Week 2 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings

We try not to overreact to the opening week with our Week 2 fantasy WR rankings, but when all you have is a one-game sample size, it's tough to know which wide receivers -- and matchups -- you can trust.

The wide receiver positiondidn't wait long to present fantasy football owners with injury issues. Week 1 saw Kenny Golladay (hamstring), Courtland Sutton (shoulder), Mike Evans (hamstring),and Mike Williams (shoulder) dominate the news due to their questionable statuses. Heading into Week 2, it's worth acknowledging that WR, unlike RB, doesn't always present obvious replacements. Targets often get spread around when injuries pop up out wide. In making our Week 2 fantasy WR rankings, you'll notice that we've ranked many banged-upwideouts under the assumption that they'll be on the field, and we haven't (yet) given big boosts to the guys who might get more snaps if they're out.

It gets complicated when trying to account for injuries. Some players only play the slot, while some play the Z or Xpositions. If a top WR is out, that also means the other team's best cornerback might now guard the No. 2-turned-No. 1 guy, which could hurt more than help (see Preston Williams and DeVante Parker). Often, WR injuries just lead to more production for TEs or pass-catching RBs. Most of this ranting is just to say that you're better off playing your backup WR who might be a second wideout on a decent team rather than scouring the waiver wire for handcuff-type playerseven if you're already frustrated by your starters' injuries.

WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

One player worth talking about showed out when the lights were bright in the Thursday night opener. Will Fuller caught eight passes for 112 yards, and unlike when DeAndre Hopkins ran many of the underneath routes and Fuller went deep, Fuller popped up all over the field for targets. He looks like a legit, every-week WR2 (at least, as long as he's healthy). There were also preseason doubts about both Brandin Cooks and Sammy Watkins, but those were pretty much put to bed by their consistent usage as the second options out wide for Houston and Kansas City, respectively.

We're keeping an eye on the 49ers' WR situation early in the seasonwith Deebo Samuel (foot) going on Injured Reserve and set to miss up to three weeks. Rookie Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne, and Trent Taylor all have the potential to be fantasy relevant if things break their way. A Week 2 matchup with the Jets will be tempting us to start at least one of those guys, but after a highly disappointing Week 1, none seem worth it.

If possible, it's definitely worth having an Arizona WR in your lineup Week 2. Washington's secondary is not its strong suit, and with the way the Cardinals spread it out on offense, they could have multiple players put up big numbers. It won't just be Hopkins -- Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald could join the party.

And if you're looking to add a few sleepers, we're fond of Jacksonville'sLaviska Shenault Jr., Indy's Parris Campbell, and in extra deep leagues, Detroit's Quintez Cephus. You could also pick up the eternal fantasy tease, Marquez Valdes-Scantling. After a long TD in Week 1, maybe he'll repeat the trick in Week 2 against the Lions.

Note: Check back all week leading up to kickoff, as we'll continue to update our WR rankings based on the latest news and injuries.

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

#1
Davante Adams, Packers

Packers vs. Lions

#2
DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals

Cardinals vs. Washington

#3
Michael Thomas, Saints

Saints @ Raiders

#4
Chris Godwin, Buccaneers

Buccaneers vs. Panthers

#5
Tyreek Hill, Chiefs

Chiefs @ Chargers

#6
Julio Jones, Falcons

Falcons @ Cowboys

#7
Amari Cooper, Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Falcons

#8
Allen Robinson, Bears

Bears vs. Giants

#9
Odell Beckham Jr., Browns

Browns vs. Bengals

#10
A.J. Brown, Titans

Titans vs. Jaguars

#11
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers

Steelers vs. Broncos

#12
Adam Thielen, Vikings

Vikings @ Colts

#13
Robert Woods, Rams

Rams @ Eagles

#14
Calvin Ridley, Falcons

Falcons @ Cowboys

#15
Keenan Allen, Chargers

Chargers vs. Chiefs

#16
Kenny Golladay, Lions

Lions @ Packers

#17
Mike Evans, Buccaneers

Buccaneers vs. Panthers

#18
Cooper Kupp, Rams

Rams @ Eagles

#19
DJ Chark, Jaguars

Jaguars @ Titans

#20
Marquise Brown, Ravens

Ravens @ Texans

#21
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks

Seahawks vs. Patriots

#22
Courtland Sutton, Broncos

Broncos @ Steelers

#23
Stefon Diggs, Bills

Bills @ Dolphins

#24
T.Y. Hilton, Colts

Colts vs. Vikings

#25
D.J. Moore, Panthers

Panthers @ Buccaneers

#26
Will Fuller, Texans

Texans vs. Ravens

#27
DeVante Parker, Dolphins

Dolphins vs. Bills

#28
Terry McLaurin, Washington

Washington @ Cardinals

#29
Jarvis Landry, Browns

Browns vs. Bengals

#30
DK Metcalf, Seahawks

Seahawks vs. Patriots

#31
John Brown, Bills

Bills @ Dolphins

#32
A.J. Green, Bengals

Bengals @ Browns

#33
Mike Williams, Chargers

Chargers vs. Chiefs

#34
Tyler Boyd, Bengals

Bengals @ Browns

#35
Michael Gallup, Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Falcons

#36
Emmanuel Sanders, Saints

Saints @ Raiders

#37
Best of the rest

37 CeeDee Lamb, DAL vs. ATL
38 Henry Ruggs III, LV vs. NO
39 Julian Edelman, NE @ SEA
40 Brandin Cooks, HOU vs. BAL
41 Jamison Crowder, NYJ vs. SF
42 Marvin Jones, DET @ GB
43 Parris Campbell, IND vs. MIN
44 Diontae Johnson, PIT vs. DEN
45 Sammy Watkins, KC @ LAC
46 DeSean Jackson, PHI vs. LAR
47 Anthony Miller, CHI vs. NYG
48 Allen Lazard, GB vs. DET
49 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB vs. DET
50 Preston Williams, MIA vs. BUF
51 Robby Anderson, CAR @ TB
52 Darius Slayton, NYG @ CHI
53 Sterling Shepard, NYG @ CHI
54 Mecole Hardman, KC @ LAC
55 N'Keal Harry, NE @ SEA
56 Scotty Miller, TB vs. CAR
57 Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ vs. WAS
58 Danny Amendola, DET @ GB
59 Russell Gage, ATL @ DAL
60 Golden Tate, NYG @ CHI
61 Christian Kirk, ARZ vs. WAS
62 Jalen Reagor PHI vs. LAR
63 Kendrick Bourne, SF @ NYJ
64 Jerry Jeudy, DEN @ PIT
65 Curtis Samuel, CAR @ TB
66 Corey Davis, TEN vs. JAX
67 Hunter Renfrow, LV vs. NO
68 Cole Beasley, BUF @ MIA
69 Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX @ TEN
70 Van Jefferson, LAR @ PHI
71 Justin Jefferson, MIN @ IND
72 Quintez Cephus, DET @ GB
73 Breshad Perriman, NYJ vs. SF
74 Josh Reynolds, LAR @ PHI
75 Tre'Quan Smith, NO @ LV
76 Greg Ward, PHI vs. LAR
77 Demarcus Robinson, KC @ LAC
78 Bryan Edwards, LV vs. NO
79 Michael Pittman Jr., IND vs. MIN
80 Randall Cobb, HOU vs. BAL
81 James Washington, PIT vs. DEN
82 Trent Taylor, SF @ NYJ
83 Brandon Aiyuk, SF @ NYJ
84 Kenny Stills, HOU vs. BAL
85 Chase Claypool, PIT vs. DEN
86 John Ross III, CIN @ CLE
87 Olabisi Johnson, MIN @ IND
88 Jalen Guyton, LAC vs. KC
89 Steven Sims, WAS @ ARZ
90 Devin Duvernay, BAL @ HOU
91 Miles Boykin, BAL @ HOU