This is the Fantasy Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season. Analysis is aggregated from multiple sources including FN. Rankings are based upon PPR (point per reception) scoring. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.
Please Note:
This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Jonathan Taylor, Travis Kelce, or Cooper Kupp. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.
Start 'em Derek Carr (LV, QB)Coming into our rankings this week at #12 is Derek Carr facing a Cardinals secondary that just gave up 35 points to Patrick Mahomes last week. Carr certainly found Davante Adams in their first regular season game together (17 targets - most in the NFL for Week 1). Adams had more receiving yards than all of the receivers from his previous team...combined. Arizona ranked 25th in passing touchdowns allowed last year making Carr a low-end QB1 this week.
vs 
Most pts to QB
Start 'em Russell Wilson (DEN, QB)It wasn't quite the homecoming he probably hoped for, but Russell Wilson put up respectable numbers (340 passing yards and 17.8 fantasy points). He should improve on that performance against the Texans who just got torched through the air by Matt Ryan to the tune of 352 yards. This is a team that can be thrown on. Look for Wilson to effortlessly eclipse 20 fantasy points in this one.
vs 
14th Fewest Pts to QB
Start 'em Matthew Stafford (LAR, QB)One of the benefits of playing on Thursday night is that people tend to forget what a lousy performance a player gave. Stafford looked awful in the season opener throwing three picks and finding himself sacked seven times. A matchup with the Falcons is just what he needs to get himself back into the groove. If Jameis Winston can put up 21 fantasy points, Stafford should be able to do much better.
vs 
8th Most Pts to QB
Start 'em AJ Dillon (GB, RB)With a non-existent passing attack, the Packers looked to their backfield for production on Sunday. AJ Dillon out-touched Aaron Jones and was targeted six times against the Vikings. If he's the 1B to Jones' 1A, then keep Dillon locked into your lineups as a solid RB2 who will find yards on both the ground and the air. He's ranked 22nd this week on Fantasy Nerds.
vs 
2nd Fewest Pts to RB
Start 'em Antonio Gibson (WAS, RB)We had Gibson as a Start'em last week and it paid off for fantasy owners as he racked up 130 scrimmage yards and hauled in seven of his eight targets. You can't ask for a better matchup to keep the momentum going than the Lions who just surrendered 18.5 points to Miles Sanders last week and four total rushing touchdowns.
vs 
5th Most Pts to RB
Start 'em Josh Jacobs (LV, RB)Josh Jacobs makes for a nice RB2 this week facing an Arizona defense that saw Clyde Edwards-Helaire dance his way into the endzone and leave with 22.4 fantasy points last week. Jacobs only saw 10 carries last week as the team had to throw to keep up, but he averaged 5.7 yards per carry in that one. He should see some additional work on the ground in this one.
vs
2nd Most Pts to RB
Start 'em Gabriel Davis (BUF, WR)Gabe Davis was a beast in the season opener hauling in four of his five targets for 88 yards and a trip to the endzone. He has scored 10 times over his last eight games, and next to Stefon Diggs, is a favorite target for Josh Allen. According to ESPN, only the Vikings have given up more fantasy points to receivers since the start of last season than the Titans - excellent news for the Buffalo receiving corp.
vs 
15th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET, WR)Amon-Ra St Brown picked right up where he left off last year pulling in 8 of his 12 targets for 64 yards and a score. While the Commanders have a solid front that will put pressure on Goff, volume alone warrants starting St Brown. His efficiency, talent, and matchup is what makes him a high-end WR2.
vs 
11th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Jerry Jeudy (DEN, WR)Russell Wilson's first touchdown pass as a Bronco went to Jerry Jeudy. In fact, Jeudy tied Courtland Sutton for the most targets in what ended up being a lackluster game. Keep him locked in your WR2/Flex spot against a Houston secondary that had no answer for Michael Pittman last week.
vs
6th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Tyler Higbee (LAR, TE)Don't expect Tyler Higbee to see 11 targets every game, but he's involved enough to be fantasy relevant again. Fortunately, it's a great matchup as Atlanta was very favorable to tight ends last season. Higbee is ranked 10th this week among TEs.
vs
4th Most Pts to TE
Start 'em Zach Ertz (ARI, TE)With no DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games, we knew that Hollywood Brown and Zach Ertz would have to be more involved and we were right. As long as he has no setbacks (calf injury), Ertz deserves a spot in your starting lineup. His presence in the red zone is exactly the kind of target that Kyler Murray is looking for. Gerald Everett put up 14.4 fantasy points last week against the Raiders. Ertz could put up similar numbers.
vs 
5th Most Pts to TE
Start 'em Green Bay Packers (GB, DEF)Look for the Packers to bounce back after getting shelled in Minnesota last Sunday afternoon. They'll face a less polished offense on Sunday night when the Bears come into Lambeau. At this time, Green Bay is our #1 ranked fantasy defense for Week 2.
vs
9th Most Pts to DEF
Start 'em Evan McPherson (CIN, K)The Bengals offense is humming and there are few kickers as reliable as Evan McPherson has been since 2021. The Cowboys have a strong defense but have been generous to kickers. Last week, Ryan Succop put up 13 fantasy points which is enough to put a smile on any fantasy owners face.
vs 
3rd Most Pts to K
Sit 'em Ryan Tannehill (TEN, QB)Believe it or not, Ryan Tannehill finished as the #10 QB in Week 1. Watching that game, you could be forgiven for second guessing the numbers as Tannehill did not look fresh or polished. There's certainly very little chance of a repeat this week when the Titans visit the Bills on Monday night. Tannehill has very few legitimate receiving options and the Bills know this. Buffalo kept Matthew Stafford to just 7.8 fantasy points. Tannehill will likely struggle in this one.
vs 
3rd Fewest Pts to QB
Sit 'em Jameis Winston (NO, QB)Jameis Winston found Michael Thomas in the endzone twice, and while he could certainly follow up with another 2-TD performance, he may struggle a bit against the Bucs who kept Dak Prescott in check even before his injury. It doesn't help that Taysom Hill contributed a handful of gadget plays whose points won't belong to Winston. The upside here is that Tampa Bay actually allowed the 12th-most passing yards in 2021. Still, it's hard to start Winston in anything but 2QB/Superflex leagues.
vs 
Feweset Pts to QB
Sit 'em Tua Tagovailoa (MIA, QB)With both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal, Tua Tagovailoa managed to put up 270 yards and just one score for 14.8 points in the Dolphins' home opener. That's a fairly pedestrian day in fantasy, and we're expecting a similar outing this week against a Ravens defense that ranks right in the middle.
vs 
12th Fewest Pts to QB
Sit 'em Travis Etienne (JAC, RB)What a disappointing outing for Travis Etienne. While he was named the starter, he played second fiddle to James Robinson who had twice the touches and was far more effective. Watching Etienne drop an easy pass for a touchdown did not inspire much confidence. Until he emerges into the back that we expect him to be, it's going to be a wait and see game with Etienne...and we'll opt to wait on him against a tough Colts run defense.
vs 
10th Fewest Pts to RB
Sit 'em Cam Akers (LAR, RB)There's not much to say about Cam Akers other than he was essentially absent from the first game. With just three carries last week, it's hard to envision what role he's going to play on this team. Limited touches and a tough opponent is not what you want heading into Week 2. Leave Akers on the bench until we know more about his usage on the team.
vs
Feweset Pts to RB
Sit 'em Dameon Pierce (HOU, RB)We sat Pierce last week and for good reason. He tallied just 33 yards on the ground and one catch for a whopping 4.9 fantasy points. Rex Burkhead led the team, and while Pierce will likely take the starting job after he gets some more time under his belt, this isn't the week to start him. The Broncos kept Rashaad Penny in check last week, and we expect the game script to focus on the passing game as the Texans will likely be playing from behind.
vs 
3rd Fewest Pts to RB
Sit 'em DeVonta Smith (PHI, WR)DeVonta Smith left fantasy owners with a big fat zero last week as A.J. Brown was the most effective receiver for the Eagles. Brown saw 13 targets to Smith's three. It's likely that we see the target share normalize more this week against a Vikings secondary that kept every Green Bay receiver in check. After putting up a doughnut, there's really nowhere to go but up. Unfortunately, it's not reasonable to think that he'll be up far enough to be fantasy relevant.
vs 
7th Fewest Pts to WR
Sit 'em Jarvis Landry (NO, WR)Jarvis Landry made a nice splash last week helping the Saints to win their first game of the year. He turned in an incredible 7-114 statline. He'll face a more difficult matchup this week against the Bucs, so while Landry will have flex appeal throughout the season, Week 2 isn't it.
vs
5th Fewest Pts to WR
Sit 'em Darnell Mooney (CHI, WR)You can't pin Darnell Mooney's 1.8 fantasy points last week on him. It was an awful, windy, rainy game where the Bears were photographed sliding across the field like a Slip & Slide. The Green Bay secondary can be taken advantage of as we saw Justin Jefferson do last week, but the Packers at home will be locked in on Mooney. We'd expect Jaire Alexander to shadow him a lot on Sunday night. Mooney is ranked 36th this week, so consider him a very-low end WR3.
vs 
5th Most Pts to WR
Sit 'em Mike Gesicki (MIA, TE)Is it too early to throw in the towel on Mike Gesicki? Maybe, but it's certainly not too early to put him on your bench. He caught his only target for a whopping 1 yard last week. He's simply not an integral part of this offense, which is too bad given the sweet matchup.
vs
10th Most Pts to TE
Sit 'em Evan Engram (JAC, TE)Perhaps don't put Evan Engram too far away, but right now he belongs on your bench. He's going to need time to gel with Trevor Lawrence on an offense that hasn't elevated him yet. He put up a mediocre statline (4-28) resulting in just 6.8 fantasy points, and even though the matchup is great, we're not confident in what his role or target share will be. We're not alone as he's ranked 20th among all TEs this week.
vs
3rd Most Pts to TE
Sit 'em New Orleans Saints (NO, DEF)Ranked 25th this week among all Defenses is the New Orleans Saints who are generally a "set it and forget it" type of defense. Unfortunately, the Bucs offense has so many talented weapons that the Saints will struggle to keep up. There are better options on the waiver wire this week.
vs
15th Fewest Pts to DEF
Sit 'em Jake Elliott (PHI, K)We don't want to let last week color our view on what Minnesota can do, but if we did, it would be lights out. We expect Philly to move the ball more than Green Bay did against the Vikings, but Minnesota has been tough on kickers in the past. It's safe to stream a different kicker this week.
vs
Feweset Pts to K
