Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Flex and PPR Top 50 Outlook

Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season brought with it plenty of fantasy surprises, breakouts and, unfortunately, injuries. One of the most notable ones, as it relates to fantasy, is the high-ankle injury suffered by New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Thomas will try to play through the injury. However, this is still a notable storyline for the millions of fantasy managers with Thomas in their lineups. There's a very real chance that Thomas will have to hit the bench against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.

The Indianapolis Colts lost starting tailback Marlon Mack for the year with a torn Achilles.

For those looking to replace a player like Thomas, Mack or Miami Dolphins wideout DeVante Parker (hamstring) in Week 2, we're going to examine the top 50 flex options and some potential waiver-wire targets.

Rankings are based on points-per-reception scoring.

Fantasy Flex 50, Week 2

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

3. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

5. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

6. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

7. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

8. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

13. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

14. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

15. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

16. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

17. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears

18. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

19. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

20. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

21. DJ Moore, WR Carolina Panthers

22. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

23. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

24. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

25. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

26. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

27. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

28. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

29. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

30. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

31. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

32. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

33. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

34. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

35. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

36. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

37. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

38. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

39. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

40. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

41. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons

42. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

43. Zach Ertz, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

44. Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

45. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

46. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

47. Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

48. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans

49. David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

50. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Week 2 Waiver-Wire Targets

Malcolm Brown, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

Though rookie second-round pick Cam Akers was widely thought to be the heir apparent to Todd Gurley, the Los Angeles Rams instead leaned more heavily on longtime backup Malcolm Brown against the Dallas Cowboys.

While Akers had 14 carries, Brown had 18 to go with three receptions, 110 total yards and two touchdowns.

The reality is that Brown is still part of a committee and probably not a high-end fantasy option, but he should remain a viable flex starter for the foreseeable future. There's a good chance that he's available too, as he's rostered in just 25 percent of Yahoo leagues and eight percent of ESPN leagues.

Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts

As previously noted, Week 1 saw some pretty big fantasy-relevant injuries, including the torn Achilles suffered by Colts running back Marlon Mack.

"I know [Mack's] going to be in not only my ear, but the rest of the backs' ear until he gets back— whatever his status is—in order to make sure we can uphold his part and make sure that the running back group is not a dropoff," Colts rookie running back Jonathan Taylor said, per ESPN's Mike Wells.

Taylor becomes Indianapolis' primary ball-carrier and a must-add if you can find him. However, receiving back Nyheim Hines is a more realistic waiver-wire target, as he's rostered in just 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 34 percent of ESPN leagues.

Hines held a good amount of PPR value even before Mack's injury. He had eight receptions, 73 total yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

While Jaguars rookie wideout Laviska Shenault Jr. isn't going to outright replace a fantasy star like Michael Thomas or DeVante Parker, he can be a serviceable flex option moving forward. It's clear that Jacksonville wants him involved in the offense, as the Colorado product had two carries and three receptions in his NFL debut.

Shenault finished with 47 total yards and a touchdown.

Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II was an efficient 19-of-20 for 173 yards and three touchdowns against the Colts, and as long as he's playing at a high level, Shenault's fantasy value will continue to grow. Consider the rookie a claim-and-stash target for now, though upcoming games against the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals could make him a fantasy starter.

Shenault is rostered in 12 percent of Yahoo leagues and seven percent of ESPN leagues.

*Yahoo and ESPN percentages from FantasyPros.