Fantasy QB Rankings Week 2: Who to start, best sleepers at quarterback
With the opening week in the books, we've officially entered overreaction season. Although we now have an initial data point, the NFL is notoriously known as a week-to-week league, so it's not wise to draw final conclusions. Yes, Joe Burrow owners, we understand your concerns, but take a deep breath. Despite his uneasy performance in Cleveland, you're still trotting out him as your starting quarterback this week, and he's still in the top 10 in our Week 2 fantasy QB rankings.
The same can be said for Lamar Jackson owners, as it's too early to hit the panic button. If anything, both QBs are prime buy-low candidates if any of your leaguemates are willing to part ways after one dud. Ahead of Week 2, we still can't gauge what constitutes a good/bad matchup, but having some stats helps slightly.
Unless you're bench QB had a significantly better Week 1 fantasy output than your starter, it's best to start the QB you expended higher draft capital on. You drafted your QB there for a reason, and there's no need to jump ship because of one shaky start.
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Our Week 2 QB rankings look different than our Week 1 edition, but we still tried our best not to fall victim to recency bias by trusting our preseason priors.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy QBs Week 2?
Despite falling to the upstart Lions at home thanks to several dropped passes from his receiving corps, Patrick Mahomes (@ Jaguars) owns the top spot in our Week 2 QB rankings. With Travis Kelce (knee) most likely making his season debut, he deserves the top spot in a rematch of last season's AFC Divisional playoff matchup.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Jalen Hurts (vs. Vikings) wasn't as sharp as we expected in his season debut, but a matchup against a Vikings defense that Baker Mayfield had success against gives us hope he'll return to the Hurts we know. Josh Allen (vs. Raiders), Justin Herbert (@ Titans), and Trevor Lawrence (vs. Chiefs) all draw favorable matchups, warranting their top-five rankings.
We did drop Burrow (vs. Ravens) a few spots after his Week 1 dud. We're not making excuses for his career-worst 82-yard passing output, but it was his first game back after missing the entirety of the preseason slate due to a calf injury on top of suboptimal conditions. Jackson (@ Bengals) also dropped a bit after the Ravens remained committed to the run game inside the red zone. Both QBs are still set-it-and-forget-it QB1s for Week 2.
Who are the best fantasy QB sleepers, waiver pickups Week 2?
In his first game back from a gruesome shoulder injury in last season's NFC Championship, Brock Purdy (55-percent owned in Yahoo leagues) dissected what projects to be a strong Steelers defense to the tune of 220 passing yards and two TDs. Given San Francisco's reliance on the run game, he might not have the highest ceiling, but Purdy (@ Rams) is undoubtedly worthy of a roster spot as your squad's QB2.
He still needs to prove himself to venture into must-start territory, but Russell Wilson's (53-percent owned) first game during the Sean Payton era looked promising enough to earn a waiver claim. He should have some success against an untested Washington defense. The same goes for Jordan Love (30-percent owned) after a strong debut as the Packers' new QB1. He's a legit sleeper against the Falcons.
Who are the biggest potential QB busts Week 2?
We're weary of Kirk Cousins (@ Eagles) effectiveness on Thursday night against an elite Eagles' pass defense, especially after his Week 2 dud in 2022. Not many single-QB owners will roll out Sam Howell (@ Broncos), but we don't think he posts as strong of a fantasy showing as Week 1.
He didn't look like the upper-echelon QB he was drafted to be, so we've dropped Justin Fields (@ Buccaneers) several spots this week. His rushing upside makes him a fringe top-10 QB, but until Chicago has a reliable vertical passing attack, Fields is a rather risky start.
What are the biggest QB injuries Week 2?
Although he exited the latter stages of Sunday's game with a knee injury, we expect Anthony Richardson (@ Texans) to suit up and play in Week 2. Other than Richardson's minor injury, we avoided any major QB scares in Week 1.
UPDATE: Aaron Rodgers suffered a nasty ankle injury on Monday and has been taken out of our rankings.
We'll be updating these QB rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.
Fantasy QB Rankings Week 2: Who to start, sit at quarterback
These rankings are based on four-point passing TD scoring
