NFL Week 2 predictions: Upsets, fantasy sleepers, stat lines

Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season is off to an exciting start, as the Bills defeated the Lions 41-31 in the first game at Highmark Stadium. But what will happen in the remaining 15 games? We have 15 predictions from our NFL experts.

First, betting analyst Pamela Maldonado picks two underdogs who could win outright. Then, analytics writer Seth Walder projected out stat lines for three players. Fantasy football writer Eric Moody gives three sleepers, and analyst Matt Bowen suggests three players who will find the end zone. Finally, analyst Ben Solak lays out four wild-card predictions.

Could the Bengals upset the Texans? Will we see big receiving days for the Dolphins’ Malik Washington and Caleb Douglas? Can Eagles running back Saquon Barkley find the end zone? And is it finally time for the Jets to snag an interception? Let’s make 15 big predictions for all of Sunday and Monday’s action.

Jump to:
Upset picks | Projected stat lines
Fantasy sleepers, surprises
TD scorers | Other predictions

Maldonado predicts two upsets

Jacksonville Jaguars +2.5 at Denver Broncos (+124)

Denver’s offense hasn’t shown enough to justify laying points. The Broncos produced only 176 yards and 3.7 yards per play in their Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, with quarterback Bo Nix turning it over twice. Jacksonville is bringing a pass rush that generated five sacks against Cleveland, while QB Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes. Defense makes the Broncos the favorite, but the Jaguars have the more trustworthy offense to win outright.

Cincinnati Bengals +2.5 at Houston Texans (+120)

The Bengals’ biggest weakness looked better against the Bucs, as quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked only once. If that holds, he gets a Houston defense that just allowed 10.4 yards per pass to Buffalo in Week 1. Houston can obviously pressure Burrow, but if Cincinnati’s offensive line continues to improve, it should have enough through the air with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Walder predicts three stat lines

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots: 16 carries, 63 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 42 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Since 2023, running backs catch passes on 8% of dropbacks against man coverage but 15% against zone coverage. Why does that matter here? Because in Week 1 against the Falcons, the Steelers ran zone coverage 89% of the time under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. So I expect Stevenson to have a big day in the receiving game.

And while I don’t expect the Patriots will be as run-heavy as they were in Week 1 — which certainly didn’t work out for them! — New England should be ahead by enough early to run the ball late in the game. All in all, it should be a healthy workload for Stevenson.

Riq Woolen, CB, Philadelphia Eagles: 34 coverage snaps, 1 reception allowed for 7 yards on four targets, 1 interception

Woolen had a strong Week 1 against the Commanders, allowing just one reception for 1 yard. Granted, that one reception was a touchdown to WR Stefon Diggs, but I’m not sure that play was entirely on him. Either way, it was a strong game for Woolen, who also scored highly in my cornerback metric. Now, he gets to face second-year Titans QB Cam Ward, who struggled against the Jets in Week 1. Woolen should have the advantage against Carnell Tate, Calvin Ridley or Elic Ayomanor.

Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins: 7 receptions, 77 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Washington ran a route on 84% of Miami’s dropbacks in Week 1, the highest rate on the Dolphins. He was also targeted eight times but had just three receptions. His 99 incomplete air yards was tied for second among all players, a number that indicates some positive regression could be coming in Week 2.

The Dolphins threw a little more than expected versus the Raiders, and they’ll have to pass plenty against the 49ers since this looks likely to be a blowout loss. Washington, who frequently plays out of the slot, historically runs shorter routes and could be an option underneath in garbage time.

Moody predicts three fantasy sleepers

Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers (rostered in 43.9% of ESPN leagues)

Love threw for 387 yards in Week 1 against the Vikings, the second-highest total of his career, and scored 19.4 fantasy points on 42 pass attempts. Green Bay struggled to run the ball without Josh Jacobs, and its offensive line will still be banged up in Week 2 against the Jets. But with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combining for 48.2 fantasy points last week, Love should be an appealing streaming option.

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Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins (34.9%)

Douglas caught five of seven targets for 94 yards, scoring 14.4 fantasy points in his NFL debut against the Raiders. He played more than 90% of Miami’s offensive snaps and led all rookies in targets, receptions and receiving yards. The Dolphins enter Week 2 as double-digit underdogs against the 49ers, so Douglas could benefit from a pass-heavy game script.

Mack Hollins, WR, New England Patriots (5.2%)

Hollins outsnapped Romeo Doubs in the first half against the Seahawks in Week 1, and he led the Patriots receivers in snaps after A.J. Brown exited with an ankle injury. Hollins should continue to see significant playing time against Pittsburgh now that Brown is on injured reserve.

Holins received at least six targets in four games last season, averaging 12.8 fantasy points in those contests. He finished with five targets and 9.1 fantasy points in Week 1.

Bowen predicts three touchdown scorers

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Henry rushed for three touchdowns in the Ravens’ Week 1 win over the Colts — including two on carries inside the 5-yard line. Under new coordinator Declan Doyle, the Ravens used schemed zone concepts and creative tight end movement to put Henry on a north/south track. That should work versus a Saints defense that allowed two rushing scores in New Orleans’ Week 1 loss to the Lions.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Pickens caught just three of six targets for 28 yards in the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to the Giants, including two drops. But that doesn’t mean quarterback Dak Prescott will stop going to Pickens for big plays. The vertical pass game is a key element of Dallas’ offense, and it could lead Pickens into the end zone.

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Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Barkley did have 15 carries in the Week 1 win over the Commanders, with two goal-to-go attempts, so we can bet on him seeing the ball in scoring position. Plus, he has home run ability to score from outside the red zone. Yes, the Eagles need more up front to create consistent daylight for Barkley, but he gets a matchup against a Titans defense that gave up just 152 rushing yards to the Jets.

Solak makes four more predictions

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty will lead the league in scrimmage yards

Jeanty led the Raiders in both rushing yards (102) and receiving yards (45) last week in the Raiders’ win over the Dolphins. Without Brock Bowers (meniscus trim) for another week and facing another light box defense from the Chargers, I expect Jeanty to once again thrive on the ground and in the air. Jeanty was seventh last week with 147 scrimmage yards, but his longest play was only 15 yards. With a couple home run plays on Sunday, he could knock on the door for 200.

The Jets will get their first interception

The last Jets pick was on Jan. 5, 2025 — 623 days from their matchup with the Packers on Sunday. Green Bay’s pass protection is a glaring issue, and while quarterback Jordan Love is around league-average in his interception rate, the 16 hits he took in Week 1 could have him looking to get rid of the ball faster in Week 2. I’m banking on safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to track down a deep heave and end the drought.

Did I predict the Jets to break the drought last week? Yes. Will I do it again next week if they fail again? Who’s to say?

Falcons QB Jack Strand will score a touchdown

Who? Strand is an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Moorhead, a Division II school just opposite Fargo on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. He was the QB4 on the roster during training camp, but with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa still hurt, Strand is the QB2 and might be QB1 after Cooper Rush‘s rough Week 1 showing.

Even if Rush gets the Week 2 start, Strand is an enormous player (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) who should get short-yardage usage as a QB sneak expert. If the Falcons get inside the 2-yard line against the Panthers, they should feed Strand.

There will be another weird forward pass/fumble ruling

Early doors, but it feels like the forward-pass-or-fumble line will be blurry this season. Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a fumble that was called an incomplete pass in Week 1 for the simple intention to throw the ball forward. Bo Nix had another one on “Monday Night Football” that was at least a little closer to the gray area.

There’s always one refereeing decision that gets the spotlight every season — complete pass, offensive tackle false starts and illegal forward motions are recent examples — and this particular plane is ready to take off. One bad call in a key moment, and then it’s conspiracy theory time.