Week 2 Fantasy QB Rankings

Matt Lutovsky

Week 2 Fantasy QB Rankings image

You can't completely disregard the season's opening week when it comes to fantasy, but you also shouldn't overreact. OK, now that that boring, boilerplate company line is out of the way...Lamar Jackson is the new Michael Vick, Baker Mayfield sucks, and Ben Roethlisberger is D-U-N, done! Our Week 2 fantasy QB rankings should be 1. Patrick Mahomes, 2. Jackson, 3. Gardner Minshew's mustache, 4-32. Who cares?

See, that's more fun, right? OK, the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. Certain QBs looked great (Jackson, Dak Prescott, Tom Brady); other highly ranked guys struggled (Roethlisberger, Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers). Things will even out in Week 2, but how much? We're expecting bounce-back efforts from Goff (back at home in a favorable matchup), Matt Ryan (ditto), and Mayfield. We're not quite as excited about Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and Jameis Winston, but given their talent levels and the state of this position, all are still in the discussion for a starting spot.

WEEK 2 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

And that's going to be the prevailing theme with this position all year long. Matthew Stafford can put up big numbers one week, be ranked No. 21 the next, and still realistically be just as much of a tough start-or-sit call as whoever is ranked No. 12. Even without Tyreek Hill, we know Patrick Mahomes II will be in the top five, and Brady might find himself there for a while given his stable of WRs, but the rest of the signal-callers will be in a constant state of flux. The good news is it's not difficult to find a good one; the bad news is that even with just two QBs on your roster, you might not always pick the right one.

WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiverTight end

Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis! 

Week 2 DFS: FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPPY! Cash | Y! GPP

LISTEN TO THE SN FANTASY WEEK 2 PREVIEW PODCAST BELOW

Week 2 Fantasy QB Rankings

These rankings are for standard leagues with 4-point passing TDs.

1 Patrick Mahomes II, KC @ OAK. Without Tyreek Hill (shoulder), Mahomes might only throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. It's a real worry.
2 Tom Brady, NE @ MIA. Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Antonio Brown, Doo Doo Brown -- it doesn't make a differece. All that matters is the Dolphins horrible defense inevitably failing to stop the greatest quarterback of all-time.
3 Jared Goff, LAR vs. NO. Goff disappointed in Week 1, but he's always been much better at home, including last season when he posted a 22-3 TD-to-INT ratio at home compared to a 10-9 mark on the road. Given the matchup and the surroundings, we're expect significantly better numbers, especially since one of his good road starts last year was in New Orleans (391 yards, three TDs).
4 Carson Wentz, PHI @ ATL.
5 Philip Rivers, LAC @ DET.
6 Matt Ryan, ATL vs. PHI. Ryan managed a decent fantasy day thanks to some garbage-time production, but he looked off from the start. Like Goff, Ryan is typically better at home, and after the Eagles gave up 380 yards and three TDs to Case Keenum in Week 1, Ryan's in a good spot to produce.
7 Deshaun Watson, HOU vs. JAX
8 Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. ARZ. Jackson looked comfortable in Baltimore's revamped offense, but a lot of QBs are going to look comfortable against Miami. The good news is he has another highly favorable matchup, as Arizona was just roasted for 385 yards and three TDs by Matthew Stafford. Jackson always has a high floor because of his rushing abillity, and given what we saw in Week 1, he also has a high ceiling.
9 Baker Mayfield, CLE @ NYJ
10 Dak Prescott, DAL @ WAS. Prescott could easily be ranked higher after his impressive debut, but the Cowboys are still a run-oriented offense, so don't expect huge games every week. Prescott does have a nice floor, though, so you can always feel safe with him in your lineup -- especially against a Redskins defense that gave up 300-plus and three TDs to Carson Wentz in Week 1.
11 Drew Brees, NO @ LAR
12 Russell Wilson, SEA @ PIT. Russell always manages to put up decent stats even if he and the Seahawks offense doesn't play particularly well. Last week, he had a pair of TDs and 200 yards despite seemingly being stuck in neutral all game. This is as tougher matchup, but Wilson remains a top QB with a high floor in all situations.
13 Cam Newton, CAR vs. TB. Newton struggled in Week 1, and Tampa looked much improved against Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers, but we're not expecting that defense to travel well on a short week. Newton has decent weapons around him, so it's only a matter of time before he breaks through. His health -- and how much he runs -- remains a worry, but this matchup helps put us at ease.
14 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT vs. SEA. Andy Dalton had no problem with the Seahawks defense in Seattle in Week 1 (418 yards, two TDs), so Big Ben is in a good spot to bounce back. 
15 Aaron Rodgers, GB vs. MIN. Like the three QBs above him in the rankings, Rodgers has a high ceiling every time he takes the field, but a poor Week 1 has his owners worried. Minnesota mostly shut down Matt Ryan until garbage time last week, so this isn't a particularly favorable matchup, which is why Rodgers is relatively low. We need to see some signs of life from Green Bay's offense, particularly its secondary receivers, before Rodgers can go back into the top 12 in these types of matchups.
16 Josh Allen, BUF @ NYG. Allen's ceiling is capped by his sloppiness and lack of of secondary playmakers, but his rushing ability and deep-ball potential with John Brown still give him plenty of upside. The Giants were just roasted by a similar dual-threat QB (Dak Prescott), so there are plenty of reasons to like Allen here.
17 Jameis Winston, TB @ CAR. Winston is on the hot seat after a poor Week 1 showing, but he still has weapons all around him. He's the type of player who will be up and down, and Thursday night games early in the season are always unpredictable. If you liked Winston before the season, you shouldn't give up on him after only one game.
18 Andy Dalton, CIN vs. SF. Dalton is an interesting sleeper given his monster Week 1 and seemingly favorable Week 2 opponent. It's still tough to trust any of his receivers other than Tyler Boyd, but if John Ross's breakout is legit, Dalton will look underranked here.
19 Matthew Stafford, DET vs. LAC. Stafford exploited a poor defense for big numbers in Week 1, but his offensive line still failed to properly protect him (three sacks, two fumbles). Against a better defense, his upside isn't nearly as high in Week 2, though the emergence of Danny Amendola and T.J. Hockenson give us more optimism than we had in the preseason.
20 Derek Carr, OAK vs. KC. Carr looked good on Monday, completing 22-of-26 passes for 259 yards and a score, and with Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller, he has two pass-catchers who looked fairly dependable. Kansas City's defense still looks vulnerable, so Carr isn't a bad sleeper option. 
21 Kirk Cousins, MIN @ GB. Apparently, the Vikings were serious about their plan to lean on the run. Cousins attempted just 10 passes in Week 1, and while we certainly expect more this week -- perhaps three times more -- there are still some concerns. Given how well Green Bay's defense played last Thursday, Cousins has a relatively low ceiling despite his stable of upper-tier receivers.
22 Jimmy Garoppolo, SF @ CIN
23 Marcus Mariota, TEN vs. IND
24 Kyler Murray, ARZ @ BAL. Murray finished with decent enough numbers, but he had an entire extra period in addition to a fourth quarter where he trailed by two scores much of the time. He'll always have a lot of upside, but facing a solid defense on the road will be a much tougher task than facing a poor defense at home. 
25 Jacoby Brissett, IND @ TEN
26 Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ DEN
27 Eli Manning, NYG vs. BUF
28 Case Keenum, WAS vs. DAL
29 Trevor Siemian, NYJ vs. CLE
30 Joe Flacco, DEN vs. CHI
31 Gardner Minshew, JAX @ HOU
32 Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA vs. NE

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.