Samuel, London among 5 must-start Week 2 fantasy football wide receivers

MIAMI, Sept. 11 (UPI) — Deebo Samuel and Drake London are among my five must-start wide receivers for Week 2 of the fantasy football campaign.

Cooper Kupp leads my weekly Top 50 rankings. Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown also land inside the Top 5 of my rankings. Mike Evans, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ja’Marr Chase, Rashee Rice and Garrett Wilson join the aforementioned pass catchers in my Top 10.

Evans, Malik Nabers and Jameson Williams join Samuel and London as my five must-start plays.

Those who roster Puka Nacua should bench the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Tee Higgins, Hollywood Brown and Jordan Addison stock owners should monitor their injury status before plugging them into lineups.

All positional rankings will be updated throughout the week. Players also will be removed from or adjusted within the rankings based on injuries.

Mike Evans

Evans, my No. 6 option for Week 2, got off to a stellar start, with two touchdowns in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season-opening win against the Washington Commanders.

The veteran wide receiver totaled five catches for 61 yards on six targets. While I don’t expect Evans to find the end zone multiple times each week, I do think he will continue to score with regularity this season.

Evans the Buccaneers will host the Detroit Lions in Week 2. The Lions just allowed a league-high 266 yards to wide receivers in their Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. They also surrendered the third-most receiving yards to the position last season.

Look for quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of my waiver wire targets, to excel again in Week 2, using Evans as his primary playmaker. Evans is locked in as an elite WR1.

Malik Nabers

Nabers totaled five catches for 66 yards in his NFL debut, a New York Giants loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Look for the rookie to provide much better fantasy football value in Week 2, when the Giants battle the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders, who allowed the most yards, touchdowns and fantasy points to wide receivers last season, surrendered a league-high four receiving scores to the position in Week 1 against Evans and the Buccaneers.

In addition to Evans’ performance, they also allowed scores to Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan.

The Giants-Commanders game should feature a lot of passing attempts. Look for Nabers to lead the Giants in targets and to turn those looks into a Top 12 fantasy football performance.

Deebo Samuel

Samuel is the No. 13 player in my Week 2 rankings. The San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver provided WR1 value in deeper leagues with 13 touches for 97 yards from scrimmage and a score in his season opener. HIs nine receiving targets were tied for the 10th-most among wide receivers.

I expect Samuel to continue to see touches out of the backfield, especially if starting running back Christian McCaffrey continues to miss time. His 53 snaps in Week 1 were the most among 49ers wide receivers.

This week, the 49ers will face the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last year, but started their 2024 campaign with a decent performance against the New York Giants.

I still think Samuel explodes in this match due to his usage and prioritization in this offense. Look for more than 100 yards from scrimmage and a score from the 49ers veteran.

Drake London

London and the Atlanta Falcons will travel for a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. The Eagles allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers in Week 1. They also surrendered the second-most fantasy points to the position over 17 games last season.

London struggled to find a rhythm in Week 1, with just two catches for 15 yards against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers defense. He should find more opportunities for success this week against a generous Eagles secondary.

I expect at least six catches for 80 yards and a score in this great matchup. London is my No. 14 play.

Jameson Williams

Williams is my No. 24 play this week, when the Lions face the Buccaneers in what oddsmakers expect to be the highest-scoring (51.5-point total) matchup.

Williams is widely known for his electric speed and playmaking ability, but typically wasn’t targeted enough — or wasn’t healthy enough — to provide consistent value through the first two years of his career.

The Lions speedster was targeted more than three times in just three of his first 18 NFL appearances. He saw a career-high nine looks in Week 1, which he turned in to five catches for a career-best 121 yards and a score.

Look for his involvement to remain steady this week in what should be a back-and-forth offensive shootout. Williams is a WR2 with strong WR1 upside.

Week 2 wide receiver rankings

1. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams at ARI

2. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins vs. BUF

3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. SF

4. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys vs. NO

5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles vs. ATL

6. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DET

7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions vs. TB

8. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals at KC

9. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs vs. CIN

10. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets at TEN

11. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins vs. BUF

12. Malik Nabers, New York Giants at WAS

13. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers at MIN

14. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons at PHI

15. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers at MIN

16. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears at HOU

17. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders at BAL

18. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks at NE

19. Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. CHI

20. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals vs. LAR

21. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles vs. ARI

22. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DET

23. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders vs. NYG

24. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions vs. TB

25. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at DAL

26. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts at GB

27. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens vs. LV

28. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars vs. CLE

29. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns at JAX

30. Tank Dell, Houston Texans vs. CHI

31. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs vs. CIN

32. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers at DEN

33. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints at DAL

34. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. PIT

35. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. CLE

36. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills at MIA

37. Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys vs. NO

38. Allen Lazard, New York Jets at TEN

39. Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers at CAR

40. Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers vs. LAC

41. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks at NE

42. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers vs. IND

43. Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams at ARI

44. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans vs. CHI

45. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers at CAR

46. Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears at HOU

47. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders at BAL

48. Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns at JAX

49. Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons at PHI

50. Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans vs. NYJ