Week 2 Rankings

Updated 9/15 at 12:05 PM ET. Added Mike Williams as WR43. Added Cody Latimer as WR65. 

Week 1 wasn’t Lamar Jackson’s debut, but it was his unveiling. Jackson’s rookie starts were conducted on the fly. Sunday was the culmination of a months-long plan. Everything the Ravens did over the offseason, from replacing OC Marty Mornhinweg with Greg Roman to acquiring Mark Ingram and Marquise Brown, was done with an eye toward maximizing Jackson’s unique skill-set. You could say it was maximized in the team’s 59-10 trouncing of the Dolphins. That should go down as Jackson’s best game of the season, but the Cardinals and their undermanned defense offer the opportunity for, if not a repeat, something close to it. The scariest part about Jackson’s Week 1 domination — and the most promising for fantasy owners — is that it didn’t even feature his running. That is still what sets Jackson apart, and gives him a marble floor to go along with his sky-high ceiling. 

Week 2 Quarterbacks 

QB Notes: Week 1 could not have gone better for Deshaun Watson. That includes in Jacksonville, where his Week 2 opponent got ripped apart by Patrick Mahomes. Watson still isn’t Mahomes, but playing at home with a healthier supporting cast, he has the better Sunday setup. … You could still easily rank Mahomes No. 2, or No. 1 for that matter. Although it shut down Joe Flacco, there is little reason to believe Oakland’s pass defense is meaningfully improved on last year’s cellar-dwelling unit. But Tyreek Hill’s absence is enough to tip the scales in Watson’s favor. Not even Mahomes can weather Hill’s injury without a hit to both his floor and ceiling. His baseline will still remain top five on a weekly basis. … Carson Wentz’s Week 1 was how summer drafters drew it up. DeSean Jackson had an enormous impact, not only ripping big plays but returning balance to the Eagles’ passing attack. The Falcons’ pass defense hasn’t made many changes after a doormat 2018, though it has recovered from a biblical wave of injuries. … Lamar Jackson posted the 73rd perfect QB rating in NFL history last Sunday. Dak Prescott posted the 74th. New OC Kellen Moore was as advertised, improving the Cowboys’ play sequencing, pre-snap machinations and overall design. The Redskins are another soft opponent.

Tom Brady will be quarterbacking one of the biggest favorites in NFL history in Miami. Whether he will be doing so with Antonio Brown remains to be seen. Unless the NFL intervenes, all signs point to yes. One competitive half could be more than enough time for Brady to get his numbers — see Jackson, Lamar — but it would certainly make sense for the Patriots to turn the keys over Sony Michel in the second half, perhaps abridging Brady’s ceiling. … After a predictable Week 1 road dud, Jared Goff returns to the Coliseum to face a Saints Defense fresh off getting throttled by Deshaun Watson. Goff averaged 9.0 yards per attempt while posting a 22:3 TD:INT ratio in eight 2018 home starts. … Matt Ryan watched the life get squeezed out of the Falcons Offense in Minnesota. Returning home, he should find an Eagles Defense that just got challenged by Case Keenum more accommodating. … Can Cam Newton still throw deep? We don’t know. Is he still facing the Bucs with Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel at his disposal? Yes. Simplicity.

The Bengals jumped out to an unexpected 17-14 halftime lead in Seattle last Sunday and Russell Wilson still only attempted 20 passes. It’s hard to believe he could be that limited again in Pittsburgh, but it is hard to believe a lot of things about the Seahawks’ offense. … Aaron Rodgers was the league’s least-accurate passer in Week 1. A date with Mike Zimmer’s pass-erasing defense isn’t going to make things any easier. … Drew Brees attempted 43 passes in Week 1 after clearing 40 just twice in 2018. He should once again need to throw to keep up in Los Angeles, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that the 40-year-old quarterback produced only 11 scores across eight road games last season. … The Steelers will be burning Week 1’s tape. For his home opener, Ben Roethlisberger gets a Seahawks Defense that just coughed up 400-plus yards to Andy Dalton. … What a horrifying way for Baker Mayfield to ring in the new football year. That was his home opener. Now he must venture on the road against a Jets Defense that harassed Josh Allen into four Week 1 turnovers. The Browns’ schedule doesn’t let up until Week 5.

Kyler Murray played three bad quarters and two great ones against the Lions. He is a popular fade against the Ravens’ elite defense, but — spoiler alert — I remain higher than the consensus. I saw enough of the Murray I was expecting in Week 1 to keep him in the middle of the QB2 ranks, even in this ridiculously tough spot. … Philip Rivers’ Week 1 touchdowns to lost stars ratio was 3:2. A great performance cost Rivers Hunter Henry and potentially Mike Williams. What else is new in San Diego/Los Angeles? Rivers should hit his two-touchdown floor in Detroit. … Speaking on Rotoworld Live last week — check out Josh Norris, John Daigle and Ian Hartitz at 12 PM ET this Sunday! — I said I wanted Jameis Winston to have just one normal game in Bruce Arians’ offense before considering him a real QB1. Challenge … not accepted. Winston was picked three times by one of 2018’s worst defenses, with his two pick sixes the difference in a 31-17 game. Winston’s weapons remain undeniable. So does his volatility. At least Mike Evans (illness) should be ready for his typical snap count in Carolina.

Andy Dalton was a massive road underdog for his first start under new coach Zac Taylor. He responded with the most passing yards (418) of his career. One game is one game, but it was hard not to move Dalton farther up the ranks for a potentially-tasty matchup with the 49ers. … This is an extremely conservative ranking for turnover-prone Josh Allen against a Giants D that just coughed up a perfect QB rating to fellow dual-threat Dak Prescott. … Matthew Stafford’s Week 1 featured more passing yards than he managed in any 2018 start. The Lions’ offensive philosophy isn’t really changing, but T.J. Hockenson and Danny Amendola did make a difference in Arizona. … I like the spot for Derek Carr, who was excellent in Week 1. There’s just only so high you can get him at a super deep position. … Until he gets some sort of wide receiver depth chart, Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be a less-appealing QB2 than I was assuming in the summer. … The Vikings can’t claim they didn’t warn us. Kirk Cousins is still a safe bet to at least double last week’s 10 attempts. … Gardner Minshew was close to unstoppable against the Chiefs. Let’s see how he fares when the defensive game plan actually revolves around him.

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