Week 2 is here, so it is time to overreact to 60 minutes of football. Ian Hartitz ranks his top 32 quarterbacks for Week 2, sorts them into six tiers, and stops after every tier for a bigger question about the position. And put some respect on Brock Purdy's name: he has averaged north of 20 fantasy points per game since Week 10 last season and ranks first in the Super Bowl era in yards per attempt and passer rating.
Week 2 is here, so it is time to overreact to 60 minutes of football. Ian Hartitz ranks his top 32 quarterbacks for Week 2, sorts them into six tiers, and stops after every tier for a bigger question about the position. And put some respect on Brock Purdy's name: he has averaged north of 20 fantasy points per game since Week 10 last season and ranks first in the Super Bowl era in yards per attempt and passer rating.
TIER 1: EASY 20+ FANTASY POINT UPSIDE
Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels.
Key question: who has the best and worst on-paper matchups this week? Over the last 12 months the Cowboys, Jets and Commanders stand out as the three worst defenses in EPA per dropback and fantasy points allowed to QBs, with the Titans, Cardinals and Bengals not far behind. The Vikings, Bills, Chargers, Seahawks, Texans and Browns have been the toughest. Whoever plays the Cowboys, start them, and this week that is Jayden Daniels.
TIER 2: WE BELIEVE IN YOU, BUT THERE'S JUST ONE PROBLEM
Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow.
Key question: who have been the NFL's best fantasy QBs over the last half season? Since Week 10 of last season Trevor Lawrence is the QB1, followed by Josh Allen and Brock Purdy, the only three averaging more than 20 fantasy points per game. Caleb Williams and Jaxson Dart are inside the top six, and Bryce Young sits ahead of Patrick Mahomes. Burrow is QB12 because of the Texans defense: Jordan Love and Dak Prescott should see similar volume in far better matchups.
TIER 3: THERE'S DEFINITELY A CHANCE
Jaxson Dart, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield, Tyler Shough.
Key question: what new schemes showed the most and least promise in Week 1? Zac Robinson's Buccaneers ranked second in both play-action rate and pre-snap shift and motion, and joined the 49ers and Jaguars as the only offenses inside the top 10 in both rushing and passing success rate. The problem was four lost fumbles. The Lions and Chargers also stood out as smart offenses, while the Bengals landed in the bottom-left corner of the chart, right where they always seem to be.
TIER 4: FEELS TOO LOW, BUT IS IT REALLY?
Matthew Stafford, Bryce Young, Malik Willis, Carson Wentz, Patrick Mahomes.
Key question: what teams might have bad offensive lines? Using rush yards before contact per carry and time to pressure allowed, the Chiefs and Chargers were the two worst lines in Week 1, while the 49ers, Rams, Bears, Jets and Raiders looked like the best. Mahomes ran for a touchdown on the opening drive, but his 27 pass attempts were tied for his fewest in any game since 2023, and between the line, the weapons and the passing volume, Ian cannot rank him high yet.
TIER 5: SUPERFLEX ONLY
C.J. Stroud, Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers.
DST: Ian is sticking with the Ravens for the foreseeable future. If you need another option, the Chiefs DST should be on waiver wires, with the Colts, Dolphins and Raiders up next and the Jets, Falcons and Cardinals in Weeks 9 through 11.
Key question: what offenses are implied to score the most points this week? Vegas has the Bears 5th, the Chiefs 6th and the Chargers 8th, and is looking past Denver's Week 1 at 13th. The Bengals (19th, at Houston) and Jaguars (21st, at Denver) are down, which is why Burrow and Trevor Lawrence sit lower than they would in neutral spots. The Jets are 25th and the Cardinals 27th.
TIER 6: DREW LOCK AND SOME BUMS
Drew Lock, Cam Ward, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Cooper Rush.
Thanks to Fantasy Genius for sponsoring this episode. Connect your league for its full history, who has owned every player, and human-written league recaps. Go to https://fantasygenius.io and use code ROTOWIRE for 20% off your first year.
Ian's full rankings and tiers are in the draft kit, linked at the top of this description. Promo code IAN40 takes 40% off.
New every week: QB, RB, WR and TE rankings and tiers, the injury show on Friday, the Sunday night review show, and Beyond the Box Score on Monday.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro and this week's five questions
0:29 Tier 1: Easy 20+ fantasy point upside
4:09 Key question: best and worst on-paper matchups
5:08 Tier 2: We believe in you, but there's one problem
9:24 Key question: the best fantasy QBs since last Week 10
10:52 Tier 3: There's definitely a chance
14:00 Key question: which new schemes showed promise in Week 1
15:56 Fantasy Genius
17:13 Tier 4: Feels too low, but is it really?
21:28 Key question: which teams might have bad offensive lines
22:29 Tier 5: Superflex only
22:58 DST picks: Ravens and Chiefs
25:12 Key question: which offenses are implied to score the most
26:11 Tier 6: Drew Lock and some bums
27:21 Wrapping up