Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 2 Matchups to Consider
After getting the first week of the season under our belts, fantasy managers either feel like they’ve taken the first step towards a fantasy championship or that they need to regroup and get things right to keep from falling too far behind. Whichever basket you fall into, I’m back this week to walk through matchups at each position ahead of Week 2 and help get those rosters to their absolute best!
Always make sure to use the Ballers weekly rankings before finalizing your lineup each week!
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields
QB - KC
After an offseason of speculation about how another change of scenery would work out for Justin Fields, fantasy managers were rewarded with a vintage performance from his 2022 season that saw him finish as the QB6 on the season. While he still delivered the rushing baseline that is great for fantasy rosters, Fields was surprisingly efficient in the passing game, completing 73% of his passes on the day for 218 yards and a TD. It’s difficult to make season-long stances on just one week of work on the field, but if Fields can bring that type of passing work to his elite running prowess, a top-8 QB outcome could be on the horizon.
While the season-opener for Fields looked like a tough matchup, Week 2 brings a Bills defense that just allowed 40 points in their first game of the season. Fields isn’t quite Lamar Jackson, but the comparison in play style is evident, and Jackson absolutely torched the Buffalo’s defense in both the passing and rushing game for a QB5 finish on the week. Fields could easily have been a waiver wire option in many leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate to put him into their starting lineups this week with what looks like a great matchup.
Drake Maye
QB - NE
If there was a QB hyped to take the fantasy leap forward this summer, Drake Maye was the one leading the pack. Maye’s rookie season showed enough glimpses of fantasy potential to give fantasy managers the hope that he could be a sneaky late-round QB option thanks to averaging 30+ rushing yards in games he started last season. With an improved coaching staff and offensive line, Maye should be primed for a breakout, but fell flat in Week 1 against a Raiders defense that wasn’t expected to be anything more than mid-tier.
Luckily, Maye gets another strong matchup this week against a Dolphins defense that allowed 30 points to the Colts to open the season. Miami’s defense gave up over 400 yards of total offense and allowed DANIEL JONES to finish as the QB4 on the week. What this matchup really will tell fantasy managers is if the hope they had in Maye when they drafted him as a late-round QB for their roster is something they can hold onto. If Maye can’t take advantage of what seems to be a great matchup again this week, fantasy managers may have to take the “wait and see” approach until there’s more consistent production.
Runnings Backs
Tony Pollard
RB - TEN
It wasn’t the ideal start to the season for Tony Pollard and the new-look Titans offense. Tennessee ran into what might be the best defense in the league, and Pollard’s fantasy production suffered, managing just 60 total rushing yards on the day while averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. The Titans didn’t manage to score a TD in their season-opener, but at the very least, Pollard’s stranglehold on the RB work in Nashville seems to be pretty tight, with him getting 18 of the 20 RB carries on the day.
Things don’t seem to get much easier for Pollard in Week 2 with another tough matchup against the Rams on the slate. Los Angeles completely shut down the Texans’ offense last week, though they did allow 114 total rushing yards on the day. What’s concerning for Pollard this week is the upside for fantasy production. It’s likely the Titans will struggle to put Pollard into many TD scoring situations again this week, so while there’s a chance that the RB could volume his way into a reasonable FLEX play, in a game with one of the lowest expected point totals on the week, his ceiling may be capped until this rookie-QB-led offense can find its rhythm.
J.K. Dobbins
RB - DEN
There was plenty of speculation around how the carries would be distributed in the Broncos’ backfield, but JK Dobbins led the way in carries over rookie RJ Harvey to start the season. While Dobbins out-carried Harvey 16-to-6 against the Titans, he wasn’t nearly as efficient, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry on the day compared to Harvey’s 11.7. What may be more significant for fantasy managers is that Dobbins did see red zone carries, unlike his rookie counterpart, which he turned into his first TD of the season. The split between Dobbins and Harvey will be fluid, but it feels like Dobbins has more of the trust in the eyes of Sean Payton to deliver between the tackles in this offense.
Denver’s offense has a prime opportunity ahead of them to really get the running game moving in Week 2 against the Colts. Indianapolis looked great against a disappointing Dolphins offense to open the season, but a closer look reveals they may be more susceptible than they appeared in their dominant win. In Week 1, the Colts allowed the highest points per touch to opposing RBs, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Dobbins, in a Broncos offense that should be playing with the lead, to have another strong RB2 showing for fantasy managers.
Jordan Mason
RB - MIN
After being traded to Minnesota this summer, fantasy managers needed clarity about Jordan Mason’s role in the Vikings offense, and got some great answers in their Week 1 win on Monday night. Mason saw 16 total opportunities against the Bears, that is five more than “starter” Aaron Jones had. While Jones was the one who got into the end zone, Mason was a consistent threat for Minnesota and should be a more stable piece of fantasy rosters going forward.
For Mason to keep things moving in the right direction this week, he’s got an interesting matchup against the Falcons. Atlanta only allowed 53 rushing yards to opposing RBs in their game last week and no rushing TDs, though it’s worth noting they did allow a TD in the passing game to Bucky Irving. It will be worth continuing to monitor how the Vikings choose to divvy up the workload in their backfield, but until Mason loses work to Jones on the ground, he should provide a steady RB2 baseline for fantasy rosters.
Wide Receivers
Travis Hunter
WR - JAX
All the excitement around the 2nd-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft left a lot to be desired for fantasy managers who invested in Travis Hunter in their drafts. Hunter was plenty involved in the Jaguars’ offense, seeing eight targets, though he only managed 33 receiving yards in his debut. What’s encouraging about the meager output for Hunter is that it appeared Jacksonville was going out of their way to get the versatile WR involved, even using screens to get the ball in his hands. Hopefully, that dedication to getting Hunter the ball continues despite the results not being the explosive plays fantasy managers love seeing.
A matchup against the Bengals provides another matchup ripe for fantasy goodness to have Hunter provide the high-end success managers want. Cincinnati was surprisingly solid in Week 1 against the Browns, only allowing 16 total points on the day, but they still gave up 290 passing yards to Joe Flacco. If the Jaguars’ offense is going to return the high hopes of some fantasy managers, there doesn’t seem like a better matchup for the Liam Coen era to really take off than this week against the Bengals.
Jakobi Meyers
WR - JAX
Despite his trade request just prior to the start of the regular season, Jakobi Meyers grabbed his lunch pail and went to work for fantasy managers in Week 1. Meyers led the Raiders in targets and receptions, living up to the “fantasy vegetables” that he provides for fantasy rosters as a consistent option for points from week to week. There was plenty of concern this offseason that the Raiders would be very dedicated to running the ball, but Meyers still managed to see a target on 27% of his routes run and finished as the WR19 on the week without getting into the end zone.
Things might be more difficult for Meyers to continue producing this week with a tough matchup against the Chargers on Monday night. Despite the Chiefs missing their top two WRs, Los Angeles still gave up 258 passing yards to Kansas City in Week 1. What may be more concerning for any of the options in the Raiders’ passing game is the four sacks they allowed in their season-opener. With a strong pass rush on the Chargers’ side of the ball, Meyers may be limited to a low-end FLEX play this week.
Tyreek Hill
WR - FA
There isn’t much to take away from the Dolphins’ terrible showing in Week 1 against the Colts, but the play matched the offseason vibes surrounding Tyreek Hill to start the season. Hill’s WR53 finish on just 40 yards can’t make fantasy managers who invested an early pick on him in drafts feel any better about what was once one of the elite fantasy WR assets. What’s maybe more concerning is that the Dolphins’ offense didn’t seem to make many changes from the mess that we all saw for the entirety of the 2024 season. If there’s any silver lining for Hill’s fantasy prospects, he did see targets at a higher rate (27.3%) than he did to end last season (22.4%).
If the Dolphins offense is going to get back on the right track, they have an interesting matchup against the Patriots in Week 2. New England allowed two top-24 WR finishes last week against the Raiders and the TE1 on the week. While the Raiders didn’t profile as one of the better passing offenses, the Patriots allowed the 6th-most passing yards to open the season. Hill should have every chance to get right for fantasy managers this weekend, and if he doesn’t, there should be plenty of concern about what he can bring to a roster without some major changes happening.
Tight Ends
David Njoku
TE - FA
Despite a matchup that seemed to be perfect for a great fantasy start to the season, David Njoku left fantasy managers disappointed with a TE23 finish against the Bengals in Week 1. Njoku was on the field plenty for the Browns, playing 84% of snaps, but only caught the ball three times for just 37 yards in a matchup that fantasy managers expected more from. Part of the reason Njoku wasn’t as effective for fantasy is due to the massive involvement from rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr., who led the team with nine targets. If there’s a silver lining, Njoku still ran 41 routes on Sunday, the second most among TEs in the league, so he’s still plenty involved enough to give fantasy production.
A strong matchup against the Ravens awaits Njoku in Week 2 for a chance to redeem his slow start. Plenty has been made about Baltimore’s shootout with the Bills on Sunday night, but the reality is this defense was one to target in 2024 for fantasy passing games, and very well may be true again this season. In Week 1, the Ravens allowed the third-most fantasy points to TEs, including the TE2 finish from Dalton Kincaid. As long as Njoku stays involved in the Browns’ passing attack, he should still be a productive option for fantasy managers this week.
Dalton Kincaid
TE - BUF
After two seasons of disappointment for fantasy, Dalton Kincaid may be poised to return on being a real difference-maker at TE. Kincaid opened the scoring in the Bills’ epic matchup with the Ravens in Week 1, scoring just his fifth career TD. While Kincaid’s TE2 finish is exciting, the third-year TE was still only on the field for 51% of snaps and saw just a 9% target share. The Ballers discussed the need for Kincaid to get on the field more on Wednesday’s episode of the podcast, which will be critical for him carrying this momentum forward into the rest of the season.
If Kincaid is going to keep the positive vibes moving into Week 2, he’s got a decent matchup against the Jets to do so. New York’s defense allowed four passing TDs in Week 1, the most in the league to start the season. What may be a concern for Kincaid’s production is the lack of production they allowed to TEs. While the Jets gave up 14.3 fantasy points to TEs last week, it really was TD-dependent, with just 43 receiving yards going to TEs. Even with the strong start to the season, fantasy managers should proceed with caution on putting Kincaid in their lineups until there’s more consistent involvement from him in the Bills’ offense.