It was great to have football back, even if most teams hit the under in Week 1. While it was a mostly healthy week across the NFL, some injuries could have an impact in Week 2 and beyond.
For managers in deeper leagues, identifying players who aren’t on a roster and have streaming or long-term upside is crucial to winning your fantasy league. Thankfully, we are here to help find those gems that can lead you to the fantasy promised land.
Every week, this article will focus on players available in at least 50% of Yahoo leagues, as well as some deep sleepers rostered in less than 20% of leagues. Without further ado, here are the best Week 2 streaming options at every position.
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Quarterback Streaming Options Week 2
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders vs Los Angeles Chargers (24% rostered)
In Week 1, we got exactly what we were hoping for from the Geno Smith experience in Las Vegas. Smith finished as the QB15 in fantasy points (18.5), but his advanced stats suggest that bigger days could be ahead.
Smith was among the top 10 quarterbacks in deep ball attempts (six), air yards (351), yards per attempt (10.6), expected points added (16.2), Explosive Rating (141.1), and deep ball completion percentage (66.7%). More importantly, the veteran quarterback distributed the ball to eight different targets, utilizing all parts of the field.
It will be difficult for Smith to be a weekly top 10 quarterback with his lack of rushing ability, but his passing volume and accuracy to all parts of the field will give him a great chance to finish as a low-end QB1 with the weapons around him.
Smith is worth streaming and stashing, especially if the Raiders remain one of the heaviest pass rate teams in the NFL this season (they posted a 9.5% pass rate over expectation in Week 1, third-highest).
Deep Sleeper: Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (<1% rostered)
Brock Purdy apparently suffered toe and shoulder injuries in Week 1’s win against the Seattle Seahawks. Initial reports suggested that Purdy could miss Week 2’s game. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan came out and stated that Purdy would be a “long shot” to play Week 2 and could potentially miss multiple weeks.
Enter Mac Jones.
Mac Jones Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Jones joined the 49ers this offseason as a backup quarterback after playing in 10 games (seven starts) for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. In those games, he completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,672 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
The veteran quarterback won’t have George Kittle or Brandon Aiyuk in the passing attack, but he will still have Christian McCaffrey and Ricky Pearsall. It’s also possible that Jauan Jennings will be able to play after all of the tests on his shoulder came back negative.
Is Mac Jones the most exciting quarterback? No. But he posted five weeks with at least 13.0 fantasy points per game on a far less talented Jaguars’ team in 2024. He can get the job done against a Saints defense that just allowed 18.3 points to Kyler Murray.
Honorable Mention: Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (5% rostered)
Teams with Joe Flacco under center aren’t afraid to air it out. Since 2022, Flacco has made 16 starts across three different teams (the Jets, Colts, and Browns). In those games, he’s averaged 41.2 pass attempts, a 62.1% completion rate, and 284.3 yards per game.
It was more of the same in Week 1’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. In that game, Flacco completed 31 of 45 passes for 290 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Flacco will likely see a similar passing volume in Week 2, trying to keep up with the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore’s defense could make Flacco’s life more difficult, but he should still have more than enough volume to be fantasy relevant in Week 2.
Running Back Streaming Options Week 2
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles (19% rostered)
There aren’t many running backs worth targeting on the waiver wire this week, but one player who could have some appeal is Chiefs’ running back Kareem Hunt. Hunt logged a 38% snap share in Week 1’s game against the Chargers, carrying the ball five times for 16 yards and adding two receptions for 10 yards.
Hunt (23 snaps) was the clear second fiddle to Isiah Pacheco (31 snaps) and also lost snaps to rookie Brashard Smith (8 snaps), but still finished tied with Pacheco for the most touches out of the backfield (seven).
Deep Sleeper: LeQuint Allen Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals (1% rostered)
The Jaguars traded away Tank Bigsby this week. Naturally, people started celebrating the outcome for Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten. However, another potential winner is rookie LeQuint Allen Jr.
LeQuint Allen Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Allen played nine snaps in Jacksonville’s game against the Carolina Panthers, handling one carry for seven yards and catching his lone target for four yards.
In reality, Etienne and Tuten are set to handle most of the snaps against the Bengals. But Allen was a prolific pass catcher at Syracuse (119 receptions for 848 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons) and could earn the pass-catching role in Jacksonville. That could lead to an uptick in fantasy points in a game that could turn into a shootout.
Wide Receiver Streaming Options Week 2
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (21% rostered)
All the attention this offseason has focused on the additions to New England’s passing attack. Instead, it was returning player Kayshon Boutte who led the team in all major receiving categories.
Kayshon Boutte Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Boutte caught six of eight targets for 103 yards, playing 82.9% of the team’s snaps at wide receiver while nursing an injury. Over his last four games (dating back to last season), Boutte has averaged 6.8 targets, 5.5 receptions, and 85.8 receiving yards; he has also scored two touchdowns.
The Patriots play a Miami secondary that just allowed Daniel Jones to complete 75.9% of his passes for 272 yards and a touchdown. Boutte was limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury, but he’s set to smash against an overmatched opponent in Week 2.
Deep Sleeper: Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans vs Los Angeles Rams (5% rostered)
The entire Titans offense struggled in Week 1, but that should have been expected on the road against Denver’s defense. Lost in their struggles was the role that rookie Elic Ayomanor had in his first career game.
Elic Ayomanor Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
The rookie logged a 77.6% snap share with a 79.4% route participation in Week 1. He earned seven targets (28% target share) but caught just two for 13 yards. The advanced metrics show that he could have had a much better day. Ayomanor was the WR5 in air yards (133), the WR7 in deep targets (2), and the WR8 in average depth of target (19.0).
Tennessee’s passing attack has some things to work out over the next few weeks, but Ayomanor will be on the field to earn targets as they figure it out. That role could have value, especially if the Titans continuously find themselves in negative game scripts.
Honorable Mention: Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks (13% rostered)
Calvin Austin III earned six targets, four receptions, 70 receiving yards, and a touchdown on a career-high 80% snap share in Aaron Rodgers‘ first game with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Austin had been getting plenty of recognition throughout training camp, and it translated to the field.
Seattle is a difficult matchup, but Austin should continue to benefit from the attention paid to DK Metcalf.
Tight End Streaming Options for Week 2
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (34% rostered)
Harold Fannin Jr. saw a significant spike in his roster rate after the first waiver cycle, but it is still well below the 50% threshold required for this article. Fannin had a fantastic debut with the Browns, catching seven of nine targets for 63 yards while being utilized all over the offense to maximize his talent. He was the TE6 in PPR scoring (13.6 points).
Harold Fannin Jr. Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
The advanced metrics also loved his performance. Fanning was the TE9 in routes run (29), the TE7 in targets per routes run (31.0%), and the TE4 in air yards (65). He also had a 25% designed target share and a 21.7% first-read target share.
All of that suggests that Fannin’s big game wasn’t a fluke. Based on one week’s data, we can reasonably conclude that the rookie is an integral part of Cleveland’s offense.
Deep Sleeper: Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (2% rostered)
It is only a matter of time until Colston Loveland takes over the tight end position in Chicago. However, in Week 1, Cole Kmet was still the Bears’ TE1. Kmet played on 87.9% of Chicago’s snaps and ran a route on 78.4% of drop-backs. He caught just one of four targets for 31 yards but still finished as the TE2 in average depth of target for Week 1 (14.3).
Kmet still has a role in the passing attack and has the size to make an impact in the red zone. All it takes is a touchdown for him to have a big week at the tight end position.
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