Week 2 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers

Sep 10, 2025

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

I’ll put the defense’s aFPA rank in parentheses below, though users should exercise caution in putting too much stock into last year’s strength-of-schedule. The higher the number, the better the matchup. We will update aFPA for 2025 starting with Week 4 of this season.

My prop plays went 6-1 last week, so I’ll sprinkle a few more throughout Sneaky Starts as they come up.

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Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Chargers (@ LV, 22)

Justin Herbert backed up his preseason promise to run more, adding 32 rushing yards to his 318-yard, 3-TD passing line last week. He’s had success against the Raiders before, topping 23 fantasy points in two of his last three meetings. Las Vegas allowed the fifth-most passing touchdowns a year ago and just gave up 287 yards and a score to rookie Drake Maye in Week 1. Herbert belongs firmly in QB1 territory for this matchup.

J.J. McCarthy, Vikings (vs. ATL, 27)

J.J. McCarthy held his own in his NFL debut, finishing as the QB12 thanks to two touchdown passes to go along with 25 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground against Chicago. That dual-threat ability could be key again this week. The Falcons just allowed Baker Mayfield to throw for only 167 yards, but he still managed three scores through the air while adding 39 yards rushing. With McCarthy’s legs in play, he’s a viable streaming option in Week 2.