Fantasy Football: Week 2 Streamers to Consider
After the first week of the NFL season, all the information fantasy managers get can make it hard to start looking ahead to Week 2. Whether you started the season with a defiant “W” or a colossal failure that dropped your fantasy roster to the bottom of your league, getting the next one right is the most important thing!
Making tweaks to a fantasy roster means finding guys from week to week who can be the difference in how your matchup plays out.
Every week throughout the season, I will be here for you to walk through a handful of QB, TE, and DST (and reluctantly a Kicker too) streaming options to insert into your lineup!
Let’s dive in!
Quarterbacks
Bryce Young
QB - CAR
Maybe it is just that the expectations were low, but Bryce Young really impressed in Week 1 against the Bears, finishing as the QB3. Young’s 31.4 fantasy points are the third-highest total in his career (31.8 in Week 11 of 2025 & 36.4 in Week 18 of 2024) and were just the second game in his career that he has accounted for 4+ TDs in a single game. While it is tough to take much from just one week, Young gets a couple of juicy matchups against the Falcons and Browns over the next few weeks and is rostered in just 19% of leagues currently, so fantasy managers looking to shake things up might buy in early.
Jordan Love
QB - GB
One of the easiest leaps to make with the Josh Jacobs absence from the Packers to start the season was that there would be an increase in passing work from Jordan Love, and we got to see a good bit of it in Week 1. Love threw the ball 42 times in Green Bay’s loss to the Vikings, a mark he has only hit twice since Jacobs arrived in the Packers backfield. There is a chance that Love might not be available for some fantasy managers to add, as he is already rostered in 57% of leagues, but an impending matchup against the Jets could be an opportunity for fantasy goodness in Week 2.
Carson Wentz
QB - MIN
It might seem a little nasty to be considering Carson Wentz as a streaming option this early in the year, but after stepping in for an injured Kyler Murray Sunday against the Packers, the Vikings backup really was serviceable for fantasy. Wentz threw for just 133 yards in about 3.5 quarters of play Sunday, but his three TDs and clear connection with Justin Jefferson should at least catch fantasy managers’ eyes. Assuming Murray doesn’t make it out of concussion protocol to play in Week 2, Wentz is rostered literally nowhere and has a nice matchup against the Bears that makes him worth considering in a pinch.
Tight Ends
Mike Gesicki
TE - CIN
Maybe the sexiest name at TE after Week 1 is Mike Gesicki after his massive game in the Bengals’ season opener. Gesicki led Cincinnati in targets, receptions, and receiving yards against the Bucs and capped it off with the team’s lone receiving TD. What is even better for fantasy managers is that Gesicki ran a route on 100% of passing plays he was on the field for and even played 76.5% of his passing play snaps out of the slot, posting 4.59 yards per route run for the day. Seeing a matchup against Houston in Week 2 might be a bit scary for fantasy managers, but Dalton Kincaid just posted a five-reception, 130-yard game against the Texans in their opener. Gesicki is available in basically every league out there and could be worth streaming for fantasy managers who got a big goose at TE in Week 1.
Brenton Strange
TE - JAX
It is pretty difficult to take much out of a beatdown like the Jags gave the Browns on Sunday, but Brenton Strange was plenty involved in Jacksonville’s offense for fantasy managers to give him a look moving forward. While Strange only had two receptions for 23 yards and a TD, his 12.0 average depth of target was the sixth-highest in the league among TEs who actually caught a pass in Week 1. The Jaguars offense is clearly an offense fantasy managers should want a piece of, and if Strange continues to be a red zone target for Trevor Lawrence, he could be a sneaky play to consider.
Pat Freiermuth
TE - PIT
Most of the fantasy community wasn’t really sure what to think about the Steelers offense, especially when it came to the passing game, but Pat Freiermuth was a bright spot for fantasy purposes against the Falcons. Freiermuth caught a team-high five passes (two of which were in the red zone) and nabbed the lone TD scored by the Pittsburgh offense Sunday. While fantasy managers shouldn’t be hoping they are going to get a massive return from the Steelers’ passing attack, Freiermuth is only rostered in 9% of leagues and has a real shot at finishing as a top-six player at the position each week.
Defenses
San Francisco 49ers
D - SF
With a season-opener in Australia, we weren’t really sure what to expect from the 49ers out of the gate, but what we got was a defense that looked completely BACK for 2026. While San Francisco did not do anything that would have been great for fantasy, the unit as a whole looked solid and kept one of the best offenses from 2025 to just seven points in Week 1. What should be intriguing for fantasy managers looking ahead is a couple of strong matchups against Miami and Arizona at home for the 49ers. Miami allowed five sacks in their season-opener against the Raiders, and with the 49ers available in 90% of leagues, they could be a strong play heading into Week 2.
Cincinnati Bengals
D - CIN
Maybe one of the more shocking defensive outputs from Week 1 came from the Cincinnati defense that finished tied at the top of the pack for fantasy defenses. The Bengals notched four sacks, four forced fumbles, and even scored a TD against Tampa Bay while only allowing 282 total yards. It doesn’t mean that the Cincinnati defense is fixed all the way, but this was a nice development for one of the worst defensive units in the league in 2025. The Bengals defense is available in 98% of leagues and has a matchup against a shaky Texans offense in Week 2 and might be worth a shift for fantasy managers this week.
Las Vegas Raiders
D - LV
Sure, it was the Dolphins, but the Raiders defense did some things that we look for in fantasy – sacks, INTs, and limiting points. After one week, Las Vegas’ defense is tied for the league lead in sacks and allowed just a 55.6% completion percentage against Miami. While a matchup with the Chargers may be a bit scary, LA just allowed the Cardinals to hold them to 14 total points while allowing 3 sacks and an INT – something Arizona’s defense only did twice in all of 2025. Las Vegas is available basically everywhere and could be worth a desperate start.
Boom Boom Kicker
Trey Smack
K - GB
Talking kickers is a bit ridiculous, but this is where we are at, I suppose. The lack of a running game for the Packers feels like it could stall things out more than we are accustomed to in Green Bay, which may mean more opportunities for Trey Smack going forward. Smack knocked through a trio of FGs on Sunday, including one from 59 yards out, and is available in 82% of leagues.
Comments
Maybe not a streaming option, but something to keep an eye on. Cade Otten played 98% of snaps (56/57 snaps) and ran 31 routes on 36 drop backs. Maybe a decent fill in option when needed!