Week 2 fantasy football matchups to exploit

The NFL season kicked off with plenty of fireworks last week and some unlikely fantasy heroes emerged in Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, Colts receiver Alec Pierce and Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.

Now that there’s a small sample size, fantasy players should better be able to gauge their upcoming matchups.

Every week, Yardbarker will give you some of the top fantasy football matchups to take advantage of. Here are the top matchups to exploit in Week 2:

Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals defense

The bad news for Rams fans is star receiver Puka Nacua will miss at least the next four games after being placed on injured reserve. The good news is this week L.A. faces a Cardinals defense that allowed the third most yards per pass (10.1) and fourth-highest completion percentage (78.3) last week. Arizona was also one of nine teams to allow multiple touchdown passes in its season opener.

Just one of the six players on Arizona’s roster who played 10 or more coverage snaps last week (cornerback Starling Thomas) allowed a completion percentage below 66.7, which doesn’t bode well for a matchup against a pass-heavy team like the Rams.

Stafford threw for 317 yards and a touchdown against a hobbled Lions secondary in Week 1, and he could easily put up as good or better numbers this week against the Cardinals. And with Nacua out, Cooper Kupp (21 targets, 14 catches, 110 yards, one touchdown last week), who’s Stafford’s favorite target, would also be a smart fantasy play this week as well.

Ravens RB Derrick Henry vs. Raiders front seven

Yes, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said this week that Henry wasn’t brought to Baltimore to get the ball 30 times a game, but against a front seven as porous as Vegas’, they won’t need him to carry it that many times to be effective.

Against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, the Raiders allowed Dobbins — a running back who has played in just nine of 34 games over the last two seasons — to run roughshod for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. Collectively, Vegas allowed the fifth-most rushing yards (176) and the second-highest yards per carry average (6.5), plus surrendered the longest run (61 yards) of any team in Week 1.

Henry had just 13 carries for 46 yards last week, and compared to how heavily he was used in Tennessee, this may be the freshest he’s ever been heading into a Week 2 matchup. If he even gets 15-20 carries, he could easily have 100 yards and maybe two or more touchdowns.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Packers secondary

Pittman Jr. had an uncharacteristically quiet four catches for 31 yards in last week’s 29-27 season-opening loss to the Houston Texans, but look for him to rebound against a weak Packers secondary that struggled in Week 1.

Against Philadelphia, a team with one of the best WR tandems in the NFL, the Packers allowed the fifth-most receiving yards (278) and the third-most receiving touchdowns (two) of the week, and every one of their players who had at least one coverage snap allowed a completion percentage of 66.7 or greater, per Pro Football Focus.

Pittman was the ninth-most targeted WR in the NFL in 2023 (156), and expect him to get closer to his 9.75 targets per average of last season while playing against a reeling secondary like Green Bay.

Last week’s picks

QB Jordan Love: 260 yards passing, two TDs, one interception, 16.4 fantasy points

RB James Cook: 19 carries, 71 yards, three receptions, 32 yards, 13.3 fantasy points

WR Cooper Kupp: 14 receptions, 110 yards, one touchdown, 32 fantasy points