Updated Fantasy Football QB Rankings Week 2: Who to start, best sleepers, injury updates, waiver wire picks

The first two nights of NFL action on Thursday and Friday nights spoiled us with elite fantasy production across the board with Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Jordan Love. There were still some great performances on Sunday as well, but there were also plenty of clunkers. 

Bo Nix received praise in the preseason, but he shriveled up against Seattle. He did manage to complete 26 passes, but those receptions resulted in only 138 yards -- that's just 3.3 yards per reception! Caleb Williams weas another rookie who didn't live up to the hype in Week 1, but his team did manage to pick up a victory, making him the first QB No. 1 overall pick to win his debut since David Carr (no, not Derek Carr). Those are two wild stats from a couple of rookies in their opening acts. 

Speaking of the Carrs, Derek tossed three touchdowns against the Panthers, and on the other side of things, Bryce Young was abysmal. There was some optimism that the arrival of Dave Canales as the new head coach would lead to a much-improved Young under center. Going 13-for-30 for 161 yards and two interceptions is not an auspicious beginning to the season. 

While it was definitely a mixed bag of fantasy performances, the key to Week 2 is to not overreact to Week 1. At the same time we can't just ignore what our eyes saw in the first week of action. These rankings reflect a balanced look at the quarterback landscape. 

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Fantasy QB Rankings Week 2: Who to start, sit at quarterback

These rankings are based on four-point passing TD scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 15 following the release of inactives. 

Italicized players have already played this week.

What are the notable QB rankings changes?

There were not any significant quarterback changes in our final rankings update following the release of inactives. We bumped up Justin Fields one more spot given his rushing upside and the fact that Justin Herbert and the Chargers could do an awful lot of running the ball rather than passing against the Raiders. With Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze both still questionable for Chicago, we dinged Caleb Williams one more spot as well. Below are the changes from the previous rankings update.

The biggest movement so far in the rankings is Justin Fields moving up seven spots to QB17. It was reported Tuesday morning that the Steelers are preparing as if Fields will be under center as Russell Wilson continues to deal with a calf injury. Fields didn't impress much as a passer in Week 1, but it's a given with him that passing will typically be a mixed bag. But the rushing skills are the constant and always makes him fantasy relevant when he's starting. 

The other adjustments were quite minor and was less about recent news and reports, and more about digging in deeper on what really mattered from Week 1. We were originally a little too bullish on Tua Tagovailoa, so we dropped him down a few spots to QB9. And given Jayden Daniels' rushing upside, and given he gets a Giants defense that just made Sam Darnold look the best he's perhaps ever looked, we moved him up a couple more spots to QB7. Expect the passing stats to start ticking up as he gets more comfortable. 

Who are the best fantasy QBs for Week 2?

Heading into the Sunday night game, four of the top-5 and five of the top-7 fantasy quarterbacks were quarterbacks with rushing upside. Somehow Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr of all people were able to infiltrate the monopoly on the top spots held by the dual-threats. More on those guys in a bit. 

Jayden Daniels threw for just 184 yards and zero passing touchdowns, but he also rushed for 88 yards and two scores to give him 28.16 points on Yahoo!. When you can turn mediocre, or even poor passing days, into top-5 fantasy performances because of your legs, your spot in the upper echelon of QBs is pretty safe. 

So, it's no surprise to see dual threat QBs making up the entirety of the top-3 with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson. Patrick Mahomes sneaks in there at QB4, but another rushing QB in Anthony Richardson is QB5. While Richardson had a few highlight reel throws to go with his impressive rushing, he also had plenty of ugly throws as well. But the rushing mitigates any risk there might be with the inaccuracy. 

Who are the best fantasy QB waiver pickups Week 2?

While it wasn't a complete shock that Baker Mayfield had a great day against a poor Washington secondary, I don't think anyone saw Derek Carr's big day coming. Either way, these two, along with Justin Fields are the top waiver wire pickups heading into Week 2. 

While Mayfield won't likely have a super high ceiling every week, with weapons like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Rachaad White and others, the weekly floor is a pretty safe one. There may have been some concerns that Mayfield would tail off after the departure of his former offensive coordinate Dave Canales, but so far, so good. 

And it's hard to judge just how good Carr's day really was because the Panthers showed today that they're still the worst team in the NFL. He did throw for three touchdowns, but his brother David Carr could have hit the wide open Rashid Shaheed on his big touchdown. The Saints were up so much, so soon that there wasn't much pressure on Carr to keep the foot on the gas. But still, he showed enough that it could be time to reconsider him depending on the matchups or if you're in 2QB leagues. 

And back to the rushing quarterbacks, it was mind-boggling that Justin Fields is only 15% rostered in Yahoo! leagues. It was heavily speculated Saturday that he would start over Russell Wilson who was dealing with a calf injury. Despite Fields failing to show any consistency as a passer, his immense rushing talent makes him a must-add in case he never cedes the job back to Wilson. 

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Who are the best fantasy QB sleepers Week 2?

When most people think of Thursday night football, they're often reminded of some of the worst matchups of the season, but buckle up for another barn burner this week. A Ravens-Chiefs matchup is hard to follow up, but the Bills and Dolphins are as good a pairing as any to try and fill those proverbial shoes. While Josh Allen will likely be a top-3 pick every week, this may be the highest Tua Tagovailoa is ranked all season as he checks in at QB6. Miami historically struggles against good teams, but this Buffalo defense is probably the weakest its been in years. With Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, and De'Von Achane, Tua could put up big numbers again in what could be a track meet. 

Matthew Stafford is our other sleeper as the Rams hit the road again as they face the Cardinals. Arizona had one of the worst offenses last season, and they didn't do all that much to improve it in the offseason. Stafford is a stationary gun slinger, but he should be able to pick the Cardinals' defense apart.  

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What are the biggest QB injuries Week 2?

While Jordan Love did put together a solid performance against the Eagles on Friday night, he also went down with an MCL sprain with just six seconds left in the game. It looked like it could have been a season-ender, but he's only expected to be out 3-4 weeks, with the Packers optimistic it will be on the shorter end of that timeline. Malik Willis is the backup, and despite his rushing upside and bevy of weapons around him, he's not worth picking up yet. But monitor his first start to see if he makes any strides with a week of practicing as the starter. It should be noted that head coach Matt LaFleur said the door is "pretty open" for Jordan Love to play this week, but that's likely gamesmanship. For now, we're continuing to rank as if Love is sitting, but keep an eye on this situation. 

As mentioned with Fields, Russell Willson's injury is the other big one to keep an eye on. Justin Fields led the Steelers to a victory, but he didn't light the world on fire by any stretch. He only threw for 156 yards and tacked on 57 yards on the ground. Unlike Willis, though, Fields has proven to be a very good fantasy producer in the past, and with if he remains the team's starter, he very well could be startable this week against the Broncos.