Week 2 remains a crucial point in fantasy football. Just as is the case in the NFL, managers must do their best to avoid an 0-2 start in order to preserve early-season optimism for the playoffs.
Many big fantasy pieces may appear in this article as a response to a poor week or an unavoidably amazing matchup.
With this in mind, scroll down for The Sporting News staff's recommendations for Week 2 sleepers for fantasy football lineups.
FANTASY WEEK 2 RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK
Fantasy QB Sleepers Week 2
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
Penix racked up 319 total yards and two total touchdowns in Atlanta's season-opener vs. Tampa Bay, now he gets a primetime game in a dome in Minnesota. This should be a high-scoring NFC tilt, just what we want from an upside QB who has been sneaky impressive across his four NFL starts. - Sloan Piva
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons
McCarthy was getting crucificed for his first start for MInnesota on Monday night until he revved things up in the fourth quarter vs. the Bears defense as a passer and runner to show his true promise in Kevin O'Connell's offense. He'll keep that prime-time mojo fresh in mind for the home opener vs. a weak Falcons defense on Sunday night. - Vinnie Iyer
Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins
Maye had a somewhat disappointing Week 1 performance as it relates to fantasy football. He finished as the QB16 overall with 1 TD and 1 INT. He comes into Week 2 facing the Miami Dolphins, who just let Daniel Jones run the Colts offense like Peyton Manning. Expect a big bounce-back week for Maye and even a top 10 finish on the week. - Griffin Missant
BEST PICKUPS: Fantasy Week 2 waiver wire
Fantasy RB Sleepers Week 2
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
JK Dobbins got the touchdown against the Titans but Harvey showed his explosive burst and will get a chance to do more on the fast track of Indianapolis against a Colts defense that struggled with the versatile speed of the Dolphins' De'Von Achane in Week 1. The Broncos will need to lean hard on Harvey with Bo Nix slumping. - Vinnie Iyer
Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Not a lot went right in Week 1 for the Giants, and it carried over to Tracy's production. Tracy had 10 rushing attempts for 24 yards, but he was also targeted five times. The Giants' offense should be able to get more positive drives against Dallas, resulting in more scoring opportunities for Tracy. - Griffin Missant
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers
Benson busted loose for a 52-yard scamper in Arizona's Week 1 win over New Orleans, and now he gets to inflict some pain on the miserable Carolina defense. James Conner will still enjoy the majority of the ground-game work for the Cardinals, but it's entirely possible both backs end up with PPR outputs in the range of 15-20 points. - Sloan Piva
Fantasy WR Sleepers Week 2
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints
If George Kittle and Jauan Jennings both miss Week 2, Ricky Pearsall is going to finish as a top 10 WR for the week. In Week 1, Pearsall was targeted 7 times and caught 4 of them for 108 yards. In Week 2, the Niners get to play against the Saints in a dome. Expect double-digit targets for Pearsall and more. - Griffin Missant
Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Hollywood hardly feels like a "sleeper" at this stage of his career, but he's only 25-percent rostered so he makes the list. You can't argue with the over 40-percent target share he commanded in Week 1, and he will be needed in a major way again in Sunday's Super Bowl rematch vs. Philadelphia. Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder) ain't walkin' through that door anytime soon. - Sloan Piva
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
Allen was back to old times with Justin Herbert in Week 1 as a key target all over the field as the Chargers opened up the passing game big-time in Brazil against the Chiefs. They should get Allen going again in his favorable division reunion tour matchup vs. the Raiders defense in Las Vegas on Monday night. - Vinnie Iyer
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Fantasy TE Sleepers Week 2
Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Smith caught 5-of-6 targets and scored a touchdown in Week 1, and now he draws a home game against a Seahawks defense that will likely put a lot of its time and energy on slowing down former Seattle wideout D.K. Metcalf. George Kittle was cooking the Seahawks before he got hurt last week, and then his backup, Jake Tonges, came in and scored the go-ahead touchdown in relief. Jonnu seems like a strong play. - Sloan Piva
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins
Henry was a modest success with his receiving with Drake Maye against the Raiders and will be a consistent passing game presence. The Dolphins couldn't handle rookie Tyler Warren in tight end coverage in Week 1, so Henry figures to be busy with targets and a great chance to find the end zone. - Vinnie Iyer
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals
Strange made the most of his four targets in Week 1. He caught all four of them for 59 yards in the win over the Panthers. Now in Week 2, Strange and the Jags face a Bengals defense that gave up 10 catches to the position in Week 1. - Griffin Missant
MORE: Best George Kittle fantasy waiver wire replacements
Fantasy Team Defense Sleepers Week 2
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
How about ‘dem Cowboys? Dallas’ defense struggles against the run but lurks dangerously against the pass on the back end with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. This will mean goodnight for Russell Wilson as his short time as the Giants' starting QB over rookie Jaxson Dart. - Vinnie Iyer
Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos
A lot of people are labeling the Colts game as a complete wash because the Dolphins are bad. While maybe that’s fair on the offensive side, the Colts have a solid defensive unit. Also, the Dolphins still have several dangerous weapons, of which the Colts held down all day. The Broncos' offense was awful in Week 1. They turned the ball over four times against the Titans, and Bo Nox struggled. - Griffin Missant
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bengals D looked pretty darn good in Week 1, albeit against the Browns offense. Still, a home game against a perennially underwhelming Trevor Lawrence could produce some solid D/ST numbers — especially if Joe Burrow and company take a big early lead and control the clock. - Sloan Piva