Fantasy Football: Week 2 predictions to count on

The Yahoo Fantasy crew has full confidence in these players delivering a memorable performance in your fantasy football lineups for Week 2.

DeVonta Smith is ‘the guy’ in Week 2

The Eagles wideout didn’t have the same level of explosive box-score performance as his teammate A.J. Brown did in Week 1. However, the Week 1 usage indicated that the pendulum could swing back his way at any moment. Smith is operating in a new role in Kellen Moore’s offense, running 75% of his Week 1 routes from the slot.

With the increase in motion littered across this new-look attack, we’re getting an efficiency boost from all the pass-catchers, especially an interior player like Smith. He averaged 3.37 yards per route run on plays with pre-snap or at-the-snap motion.

The Falcons’ defense looked extremely beatable in Week 1, and running routes from the slot will keep Smith away from A.J. Terrell, who is by far Atlanta’s top cover corner. — Matt Harmon

Brock Purdy returns to relevance, Brandon Aiyuk shakes off the rust

Purdy had a slow fantasy game as expected last week versus the Jets, as Jordan Mason had as many touches (29) as Purdy had pass attempts. But Mason could be sore coming off the most carries of his career (including college) during a short week, and a stout Brian Flores run defense isn’t a favorable matchup.

Enter Purdy, who just posted the best YPA in NFL history last year and comes into Week 2 with a fully loaded passing offense (sans CMC). Brandon Aiyuk will improve after a rusty Week 1 performance, and Purdy should put up a big game indoors against a pass-funnel defense with a banged-up Harrison Smith.— Dalton Del Don

Time for the Malik Nabers breakout game

The Washington secondary was the league’s most accommodating valet last year, allowing the most fantasy points to both the quarterback and wide receiver positions. And that powerful trend continued in the 2024 opener, with Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay receivers doing anything they wanted. This week, they face the New York Giants.

It was surprising Malik Nabers didn’t dominate the New York passing plan last week, although he did run a route on all 50 dropbacks and he did draw a respectable seven targets. Look for the usage to spike in Week 2, and also look for Nabers to get at least one end-zone spike against this leaky coverage unit. He’s approved for play in all formats. — Scott Pianowski

Baker Mayfield builds on his near-perfect Week 1

Are you ready for a world in which Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in touchdown passes at the end of September? Well, that’s where we might be headed. Mayfield is coming off a near-perfect 4-TD performance and heading to Detroit to face a defense that he worked over last January in the postseason (349-3).

I’m not promising a win over the Lions, but I’ll be surprised if the Bucs passing game fails to remain productive. Few defenses have an easy answer for Mike Evans. If you scooped up Mayfield off waivers this week, feel free to fire him up immediately. He’s about to give us 300-plus yards and multiple scores. — Andy Behrens

James Conner notches another top-10 finish

Conner had a strong performance in Week 1, earning 67% of the Cardinals’ snaps and commanding 16 of 19 backfield carries. What’s encouraging is that the Cardinals’ offense looked like a quality unit. This should only help Conner see more sustained drives, touches and red-zone work. For what it’s worth, rookie Trey Benson operated as the team RB3 in Week 1.

This week Conner faces a Rams team that allowed 167 total yards to the Lions’ RBs last week. The Rams’ defensive line still has questions, as they look to replace Aaron Donald this year. Expect Conner to finish as a top-10 RB once again. — Sal Vetri

Najee Harris dominates the Broncos

Last week, my conviction pick was Kenneth Walker delivering a top-10 performance against the Denver Broncos and Walker hit, finishing as RB9. It may feel redundant, but rinse and repeat until Denver proves us wrong. This concept isn’t new; the Broncos struggled against the run in 2023 and did little to improve the weakness.

Every running back is fair game for a boom week against the Broncos — even the much-maligned Najee Harris. Harris dominated the Steelers’ backfield last week with 20 carries and received high praise from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Steelers plan to start Justin Fields this week and I don’t see any scenario where the Steelers force high pass volume against a stout Denver secondary. Expect another 20+ carries this week, with at least one, if not two, touchdowns. — Tera Roberts