Among the Week 1 standouts was quarterback (not running back, not wide receiver), Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson led all quarterbacks in fantasy points last week with a total of 33.56. That in and of itself was not necessarily a surprise. What was a surprise was how Jackson achieved that level of production. He rushed for just six yards on three carries in Baltimore’s opener. He did all of his damage through the air, throwing for 324 yards and five touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. Jackson could have potentially scored even more but was pulled from the game due to the lopsided score. He has another fantasy-friendly matchup in Week 2 when the Ravens host the Arizona Cardinals. Jackson comes in as my QB6 in my Week 2 fantasy football rankings.
Ekeler Filling Gordon’s Role?
Austin Ekeler was last week’s second-leading scorer at running back in PPR leagues behind only Christian McCaffrey. Ekeler scored three touchdowns including the game-winner in overtime to lead the Chargers over the Colts. The Chargers gave Ekeler 18 touches in Week 1. If he gets that kind of volume, he will continue to have a high PPR ceiling. He is a top-20 running back for me in all formats. Justin Jackson is seeing a much smaller portion of the pie than Ekeler is, so it is hard to trust him in anything other than a pristine matchup. Either way, both backs should continue to fill in for Melvin Gordon. It does not look like his holdout will end anytime soon.
Sammy Steps Up!
Last week’s highest-scoring wide receiver is also one of the most polarizing for fantasy purposes. Sammy Watkins had 198 receiving yards and three scores en route to 46.8 PPR points. Watkins has always had the talent to produce at an elite level, but inconsistency and injuries have caused him to fall short throughout his career. With Tyreek Hill expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a sternoclavicular joint injury, Watkins is in prime position to build on last week’s performance. He also has what figures to be a favorable Week 2 matchup against the Oakland Raiders. Oakland defeated Denver on Monday night but still allowed nearly 40 combined PPR points to Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders. Watkins comes in at WR4 in my Week 2 rankings. And yes, I am a glutton for punishment.
T.J. Top-10 Tight End?
T.J. Hockenson made an immediate impact in his NFL debut for Detroit last week. The rookie set an NFL record for tight ends with 131 receiving yards in his first game. He did benefit from some abnormal circumstances. Detroit faced off against Arizona, who is now running a fast-paced offense which leads to an increase in the number of plays run on both offense and defense. The game also ended in a tie. As a result, Detroit and Arizona combined to run 175 plays on offense. That is well above the norm. None of this is to take away from Hockenson. He profiles to be an elite receiving threat at the tight end position for years to come. I just do not think he is automatically a top-10 tight end. I have him as my TE14 in standard leagues this week.
Below are the rest of my Week 2 fantasy football rankings. I have included tweaks for Standard, PPR, and half-PPR leagues. I will update these over the weekend as news develops and circumstances change. There is a lot still up in the air concerning injuries so feel free to comment below or reach me on Twitter with any questions you have regarding your Week 2 start/sit decisions.
Also check out our Week 2 Waiver Wire Recommendations and FAAB Guide!
Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He has also written for Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick was the Overall Champion of both the 2016 Football Challenge – Roto and 2017 Play 3 Football contests hosted by CDM Sports. Mick was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York and currently resides in New London, Connecticut.
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