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Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season gifted us with an offensive show. However, the players that lit up the fantasy football boards from the quarterback position were as unpredictable as it gets. While Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson put up their usual eye-popping numbers, a plethora of unexpected fantasy studs also grabbed the headlines. Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, and Case Keenum each finished among the top-six fantasy scorers at their position in the opening week.
Take a look below to see which players will surprise, which players will disappoint, and if Lamar Jackson can unseat Patrick Mahomes in our Week 2 QB fantasy rankings.
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Better Than Usual
These players are destined to perform well in week two.
Lamar Jackson vs. Arizona Cardinals
Lamar Jackson shocked the NFL world in week one, leading the entire league in QBR. In the words of Jackson himself, “not bad for a running back.”
Lamar Jackson really went there 😅
Jackson’s evolution as a legitimate NFL QB was on full display last Sunday. While Jackson did beat up on the tanking Miami Dolphins, you can’t deny how good the Baltimore QB looked from the pocket. Jackson dropped back 22 times, while only having his number called once on a designed run.
While Fantasy owners should temper their expectations for Jackson for the duration of the season, the QB is met with another mouth-watering matchup in week two vs. Arizona.
The Cardinals allowed 385 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air vs. the Lions in Week 1. Most notably may be the fact that they allowed Matthew Stafford to scamper for an average of 7.3 yards per rush on three carries.
Jackson is a QB1 lock vs. the Cards.
Josh Allen @ New York Giants
GettyBills QB Josh Allen and WR John Brown
Josh Allen gets beat up by mainstream media on the regular. Most don’t expect Allen to ever be a legitimate QB in this league, however, he has all the tools to succeed, especially in fantasy football.
Allen tossed two picks in the Bills opening game of the year, the sixth multiple interception game of his career. However, Allen still managed to finish with nearly 18 fantasy points, thanks in large part to his running ability. Allen touted the rock ten times and scored a rushing touchdown vs. the Jets.
Allen may not need to rely on his legs much in Week 2. The QB gets a Giants defense who looked completely lost in the secondary in Week 1. New York allowed Dak Prescott to carve them up to the tune of 405 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Worse Than Usual
Don’t get caught in week two with these signal-callers in your starting lineups.
Kirk Cousins @ Green Bay Packers
Cousins will be asked to throw the ball more than the 10 times he did in Week 1, it’s inevitable. However, that doesn’t mean you should expect an uptick in Cousin’s fantasy output. Cousins averaged just 11.04 fantasy points in four of his final five games in 2018, including two games below 10 points.
Cousins will go toe-to-toe with a new-and-improved Packers defense that held Mitchell Trubisky to just 9.22 fantasy points last Thursday.
Between the matchup and Minnesota’s commitment to the run game, it would be in your best interest to steer clear of Cousins on Sunday.
Kyler Murray @ Baltimore Ravens
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray got off to a rocky start in his first career NFL game, yet once the former Heisman winner got settled in he began to make plays. Murray bounced back with a vengeance, rallying his Cardinals back from a 24-7 deficit to eventually tie the Detroit Lions. The QB would finish with 300+ passing yards.
However, expect this week’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens to mostly mirror Sunday’s first three quarters rather than the final one for the Cardinals.
Baltimore’s defense accumulated three sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble while forfeiting just 10 points in the first week of the 2019 season. Don’t use the excuse that the Ravens faced off against Miami as a reason to insert Murray into your lineup. Baltimore finished 2018 as the 5th highest scoring defense in fantasy.
The Detroit Lions greeted Murray to the NFL in Week 1, Baltimore will welcome the rookie.
Week 2 PPR Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks
[ QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Flex | DEF & K]
| Rank | Player | Opp |
| 1. | Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) | @ OAK |
| 2. | Tom Brady (QB – NE) | @ MIA |
| 3. | Deshaun Watson (QB – HOU) | vs. JAC |
| 4. | Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) | vs. ARI |
| 5. | Carson Wentz (QB – PHI) | vs. ATL |
| 6. | Russell Wilson (QB – SEA) | @ PIT |
| 7. | Dak Prescott (QB – DAL) | vs. WAS |
| 8. | Cam Newton (QB – CAR) | vs. TB |
| 9. | Jared Goff (QB – LAR) | vs. NO |
| 10. | Drew Brees (QB – NO) | @ LAR |
| 11. | Josh Allen (QB – BUF) | vs. NYG |
| 12. | Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB) | vs. MIN |
| 13. | Matt Ryan (QB – ATL) | vs. PHI |
| 14. | Philip Rivers (QB – LAC) | @ DET |
| 15. | Baker Mayfield (QB – CLE) | @ NYJ |
| 16. | Derek Carr (QB – OAK) | vs. KC |
| 17. | Matthew Stafford (QB – DET) | vs. LAC |
| 18. | Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT) | vs. SEA |
| 19. | Jameis Winston (QB – TB) | @ CAR |
| 20. | Andy Dalton (QB – CIN) | vs. SF |
| 21. | Marcus Mariota (QB – TEN) | vs. IND |
| 22. | Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – SF) | @ CIN |
| 23. | Kyler Murray (QB – ARI) | @ BAL |
| 24. | Sam Darnold (QB – NYJ) | vs. CLE |
| 25. | Gardner Minshew (QB – JAC) | @ HOU |
| 26. | Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN) | @ GB |
| 27. | Mitchell Trubisky (QB – CHI) | @ DEN |
| 28. | Case Keenum (QB – WAS) | vs. DAL |
| 29. | Jacoby Brissett (QB – IND) | @ TEN |
| 30. | Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB – MIA) | vs. NE |
| 31. | Eli Manning (QB – NYG) | vs. BUF |
| 32. | Joe Flacco (QB – DEN) | vs. CHI |
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Fantasy Football Week 2 QB Rankings: Lamar Jackson a Must-Start vs. Cardinals?