Fantasy football best and worst matchups of Week 2 include concerns for Ashton Jeanty, Chiefs

Every fantasy manager knows that schedule strength can greatly impact fantasy player performance. The more granular one can get in matchups, the better.

My matchup points system uses various fantasy points and allowed metrics as a base. Then, variables such as the likelihood of a team getting into a high-scoring game and pass blocking/pass rush strength are added. These combined grades are then placed on a curve and given a 1-100 score, with 1 being the least favorable and 100 being the most favorable.

Keep in mind these grades are all based on fantasy-scoring relevance. For example, as detailed in my soft secondaries and the receivers who’ll benefit most from them in fantasy football article, a defensive back who has a strong YPA allowed but a low fantasy PPR PPG allowed will be graded as a favorable matchup in this system.

Over the years, I have found that the most valuable part of the weekly schedule strength analysis is on the outer margins. This weekly article will cover that area. It will highlight players with a matchup points total of 80 or higher and detail players with a total of 20 or lower.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move on to the best and worst matchups for Week 2. The list below shows the entire scope of players with favorable and unfavorable matchups. I’ll detail the highlights of each positional list, beginning with quarterbacks.

Metrics are via TruMedia/PFF, Stathead or NFL Next Gen Stats unless otherwise noted.

Most favorable Week 2 matchups

Player

Pos.

Team

Opp.

Matchup points

JAX

Cincinnati Bengals

100

HOU

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ARI

Carolina Panthers

TEN

Los Angeles Rams

BAL

Cleveland Browns

ARI

Carolina Panthers

100

DAL

New York Giants

NYG

Dallas Cowboys

New Orleans Saints

DET

Chicago Bears

Miami Dolphins

JAX

Cincinnati Bengals

100

CIN

Jacksonville Jaguars

ARI

Carolina Panthers

TEN

Los Angeles Rams

HOU

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

SEA

Pittsburgh Steelers

HOU

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

100

HOU

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

JAX

Cincinnati Bengals

HOU

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ARI

Carolina Panthers

CHI

Detroit Lions

DAL

New York Giants

TEN

Los Angeles Rams

DAL

New York Giants

BAL

Cleveland Browns

BAL

Cleveland Browns

JAX

Cincinnati Bengals

JAX

Cincinnati Bengals

MIN

Atlanta Falcons

Quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence, JAX (@ CIN): Cincinnati’s defense played better last week than it did last year, but the secondary wasn’t in harm’s way. The Bengals blitzed on only 4.2% of the Browns’ dropbacks, the lowest mark for any team last week. The Jaguars allowed the lowest pass pressure rate in Week 1, so Cincinnati will have to blitz to get pressure this week, opening avenues for Lawrence to go after the Bengals’ subpar coverage players. Lawrence is a potential QB1 candidate.

C.J. Stroud, HOU (vs. TB): Four of the Buccaneers’ starting secondary players have green ratings in my system, which is the designation for someone worth targeting in fantasy football. The issue for Stroud is that the Texans’ offensive line may not give him time to attack this weakness. Houston allowed pass rush pressure on 41.2% of dropbacks against the Rams. Tampa Bay doesn’t have the caliber of pass rush as Los Angeles, so Stroud may have a chance at a bounce-back game if the blocking can hold up.

Running Backs

James Conner, ARI (vs. CAR): Carolina was terrible at stopping the rush last year, which carried over into the Week 1 game against Jacksonville. The Panthers allowed 24.6 fantasy points on planned rush plays last week, ranking 28th. The matchup should afford Conner an outside chance to tally 20+ points in PPR leagues this week.

Javonte Williams, DAL (vs. NYG): A lot of Williams’ fantasy managers had him on the bench last week due to the unfavorable matchup against Philadelphia. Williams made them regret it by posting 20.4 PPR points. A matchup against a Giants defense that allowed 30.3 points on planned rushing plays versus Washington all but assures Williams will be, and should be, in all starting lineups this week.

Tyrone Tracy, NYG (@ DAL): Saquon Barkley gained only 60 rushing yards last week, yet Dallas still allowed 15.5 points on planned rushing plays, ranking 23rd. The Cowboys’ defense is not necessarily a shutdown group against the run. However, the Giants’ offense was abysmal last week, and Tracy could split carries with Devin Singletary and/or Cam Skattebo. Tracy is more of a long shot than this matchup indicates he should be.

Wide Receivers

Christian Kirk/Jayden Higgins/Nico Collins, HOU (vs. TB): As noted earlier, the Buccaneers have green-rated players in all but one of their starting secondary slots. This affords Kirk, Higgins and Collins, who all have significant upside potential in favorable matchups, the opportunity to post big point totals. It all comes down to whether the Texans can give Stroud quality blocking, which is more likely to occur this week than last. There is upside here worth pursuing in most leagues.

Marvin Harrison, ARI (vs. CAR): Harrison earns a spot on this list due to likely facing Carolina cornerback Mike Jackson in coverage. Jackson was tied for the eighth-highest PPR PPG mark in 2024 and allowed a 104.2 passer rating when targeted in Week 1. That plus factor comes with a negative: The Panthers’ secondary fared well on vertical passes last week (only 1.16 points allowed), which could be a problem given Kyler Murray’s long track record of subpar vertical pass production. Even with the caveat, the Jackson matchup makes Harrison a quality start candidate this week.

George Pickens, DAL (vs. NYG): This article series strongly suggested sitting Pickens based on the unfavorable matchup against Philadelphia. He scored only 6.0 PPR points, but his trajectory should change due to facing Giants cornerbacks Deonte Banks and/or Paulson Adebo in coverage. They ranked in the bottom nine in PPR PPG allowed in 202, which bodes well for a turnaround game for Pickens. Get him into starting lineups in Week 2.

Tight ends

Brenton Strange, JAX (@CIN): Strange had a solid start last week with 9.9 PPR points against Carolina. This week’s matchup against a Bengals defense that gave up 20 PPR points to the Browns’ tight ends could get Strange into double-digit scoring territory and TE1 status.

Trey McBride, ARI (vs. CAR): McBride didn’t quite live up to expectations last week with six catches for 61 yards and no touchdowns. That should change this week with a matchup against Carolina. The Panthers allowed 17.5 PPR points to the Jaguars’ tight ends last week. McBride could get in double-digit target territory and an upper-tier TE1 ranking.

Least favorable Week 2 matchups

Player

Pos.

Team

Opp.

Matchup points

Philadelphia Eagles

CAR

Arizona Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles

Los Angeles Chargers

IND

Denver Broncos

PHI

Kansas City Chiefs

ATL

Minnesota Vikings

MIN

Atlanta Falcons

LAR

Tennessee Titans

CAR

Arizona Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Philadelphia Eagles

Houston Texans

CAR

Arizona Cardinals

WAS

Green Bay Packers

PIT

Seattle Seahawks

NYJ

Buffalo Bills

Quarterback

Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. PHI): The Eagles defense had coverage issues with Adoreé Jackson, yet Dak Prescott still managed to post only 7.82 points in Week 1. Mahomes showcased many of his Hall of Fame talents last week and overcame wide receiver injuries and a subpar matchup to post 26.02 points. He’s capable of doing the same in this contest, but the Eagles are also capable of keeping Mahomes out of the QB1 tier. Start him at your own risk.

Running backs

Isiah Pacheco, KC (vs. PHI): The Chiefs’ run game got nowhere last week, leading to Pacheco posting only 4.8 PPR points. So, fantasy managers are wondering whether he should be in starting lineups in Week 2. The Eagles allowed 21.6 points on planned rushing plays last week, but they only allowed 6.9 points in the second half and looked much more like their 2024 shutdown rush defense form. Considering Jalen Carter is also expected to be back along the Eagles’ defensive front, Pacheco belongs on many fantasy benches this week.

Ashton Jeanty, LV (vs. LAC): Mike Vrabel showed he still knows a thing or two about putting together defensive game plans that can stop the run. It’s part of why Jeanty gained only 38 rushing yards on 19 carries last week. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter also knows a thing or two about stopping the run, and his defense allowed a total of just 4.1 fantasy points on planned rush plays in Week 1. This matchup is nowhere near enough to suggest benching Jeanty, but it won’t be a surprise if he has another relatively low point total.

Jordan Mason/Aaron Jones, MIN (vs. ATL): Bucky Irving managed to post 14.5 PPR points last week, mostly on account of scoring a receiving touchdown. He gained only 37 yards on 14 rushes versus an Atlanta defense ranked sixth in fantasy points allowed on planned rush plays last year. The Falcons matched that ranking in Week 1 by giving up only 6.1 fantasy points. With Mason and Jones splitting the carries versus this unfavorable matchup, it might be best to go with higher percentage options if you have them available on your roster.

Wide Receivers

Hollywood Brown/JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC (vs. PHI): Don’t get overconfident based on the Eagles’ early coverage struggles against Dallas. Philadelphia fixed those as the game progressed, and they may add Mike Hilton, a red-rated cornerback in my metric system, to their lineup this week. The Chiefs have the most difficult coverage schedule of any group of wide receivers in Week 2. This is not a blanket suggestion to sit Brown or Smith-Schuster (assuming Xavier Worthy is out with his shoulder injury), as Brown has a proven track record as a possession receiver the past few years, but it’s another “start at your own risk” situation.

Tight End

Travis Kelce, KC (vs. PHI): Philadelphia allowed Jake Ferguson to score only 7.3 PPR points last week. In 2024, the Eagles’ TE coverage ranked second by allowing only 8.9 PPR PPG to the position. Kelce posted 12.7 PPR points against the Chargers last week, but most of his points came from a 37-yard touchdown on a Patrick Mahomes scramble play in the fourth quarter. Take away that play, and Kelce had one reception for 10 yards on only three targets. He could have that floor this week, so look for other options.

(Photo of Ashton Jeanty: Brian Fluharty / Imagn Images)

Fantasy football best and worst matchups of Week 2 include concerns for Ashton Jeanty, Chiefs

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