Leaders of the Pack After Week Two 

by Dennis Michelsen

Fantasy Football experts sometimes get too attached to what happened last week. In the early part of the season, it’s essential to factor in more than just week one in determining who is the leader at each position. My unique ratings system uses three different statistical tools to get a consensus rating on each player. It uses data from the current season plus the last two seasons, but each week is weighted heavily for the current season. Let’s see who the leaders of the pack are after week two. 

MVP Index Explained

Every week in Fantasy Football, there are three possible outcomes for a player’s statistics. They can help your team win by having a huge points week. They can cause your team to lose by having a very low points week. They can keep your team in contention by having a performance above the historic median of output expected. Combining these three outcomes into one easy-to-understand number was the goal of the MVP Index. While the landmark median for Fantasy Football points varies by position, using the same level of expected performance for RB, WR, and TE provides a consistent scoring metric for making Flex starting decisions throughout the season.  

Upside Index 

While the MVP Index considers consistency, the Upside Index just looks at a player’s best ten games over the past two seasons plus the current season. There is a special formula to treat outlier data in a way that minimizes its impact on the overall score. There is also a special technique to allow rookies to be graded on the same percentage of games as a cagey veteran who has played more full games. Each week, the current season's data is weighted more to keep it updated for this season’s performances. 

Spike Weeks in Last 10 Games

A spike week is defined as a game in which a player scored around 25% more than the weekly median in Fantasy Football. This equates to 15 points for the RB, WR, and TE positions and 20 points for QB. Although the median is lower for TE than for RB and WR, the same value is used to judge a player, aiding in Flex starter decisions. While the 20 points for QBs is slightly lower than 25% over the median for that position, judging each QB against each other versus the same point value is what is most important. The last ten games played are used for this measurement and provide a current form in Fantasy Football. 

Top 15 at QB

1. Lamar Jackson (+1) takes over the top spot after back-to-back 35+ point efforts.

2. Josh Allen (-1) Team didn’t need him to wear his Superman Cape last week

3. Baker Mayfield- Fourteen multiple TD games in the previous twenty starts

4. Jayden Daniels- Injury concerns heading into week three 

5. Joe Burrow- Last week on this list as he heads to IR

6. Jared Goff (+2)- Home/away splits have been impressive over the last 3 seasons

7. Jalen Hurts (-1) Strong defense makes it less critical for Hurts to have big games

8. Bo Nix (+4) Biggest jump in the top 15 this week 

9. Patrick Mahomes (-2). Lack of a running game could see Mahomes moving up soon

10. Jordan Love (+1) Lost one of his key WRs, but lots of weapons remain 

11. Brock Purdy (-2) could miss a few more games, but should have the top WR back soon

12. Sam Darnold (+2) should still have strong games against weaker defenses 

13. Justin Herbert- Passing volume is up versus last year 

14. Justin Fields (-4) Hopefully passes concussion protocol this week 

15. Dak Prescott- Week two was much better, and he has the weapons to be Top 10

Top 30 at RB

1. De’Von Achane (+1) Huge Home/Away split for this Dolphins offense over the last few years 

2. Bijan Robinson (-1) might be the most reliable FF RB in the game today 

3. Jahmyr Gibbs- The Lions offense was on fire last week with a return to home cooking 

4. Saquon Barkley- Death, taxes, and a Saquon TD seem to be the only guarantees in life

5. Christian McCaffrey (+3) has looked like the old CMC to start the season 

6. Alvin Kamara (-1) Good news for Kamara owners, Rattler is looking better than expected

7. Jonathon Taylor (+4) could be a top 3 season if he can stay healthy all year 

8. Kyren Williams (-1) doesn’t always look sensational, but gets the job done 

9. Josh Jacobs- Getting all the RB volume on an excellent offense 

10. Derrick Henry (-4) Worst game since the 2023 season 

11. Bucky Irving (+2) The volume split should keep him strong all season 

12. James Cook (+2) can put up some monster numbers on weaker defenses 

13. David Montgomery (+3) TD-dependent RB, thankfully, on a team that scores lots of TDs

14. Chase Brown (-4) Will teams load the box with Burrow gone? 

15. James Conner- The volume split will keep him fresh, but caps his upside in FF. 

16. Chuba Hubbard (+1) Receiving volume keeps his floor solid any given week 

17. Breece Hall (-5). We saw how essential Fields is to this offense last week 

18. JK Dobbins- Will stay in the Top 20 until the rookie gets more volume 

19. Ken Walker (+1) Lousy game by Charbs could be good news for KW3 owners

20. Aaron Jones (-1) will drop off this list next week due to injury 

21. Rachad White- Got the much-needed volume to keep him FF relevant in week 2

22. Travis Etienne (+3) Top 10 potential is there if he can stay healthy and keep getting fed volume

23. Austin Ekeler (-1) Horrific Achilles injury will knock him off this list next week

24. Jordan Mason (-1) Injury to Jones should boost Mason’s volume in a big way 

25. Isiah Pacheco (-1) doesn’t look like the same RB from before his injury 

26. Javonte Williams (NEW) Lead RB duties for an offense that must score lots of points

27. D’Andre Swift (+3) should be a solid RB2 type in Fantasy Football all season 

28. Jacory Corskey Merritt (+1) Injury to Ekeler opens path to more volume 

29. Dylan Sampson (-3) Falling off the list unless fellow rookie gets hurt or suspended

30. Jaylen Warren (NEW) The lead RB for PIT unless he gets hurt 

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Top 35 at WR

1. Puka Nacua - I wish I had listened to the Professor and drafted him more this season. 

2. Cee Dee Lamb should be in the top WR discussion all season, given the Cowboys' awful defense. 

3. Ja’Marr Chase- Last time Browning took over, Chase's stock dropped, and Higgins's stock soared.

4. Amon Ra St Brown (+1) Lions offense at home is dangerous 

5. Malik Nabers (+6) had a return to his rookie production last week 

6. Justin Jefferson (-2) McCarthy injury might actually help JJ in Fantasy Football 

7. Tyreek Hill (-1). Has Father Time caught up with the Cheetah? 

8. Keenan Allen (+1). It looks like a much younger version of Allen for the first two weeks. 

9. Davante Adams (-2) Yes, the Rams can sustain two Top 12 WRs all season 

10. Brian Thomas Jr- Slow start to the season and now dealing with a minor injury

11. Mike Evans (+1) might not even be the top WR on his own team anymore 

12. Nico Collins (-4) Yes, I am starting to get concerned about CJ Stroud at QB 

13. AJ Brown- The lousy passing game yardage is hurting his Fantasy Football value 

14. Tee Higgins (+4) Bengals will need to throw early and often all year  

15. DJ Moore (-1). Is Rome Odunze taking over as the lead WR in that attack? 

16. Jakobi Meyers- Old reliable seems to hit double digits every week 

17. Ladd McConkey (-2) Will Keenan Allen cut into his volume all season? 

18. Cooper Kupp (+3) Maybe Father Time hasn’t caught up to him yet 

19. Stefon Diggs (+1) is playing his way into shape and led the team last week 

20. Terry McLaurin (-1) Injury to his QB is a big concern moving forward

21. Courtland Sutton (-4) is showing up on milk bottles this week after a great first week

22. Deebo Samuel (+6) Dan Quinn’s fun new offensive toy is one of the biggest risers this week 

23. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+1) Spike weeks in 7 of his last 10 starts 

24. DeVonta Smith (-2) Maybe the Eagles don’t need to throw the ball anymore? 

25. Drake London- Inefficient in week one, followed by a huge drop in volume in week 2

26. Garret Wilson- Without Fields last week, the Jets offense looked awful 

27. Zay Flowers- Twenty targets in the first 2 weeks, he should be on the rise soon

28. George Pickens (+6) looks terrific in this Cowboys offense 

29. Emeka Egbuka (-6) already has 3 TDs in two career NFL games 

30. Marvin Harrison Jr (-1) Threw in a dude in week two after a great opening week 

31. Chris Olave (+1) News Flash: Spencer Rattler looks like an NFL QB 

32. Jaylen Waddle (NEW) Have seen half as many penguin dances as last year already

33. Michael Pittman (-3) Strong defenses can still slow him down 

34. Jerry Jeudy (-3) might be losing the top WR position on his team to Tillman 

35. Jauan Jennings (NEW) Did he play his way into shape, or was it the new QB? 

Top 15 at TE

1. Trey McBride- Fourteen games with 5+ receptions in his last 18 games

2. Brock Bowers- Knee injury slowed him down in week two 

3. Johnu Smith- Splitting the TE volume could hurt his rating 

4. David Njoku (+2) Can two solid Fantasy Football TEs exist on the same team? 

5. Travis Kelce- Dropped a sure TD that could have won the game last week

6. Sam LaPorta (+2) Even the Lions’ cheerleaders are good at home 

7. Mark Andrews- Missing in action so far this season, but had a slow start last year, too

8. Evan Engram (+2) Awful start to the season, but went up because others dropped off the chart

9. Zach Ertz (+2) might be the best TE value in Fantasy Football this season 

10. TJ Hockenson (-1) Will switching to veteran QB help his Fantasy Football performance? 

11. Juwan Johnson (NEW) The other contender for best TE value in FF this season 

12. Tucker Kraft (NEW) A monster game on prime time 

13. Tyler Warren (-1) Back-to-back 70+ yard games, on the way to the Top 5 soon

14. Jake Ferguson (NEW), Dallas offense will be throwing the ball early and often all season. 

15. Cade Otton (NEW) Playing his way back into shape.