Defenses suffered greatly in Week 1, as this was one of the highest scoring weeks in NFL history. Sixteen teams scored 25 points or more, and only one game failed to reach a 30-point total threshold, and that contest was played in Australia. Hopefully our fantasy D/STs can assert a bit more effort in Week 2.
Below, Yahoo analysts Justin Boone, Matt Harmon, Scott Pianowski, Joel Smyth and Hayden Winks give you their D/ST rankings for fantasy football in Week 2. Hayden Winks’ rankings will come on Thursday. The consensus rankings are for half-point per reception scoring, which is the Yahoo default. Consensus full-PPR rankings are coming Thursday. Justin Boone’s Trade Value Charts are coming Wednesday.
Looking ahead to the games that fantasy managers can count on, Footballguys highlighted five offensive matchups in Week 2. This game’s opening total sits at 51-to-53.5 points, the highest of Week 2. Detroit allowed New Orleans 30 in Week 1, while Buffalo scored 36 on the Texans with Josh Allen delivering four touchdowns. That’s an attractive setup for Allen and Buffalo’s passing game, since Detroit’s high-powered offense should keep the Bills aggressive for four quarters. DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid, coming off big games in Houston, are must-starts. On the Detroit side, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jared Goff, and Sam LaPorta are all solid; Gibbs and St. Brown are, of course, ceiling plays every week.
Miami lost 27-13 in Las Vegas in Week 1 and now travels again to face a 49ers offense that just scored 27 on the Rams. San Francisco opens as a 10.5-to-13.5-point favorite, the largest spread of the week, with a 45.5-point over/under, a setup that points to fantasy success for Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle. Worth noting: McCaffrey’s workload needs to normalize upward after a lighter-than-anticipated Week 1, and a blowout could cut passing volume late. Still, all four are potential ceiling plays.
Baltimore just dropped 41 points on Indianapolis, with Derrick Henry rushing for 144 yards and scoring three times. Now the Ravens get a Saints defense that surrendered 31 points and 156 rushing yards to Gibbs in Detroit. Baltimore is an 8.5-point home favorite, but the total is a healthy 46.5-to-48. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are obvious ceiling plays. Henry may be the player whose matchup I like most on the entire slate.
Looking for shootout potential? This one interests me more than the point spread might suggest because of the fantasy environment. The early total is around 49.5-to-51.5, second only to Lions-Bills. Dallas just allowed the Giants to score 28 points, and Washington is a more explosive unit. This is an especially appealing spot for Jayden Daniels, whose rushing ability gives him another avenue to exploit the Dallas defense much like Jaxson Dart did en route to a QB5 finish against the Cowboys last week.
We tend to chase defensive meltdowns, but Tennessee didn’t collapse last week. They held the Jets to 23 points. Still, New York showed us how Philadelphia can attack the Titans. The Jets controlled possession for nearly 39 minutes, produced 367 yards, and Breece Hall ran for 102 yards. That sets Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts up for success. The lower game total keeps this below Baltimore and Washington for me, but the concentration of Philadelphia’s fantasy production makes it attractive, especially for Barkley investors. If he can’t hit the ceiling here, it might be time to worry.
