Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Top Pickups After Latest Injuries

One of the biggest keys to fantasy football success is always staying on top of the news. Injuries can occur at any point during a given week. And when a star player goes down, there's a race to the waiver wire for managers to try to add players who will benefit from increased opportunity.

With Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season underway, there are already some key players dealing with injuries. So it's crucial to keep monitoring the news and checking the injury reports before kickoff on Sunday. Nothing is worse than losing a matchup because you started a player who sat out.

Here are some Week 2 rankings, several injury situations to monitor and multiple waiver-wire options in case you're looking for some late fill-in players for your lineup.

Quarterbacks

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1. Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray vs. MIN

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady vs. ATL

3. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes at BAL

4. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson vs. TEN

5. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson vs. KC

6. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert vs. DAL

7. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. DET

8. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott at LAC

9. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen at MIA

10. Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. SF

Injury Report

There aren't many notable quarterback injuries in the league at this point. Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to miss extended time because of a hip injury, but Washington already played in the Thursday night game this week. Perhaps Taylor Heinicke's performance makes him a waiver-wire option in future weeks.

Waiver-Wire Option: Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos

Bridgewater is available in more than 80 percent of leagues in both ESPN and Yahoo formats (per FantasyPros), and he could be poised for a big Week 2. The Broncos have a favorable matchup against the Jaguars, so expect them to generate plenty of offense.

Even though wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (ankle) is on injured reserve, Denver has plenty of offensive weapons for Bridgewater to utilize. Last week, he threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants, with his scoring passes going to Tim Patrick and Albert Okwuegbunam.

While Bridgewater isn't likely to be a starting option every week, he can capitalize on good matchups with big showings. And this should be one of them.

Running Backs

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1. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. NO

2. Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook at ARI

3. Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb vs. HOU

4. Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry at SEA

5. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara at CAR

6. Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor vs. LAR

7. Chicago Bears RB David Montgomery vs. CIN

8. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones vs. DET

9. Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon at CHI

10. New England Patriots RB Damien Harris at NYJ

Injury Report

D'Andre Swift (groin) and Jamaal Williams (chest), the Lions' top two running backs, were both limited participants at practice on Friday, and both are questionable for Monday night's game against the Packers. Continue to monitor their status over the weekend, but if either may not play, it should be safer to start somebody on Sunday rather than wait until Monday.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (toe/ankle) will be out Sunday, meaning Kenyan Drake should get plenty of touches in their game against the Steelers. It's a tough matchup, so only flex Drake if you have to.

Waiver-Wire Option: Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders is still the lead back in the Eagles' offense, but Gainwell is likely to still get plenty of touches, especially because of his role in the passing game. Last week, he had nine carries for 37 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. If Philadelphia had needed to throw the ball more, it's possible he would have had more than three targets and two receptions.

At this point, Gainwell is only a flex option in deep points-per-reception leagues. But as he continues to acclimate to the NFL, don't be surprised if he becomes a key receiving option for the Eagles as they look to generate more production out of their backfield.

Gainwell is available in more than 60 percent of all leagues (per FantasyPros), so now is the time to pick him up before there's a rush later on.

Wide Receivers

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1. Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill at BAL

2. Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. MIN

3. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams vs. DET

4. Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen vs. DAL

5. Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf vs. TEN

6. Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs at MIA

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin vs. ATL

8. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson at ARI

9. Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper at LAC

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown vs. ATL

Injury Report

Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (knee) won't play Sunday against the Texans, which should put Jarvis Landry in line for plenty of targets. Cleveland may not need to pass the ball a ton, as it will likely have a sizable lead, but there should be enough offense for Landry to be a solid option.

The Cowboys put Michael Gallup (calf) on injured reserve earlier this week. Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb were already must-start fantasy receivers, but Dalton Schultz could now be worthy of starting at tight end with more targets available.

Also, keep an eye on the Colts' injury report, as Michael Pittman Jr. (ankle) and Parris Campbell (abdomen) are questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Waiver-Wire Option: Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts

Pascal was the Colts' top wide receiver in their Week 1 loss to the Seahawks, notching four receptions for 43 yards and two touchdowns. The only players who had more catches and were targeted more were running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines.

With Pittman and Campbell both banged up, Pascal should be targeted plenty again this week. It may be tough for him to put up huge numbers against the Rams, but if the Colts are passing a lot late, Pascal could be the one picking up yards and getting into the end zone again.

If Pascal continues to be a focal point for Indianapolis' offense, he'll get picked up in a lot more leagues, as he's available in more than 85 percent (per FantasyPros). But if you add him now and he keeps trending upward, it could end up being a great move.

Tight Ends

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1. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce at BAL

2. Detroit Lions TE T.J. Hockenson at GB

3. San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle at PHI

4. Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller at PIT

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski vs. ATL

6. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews vs. KC

7. Denver Broncos TE Noah Fant at JAX

8. Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee at IND

9. Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts at TB

10. Green Bay Packers TE Robert Tonyan vs. DET

Injury Report

Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith (hip) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets. If he plays, he could be worth starting. If he doesn't, Hunter Henry could be a decent streaming option.

Waiver-Wire Option: Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Kmet was the clear top tight end in Chicago's offense in Week 1, as he had five catches for 42 yards on seven targets. Meanwhile, veteran Jimmy Graham was only targeted twice and had one 11-yard reception.

The Bears had a tough opening matchup against the Rams, but their offense should have more success against the Bengals. Kmet is available in more than 60 percent of fantasy leagues (per FantasyPros) and could be on the cusp of a second-year breakout, making him a worthwhile streaming option right now.