Week 1. It happened.

What we saw on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday from the players, the play callers, the offenses, the defenses: Is it representative of what we'll see in the future? Or was it a fluke?

Time (and hopefully this piece) will tell.

We're onto the Week 2 WR edition of Freedman's Favorites.

In this piece I highlight some WRs I expect to perform better than they usually do. Basically, these are guys I'm upgrading this week.

What causes me to upgrade a guy? 

Usually some combination of these factors.

• Favorable betting factors and situational spots
• Advantageous defensive matchup (perhaps aided by injury)
• Increased usage expectation (again, maybe aided by injury)

Some notes:

Defensive matchups: Since the season is just one week old, I'll still rely primarily on prior defensive data.

Rankings, Projections & Newsletter: I think of this piece as a companion to my weekly rankings and my weekly projections, which is where any updated opinions will manifest after article submission. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Access: To see our full rankings and projections, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.

• Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
• Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
• Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
• Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
• Sun AM: Revise rankings
• Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 pm ET kickoff

Accuracy: I'm a six-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop better.

Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.

Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 2 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Tight Ends

Abbreviations: See the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Week 2 WR Rankings

See below for my top-12 WRs for Week 2 as things stand at the time of publishing. Read on for my favorite WRs for the week and others I am upgrading. Find my full Week 2 fantasy football rankings here.

Freedman's Favorite Wide Receivers For Week 2

CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) vs. Giants

Last week CeeDee Lamb had a strong 7-110-0 receiving performance on 13 targets against a tough Eagles defense … and yet he could've had a much bigger day if not for FOUR drops.

How big of a day? Last week, Lamb had a league-high 179 air yards, and yet he was also the No. 4 WR with 43 yards after the catch.

Even with the addition of No. 2 WR George Pickens, a 200-yard performance was well within the range of outcomes for Lamb in Week 1—and it still is this week against the Giants, who last year were No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (31.8%, per FTN).

In 2024, Lamb had 7-98-1 receiving on eight targets with 3-8-0 rushing in his one game against the Giants with QB Dak Prescott. 

And in 2023 he had 15-228-1 receiving on 18 targets and 1-14-1 rushing in two games against the division rival Giants.

Any thoughts on what happened in 2022? In two games, he put up 14-193-1 receiving on 23 targets with 2-11-0 rushing.

Not to get all biblical up in here, but you might as well call this guy David with the way he slays giants.

And this is a smash spot for the team in general. The Cowboys are notable six-point home favorites (per our Fantasy Life Odds Page), and with Prescott, the Cowboys as divisional home favorites are 15-4 ATS (54.7% ROI, per Action Network).

I expect the Cowboys and their No. 1 WR to bully the Giants all day.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) at Steelers

I highlighted Jaxon Smith-Njigba in last week's piece—nailed it!—and I like him again now.

Under HC Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have historically had a strong defense … but their secondary lost FS Minkah Fitzpatrick this offseason, and then CB Joey Porter (hamstring) and SS DeShon Elliott (knee) both exited Week 1 with injuries.

As a result, Jets WR Garrett Wilson had 7-95-1 receiving on nine targets against the Steelers last week—and that's with a pass-challenged thrower in QB Justin Fields.

If Wilson could do that with Fields last week, then Smith-Njigba should be able to do something comparable this week with QB Sam Darnold.

My skepticism of both Darnold and OC Klint Kubiak wasn't allayed last week, as the Seahawks generated just 150 yards of passing offense.

Atrocious.

Even so, Smith-Njigba balled out with 9-124-0 receiving on 13 targets and ranked No. 1 in the league with a 91% share of air yards and 152% WOPR.

"WOPR" stands for "weighted opportunity rating," and it measures the overall quality of a player's aerial role in his offense by considering his share of targets and air yards.

As three-point road dogs, the Seahawks will likely need to throw to keep pace with the Steelers, and that could result in another big day for Smith-Njigba, who has gotten a boost in our early Week 2 fantasy rankings.

Hollywood Brown (Chiefs) vs. Eagles

Hollywood Brown is another guy I included in last week's piece.

Did I know that No. 2 WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder) would leave the game early with an injury after playing just three snaps? No.

But I did know that No. 1 WR Rashee Rice (suspended) was out, so I already expected Brown to compete with Worthy for Rice's vacated opportunities—and then when Worthy went out, Brown had an unimpeded path to the No. 1 role.

Result: Brown had 99 yards on 16 targets and was the No. 2 WR with a 94 Utilization Score (per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report).

To state the obvious: Brown is a priority waiver add.

His floor is undeniably low. Since 2021, Brown has underwhelmed with 6.4 yards per target after hitting a mark of 7.9 in his first two seasons. That inefficiency makes him dangerous. If he doesn't have high target volume in any given week, he could get you chopped in Guillotine Leagues™.

But this week—without Rice and almost certainly Worthy—Brown should be targeted with increased frequency, and that gives him a high ceiling.

The defensive matchup is tough against the Eagles, who have a one-day rest advantage, and the Chiefs—even though they're home—are +1.5 underdogs.

But come on.

With QB Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have thrived when getting points.

• Mahomes Dog ATS: 12-2-1 | +6.73 Margin | 63.2% ROI
• Mahomes Dog ML: 11-4 | +3.73 Margin | 76.7% ROI

The Chiefs are facing a dreaded 0-2 start and, more importantly, the team that beat them in February to prevent them from three-peating as Super Bowl champions.

This is the exact spot in which I want exposure to Mahomes, HC Andy Reid, and company.

Casey Washington (Falcons) WR at Vikings

Who?

Don't act as if you don't know who Casey Washington is.

You're a real sicko, right?

With No. 2 WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder) out last week, it was Washington who filled in for him alongside No. 1 WR Drake London.

How did he do?

He put up a ridiculous 96% snap rate, and he actually matched London with a team-high 34% share of air yards.

I mean, sure, his actual numbers don't look as good (3-33-0 receiving on six targets).

But the usage was there—and now London (shoulder) is uncertain for the team's Week 2 game against the Vikings, who last year were No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to WRs (+6.3).

If London and Mooney are both out, Washington will merit real consideration as a desperado flier.

The Deep Route

Jakobi Meyers (Raiders) vs. Chargers: Meyers impressed last week with 8-97-0 receiving on 10 targets, and he could see similar usage this week, given the injury to TE Brock Bowers (knee). In Week 18 last year against the Chargers, Meyers had 10-123-1 receiving on 10 targets.

Ricky Pearsall (49ers) at Saints: Last week, Pearsall flashed with 4-108-0 receiving on seven targets, which now gives him 474 yards and three TDs on 35 targets and three carries in five NFL starts. With all the absent/uncertain pass catchers—WRs Brandon Aiyuk (knee, PUP), Jauan Jennings (shoulder), Jordan Watkins (ankle), and Jacob Cowing (hamstring, IR) and TE George Kittle (hamstring)—Pearsall should continue to enjoy high usage.

Terry McLaurin (Commanders) at Packers: Given that No. 2 WR Deebo Samuel went off last week (96 yards, one TD on 10 targets, one carry), I expect OC Kliff Kingsbury to make more of an effort to get his No. 1 WR involved this week. Lining up primarily wide to the left, McLaurin will likely run most of his routes against backup CB Carrington Valentine if starter Nate Hobbs (knee) is out again.

Zay Flowers (Ravens) vs. Browns: Flowers was the No. 1 WR last week with 24.6 fantasy points (151 yards, one TD on nine targets, two carries), and the Ravens are No. 1 this week in implied team total (28.75). The Browns last year were No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (25.9%)

Keenan Allen (Chargers) at Raiders: Last week, Allen returned to his 2023 form with 7-68-1 receiving on 10 targets. He's back. The Raiders last year were No. 28 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 2 WRs (13.4%), and slot CB Darnay Holmes had a 49.5 coverage grade last year (per PFF). In Week 1, Holmes allowed 73 yards on six targets.

Marvin Harrison (Cardinals) vs. Panthers: Harrison looked the part of a No. 1 WR last week. While his production numbers were merely good (5-71-1 receiving), his underlying data was great (92% route rate, 51% share of air yards, 100% endzone target rate). The Panthers last year were No. 32 in defensive dropback SR (50.3%, per RBs Don't Matter).

Joshua Palmer (Bills) at Jets: The Jets last year were No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 3 WRs (29.1%), and—with CB Sauce Gardner likely to shadow WR Keon Coleman—I expect Palmer to run most of his routes against CB Brandon Stephens, who last year had a 49.4 PFF coverage grade. Palmer was satisfactory last week (5-61-0 receiving, nine targets), and the Bills (-6.5 favorites) are a four-star bet this week (per our Fantasy Life Game Model).

Abbreviations

• Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
• Against the Spread (ATS)
• Over/Under (O/U)
• Team Total (TT)
• Moneyline (ML)
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
• Expected Points Added (EPA)
• Success Rate (SR)
• Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
• Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
• AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
• Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
• Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
• Short Down and Distance (SDD)
• Long Down and Distance (LDD)

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.