Attention all fantasy football trade addicts: this article is for you. Here, I’ll be re-ranking the top 50 most valuable players each week. You can use these rankings and writeups to make informed roster and trade decisions heading into Week 3.
With another week’s worth of data, I’m more comfortable taking stands on players than I was a week ago – particularly if being correct would create a significant impact for your fantasy team. Of course, any stands I take are backed up by usage – not merely the results within our still-quite-small sample.
In parentheses, you’ll find the player’s (positive) or (negative) movement from the week before.
1. Christian McCaffrey
RB, SF (+2 spots gained)
McCaffrey played every snap in Week 2. Most fantasy gamers wouldn't have dreamed of usage like this back in 2019, let alone in 2023.
2. Tony Pollard
RB, DAL (+4)
Pollard is averaging a league-leading 25.5 XFP/G. If he were to overperform his opportunity by as much as he did in 2022 (+30%), he would average over 33 FPG on this workload.
3. Tyreek Hill
WR, MIA (-1 spot lost)
Hill leads all WRs in YPRR (4.18, min. 20 routes) and FPG (29.8). His 46.1% air yards share is top-5 on a Dolphins offense averaging an NFL-leading 11.0 aDOT.
4. Justin Jefferson
WR, MIN (-3)
As expected, Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving yards and is averaging 25.0 FPG while ranking 2nd in total routes run.
5. Bijan Robinson
RB, ATL (+7)
In a flip from Week 1's usage, it was Robinson who handled the Falcons' only goal-line carry in Week 2. With Robinson's overall snap share rising above 70% in Week 2 and his route share sitting at 75.0% on the year (top-3 among RBs), we're very clearly looking at a top-3 RB rest-of-season.
6. Travis Kelce
TE, KC (-1)
Kelce has 20.9 total XFP this season (TE8) on only 25 routes. If he were a WR, he'd be seeing the 6th-best opportunity at the position on a per-game basis. It didn't fully materialize in the box score, but Kelce is obviously still among the most valuable players in fantasy football.
7. Ja'Marr Chase
WR, CIN (-3)
Through two weeks, Chase ranks outside the top-12 in first-read target share and air yards share. He's just the WR12 in XFP/G (17.9). Joe Burrow is live to miss a game. You're probably not selling Chase, but I'd clearly prefer the above RBs given positional scarcity.
8. Stefon Diggs
WR, BUF (+1)
Diggs was held to just 7 targets on a 5.3 aDOT on a day that Josh Allen attempted only one throw of 20+ yards. This is unlikely to be a frequent occurrence.
9. Davante Adams
WR, LV (+2)
Adams leads the NFL in first read target share (51.9%), but the Raiders have run a league-worst 94 plays this season. They have essentially played a full game less than the Rams (156 plays).
10. CeeDee Lamb
WR, DAL (+5)
Lamb is averaging 3.79 YPRR (WR3) and just put up 143 yards against a tough Jets secondary.
11. Austin Ekeler
RB, LAC (-3)
According to HC Brandon Staley, there is "no timeline" for Ekeler's return as he continues to nurse an ankle injury. Obviously, he's one of relatively few players who can remain high in these rankings despite a murky injury outlook.
12. Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR, DET (-2)
St. Brown's route share fell from 86.1% in Week 1 to 70.3% in Week 2 as he was limited by a turf toe injury, returning to the game with a steel plate in his shoe. He still posted over 100 receiving yards, so I wouldn’t expect his production to fall off a cliff, but he could be less effective in the near term.
13. A.J. Brown
WR, PHI (-6)
Brown has seen 218 total air yards (WR11) to Devonta Smith's 216 (WR12). Those have resulted in just 108 actual yards for Brown but 178 for Smith. Aside from red zone usage (where Brown actually holds an advantage), Brown's and Smith's usage profiles are spitting images of each other through two games.
14. Calvin Ridley
WR, JAC (+2)
Though Christian Kirk took the lead with 14 targets (and a league-leading 5 designed targets) against the Chiefs as the Jaguars' man coverage beater, Ridley still amassed 16.2 XFP (WR19). Doug Pederson loves playing matchups, so there could be some highs and lows with Ridley this season, but he was insanely unlucky in this game.
15. Keenan Allen
WR, LAC (+12)
Allen is the overall WR6 in FPG and the WR5 in XFP/G through the first two games. His aDOT is up a full 2.1 yards from last season. We're looking at a very steady WR1 so long as he stays healthy.
16. DeVonta Smith
WR, PHI (+4)
Smith and Brown have averaged the exact same FPG since Week 2 of last year. As mentioned, they've also seen nearly identical usage this year. It's a bit of a red flag that Smith is averaging just 12.9 XFP/G (WR36), with most of his production coming on a few deep plays, but his weekly ceiling is clearly comparable to Brown's, and I'm happy to rank him in a fashion that's open to the idea he could improve even further in Year 3.
17. Chris Olave
WR, NO (+4)
Olave's backfield routes disappeared in Week 2, but we'll definitely take a 51.1% air yards share (WR4).
18. Josh Jacobs
RB, LV (-5)
The Raiders rank dead-last in the NFL with only 94 total offensive snaps through two weeks. Jacobs has received a pretty ridiculous 86% of the team's backfield opportunities, but the Raiders will need to play faster for him to be an elite fantasy option.
19. Derrick Henry
RB, TEN (-1)
Though his snap share thankfully normalized, Henry leads all RBs in attempts with 7 or more men in the box (21), on which he's averaging just 3.4 YPC. A massive 86.6% of his XFP has come on these attempts. In other words, defenses are loading the box on Henry more than any RB in the league, a brutal position in which he'll have trouble being efficient.
20. Travis Etienne Jr.
RB, JAC (-1)
Tank Bigsby was downgraded to zero snaps after a costly Week 1 fumble. This meant Etienne was the only Jaguars RB to log a carry in the red zone, a bullish signal for when this offense sees better days.
21. Jalen Hurts
QB, PHI (+3)
While the Eagles’ offense has looked lost at moments, Hurts still leads all QBs in designed rush attempts (14) and has thrown deep on 14.3% of his pass attempts (top-5).
22. Tee Higgins
WR, CIN (0)
Higgins (13.1 aDOT) is seeing significantly deeper targets than Ja'Marr Chase (7.6 aDOT), and they've seen an identical number of first-read targets (16 each). For comparison, Chase led Higgins 37.2% to 22.0% in first read target share last year. Higgins is also tied with Tyler Lockett for the most end zone targets among WRs (5). Still, Higgins faces the same problem as Chase in the short term, with Joe Burrow nursing his calf injury.
23. Patrick Mahomes II
QB, KC (+2)
The Chiefs' passing offense has yet to fully click this year, but on the bright side, Mahomes is currently averaging 37.5 rushing YPG (QB3), the same as Anthony Richardson. His 6.5 attempts per game would be 37% higher than his next-best season if it held.
24. Mark Andrews
TE, BAL (+5)
Andrews was back in his usual spot this week: the TE2 in overall usage (17.7 XFP) behind only Travis Kelce. No late-round tight end has emerged thus far (unless you're counting Zach Ertz), so Andrews also gets a positional scarcity bump.
25. Jaylen Waddle
WR, MIA (-2)
Tight end Durham Smythe has run more routes (67) than Waddle (54) through the first two weeks. Waddle's route participation is down from 78.5% in 2022 to 69.2% (WR60) this year. He suffered a concussion at the very end of the game in Week 2 and could be in danger of missing Week 3, but that doesn't explain the decreased playing time (the Dolphins attempted no passes after Waddle left the game). Waddle had an abdominal injury in the preseason, but I've been unable to find any reports that it's been limiting him. Either way, I'm officially a little worried.
26. Josh Allen
QB, BUF (0)
Allen has just one of his team's six attempts inside the 5-yard line this season, massively down from his 52.2% share of those valuable goal-line carries in 2022. He ranks outside the top 10 in total rush attempts among QBs so far this season behind names like Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield, while OC Ken Dorsey mentioned taking designed runs out of the game plan this past week. Allen's Konami upside may not be as high as we'd hoped this year.
27. Jahmyr Gibbs
RB, DET (+6)
Gibbs' 25.7% target share led all RBs in Week 2. Though Craig Reynolds unsurprisingly and unceremoniously took a couple of red zone snaps in David Montgomery's absence, Gibbs' PPR upside going forward is sky-high.
28. Saquon Barkley
RB, NYG (-14)
From Fantasy Points injury expert Edwin Porras, RBs with lateral (rather than high) ankle sprains miss 3 or more games only 7% of the time. If Barkley truly has merely a low ankle sprain, we can expect him to return to averaging 25.6% of his team's XFP (RB6) fairly soon. I'm ranking him accordingly.
29. Joe Mixon
RB, CIN (-1)
Mixon is the only Bengals RB to take a red zone snap this season and has amassed a whopping 82.4% of the backfield's XFP (RB5). This offense has a short-term downgrade with Joe Burrow likely out for at least a week, but Mixon will clearly have massive games this year.
30. Lamar Jackson
QB, BAL (+2)
Jackson is tied with Daniel Jones for the league lead in QB scrambles (12) despite facing pressure on only 26.8% of his dropbacks (6th-fewest). He's averaged a fairly typical (for him) 203.0 passing YPG through two games, but his 3.6% TD rate would be the lowest he's ever had since his rookie season. The touchdowns will come.
31. Rhamondre Stevenson
RB, NE (-1)
Ezekiel Elliott received 41.9% of the Patriots' backfield carries and targets in Week 1. That fell to just 21.7% in Week 2. Stevenson has received all but one of the team's red zone carries while enjoying an 81.3% red zone snap share. However, both of the Patriots' game scripts have been ideal for Stevenson.
32. Kenneth Walker III
RB, SEA (+2)
Walker's 15.2 XFP/G (RB13) places him in borderline RB1 territory, a particularly valuable place to be with so many injuries at the position. His route share fell from 51.7% to 28.9% in Week 2, but that was mostly due to all Seahawks RBs running fewer routes, as he still ran more than Zach Charbonnet and Deejay Dallas did combined. Walker also ranks 3rd in total missed tackles forced behind only Bijan Robinson and Nick Chubb (RIP).
33. Justin Herbert
QB, LAC (+9)
The Chargers' defense ranks dead-last in EPA per play allowed, suggesting Herbert will be in back-and-forth shootouts frequently this season. While his performances haven't translated to the win column so far, they have helped him return to top-5 fantasy QB status. Matchups against the Vikings and Raiders should only help further.
34. Anthony Richardson
QB, IND (+15)
Richardson has averaged 31.8 FPG per four full quarters, the best among all QBs. He trails only Jalen Hurts in designed rush attempts, stole his play-caller, and has scored the exact same number of fantasy points despite playing only 62.5% as many quarters as Hurts.
35. Christian Watson
WR, GB (-4)
Only 11% of WRs miss 3 or more weeks due to a hamstring strain. Watson got in a limited practice last Friday and has a great chance to return to a Packers team that a rookie TE (Luke Musgrave) is still leading in routes.
36. DK Metcalf
WR, SEA (0)
Tyler Lockett has led Metcalf in XFP in both games this year. The sample is small, and Metcalf's usage was materially better than Lockett's in 2022, but it has to give you some pause. The Seahawks still prefer 12-personnel (Jaxon Smith-Njigba has run a route on just 60.8% of dropbacks this season), so Metcalf at least doesn't seem in danger on that front.
37. Kyren Williams
RB, LAR (+Previously Outside Top-50)
Williams has the most snaps (126) and routes (72) of any RB in the NFL through two weeks. He's run a route on 72.7% of team dropbacks (RB6). He's not been especially efficient – having averaged 0.14 MTF/attempt (RB55) and 0.69 YPRR (RB58) – but the Rams have no alternatives on the roster (by their own design) with Cam Akers banished to Minnesota. It's also not as if the team has a massive draft capital investment in keeping Williams healthy, suggesting the massive workload could continue.
38. T.J. Hockenson
TE, MIN (-1)
Hockenson ranks top-3 among TEs in total routes and targets. He'll always largely be a volume play, but there's nothing wrong with that at his position.
39. Amari Cooper
WR, CLE (+8)
Cooper put in a solid performance (16.0 fantasy points on a 33.3% first-read target share) after being a surprise Monday night active. There's not too much to complain about here aside from Deshaun Watson's dreadful -5.8% CPOE (QB29) and 64.6% adjusted completion percentage (QB32). Nick Chubb's season-ending injury could incentivize the Browns to lean more into the pass, having ranked 20th with a perfectly neutral 0.0% PROE thus far.
40. Brandon Aiyuk
WR, SF (-2)
Aiyuk hurt his shoulder on the first drive, but largely toughed it out and tied with George Kittle for 2nd on the team in routes, while still amassing a team-leading 37.4% air yards share. Deebo Samuel stole the show with 4 designed targets this week, but this could have been a different game if Aiyuk were 100%. His status for Thursday Night Football seems to be in question.
41. James Cook
RB, BUF (+2)
Outside of the red zone, Cook is averaging 14.3 XFP/G (tied with Christian McCaffrey for RB1). Inside the red zone, he's averaging just 1.0 XFP/G (RB46) with no carries inside the 5-yard line. This makes Cook a very solid season-long fantasy asset, but a low-upside DFS play most weeks.
42. Breece Hall
RB, NYJ (-7)
The Jets had a near-even three-way split between Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter in Week 2 without clearly defined early down or pass-catching roles. The team is likely slow-playing Hall even more now with Aaron Rodgers out of the picture and the team's playoff hopes circling the drain. I see it as positive that Carter is able to take work from Cook, as it suggests neither will be an obstacle to Hall if and when the Jets do decide to unleash him.
43. Puka Nacua
WR, LAR (+Previously Outside Top-50)
Puka Nacua has the most targets (34) through his first two career games of any WR since 1992. Any claims that Kupp will immediately demolish Nacua's role are lazy — Nacua has lined up out wide on 70.6% of his snaps (compared to Kupp's 43.8% in 2022). Nacua is leading all WRs in XFP/G, is averaging 3.13 YPRR (WR7, min. 20 routes), and has commanded a 44.8% first read target share (WR3). He's done all this with only one designed target — he's earning Cooper Kupp-like volume on real routes up against real NFL quality CBs. And this offense is designed for fantasy football excellence – the Rams are leading the NFL in total snaps and rank 3rd in total dropbacks.
44. Rachaad White
RB, TB (+Previously Outside Top-50)
White's 72.6% share of his backfield's XFP is top-10 among RBs through two games. He has ceded only one red zone snap so far to Chase Edmonds, who is now likely going on injured reserve. White's 59.2% route share ranks top-5, which will come in handy if the Buccaneers ever start losing games.
45. James Conner
RB, ARI (0)
Conner has handled 68.5% of the Cardinals' rushing attempts (RB6) but has just an 8.2% target share (RB30) on a 43.1% route share (RB21). Joshua Dobbs has checked down at just an 8.2% rate (QB20). That's a touch under what Conner and Kyler Murray respectively averaged last year. Targets are much more valuable than carries, especially on a team like the Cardinals that expects to be trailing frequently this season.
46. Darren Waller
TE, NYG (-2)
Waller delivered double-digit fantasy points in Week 2, with the Giants finally deciding to play some football six quarters into the season. He led the team in routes and targets, but not by any margin worth writing home about. Waller is barely clinging to top-50 status given the elevated risk his hamstring injury is likely to give him all season.
47. Mike Evans
WR, TB (+Previously Outside Top-50)
Evans has turned over a new leaf this season, averaging an impressive 3.89 YPRR (WR2) thus far. His 25% target share is a massive improvement from his 2022 (18.1%), with all of Tom Brady's old designed targets to Chris Godwin having disappeared in this new offense. It's fair to question whether Baker Mayfield will continue posting a top-5 passer rating (104.4) and a top-6 CPOE (+5.1%), but there's an off-chance Dave Canales (the architect of Geno Smith's resurrection) keeps the magic going.
48. Cooper Kupp
WR, LAR (Previously Outside Top-50)
We got a positive-sounding update on Kupp’s health this week. While there is actual target competition in Los Angeles now, the bigger takeaway should be that Matthew Stafford looks like a changed man. I’m not at all against acquiring Kupp now on any 2-0 teams looking to bank an advantage down the line.
49. Brian Robinson Jr.
RB, WAS (+Previously Outside Top-50)
Robinson has been a pleasant surprise thus far, handling 75.1% of backfield XFP (RB8). His season-long upside is capped by Antonio Gibson's route share (which ranks 13th among RBs), but Robinson seems like a perfectly serviceable RB2 in neutral and positive game scripts. Or perhaps he eventually takes over some of those routes — he's averaged an impressive 2.13 YPRR this season (RB6, min. 15 routes) on the work he has gotten.
50. Deebo Samuel
WR, SF (+Previously Outside Top-50)
Samuel has genuine weekly upside – he will sometimes have games like in Week 2 when he was schemed 4 designed targets. He's deadly with the ball in his hands, having led all WRs in missed tackles forced per reception in 2022 (0.48). Still, it seems like the 49ers trust Aiyuk to win more on the outside, meaning he'll be running the more valuable routes. This is reflected in Samuel's XFP per route run (0.49, WR23) compared to Aiyuk's (0.56, WR11).
Just outside the top-50
Joe Burrow, Javonte Williams, DeAndre Hopkins, Jerry Jeudy, Justin Fields, Jerome Ford, Christian Kirk, Mike Williams
Biggest Risers and Recommendations
1. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR (+Previously Outside Top-50) – Buy/Hold, because even if the Rams add backfield depth (not named Jonathan Taylor) to get Williams a more normal snap share, he'd be an RB2 at worst in this heavily injured fantasy RB landscape. At best, he can be a league-winner. These rankings are weighted for upside, and I'd be lying if I weren't reminded of Todd Gurley's usage once upon a time.
2. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR (+Previously Outside Top-50) – Buy/Hold, as anyone would be insane to expect Nacua to keep this up, and Cooper Kupp will certainly add more target competition when he returns, but this simply doesn't happen for players who aren't excellent at what they do. I probably have Nacua ranked a tad aggressively given the fragility of his rest-of-season projection, but I think it's worth seeing if you can buy high from a manager under the impression that Nacua is simply "in the Cooper Kupp role."
3. Brian Robinson, RB, WAS (+Previously Outside Top-50) – Buy/Hold, because as I wrote before the season, I'm largely willing to write off Robinson's inefficiency as a rookie given the circumstances. Year 2 RBs are among the highest-impact bets one can make in fantasy football.
4. Anthony Richardson, QB, IND (+15) – Buy/Hold, because this is the second time Richardson has appeared in this section, and it will be too late to acquire him before you know it. His concussion may have extended the window by a week. Take advantage.
5. Keenan Allen, WR, LAC (+12) – Buy/Hold, because Allen has finished as a WR1 in each of the past six seasons. His usage this season mirrors what we saw from him last year – 10.4 targets per game (WR6) and 19.0 FPG (WR7). In other words, we now simply have confirmation that Allen was never priced as highly as he should have been this offseason. See if his manager in your league happens to be anchored to that evaluation.
Furthest Fallers and Recommendations
1. Alexander Mattison, RB, MIN (-Newly Outside Top-50) – Buy/Hold, because while it hasn't been pretty, Mattison is an RB1 by usage (16.2 XFP/G, RB9). The Vikings just acquired Cam Akers for a 2026 Day 3 pick swap, but this reads more to me as a team uncomfortable with their depth taking a flyer. To that point, Ty Chandler had just one carry and three routes in Week 2, despite Mattison looking awful. Trade compensation like that does not guarantee Akers any playing time, and it’s likely the Mattison manager is frustrated. A low-ball offer makes a ton of sense.
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG (-14 spots lost) – Hold, because selling injured players at a value commensurate with their rest-of-season upside is incredibly difficult in most leagues.
3. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, TEN (-8) – Sell, because I (perhaps irrationally) get squeamish when a WR at Hopkins’ age misses an entire week of practice and proceeds to not dominate targets on an offense ranking 30th in pass rate over expectation (-6.1%). Your league mates may be anchored to Hopkins’ Week 1 target total or to his name value, facts I’d try to leverage to get him off my team.
4. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ (-7) – Buy/Sell/Hold, because what I’d recommend you do with Hall depends entirely on how strong your roster is. If you’ve been hit with lots of injuries and are staring down the barrel of a dreadful starting lineup for the next few weeks, I’m not against selling Hall for immediate help. However, if your team is strong and deep, the calculus flips entirely, and it may make sense to sacrifice a bit of short-term projection for some second-half upside. It can be hard to honestly self-scout your team after two weeks, so if you’re unsure, I would just not take action on Hall yet.
5. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI (-6) – Hold, because a lot of the negative sentiment around Brown is a little ridiculous for a WR seeing 15.4 XFP/G, which would have ranked as the WR14 last season. In fact, it’s slightly better usage than Brown himself had in 2022 (15.2 XFP/G)! XFP doesn’t even include Brown’s TD called back due to an awful hold by Rashaad Penny. So long as the Eagles work out their issues that have cropped up in a post-Shane Steichen world, Brown will be plenty productive this season.
