Fantasy Football Points Allowed: Best & Worst Matchups (Week 2)

An often overlooked but very key part of fantasy football, matchups can make or break your team’s success. One week into the season, we already have tons of data about which teams are better or worse matchups for each position, thanks to the Fantasy Football Points Allowed tool.

Of course, this early in the season, it’s also important to still look back at last year’s data, which, luckily, the tool has as well. Using data from both Week 1 and 2023, we can find players to target or fade in Week 2 when making fantasy start sit decisions based on their matchups. Let’s get started.

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Fantasy Points Allowed: Best & Worst Matchups (Week 2)

Week 2 Quarterback Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)

The Cardinals allowed the most fantasy points to the QB position in Week 1, but it’s hard to blame them, given they were facing Josh Allen. However, if we look back to 2023, the Cardinals were still the fifth-most advantageous matchup for fantasy quarterbacks across the whole season. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford looked excellent on Sunday night, dicing up the Lions’ secondary to the tune of 317 passing yards, the second-most of any quarterback in Week 1. Even with Puka Nacua out, this matchup makes Stafford a solid streaming option for Week 2.

Bad Matchup: Geno Smith (QB – SEA)

Sticking in the NFC West, Geno Smith is someone I liked coming into this season. He had a solid fantasy finish in Week 1, ranking as the QB9 with 17.4 fantasy points (albeit mostly thanks to a rare rushing touchdown). Unfortunately for Smith, he and the Seahawks take on the Patriots in Week 2. Bill Belichick may be gone, but if Week 1 was anything to go by, the Patriots still have one of the league’s best secondaries. They opened their season by holding Joe Burrow to 164 passing yards and 8.06 fantasy points. Smith will be a fringe QB1 at times this season, but this week in New England is not one of them.

Week 2 Running Back Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC)

When it comes to running back fantasy matchups, the best matchups aren’t necessarily the worst defenses, but instead the worst offenses. Well, J.K. Dobbins’ Week 2 opponent, the Panthers, have both. The Panthers tied for fourth in points allowed to opposing RBs in 2023 and promptly allowed the Saints’ running backs to rack up 32.2 half-PPR points in Week 1. Meanwhile, Dobbins looked like his old self in his Chargers debut, finishing with 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. With his role likely to expand and a prime matchup, Dobbins can be plugged straight into lineups for this week.

Bad Matchup: Rachaad White (RB – TB)

Nobody allowed fewer points to opposing running backs in 2023 than the Lions, who allowed just 14.0 half-PPR points per game. They were right at that mark again in Week 1, allowing just 14.5 points to the combination of Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers. Rachaad White’s Week 1, on the other hand, was rough. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he managed 32 yards below expectation on just 15 attempts, which was by far the worst performance in that metric for Week 1. Meanwhile, rookie Bucky Irving managed twice as many yards as White on six fewer carries. With a more efficient rookie cutting into his usage and a terrible matchup, White should be benched if you have a decent alternative in Week 2.

Week 2 Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)

Malik Nabers’ NFL debut was solid, if unspectacular. He led the Giants in routes run and saw seven targets (16.7% share), catching five for 66 yards. However, Week 2 is set up perfectly to be his coming out party. The Commanders, who were already the second-best matchup for wide receivers in 2023, gave up a whopping 51.0 points to Buccaneers WRs in Week 1, the most in the league. This is partially because they played at a blistering pace, with an absurd 46.4% no-huddle rate (the highest number in the league last season was 18.2%) — this is a staple of Kliff Kingsbury’s offenses from his time in Arizona. A combination of a fast-paced offense and terrible secondary play makes Washington a dream matchup for wide receivers. Hopefully, Daniel Jones can get the ball to Nabers enough for him to take advantage.

Bad Matchup: Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN)

In Week 1, Calvin Ridley saw seven targets (21.9% share), catching three for 50 yards. That’s not great, but it was encouraging to see him operate as the Titans’ No. 1 WR. However, he gets an unenviable matchup against Sauce Gardner and the Jets’ defense in Week 2. After getting run all over by the 49ers on Monday night, the Jets should be out for blood in this one. Will Levis struggled mightily against the Bears on Sunday; it’s not going to be pretty for him against New York. Even if Levis does get some throws off, they likely won’t be towards Ridley with Sauce covering him.

Week 2 Tight End Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Dalton Schultz (TE – HOU)

Fantasy matchups are weird for tight ends. There are only 10 or 12 starting fantasy tight ends in most fantasy leagues, and about half of those guys should be started regardless of matchup (although most of those “elite” guys were terrible in Week 1). The remaining large tier of backend TE1s have such small weekly sample sizes that their performances are more often based on whether they happened to fall into the end zone than their matchups. With that said, it can’t hurt to attempt to pick your weekly TE dart throw based on advantageous matchups, and Dalton Schultz is the pick for that this week. The Bears ranked fifth in points allowed to TEs in 2023 and allowed the fourth-most points in Week 1 to a combination of Chigoziem Okonkwo and Nick Vannett. Schultz will be up and down this season with the amount of competition on the Texans’ offense, but a matchup with the Bears means he is due for an up week.

Bad Matchup: Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ)

A popular late-round pick for a solid season on the theoretically revamped Jets offense, Tyler Conklin started slowly with just one catch for six yards in Week 1. Unfortunately, things aren’t likely to get better for him in Week 2 against the Titans. Tennessee’s defense was easily the worst matchup for fantasy TEs in 2023, allowing just 7.0 points per game. In Week 1 against Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and the Bears, they allowed just 1.3 points. If you were hoping to rely on Conklin as your tight end in Week 2, it’s time to look elsewhere.