After Joe Mixon carved up the Vikings’ defense for 127 yards and a score in Week 1, many owners will be scrambling to prioritize their Week 2 Fantasy football rankings with whomever is facing Minnesota. This week, it’s the Cardinals, which means Chase Edmonds, James Conner and Kyler Murray could make for compelling Week 2 Fantasy football picks. Each rushed for at least 50 yards or touchdown in Week 1 as Arizona piled up 136 yards on the ground against the Titans.
However, the Cardinals vs. Vikings is just one of 16 NFL matchups this week, and you need to be aware of other games in which players can exploit suspect defenses. Using the correct Fantasy football strategy is pivotal, especially if Week 1 ended on a sour note. Before you lock in your lineups, be sure to check out the Week 2 Fantasy football rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine. It can help you make those tough decisions on which players to start and which players to leave on the bench.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons especially when there were big difference in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home emptyhanded.
Last week, the model was extremely high on Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, saying he’d finish as a top-five player at his position. The result: Brady completed 64 percent of his passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns against the Cowboys. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 2 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is extremely high on this week: Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown. The 33-year-old looked like the four-time All-Pro he was in Pittsburgh during the Bucs’ Week 1 victory with five grabs for 121 yards and a touchdown. The 47-yarder was his longest touchdown reception since 2018 and Brown has now found the end zone seven times over his last seven games.
Two of those games came against Atlanta late last season as Brown totaled 16 receptions for 231 yards and three scores in those contests. Brown will face the Falcons again in Week 2, and their 32nd-ranked passing defense doesn’t look like it has improved this year. The Falcons allowed touchdowns to multiple receivers in Week 1, so SportsLine’s model sees Atlanta getting torched through the air again this week. The model has Brown as a top-10 option in its Fantasy football WR rankings, making the veteran a clear-cut WR1.
And a massive shocker: Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who recorded nine receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns last week, stumbles big-time and doesn’t even crack the top 25 at his position.
Thielen led the team in targets, catches and receiving yards last week, but he’ll now face-off against one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses. The Vikings will travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals, who are coming off a dominant 38-13 victory over the Titans. The Cardinals gave up just 162 passing yards to Tennessee, while holding Julio Jones and A.J. Brown under 80 combined receiving yards. With such a tough matchup on Sunday, Thielen is a player to consider putting on the bench in Week 2.
How to set your Week 2 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about to finish in the top 10 of its Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 2 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has out-performed experts big-time.
