Week 2 Fantasy Recap with Ian Hartitz
Matthew Berry and Ian Hartitz break down a Week 2 slate riddled with injuries — Caleb Williams, Jaden Daniels, and Saquon Barkley all left games — and dig into backfield/passing-game shakeups in Chicago, Washington, New England, Philadelphia, and Arizona. They also flag several underperforming offenses (Chargers, Texans passing game, Cardinals) and try to separate one-week noise from real trends.
This episode is built around the wave of Week 2 injuries and offense-wide disappointments, with Matthew Berry and Ian Hartitz working through who actually loses value versus who's just having a rough two-week sample. The through-line is that several 2025 breakout hopes (Colston Loveland, Marvin Harrison Jr., the Chargers passing game) are now systemic problems, not small-sample noise, while a handful of ugly box scores (Trevor Lawrence, David Montgomery) are dismissed as one-off bad days.
The arguments
Caleb Williams' hamstring turns the Bears offense into a wasteland, and Tyson Bajent is not the answer. Hartitz notes Bajent's career numbers (four 2023 starts, under 12 fantasy points per game, three touchdowns to five interceptions) and points out Chicago was already 31st in pre-snap motion and 17th in play-action usage even with Williams healthy. Both hosts agree every Bears skill player gets downgraded — DeAndre Swift to flex, Luther Burden to WR3, Loveland to a "low-end TDE1" — though Berry argues Swift's volume could actually rise in a run-heavier, less efficient offense while Williams is week-to-week rather than facing IR.
Colston Loveland's target funnel has collapsed and it looks more like a Ben Johnson scheme issue than a talent issue. Hartitz stresses Loveland leads the team in routes and end-zone targets but has just five targets on 63 routes (9% share), and that Johnson explicitly said he wanted to build around Luther Burden, not Kalief Raymond, who's out-routing the tight end. Berry pushes back slightly, noting Loveland was one bad throw away from a touchdown in Week 1 and would still start him against an Eagles defense that has struggled with tight ends.
Jaden Daniels' second dislocated elbow is a real loss, but Marcus Mariota is the best "new" waiver-wire quarterback available. Berry cites Mariota's 15-plus fantasy points per game and top-10 fantasy points-per-dropback marks over the last two seasons; Hartitz agrees the passing-yardage drop-off should be modest per his own projections research. Both flag Washington's defense as the bigger long-term problem — it can't stop anyone without pressure — which paradoxically should force more passing volume to Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs.
Saquon Barkley's stinger exposes an Eagles backfield and offense that already looked broken. With Tank Bigsby (33% snaps, 15 touches) ahead of Will Shipley in an expected timeshare if Barkley sits, Hartitz still rates Bigsby as a legitimately good back but is far more worried about Philadelphia's blocking (31st in yards before contact) and scheme (dead last in play-action rate). Berry counters that DeVonta Smith is now a clear "ride or die" play with a 38% target share and a 10-catch, 117-yard, one-touchdown Week 2 line, especially if Dallas Goldberg's injury holds him out.
The Chargers' offense is a genuine news item, not noise, and Justin Herbert is unstartable for now. Both hosts admit they were wrong to buy the Chargers in the preseason; Herbert ranks 26th among quarterbacks in points per game, averaging barely 200 passing yards, with the league's third-highest pressure rate allowed and a brutal upcoming slate (Broncos, Giants, Commanders, Dolphins, Colts, Titans, Colts, at Rams, Texans, Ravens). Ladd McConkie and Omarion Hampton remain the only Chargers worth rostering.
Several backfields are shifting but haven't fully flipped, and the hosts disagree on how far to trust it. On Alvin Kamara out-touching Travis Etienne despite far worse per-touch efficiency, Hartitz calls it annoying small-sample noise and advises against selling Etienne low; Berry agrees it's "news" on usage but not on Kamara's fantasy relevance. On Travion Henderson outsnapping Rhamondre Stevenson after a fumble, Hartitz sees a real 1A/1B shift while Berry says he'll still rank Stevenson ahead next week, with the two settling on a gap of roughly seven or eight spots rather than a full change of the guard.
Drake May's two single-digit fantasy weeks are a real problem, while Trevor Lawrence's bad Week 2 is not. Hartitz says he won't have May in his top 12 quarterbacks given a discombobulated offense and now an injured right guard, with no quick fix before A.J. Brown returns. Lawrence, by contrast, gets called a buy-low: both hosts note he'd scored at least 19 fantasy points in seven straight prior seasons and just had one rough outing at Denver.
What it means for your roster
- Bench/downgrade every Bears skill player except treat DeAndre Swift as steady-to-slightly-up; Loveland is a low-end TE1 streamer at best until Williams returns.
- Add Marcus Mariota immediately in single-QB leagues needing a Daniels replacement — Hartitz and Berry both rank him above Tyson Bajent and see Bryce Young as the only other current streamer worth a look.
- Start DeVonta Smith with confidence; treat Tank Bigsby as the clear Barkley insurance but expect Shipley to siphon passing-game work if Barkley sits.
- Sit Justin Herbert if you have any alternative; don't chase Ladd McConkie or Omarion Hampton for more than must-start flex/WR2 value given the Chargers' broken line.
- Hold Travis Etienne and Rhamondre Stevenson through the noise — both hosts advise against selling low on Etienne and against overreacting to Henderson's one big game.
- Buy low on Trevor Lawrence, sell/cut Marvin Harrison Jr. in shallow formats, and stop trusting Drake May and David Montgomery as more than touchdown-dependent, matchup-only plays.
“It's Tyler Shuck's world. We just live in it.” — Matthew Berry
Players in this episode
↓ Left Week 2 with a stinger/neck-shoulder injury, getting an MRI; played sparingly after returning.
↓ Back-to-back single-digit fantasy point games, 1 TD and 4 INTs (all on deep passes) through two weeks; hosts say he won't be a top-12 QB next week and don't expect a rebound until AJ Brown returns.
→ Still worth starting despite the Chargers' offensive struggles.
↓ Playing just 43% of snaps, fewer routes than Tyler Allgeier, only 7.5 fantasy points; hosts call his reduced role real news and project him outside top-20 RBs, more of a must-start flex with upside.
↓ Suffered another dislocated (non-throwing) elbow and will miss time; no surgery yet decided.
↓ Suffered a hamstring injury (not Achilles) after being carted off; considered week-to-week per Ben Johnson, not out long-term.
↑ Had 10 catches for 117 yards and a TD with a 38% target share through two games; hosts feel great about him as a true 'ride or die' option.
↓ Offense and O-line have been disastrous; Herbert ranks QB26 through two weeks and hosts say you can't start him right now given a brutal upcoming schedule.
→ Still the one Charger worth starting despite a quiet 3-for-35 game, given his route participation.
→ Usage has been poor (33% of rush share, 56% snaps) despite the offense scoring well; hosts say don't sell low, expect his role to improve.
→ Leads Bears in routes and end zone targets but has almost nothing to show for it (5 targets on 63 routes); hosts see it as a systemic offensive issue, still a low-end TE1 for now.
↑ Out-snapped Rhamondre Stevenson 32-15 after a Stevenson fumble, getting 16 touches to Stevenson's 5; Hartitz sees this as a step toward a real 1A/1B split, Berry still ranks Stevenson ahead for now.
↓ Only a 56% snap rate and fewer routes than Kalief Raymond; expectations lowered to a risky WR3.
↑ Poor Week 2 (0 TD, INT, 189 yards) is viewed as noise given he'd been the No.1 fantasy QB in points per game since Week 10 last season; a buy-low candidate.
→ Only 52% snap share and 4.4 fantasy points in Week 2 without Nico Collins, but hosts call it noise and still view him as a mid-tier RB2 given upcoming soft schedule.
→ Expected to hold steady since a less efficient Bears offense may lean more on the run game with Bagent starting.
→ Fumbled again (only NFL RB with double-digit fumbles since 2024) but still played third downs, showing coaches still trust him somewhat.
↓ Zero receptions on one target, 6% target share, no red-zone looks; hosts call this real news, not just a bad week, and say he's barely startable, likely dropping outside top-50 WRs.
↓ Left the game with an injury, boosting outlook for DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks.
↑ Had a big game for the Texans while Montgomery struggled.
↓ Getting more touches than Travis Etienne but is 'dead last in yards per touch' and looks washed; hosts don't see real fantasy value emerging.
→ Would lead touches if Barkley misses time but likely in a committee with Will Shipley rather than full workload.
↑ Emerging as a useful piece in the Eagles passing game, especially if Goedert misses time.
↑ Called the top waiver-wire QB pickup; historically averages 15+ fantasy points and top-10 fantasy points per dropback over past two seasons filling in for Daniels.
↓ Historically a poor efficiency QB; hosts expect a middle-of-the-road Bears offense at best with him starting, especially vs. Philadelphia.