water here. Honestly, Downs is closer to droppable than startable heading into a tough Week 2 matchup with the Broncos.

Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots

This one isn't as strong a recommendation as the previous two. Especially in deeper leagues, Diggs is still startable. After all, he saw seven targets last week, catching six for 57 yards. And he gets a great matchup this week against a Dolphins defense that was just absolutely cooked by Daniel Jones and Co. 

But the thesis when drafting the veteran was that he was in line to be the clear WR1 and focal point for the Patriots' offense. In Week 1, that wasn't at all the case. Diggs ranked fourth on the team in routes run, behind Boutte, Hunter Henry, and DeMario Douglas. The first two of those three players also saw more targets than he did. His 20% first-read target rate was tied with Henry and just behind Boutte. 

Additionally, Diggs ran only 24% of his Week 1 routes from the slot. In 2024 with the Texans, 53% of his routes and 39% of his yards came from out of the slot. To be fair, this does mean he was more efficient on a per-route basis out wide, but lower slot usage is almost always bad for a player's target-earning potential. Put it all together, and I'm leaving Diggs out of my Week 2 lineups where possible. 

Honorable Mentions: Khalil Shakir, Michael Pittman Jr., Jameson Williams

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.