Weekly Rankings: Ranking Each Position for Week 2

With Week 1 in the books, its time to turn our attention to Week 2. I’ll rank each position, including both standard and PPR rankings, every Tuesday of the regular season. Below each set of rankings, I will provide commentary on my more interesting decisions of the week. Best of luck in Week 2!

 

 

 

• Patrick Mahomes goes from facing the Jaguars defense in Week 1 to the Raiders defense in Week 2. Mahomes was the QB4 against Jacksonville, the sky is the limit against Oakland.
• Jacksonville is a tough defense for any quarterback to face, but just last week Mahomes topped 300 yards in the first half alone against them. I don’t see any reason to downgrade Deshaun Watson, especially now surrounded by a far superior supporting cast.
• Lamar Jackson comes off a Week 1 QB1 overall performance against the lowly Dolphins, despite only rushing for six yards. I’m not ready to call Jackson the third-best fantasy quarterback for the rest of the season, but in a home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, this sets up perfectly for Jackson. We could be looking at a blowout performance like Jackson produced last week, or a potential shootout if Kyler Murray carries over his momentum from his debut. Regardless, I bet we see the rushing ability we expected from Jackson to offset any potential passing regression. Ride Jackson while he’s hot and in good matchups.
• Tom Brady shoots up the ranks to QB5 with a matchup against the Dolphins and the addition of Antonio Brown. Suddenly it looks like Brady has the weapons to be an excellent fantasy quarterback in 2019.
• Another quarterback rises up the ranks after Week 1, as Dak Prescott is my QB7 this week. The Redskins have a solid defense, and Dallas may not have the same success on the road. But I was impressed with coordinator Kellen Moore’s play-action heavy offense, and Prescott looked like a natural fit. I’ll trust this offense until given a reason to change my mind.
• I’m in wait in see mode with Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and Baker Mayfield, my 11-14 ranked quarterbacks respectively. Newton has the best matchup of the group against Tampa Bay, but with coming off of injuries I’m not thrilled to see the quick turnaround for Thursday Night Football. Wilson disappointed against a dream Week 1 matchup against the Bengals. Roethlisberger and the Steelers may need some time to adapt to life after Antonio Brown. And Mayfield draws a tough Monday night matchup after a dreadful Week 1. All can be started, but there are options that I feel better about.
• Kyler Murray has an impossible matchup on paper in Baltimore, though an injury to cornerback Jimmy Smith makes this a little more appealing. I think Murray can scramble his way to a decent game, but this is a week to go with a better option if possible.

 

 

• Ezekiel Elliott split more work than usual in Week 1 coming back from the holdout. He should be much closer to his full workload in Week 2, and the Cowboys offense looks explosive. He comes in behind Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara as the RB3 this week.
• I’m trusting the usage of David Johnson even in a tough matchup in Baltimore. Johnson was used like the receiving threat he is (I know, a novel concept) splitting out wide as well as running downfield routes out of the backfield. He’s not as appealing in standard leagues due to the potential lack of a touchdown this week, but he looks to have a chance to surpass 100 total yards every week.
• On the plus side for Le’Veon Bell, he played every snap in the opener and was the RB8 in PPR leagues. On the downside, he still didn’t generate 100 total yards on that massive snap share. He should have a much easier time against a defense in Cleveland that is much worse than his Week 1 opponent in the Bills, making him the RB6 this week.
• I’m high on Mark Ingram again, as he gets another excellent matchup and was the RB9 last week despite the blowout sending him to the bench in garbage time. A bit of a closer matchup against the Cardinals could actually help Ingram in Week 2. I’ve got him as the RB7 in PPR, ahead of some big names.
• If Todd Gurley‘s lack of red zone work continues, that will be a major problem for his first-round fantasy value. His lack of passing game work is a concern as well. He looked healthy and played until the end of the game, so maybe they are easing him in. His red zone work will be what ultimately determines his season.
• I like both Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy against the Raiders. The Chiefs just torched the Jaguars, and without Tyreek Hill the Chiefs will likely give their running backs plenty of work. Williams is the better overall play, especially in PPR, as he has the dangerous passing game role which amounted to six catches in Week 1. Williams also saw goalline work, so he isn’t your traditional pass game back. McCoy, I have more hesitation with, but he totaled 81 rushing yards on ten carries in Week 1 and should see plenty of work in a potential blowout in Oakland.
• We can write in Austin Ekeler as a near every week RB1 going forward. As much as the Chargers feature the running backs in the passing game, Ekeler is looking like a great value in PPR leagues especially. Justin Jackson is the clear number two option and is not startable unless in blowout situations.
• Aaron Jones and Kerryon Johnson certainly had worrisome Week 1 usage. Let’s trust our offseason work and stick with them another week, however. I have them as the RB17 and RB18 this week against less than ideal matchups, but better days should be ahead.
• I’m still not sold on Derrick Henry, as his big day was boosted by a 75-yard screen pass touchdown where he was untouched. That was his only catch of the day, and he is extremely game-flow dependent as a result of his lack of passing game work. A home game against the Colts could provide a proper script, but I just don’t trust this Titans offense overall. He’s better in standard leagues, of course.
• Joe Mixon is hurt with an ankle injury and is likely questionable to play. His rank and Giovani Bernard‘s rank will certainly change according to the news. I don’t think this Bengals team will be able to run the ball well with their decimated offensive line, so you’re looking for passing game work here out of these running backs. I’m not particularly excited to play a hobbled Mixon, so it may be best for fantasy owners if he sits this one out. I still wouldn’t rank Bernard much higher than the RB32 range.

 

 

• This is a difficult task ranking receivers after Week 1, as there is much more noise in a receiver’s one week sample than there is with running backs. Don’t get too cute and bench a top receiver after one bad week.
• The Patriots receiver core is going to be fascinating to see play out over the coming weeks. Early signs are that Antonio Brown will play, and I can’t imagine not playing him if he’s on your roster. There could be concerns about his snap count after joining the team within the last week, so temper expectations somewhat. I have him ranked as WR24, but really I could have put him anywhere. His upside is too high to rank much lower than that, even in a part-time role.
• Julian Edelman doesn’t take much of a hit in my rankings this week, but may in upcoming weeks. But as the slot wide receiver that has years of trust with Tom Brady, Edelman’s role appears to be the safest.
• I expect Josh Gordon to take the biggest hit with Brown in the mix, as he has a similar downfield role to Brown. Gordon will still have big-play upside, but his target share is definitely hurt going forward.
• I just kept moving Sammy Watkins up, and though it feels like an overreaction to having him ranked tenth, he plays the Raiders and takes over the WR1 role from the injured Tyreek Hill. Watkins led all receivers in fantasy scoring last week and looks poised for another big week. Congratulations to those who drafted him, you may have the steal of the draft.
• Mike Williams left last week with a knee injury, and his status needs to be monitored. I docked him slightly in the rankings do to health.
• DeSean Jackson sure looked like a number one receiver for the Eagles this week, and I raised him significantly as a result. He gets a shootout matchup in the dome in Atlanta.
• Good luck knowing what to make of Marquise Brown, John Ross, and D.K. Metcalf. They all looked excellent in the opener, and their teams have every reason to continue to give them looks. But both Brown and Metcalf play in low volume passing offenses, and Ross certainly doesn’t have a track record we can trust. Proceed with caution, but these three at least have big-time upside.

 

 

• Suddenly the tight end position looks deeper than we expected. Week 2 is still led by the big three tight ends in Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Zach Ertz, who all have excellent matchups.
• Evan Engram saw 14 targets in Week 1 and is the focal point of the offense behind Saquon Barkley. He is an excellent play, even in a tough matchup against the Bills.
• Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, and Darren Waller all burst onto the scene and look legit. There was enough preseason buzz that none of them come as a shock. Start with confidence until they let you down.
• I’m not quite sold on Delanie Walker after his two-touchdown performance, as I am skeptical on the Titans as a whole. He’s still a decent enough start at a typically weak position.
• I’ve downgraded Vance McDonald significantly. I was not buying into the hype around draft season, and the Steelers offensive struggles put a damper on his outlook. If the offense can rebound, however, McDonald’s stock could as well.

 

(Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)