Fantasy football rankings Week 2: Sleepers, projections, starts, Javonte Williams, Hollywood Brown and more

Never let anyone tell you I don’t listen/read the comments and try to adapt to your needs and wants. I’m trying a new format for the fantasy football rankings in Week 2. Instead of game-by-game notes, I’m going position by position.

I’m still including important notes and tidbits, but I’m also trying to answer your start/sit questions when it comes to injuries and upside, risk and floor. The fun ranks are never leaving, but hopefully, this format helps answer even more of your dilemmas and gets you to the rankings quicker (they’re midway down the page now). Let’s get to it!

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Week 2 Waiver Wire

Week 2 SOS Ranks (coming soon)

Fantasy 101 (weather, start/sit, trading, more)

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WEEK 2 FANTASY FOOTBALL NOTES

Running Backs

D’Andre Swift led all running backs with 95.2% of the RB touches (RBTouch%) in Week 1. Chase Brown was second at 92.0%.

Kyren Williams ceded a few snaps to Blake Corum, who is the clear No. 2, but Williams still had a 90.5 RBTouch% (third-highest) and 100% of the 3rd/4th down touches.

Travis Etienne had a 65.5 RBTouch% and Tank Bigsby’s 17.2% is now on the Eagles.

Only Jahmyr Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey had more receptions than Dylan Sampson’s eight (for 64 yards), so whether or not Quinshon Judkins plays — this week or any week — Sampson is a nice RB3, especially in a potential pass-happy matchup like this week.

If Austin Ekeler doesn’t play, Jacory Croskey-Merritt would see a mild boost, as Jeremy McNichols likely takes Ekeler’s passing work, and Chris Rodriguez would be active for a likely few touches.

Javonte Williams’ 77.3 RBTouch% would have ranked second for a full 2024 season, and Jerry Jones suggested Jaydon Blue will likely be inactive again in Week 2.

Tyrone Tracy is the lead but struggled with efficiency — not all his fault, but it adds risk, especially if the Giants involve Cam Skattebo more.

TreVeyon Henderson led the Patriots with a 52.4 RBTouch% to Rhamondre Stevenson’s 42.9%, and while Henderson has the added passing-game boost, there is still a floor risk if the offense struggles or they have a big lead.

Breece Hall looked terrific, but he’ll remain a RB2 with RB1 upside, as he had just 48.7% of the goal-to-go attempts, sharing with Justin Fields and Braelon Allen.

I don’t expect it to last all season, maybe not even half of it, but Kenneth Gainwell is part of the 1-2 punch with Jaylen Warren. Kaleb Johnson is a current non-factor with just a 4.2 RBTouch% in Week 1.

Sean Payton strikes again with RJ Harvey handling just 25% of the RB touches, though Harvey proved he has weekly Top 25 upside despite his high-risk, low-floor.

Not only was the Isiah Pacheco-Kareem Hunt platoon a perfect 50/50 split, but Hunt had all of the 3rd/4th down opportunities. This is good and bad. Pacheco is the clear early-down option with more work if the Chiefs are in control, but it’s also bad against the Eagles since that seems unlikely to happen.

Despite playing from behind until late, the Vikings used Jordan Mason as the lead runner, which included 16 rushes to eight for Aaron Jones. The appeal for Jones is clear in the passing game, but we can expect a Warren/Najee Harris-like backfield for the Vikings.

Wide Receivers

If Matthew Golden is out, Jayden Reed would get a mild boost, but it would make Dontayvion Wicks a deep flier. Romeo Doubs is locked into a top-two role either way.

Two of the most popular pickups are Cedric Tillman and Quentin Johnston. I have more faith in Tillman, who can be the Browns’ No. 1. Fantasy Points’ Win Rate had them close in Week 1 — 31.0% Tillman, 30.6% Johnston, but Tillman only had 4.8% of his routes graded negative (lost separation) versus 16.7% for Johnston.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an insane 59.1 TmTGT%. I’m not dropping Cooper Kupp yet, as Justin Jefferson dominated Vikings targets last year (29.8%), but Sam Darnold still sent enough to Jordan Addison for his value (19.1%).

The most Fantasy Points Per Target (FPPT) for players with at least five targets but no touchdowns? Kayshon Boutte with 1.66. A reminder that Boutte had a decently high NFL Draft profile before his injury. Also, Stefon Diggs is still working his way into the mix, but Boutte could surprise again, as the Dolphins look to have one of the worst coverage units.

If Jauan Jennings is out, Ricky Pearsall would get a small bump, but chasing anyone else outside a Jake Tonges Hail Mary play wouldn’t be advised.

Elic Ayomanor not only ran as the clear No. 2 for the Titans, but he had 45.9% of the Titans’ Air Yards, which was 12th-most in Week 1.

There were only two players with over 80% of the routes run and who spent at least 75% of the time in the slot: Khalil Shakir and… Hunter Renfrow.

Hollywood Brown had a 40.0 First Read TGT% — which would have ranked behind only Malik Nabers and A.J. Brown last year — with a mere 6.31 AirYD/TGT. For reference, that would have ranked 114th last year for wide receivers with 25+ targets… or 13th-worst.

If you’re wondering, yes, I’m on board with the Deebo Samuel bounceback. If you listened to my podcast, you probably heard me say, “Jayden Daniels threw 200 balls to jabroni wideouts last year not named Terry McLaurin.”

I’m not in full-blown panic mode on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, even though I’m rather worried. If you want the positive spin, Hill was 15th and Waddle 31st in targets per route run (103 qualified WRs), which has shown to be as predictive as YPRR.

If Drake London and Darnell Mooney are out for the Falcons, Casey Washington is the super sneaky, and super desperate, play with Ray-Ray McCloud more of the volume prayer.

WEEK 2 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS

🚨 HEADS UP 🚨

There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).

ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).

Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.

Quarterbacks

Cam Ward had the worst Adjusted Completion Percentage (Adj Comp%) in Week 1 at 60.0% and only Russell Wilson had a worse Comp% Over Expectation (CPOE) at -9.7% and -11.2%, respectively.

There are some concerns with Jared Goff and the Lions offense, but while his 4.2 Air Yards per Attempt (Air/Att) was league-worst, his marks have been 6.4, 7.0, 6.7 and 6.3 in his four Lions seasons, and he’s struggled in Green Bay.

If Brock Purdy is out, Mac Jones would cause Pearsall to dip, but only a few spots, as Jones didn’t destroy Brian Thomas’ value last year.

Tight Ends

There were nine players with 100% route participation in Week 1. All were wideouts except… Juwan Johnson.

I understand the excitement for Harold Fannin, but look to Isaiah Likely to understand the risk. Fannin ran just 64.6% of the routes, and Likely only topped that mark six times last year. Of those, only twice did he score more than 7.4 points, or the same number of games he did with a lower percentage of routes. It’s hard for either tight end to carry consistent value when teams utilize two frequently, let alone when it’s the lesser involved option.

Speaking of … Noah Fant had 46.4% of the routes to Mike Gesicki’s 35.7%… Cole Kmet had 67.4% and Colston Loveland 48.8%… Dalton Kincaid had 60.8% and Dawson Knox 45.1%… both Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth had 52.9%… and surprisingly frustrating, Evan Engram at 41.9% and Adam Trautman at 37.2% plus Lucas Krull with 25.6%.

FUN WITH RANKS

So, let me first say, I’m a terrible singer. Second, who cares? Because that’s the fun of karaoke. This week’s fun rankings are the best karaoke songs.

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There are several you expect, but I think a few you might not. I’m going for crowd involvement too. No, I don’t want to hear Tennessee Whiskey for the umpteenth time. None of us wants to hear your rendition, no matter if you think some random record label is going to discover you in the bar — hint: they won’t. While some songs would be great for the entertainment of failing to hit the high note, I want fun for everyone, which is why…

The ultimate, best ever, most amazing song of all time and greatest karaoke choice possible: DuckTales Theme!

Okay, now for the “ones” with 12 picks, just like for fantasy football.

Top 12 Best Karaoke Songs (after DuckTales)

Journey: Don’t Stop Believin’ — I mean, it’s normally one of the first songs chosen for a reason. Everyone knows it. Everyone loves it.

Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody — You need the stamina to make it all the way through as the karaoke-er, but it must be on the list.

Neil Diamond: Sweet Caroline — “Bum, bum, bum!” A guaranteed hit and heavy crowd involvement.

Backstreet Boys: Everybody (or I Want it That Way, or even ‘NSYNC’s Bye, Bye, Bye) — Hard to pick which is best, best. All are great, all will get the crowd involved, and everyone knows them, even if they don’t want to admit it.

Bon Jovi: Livin’ on a Prayer — Everyone singing, “Whoa-oh!”

Blink-182: All the Small Things (or What’s My Age) — I’m sure non-alternative/punk rock people will roll their eyes, but these are two terrific choices, and hard to pick which is best.

Will Smith: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — The good news is everyone knows it. The better news is you don’t have to be on the stage long.

The Killers: Mr. Brightside — Not the easiest if you only kind of know the lyrics, but a crowd pleaser.

Jimmy Eat World: Sweetness — Similar to Bon Jovi, you’ll have enough of the crowd knowing this song to “Sing it Back, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oooh!”

Coolio: Gangsta’s Paradise — Don’t overdo it. Just have fun and realize you probably have half the rhythm of Coolio.

Wheatus: Teenage Dirtbag — Super underrated, and a lot of people don’t even realize they know it.

The Darkness: I Believe in a Thing Called Love — I dare anyone to hit the high notes, but even if you can’t (you can’t), it doesn’t make this any less fun.

WEEK 2 FANTASY FOOTBALL PROJECTIONS

🚨 HEADS UP 🚨 These can differ from my rankings, and MY RANKS are the order I’d start players outside of added context, such as, “Need highest upside, even if risky.” Also, based on 4-point TDs for QB, 6-point rest, and Half-PPR

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(Photo of Javonte Williams: Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

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