Fantasy Football Week 2: Rankings, Projections and Waiver-Wire Tips
Opening week of the 2024 NFL season did not disappoint for fantasy managers, many of whom watched their superstars deliver big points for them en route to tone-setting league victories.
Tyreek Hill, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and A.J. Brown were just some of the names with impressive showings in their season debuts.
Looking forward to Week 2, will they be able to replicate those performances? Who takes the top spot among their peers in fantasy rankings?
Find out with this preview of the second slate of games, including two waiver-wire names worth picking up immediately.
All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise stated.
Week 2 Schedule
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Thursday, September 12
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (8:15 p.m.)
Sunday, September 15
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m.)
Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots (1 p.m.)
New York Giants at Washington Commanders (1 p.m.)
Los Angeles Chargers at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m.)
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m.)
Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers (1 p.m.)
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m.)
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans (1 p.m.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (1 p.m.)
Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens (1 p.m.)
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m.)
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (4:25 p.m.)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (4:25 p.m.)
Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (8:20 p.m.)
Monday, September 16
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m.)
Overall Rankings and Points Projections
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After an explosive Week 1 full of superb fantasy performances from some of the top stars in the league, these are the top 15 players for the upcoming slate of games.
- Josh Allen, QB, BUF at MIA (projected points: 35)
- Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI vs. ATL (projected points: 29)
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF at MIN (projected points: 28)
- Derrick Henry, RB, BAL vs. LV (projected points: 28)
- Tyreek Hill, WR, vs. BUF (projected points: 26)
- Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN vs. SF (projected points: 25)
- Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR at ARI (projected points: 25)
- Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR at ARI (projected points: 24)
- Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL vs. LV (projected points: 24)
- Anthony Richardson, QB, IND at GB (projected points: 23)
- Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND at GB (projected points: 21)
- Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL at PHI (projected points: 19)
- Kyren Williams, RB, LAR at ARI (projected points: 17)
- Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET vs. TB (projected points: 16)
- AJ Brown, WR, PHI vs. ATL (projected points: 16)
Waiver-Wire Pickup: Derek Carr
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Fantasy managers were burnt by Derek Carr in his inaugural season with New Orleans in 2023, but he wasted no time showing the world how comfortable he is in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system.
Against a Carolina Panthers defense that was outmatched from the get-go, the 33-year-old completed 82.6 percent of his passes for 200 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 142.5.
Carr only had three games with three or more touchdowns a season ago and did not see a rating that high until a Week 17 victory over Atlanta.
Managers should jump at the opportunity to grab the four-time Pro Bowler, no matter how difficult a matchup Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys looks to be on paper.
Yes, the NFC East side rolled over the Cleveland Browns to the tune of 33-17, but what the Saints want to do offensively matches up well against the aggressive style of play the Cowboys incorporate.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs wants to jump every route and intercept the ball. If Carr and Co. can take advantage of that to make the dazzling defensive highlight, there will be opportunities for them to go deep down the field, especially with Rashid Shaheed's ability to outrun any opponent.
Carr is available in an astonishing 90 percent of Yahoo leagues and 96 percent of ESPN. That should change, and quickly, especially if you are not sold on your starting quarterback's consistency to deliver winnable numbers every week.
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Waiver Wire: Isaiah Likely
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Isaiah Likely was a highlight for the Ravens in their season opener, catching nine balls on 12 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown.
It was a statement performance by a tight end who has waited his turn behind Mark Andrews and is ready to breakout as a star in the NFL.
Against the Raiders in Week 2, he will have opportunities to replicate that performance, even if Andrews remains TE1 in Charm City.
Likely emerged as a safety blanket for Lamar Jackson and someone who was able to adjust on the fly as his quarterback eluded defenders. He was also a big toe away from tying the game for his team and sending the opener against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to overtime.
The 24-year-old could see his targets decreased as Andrews gets back into the swing of things, but there was enough on show Thursday night to be optimistic that the third-year player is going to be a big contributor for Baltimore.
Rostered in only 9.5 percent of leagues, now is the time to get Likely.
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