Week 1 chaos reshuffles fantasy boards as analysts roll out early Week 2 rankings

The first Sunday of the fantasy football season delivered its usual dose of dysfunction, and early Week 2 rankings released this week reflect just how unstable the landscape already is. Among the head-turning results: Panthers quarterback Bryce Young outscored a group of quarterbacks including Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold combined, while the current WR1, Jalen Coker, posted more fantasy points than Puka Nacua, DeVonta Smith, Drake London, George Pickens and Ja’Marr Chase put together.

The tight end position looks similarly scrambled, with Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, Cole Kmet and Kenyon Sadiq all populating the top tier after one week. At running back, two Chicago Bears cracked the top 10, and 49ers rookie Kaelon Black out-carried Christian McCaffrey 14 to 10 while playing 43% of the snaps in San Francisco’s opener.

Risers and sleepers drawing early attention

Analysts flagged Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, rostered in 41% of Yahoo leagues, after a stretch of seven straight games above 17 fantasy points, including four of his last six above 22. Young, rostered at just 14%, has averaged 19.7 fantasy points over his last eight games and faces the Falcons, Browns and Lions over his next three outings. Black, owned in 27% of leagues, is viewed as either part of a plan to keep McCaffrey fresh after a 450-touch season or at minimum one of the game’s most valuable handcuffs.

The rankings remain fluid, with updates expected through Sunday morning, and riser/sleeper designations limited to players available in at least half of Yahoo leagues. Snap and target data comes from PFF.

Fantasy content has become a meaningful engagement driver for sports media companies. Shares of Fox Corporation (FOXA) closed at $68.53 on Tuesday, up 3.93% from a previous close of $65.94, giving the entertainment company a market capitalization of roughly $26.85 billion.

What to watch

• Updated Week 2 rankings ahead of Sunday lineups
• Whether Black’s snap share holds in the 49ers’ Week 2 game
• Waiver-wire processing results across leagues early in the week
• Fantasy platform engagement figures as media companies report quarterly results later this fall

Source: original release