Leaders of the Pack Week 2 2026

by Dennis Michelsen

Total Fantasy Football points and even Points per Game can be deceiving. In Fantasy Football, we want to know not only who the hot players are early in the season, but also which players have been productive over a longer period. My rankings use four separate indexes, explained below, to rate each player. Let’s look at who the leaders of the pack are in Fantasy Football 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 with a very low-scoring week. They can keep your team in contention by having a performance above the historic median of expected output. The goal of the MVP Index was to combine these three outcomes into one easy-to-understand number. While the historic median for Fantasy Football points differs by position, using the same expected performance level for RB, WR, and TE gives us a score to compare while making Flex starting decisions all season. 

MVP26 Explained

This index uses the same formula as the MVP Index above, but uses data only from this season. 

Upside Index Explained

While consistency matters in Fantasy Football, weekly upside consistency matters even more. The UPSIDE INDEX calculates a player’s best 1/3rd of his games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This extended database gives us a better idea of a player’s long-term form, not just the few data points represented by the current season. Each week, the data is weighted more heavily toward the current season. 

GOOD Index Explained

In the NFL, young players often struggle early in their careers. While the MVP Index does a solid job of keeping up with the latest player developments, the GOOD Index only counts their best games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This index values rookie and second-year players lower because they have fewer total games to post a high GOOD Index, but it rewards players who stay healthy and productive over a longer time frame. 

Scoring System Used

Regular 1-point-per-reception scoring is used, with no TE premium applied. Players get 1 point for every 10 yards of rushing and receiving yards and 1 point for every 25 yards of passing. TDs count 6 points, including passing TDs. 

Leaders of the Pack at QB

20 Point Games Week One: 16

30+ Point Games Week One: 7

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 2

1. Josh Allen (+1): The undisputed QB1 in Fantasy Football

2. Lamar Jackson (-1) Drops to second place where he belongs

3. Jared Goff (+1): DET's defense is so bad his Fantasy stock is rising

4. Patrick Mahomes (+2): How did the experts miss so badly on Mahomes? 

5. Jalen Hurts (-2): Bad week for injuries on the Eagles

6. Joe Burrow (-1): Might not need to throw 40 times a game this season

7. Brock Purdy (+5): One of the most underrated QBs in the game 

8. Dak Prescott (+5): Will we see big home/away splits for Dak? 

9. Matthew Stafford (NEW) Worst QB in the Southern Hemisphere 

10. Jayden Daniels (-2) Will miss a few weeks with that elbow injury

11. Baker Mayfield (-4) Losing in your revenge game is not a good idea

12. Jaxson Dart (-2) Will miss a few weeks with his injury

13. Caleb Williams (-3) Could miss a few weeks, but it could have been worse

14. Trevor Lawrence (-3) Lousy game two is a concern

15. Bryce Young (NEW) Top 3 in many QB stats after 2 weeks 

Dropped Off: Maye and Shough

Leaders of the Pack at RB

10 Point Games Week One: 25

20+ Point Games Week One: 5

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 3

1. Jahmyr Gibbs (+1): Back on top where he is likely to stay ROS

2. Bijan Robinson (-1): Penix returning is great news for Bijan owners

3. Jonathan Taylor (+1): I was wrong about JT and the Indy offense

4. Derrick Henry (-1): Father Time is still a step behind the King

5. Christian McCaffrey: Still getting the volume he needs to be Top 5

6. De’Von Achane: MIA offense is a mess, but his volume is still strong

7. James Cook (+4): Might get even more volume with DJ Moore out

8. Chase Brown: Gets the volume needed to stay at this level

9. Kylen Williams: 50/50 volume split but still getting passing game and goal-line touches

10. D’Andre Swift (-2): What will the Bears offense look like without Caleb? 

11. Ken Walker (+3): Getting more passing game usage, as forecasted

12. Bucky Irving (+1): Once Baker gets back to being Baker, Bucky should be even better

13. Ashton Jeanty (+2): Defenses will choose to load the box against him 

14. Breece Hall (+4): Got vultured on a TD, but otherwise his second strong game

15. Saquon Barkley (-3): How bad will the injury be? 

16. Chubba Hubbard (+1) Brooks back on the shelf, but Chubba held him off anyway

17. Javonte Williams (-1) Will we see less consistency than last year? 

18. David Montgomery (-8): HOU running game disappeared last week

19. TreyVeon Henderson (NEW): First week back was a huge success 

20. Cam Skattebo (-1): Injury to Dart has me concerned for other Giants players

21. Aaron Jones: Last veteran standing already

22. RJ Harvey (+1): Injury might open the door for the rookie to shine

23. Travis Etienne (-1): Saints looking to keep his volume at a manageable rate with Kamara back

24. Omarion Hampton: Chargers off to a bad start and face a tough schedule next 5 games

25. Rhamondre Stevenson (-5) Should lose volume to the more dynamic back

26. Rico Dowdle (-1) Has looked blah in first two weeks

27. Rachaad White (+7) Could pick up more work in the passing game with QB switch

28. Jaylen Warren (-2) Passing game work helping his floor

29. Quinshon Judkins (+2) Rushing game has been below average so far for the Browns

30. Jonah Coleman (NEW) 13 touches on his first chance and was good enough to earn more

31. Kyle Monangai (-4) Entire Bears offense hibernated last week

32. Tony Pollard: Volume split on a below-average offense is not fantasy-friendly

33. JK Dobbins (-4): Injury has me worried about the rest of his season

34. Jacory Croskey Merritt (+1): Volume split caps his upside every week

35. Bhayshul Tuten (NEW): Injury to C-Rod hands him more volume 

Dropped Off: Mason and Singletary

Leaders of the Pack at WR

10 Point Games Week One: 34

20+ Point Games Week One: 12

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 6

1. Amon Ra St Brown: The most reliable Top 3 WR in Fantasy Football right now

2. Jaxson Smith Njigba: Tried to warn everyone not to fade him because of the new OC

3. Puka Nacua: Injury and off-the-field issues have concerned me

4. Ja’Marr Chase (+6): Nobody creates better highlight-reel catches than Chase

5. Cee Dee Lamb (+1): Determined not to let Pickens be the WR1 on the Cowpokes

6. Nico Collins (-2): Will he return this week? 

7. Davante Adams (+7) Everything was upside down, Down Under

8. Chris Olave (-1) Proving to be a great value again this season

9. Justin Jefferson (-4) Weather conditions last week took big plays out of the game

10. Zay Flowers (-1) Will he return this week? 

11. DJ Moore (+2) How many weeks will he miss? 

12. Garret Wilson (+3) Developing a nice chemistry with Geno

13. Malik Nabers (-5) Injury to Dart and his own injury are big concerns

14. Stefon Diggs (+6) Has taken over as the WR1 for the Commanders as expected

15. Mike Evans: Injury scare last week

16. George Pickens (+1) Auditioning for a big contract somewhere else next year

17. Tee Higgins (+1): The second-best WR2 in the league

18. Drake London (-2): Return of Penix must help 

19. Rashee Rice: Chiefs' passing game is not concentrating on any one WR

20. DeVonta Smith (+10): Offensive line a concern for Eagles offense

21. Ladd McConkey: Can we stop calling McDaniel an offensive genius? 

22. Brian Thomas (+1) Might start falling in this rating system soon

23. Jameson Williams (-1) Unless LaPorta gets hurt, he is hard to start with confidence

24. Courtland Sutton (+1) Another player destined to fall on this chart soon

25. Deebo Samuel (+1) Play Deebo in your lineup in closer games only

26. Terry McLaurin (+2) Losing target share to Diggs as expected

27. Tetairoa McMillan (+10) Bryce Young having his breakout season 

28. Christian Watson (+3) If he can stay healthy, he has top-10 upside

29. Denzel Boston (NEW) Exciting new rookie in Cleveland

30. Emeka Egbuka (+8) Baker has not looked good in the first two weeks

31. Jakobi Meyers (-7) PW is THE MAN in Jacksonville

32. Jaylen Waddle (NEW) Should be rising fast in the weeks ahead

33. Chris Godwin (-6) Back-to-back ordinary games has me worried

34. Josh Downs (NEW) The undisputed WR1 for Indy with Pierce injury

35. Parker Washington (NEW) I might have been wrong on PW

36.  Khalil Shakir (-1) Losing targets to the TE 

37. DK Metcalf (-1) Do the Steelers have a passing game? 

38. Wan Dale Robinson (-5) Might not be a great fit for this QB

39. Alec Pierce (-7) Could be his last time on this chart after injury

40. Jalen Coker (NEW): Panthers passing game has been impressive

Dropped Off: AJ Brown, Q Johnson, M Wilson

Leaders of the Pack at TE

10 Point Games Week One: 14

20+ Point Games Week One: 4

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 1

1. Trey McBride: I thought a new HC and OC were supposed to lower his volume? 

2. Travis Kelce (+1) Slimmed down for his wedding and benefiting on the field

3. George Kittle (+1) Looked like his usual dominant TE self in week 2

4. Dallas Goedert (-2) Injury might sideline him for a while

5. Dalton Kincaid (+1) Finally showing the promise most of us knew was there

6. Sam LaPorta (+2) Lions might need to score 40 to win

7. Mark Andrews (+2) Should be solid but not great this season

8. Jake Ferguson (NEW) Stepped up for a big game but lacks consistency

9. Tyler Warren (+3) Might be emerging as the best young TE in the game

10. David Njoku (-3) Injury will sideline him for a while and drop him off this chart

11. Darren Waller (NEW) The old man keeps rolling along and finding the end zone

12. Harold Fannin (NEW) DeShaun Watson didn’t look bad last week

13. Juwan Johnson (+2) Saints offense has lots of weapons

14. Pat Freirmuth (-4) Steelers passing game is a mess

15. Hunter Henry (-2) Slow start for Drake Maye has hurt Henry too

Dropped Off: Kraft, Gesicki, Pitts

Conclusion

Ratings are weighted for the 2026 season starting week one and will be quite volatile for the first few weeks. The system makes it tougher for rookies to make the list, so when a player like Denzel Boston does it after two weeks, that’s impressive. There aren’t many surprises at the top of the list, but toward the bottom, a few guys snuck in thanks to a strong week or poor weeks by others in their same tier. Good luck this week!