Week 2 Flex Rankings

Who else is ready to throw months’ worth of prep out the window based on one week of games? OK, maybe we should pump the brakes and take a collective breath first. One week does not make a season. A long list of Week 1 performances from years past turned out to be nothing more than flashes in the pan. That said, we shouldn’t completely ignore what we saw. My Week 2 Flex rankings contain 250 players to help you sort through the chaos.

These rankings are based on Half-PPR scoring, so adjust as needed to your league and roster configurations. I will include some notes for each Flex position group. For the most part, I will ignore the obvious upper-echelon options. You don’t need me to tell you why you should start Jahmyr Gibbs or Justin Jefferson in all formats.

Running Back Notes

Several backfields are set up to split work between multiple running backs. Pittsburgh is a good example. Last week, Jaylen Warren saw 16 opportunities (carries plus targets), while Rico Dowdle had 13. That feels like a solid baseline to what we should expect from the Steelers most weeks. Both Warren and Dowdle are solid Flex plays depending on your other options. Minnesota is in a similar situation. Jordan Mason had 15 opportunities last week, while Aaron Jones Sr. had 13. The Vikings have a great matchup this week against the Chicago Bears. If this game turns into a shootout, Jones could have some added PPR appeal. The veteran may also benefit if Kyler Murray misses this game due to his concussion.

The backfields in Houston and Carolina appear to be split less evenly based on last week’s usage. David Montgomery earned 23 touches to Woody Marks’ 10. Montgomery also scored three touchdowns in his Texans debut. Marks will have a role in Houston’s offense, but it is hard to trust him in fantasy lineups quite yet. Most players on our rosters are healthy, and no one has a bye week to worry about. Jonathan Brooks got a lot of preseason hype, especially as Chuba Hubbard dealt with injury concerns. But Brooks earned just six opportunities last week, while Hubbard had 13. Perhaps we see a more even split in games where the Panthers can limit the opposing team’s offense. However, Brooks is currently outside the top 100 overall in my Week 2 Flex rankings.

Wide Receiver Notes

Keeping it in Carolina, we probably saw Jalen Coker’s best game of 2026 last week. The third-year wideout finished the day with 138 yards and two touchdowns. Coker showed signs of life late last season, especially in Carolina’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. I still prefer Tetairoa McMillan if we are ranking Panthers receivers, but Coker clearly offers some spike-week potential. I view him as a low-end WR3 in 12-team leagues, so he is at least a viable Flex play in most formats. Coker did roll an ankle last week and was seen in a walking boot after the game. He should be available to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but make sure he is good to go before locking him into lineups.

Jaylen Waddle and Romeo Doubs were among the faces in new places who disappointed fantasy football managers in their 2026 debuts. Waddle had just two yards on three targets in Denver’s Monday night loss to Kansas City. As bad as that performance was, Waddle had two more yards than Doubs did last Wednesday. Just as last week may have been Coker’s best performance, let’s hope that Week 1 was the worst of it for both Waddle and Doubs. Admittedly, I am more confident in Waddle turning it around than Doubs. But I do think Doubs could be worthy of Flex consideration depending on your other options. With New England placing A.J. Brown on Injured Reserve, they will be looking for a return on their $80-million investment in Doubs sooner rather than later.

Tight End Notes

One notable shift I made because of Week 1 was moving Isaiah Likely into my top 12 tight ends and dropping Kyle Pitts. Likely is not going to start two touchdowns every week. But eight targets and a 27.6 percent target share are massive numbers for a tight end. Likely earned eight or more targets just three times in four seasons as a Baltimore Raven. Even if Likely’s share drops a bit, he is clearly a focal point of New York’s passing attack. As for Pitts, I don’t think we can trust him in our starting lineups if Cooper Rush is under center. Rush targeted Pitts just once on 26 dropbacks last week. If Tua Tagovailoa returns from his oblique injury, Pitts could be a low-end TE1 in 10- and 12-team leagues.

Let me address the elephant in the room that is the Raiders tight end situation. I ranked Michael Mayer 20^th and Brock Bowers 24^th among tight ends. Both players are currently outside my overall top 100 among Week 2 Flex options. There is almost no chance I keep them in that range by Sunday. Either Bowers is healthy enough to play, in which case you almost have to start him. If so, Mayer is unlikely to warrant serious consideration as a fantasy starter. If Bowers can’t suit up for Sunday’s divisional matchup in Los Angeles, Mayer becomes a solid streaming option.