Admin September 14, 2024
NFL Week 2 picks, predictions and best bets
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes is back with his NFL best bets for week 2 games of the NFL season.
Week 1 of the NFL season brought equal parts frustration and excitement for fantasy football players. High picks like Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Marvin Harrison Jr., Drake London, and Chris Olave brought disappointment to managers. On the other hand, J.K. Dobbins, Joe Mixon, Jameson Williams, and Jayden Reed all performed above expectations to open the season.
With information from Week 1, deciding your fantasy lineup in Week 2 should be a bit easier. But if you’re still not sure which players to start or sit, we’ve got you covered. These don’t include top must-start players that will likely be a fixture in your lineup on a weekly basis.
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Fantasy Football Week 2 start ’em
QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Goff had a solid but unspectacular start to the year with 12.4 points in Week 1. He should fare better in Week 2 against a Tampa Bay defense facing injuries in the secondary to Antoine Winfield Jr., Zyon McCollum, and Josh Hayes.
QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (vs. New York Giants)
Daniels was QB3 in Week 1 with 28.3 points, mostly thanks to two rushing touchdowns. Now he faces a Giants defense that allowed 15.6 points to Sam Darnold in Week 1.
RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
Jacksonville gave up 153 total yards to running backs in Week 1 against the Dolphins. Cleveland’s running game should excel in Week 2 with Ford as the top scorer.
RB Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Denver Broncos)
Harris had 20 of Pittsburgh’s 26 rushing attempts in Week 1 against Atlanta. Denver gave up the fourth-most points to running backs in Week 1 and should offer plenty of opportunity this week.
WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
Smith had a solid eight catches for 84 yards in Week 1 against the Packers. Atlanta will likely focus top cornerback A.J. Terrell on A.J. Brown, leaving Smith to capitalize on an easier matchup.
WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Williams was a top-five wide receiver in all formats in Week 1. This week, he’ll face off against an injury-riddled Buccaneers secondary.
WR Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (at Arizona Cardinals)
Rams wideout Puka Nacua’s injury in Week 1 leaves the door open for Robinson to shine. He had seven targets in Week 1 and should have more in what will likely be a high-scoring game in Arizona.
TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (at Baltimore Ravens)
Bowers led the Raiders with eight targets and converted that to six catches and 58 yards. The Raiders will likely be playing from behind against Baltimore and Bowers will be a focus in the passing game.
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Fantasy Football Week 2 sit ’em
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott finished Week 1 as QB22 despite the Dallas’ 33-17 win over the Browns. Lawrence might not fare much better against one of the best secondaries in the league.
QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (at Kansas City Chiefs)
Burrow finished Week 1 as QB29 in a 16-10 loss to New England. Things likely won’t be much better this week against one of the best defenses in the league.
RB D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (at Houston Texans)
The Texans gave up the fifth-fewest points to running backs in Week 1 against Indianapolis. Swift likely won’t fare much better on Sunday Night Football.
RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders (at Baltimore Ravens)
Baltimore held Kansas City running backs to a league-low 2.82 yards per carry in Week 1. Las Vegas will likely struggle even more to run the ball which could be at White’s expense.
WR DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (at New England Patriots)
Metcalf was bottled up by Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II in Week 1 and things might not get much better in Week 2 against a strong New England defense and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
WR George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Denver Broncos)
Speaking of Surtain II, he’ll likely be covering Pickens for much of this one. The Steelers offense finished Week 1 with the fifth-fewest passing yards (133) in the league and likely won’t fare much better in Week 2.
WR Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
Sutton had a team-high 12 targets in Week 1 but could only manage four receptions for 38 yards. In Week 2, the Broncos face a strong defense that could make things very hard in the passing game.
TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Engram had one catch for five yards against Miami in Week 1. Against a much better Browns defense, he’ll likely struggle to produce again.