Football Week 2: Under the Radar with Consistency!

Week 1 is wrapped up with the Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings, and we’ve got some data! Welcome back for week 2 of the “Under the Radar with Consistency” series. Which players hit a Clutch Game last week that aren’t being talked about?

It’s NFL week 2 for the Under the Radar with Consistency series, and we’ve got a few players to talk about this week. This series focuses on football consistency for those players who tend to be overlooked in most fantasy football leagues. For football week 2, I’ll focus on some players who hit a Clutch Game this past week and could continue to pay off consistently.

For those who are new or need a refresher, here are a few key terms and definitions to help you during the season when reading.

• Clutch Factor (CF) – the average points a player needs to meet or exceed a Clutch Game based on scoring settings and league size. Think QB1, RB2, WR2, and TE1 thresholds.
• Clutch Games (CG) – weekly per-game award for a player who hits the CF factor. The more of these, the more consistent the player is.
• Clutch Rate (CR) – total of CG earned divided by total games; top fantasy players are usually > 70%.
• Football Consistency Report Tool (Scoring can be edited/Standard listed below)
  • Based on 12-team leagues
  • 4 points per passing touchdown
  • 6 points for all other touchdowns
  • 1 point per reception (PPR)
  • 1 point per 20 passing yards
  • 1 point per 10 rushing yards or 10 receiving yards

Let’s dig in and see who’s already flying under the radar for consistency week 2! Need more consistency? Sign up today to get full access to all the tools available at BGFS!

Fantasy Football Under the Radar (with consistency) – 9/9/2025

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QB Michael Penix Jr., ATL Football Week 2.

The Atlanta Falcons spent a lot of money last season bringing in Kirk Cousins, only to also draft Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick. The team named Penix the starter in week 16 last season, and he started the final three games of the season.

During his first three starts, Penix averaged 15.73 points per game. He did save his best for the season finale, where he lit up the Carolina Panthers for 312 yards and scored 26 fantasy points (finished QB7 for the week). He picked up where he left off in week 1 this season by scoring 24 points and finishing the week as QB10.

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(2025 Statistics: 100% CR, QB10: 24.0 PPG, 32% Rostered on Yahoo!)

In the three starts that Penix made last year, he only ran for a total of 11 yards. In week 1 this season, he ran 6 times for 21 yards. If you’ve read my QB tier draft article, you know that maintaining that type of running would make Penix a “Konami Code” QB, and that’s an almost guarantee to stay in the QB1 range.

Penix looked much more comfortable this week and set the Falcons up to tie the game before Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal. He doesn’t have to do much with his legs due to all the weapons the Falcons have to end up being a high-end QB. I’m keeping my eye on him as a potentially sneaky, consistent play.

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RB Javonte Williams DAL

A couple of veterans and late-round draft picks were brought in to compete for the RB1 job in Dallas. Or at least that’s what most fantasy managers thought. From week 1, it appears that the job is clearly Javonte Williams‘ to lose.

As of the end of Sunday, Williams was one of only five RBs to score 20+ points in week 1. He left fantasy managers feeling a bit iffy coming into this season due to his 41% CR last season (7 of 17 games as Clutch). Not only did Williams dominate the touches (17 to 5) over Miles Sanders, but the Cowboys also felt confident enough in him to make the rookie, Jaydon Blue, inactive for game day.

(2025 Statistics: 100% CR, RB5: 20.4 PPG, 76% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Williams is a former 2nd-round pick (35th overall) who’s now 2 years removed from a knee injury. He’s fully healthy and looks like he’s ready to be a 3-down RB for Dallas. He had over 1,200 total yards in his rookie season and averages over 47 receptions per year when healthy.

The Cowboys’ RB1 spot is quite valuable, as we saw this week. If Williams can hold onto the job, he may be an RB2 with RB1 spike potential for fantasy football week 2 and beyond. 

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RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt WAS

It’s Bill! Jacory Croskey-Merritt looks to be the replacement for Brian Robinson Jr. as the new RB1 in Washington. In week 1, Croskey-Merritt had 10 carries and even got a target in the passing game. He responded with 82 yards and a touchdown.

The RB1 role in Washington carries some good value as the Jayden Daniels-led offense has a high-scoring expectation. Austin Ekeler still holds the passing down back role and will get some carries as well, but it appears that Croskey-Merritt has a firm grasp on early down work and goal line work (due to Chris Rodriguez being made a healthy inactive week 1).

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(2025 Statistics: 100% CR, RB17: 14.2 PPG, 77% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Furthermore, Croskey-Merritt is the first player in NFL history outside the top 200 picks with 75+ rushing yards and a touchdown in their debut, per Michael F. Florio. He always had a strong prospect profile, but the fact that he was only allowed to play in one game during his final season in college, due to eligibility issues, really dropped his stock.

Saying under the radar for Bill is probably not accurate, as his preseason hype train went completely off the rails. However, I think that as the hype died down somewhat, he was listed as RB4 on the first Commander depth chart. Croskey-Merritt is beginning to establish value as a touchdown-dependent flex.

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WR Keon Coleman BUF Football Week 2.

So many of us have been waiting for this, the possible emergence of a WR1 in Buffalo. Keon Coleman was drafted last season with that intention. As of week 1, it appears he’s embracing the role.

In a possible AFC Championship preview, Coleman earned 11 targets, 8 receptions, 112 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown. He was also a questionable call away from a 2-point conversion and a shoestring tackle away from a 2nd touchdown.

(2025 Statistics: 100% CR, WR2: 25.2 PPG, 65% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Coleman is an alpha WR, and his competition in Buffalo isn’t exactly daunting. Moreso, the incumbent WR1 is Khalil Shakir, who would be better served as a WR2. The rest of the bunch consists of Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, and Curtis Samuel, all castoffs from other teams.

I’m buying Coleman everywhere I can, as I think he’s taking the next step. That said, I am tempering expectations. His WR2 overall finish in Week 1 isn’t sustainable since the Bills won’t usually need to pass as much as they did this past week. However, I do believe he’s a borderline WR1/WR2 moving forward.

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WR Cedric Tillman CLE Football Week 2.

There’s been a lot of talk about Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku as big winners once the Cleveland Browns announced that Joe Flacco would be the starting QB. A player who should have been named but was often left out, Cedric Tillman.

Tillman had an amazing three-game stretch last season where he was a weekly WR1 each week (10th, 3rd, 12th). He suffered a concussion and wasn’t quite the same the rest of the way. Well, this year he’s healthy, and week 1 looked a lot like those three weeks. Tillman scored 16.2 points this past week, good for a WR18.

(2025 Statistics: 100% CR, WR18: 16.2 PPG, 28% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Only rookie Tight End Harold Fannin Jr. out-targeted Tillman this week, 9-8. The advantage overall, though, went to Tillman as he was the only Cleveland pass-catcher to have a touchdown. He also tied Jeudy for the longest reception at 25 yards.

There is some real fear that once the Browns decide to bench Flacco, we can expect a drop-off for all of the pass catchers. I’m not so sure, but it will definitely be a learning period as we find who the new QB leans on. Until then, though, Tillman looks like a WR3 with WR2 upside.

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books, and now we get to look forward to week 2! Check in again next week for my weekly in-season series “Under the Radar with Consistency” article and see who’s flying under the radar!  Follow me on X, @JKeasy, for more football!

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