In and Out: Week 2 Edition

In and Out. No, not the burgers (fantastic though they are). This article is the fantasy football version. In an ideal world, you would roll through the Footballguys positional Rankings and Projections, skimming all your picks right off the top. By all means, those living in a perfect world should do that.

But if you're like the rest of us and play in the shadowy, nuanced world of one-and-done contests and daily fantasy, particularly DFS tournaments where contrarian plays are almost required, the top players might not be options. That being the case, this article won't be a chalkfest. Instead, we'll focus on players who might be uniquely positioned to outperform expectations. Conversely, we'll fade some big names -- yes, even ones that might make you uncomfortable. That's the whole idea.

We'll look at nine players: four that merit definite spots in your lineups (the In), four that don't hit quite right (the Out), and an Outlier of the Week.

First, let me stress: if any of my choices make you uneasy, it's because they're supposed to. If that's not for you, please default to the Footballguys Rankings/Projections.

In and Out Accountability

I use this spot to review my previous week's results. It can be a painful experience, even on good weeks. It's downright miserable after other weeks. 

This week?

Unpredictability, volatility, variance, and surprising outcomes are the norm on opening weekends.

So, my finish here could have been worse. Here's how it looked: 

I was in on Giants QB Jaxson Dart in a plus matchup against a Dallas defense that was even more defenseless than I expected. I said Dart, who was projected for a QB18 finish with 16.9 points, would exceed 20 points. He finished Sunday night's game with 26.6. This was a solid hit. ✅ 

I was out on Bills QB Josh Allen, who was projected to finish as QB4 with 19.9 points in a matchup against the Texans, who boasted the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season. To be fair to myself, this wasn't a bet against Allen as much as it was a bet on the field. I only needed four quarterbacks to finish ahead of Allen, who has struggled against Houston in the past. The moral of this story? Don't bet against Allen. He was QB2 with a monstrous 35.7-point output. This was a massive miss. ❌ 

I was in on Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving, who was projected to finish as RB21 with 13.3 points going up against a Cincinnati defense that allowed the most fantasy points to the position last year. Despite some notable additions on that side of the ball, the Bengals still allowed Irving to run rampant. I predicted he'd finish inside the top 20 at the position. He was RB11 with 22.3 points. Another hit. ✅ 

I was out on Browns RB Quinshon Judkins, who was projected to finish as RB23 with 12.9 points, because of concerns about Cleveland's ability to sustain drives with Deshaun Watson under center and Judkins' matchup against a Jacksonville defense that allowed the third-fewest points to the position last year. I felt the projection was overly optimistic and that Judkins would finish outside RB2 territory. He was RB39 with 7 points. Big hit. ✅ 

I was in on Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan despite knowing he was likely going to be locked up with Chicago's best pass defender, Jaylon Johnson. McMillan was projected to finish as WR15 with 14.2 points. I said he would exceed both numbers. Apparently, my crystal ball was cloudy, and I had the wrong Carolina wideout, as Jalen Coker had a 33.8-point outburst in this one to finish the week as WR1 overall. McMillan? He finished as WR31 with 12.5 points. A disappointing miss. ❌ 

I was out on Falcons WR Drake London, who was projected to finish as WR11 with 14.6 points against the Steelers. I generally argue that less-than-ideal quarterback play doesn't slow great wideouts. But that projection was a tad too aggressive with Cooper Rush getting the start in this one. I expected London to fall outside WR1 territory. He finished as WR71 with 5.5 points. A hit. ✅ 

I was in on Ravens TE Mark Andrews, who was projected to finish Week 1 as TE13 with 9.4 points. With a receiving corps that is at least a little suspect beyond Zay Flowers, I expected Lamar Jackson to lean into one of his favorite targets from past seasons, enough so that Andrews would finish inside the top 12. Despite Jackson coming up big against the Colts, Andrews wasn't a big part of it. He was TE20 with 8.9 points. A painful miss. ❌ 

I was out on Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, whose TE4 Footballguys projection (with 11.18 points) seemed high to me. Yes, he's had some success against the Broncos in the recent past, but Denver's defense ranked second in total defense and third in scoring defense last season while leading the NFL in sacks for the second consecutive year. In the end, it was the Chiefs' reliance on Ken Walker III and the run game that limited Kelce. I predicted he'd finish outside the top 10. He was TE16. A hit. ✅ 

As for my Outlier of the Week, Raiders WR Tre Tucker, all he had to do was finish inside the top 36 to meet my needs. Even with Brock Bowers sidelined by a knee issue, Tucker failed to come through. Instead, he finished as WR76 with a meager 4.7 points. A miss. ❌ 

It wasn't a horrible week, but it could have been better. As always, I have nobody to blame but myself -- and maybe my confidence in Houston's defense, Coker's big day, Flowers' 150 receiving yards, and Ashton Jeanty's big receiving day in Las Vegas -- for my final outcome.

Here's where we stand after Week 1:

Week 1: 5-4
Season: 5-4

The goal here, whether it's realistic or not, is to hit .500 on my predictions, so I'm starting the season on a positive note with my .556 hit rate. 

And with that, let's dive into Week 2.

Week 2 Picks at a Glance

Quarterback

In: Jordan Love, Green Bay @ NY Jets

Last week's game against the Vikings wasn't pretty, but it was productive enough for our purposes. 

Going up against a tough Minnesota defense, Love threw for 387 yards with two touchdowns (and one interception, which came off a deflection). He finished Week 1 as QB10 with 21.5 points.

The key factor appears to be Josh Jacobs' absence. With the backfield tandem of MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks combining for just 66 rushing yards, Love attempted 42 passes, and, as CBSSports.com's Jamey Eisenberg aptly stated, "We love when Love is throwing a lot."

He has great weapons in Christian Watson (he had six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota), Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Tucker Kraft -- all dangerous threats as receivers and runners after the catch.

There are concerns here. 

Green Bay's shuffled and inexperienced line struggled against constant pressure from Minnesota's defense as Love was sacked four times. But ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky noted that being without starting left guard Aaron Banks (knee) wasn't the reason the Vikings recorded 15 QB hits on Love; it was because the Packers couldn't handle the myriad blitzes. 

Minnesota blitzed on a staggering 82.1 percent of their defensive plays against Green Bay. Meanwhile, the Jets blitzed at a much lower -- though still above-average -- rate of 44.9 percent against the Titans, ranking third in the league behind only Minnesota and Washington.

But that's a big difference, and the Jets are an easier matchup than the Vikings. 

Even if he doesn't throw as much as he did last week, I still trust Love to maximize the abilities of his strong supporting cast.

Bottom line: Love's Footballguys projection calls for a QB14 finish with 17.89 points. Love has top-10 potential this week, but I'll be cautious and say he finishes inside QB1 territory. 

Out: Drake Maye, New England vs. Pittsburgh

I was as high on Maye as anybody coming into the season (he was QB2 in my final 2026 Draft Rankings). 

But, as NFL.com's Nick Shook wrote, "The MVP finalist looked more like the 24-year-old he is than the star he's become" in last week's season-opening loss to Seattle. 

ESPN.com's Ken Bowen felt the Patriots' pass script against Seattle seemed conservative early, but Maye made some reckless decisions in the fourth quarter (when he threw three interceptions). Plus, A.J. Brown is now on IR with an ankle injury. 

This isn't to say I'm giving up on Maye for the season, but as Late-Round Fantasy's JJ Zachariason pointed out, Maye has one 20-point performance in his last six games when you include the playoffs. 

Last week was the first time he scored fewer than 10 fantasy points in a game with 20-plus pass attempts since Week 17 of the 2024 season.

I'm not ready to bury Maye after one tough road matchup against the Seahawks. He's still a capable runner (he had 47 yards on the ground in Seattle), and that dual-threat ability keeps him viable. 

But he faces another tough matchup against the Steelers in what is projected to be a low-scoring game, with a 41.5-point over/under.

He's playable, but expecting a ceiling game seems like a reach. 

Bottom line: Maye's Footballguys projection calls for a QB6 finish with 19.9 points. I say he falls outside the top 10 this week.

Running Back

In: Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville @ Denver