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NFL Week 2: Best Games, Key Matchups, Fantasy Tips, Best Bets and Predictions
The Week 2 NFL schedule features many strong favorites, but as we learned last week after the New England Patriots shocked the Cincinnati Bengals, these games are rarely predictable.
Well, maybe there might be a few predictable games. Not many are giving the Carolina Panthers a chance to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Then again, that was the case last week with the Patriots and Bengals. But based on how bad the Panthers have been in recent memory, we left off the potential trap game for the Chargers from our list of best games of the week.
There are many intriguing battles to choose from in Week 2, but it might not get any better than the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. The Baker Mayfield–led Buccaneers pushed the Lions during their playoff matchup in January. Tampa Bay’s surprising 2023 season doesn’t appear to be a fluke after a dominant Week 1 victory against the Washington Commanders.
Speaking of fluke, we’re keeping tabs on Sam Darnold after his impressive Minnesota Vikings debut, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the victory against the New York Giants. Darnold can prove he’s a different quarterback from his New York Jets days by leading Minnesota to an upset win against the mighty San Francisco 49ers.
We’ll also highlight the Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, Chiefs vs. Bengals, and Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears. Here’s what you need to know about the Week 2 games, including Gilberto Manzano’s key matchups, Matt Verderame’s key stats, Michael Fabiano’s who to start and who to sit in fantasy, Jennifer Piacenti’s best bets and Conor Orr’s prediction for each game.
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Start ’em/Sit ’em | MMQB Staff Picks | NFL Betting Picks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
When/TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox
Spread: Lions -7.5 (over/under 51)
Matchup to watch: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. Lions’ secondary. The Washington Commanders declined to double Evans in Week 1—he had five catches for 61 yards, including two touchdowns—which Mayfield referred to as cheating because of the easy opportunities downfield. The Lions might have a better approach for the wideout who doesn’t appear to be aging in his 11th NFL season. But the new-look Detroit secondary struggled to keep tabs on Cooper Kupp, who had 14 catches for 110 yards and a score last week. —Gilberto Manzano
Key stat: In the opener, the Buccaneers converted a league-best 69.2% of third downs in a win over the Commanders. Detroit excelled defensively in this category last year, tying for 10th-best at 37.1% against. —Matt Verderame
Start ’em/sit ’em: Chris Godwin scored 22.3 points last week, and the Lions have allowed the third-most points to wide receivers and slot men since 2023. In a game with a 50.5 total, expect Godwin to shine again. —Michael Fabiano
Best bet: Evans anytime TD (+120). We played a Evans touchdown prop last week, and we are playing it again this week for a nice payout. Evans scored two last week against the Commanders, and he is a favorite target for Mayfield. Not only did Evans lead the Bucs with 13 scores in 2023, he commanded 40% of the team’s air yards and found the end zone in 11 of 17 games. The matchup with the Lions, who just allowed 266 yards and a TD to Rams receivers, is an excellent one. —Jennifer Piacenti
SI’s pick: Let’s call for an upset special here. Nothing changes for me about the Lions being a Super Bowl-winning team but Tampa Bay is strong in places that the Lions are a little bit weaker. Tampa Bay has a strong interior defensive line and good edge setters against the run. It also has veteran wideouts who can attack this secondary the way Kupp did. Detroit isn’t going 17–0 and Mayfield has never looked better. —Conor Orr
New Orleans Saints (1–0) at Dallas Cowboys (1–0)
When/TV: Noon ET Sunday, Fox
Spread: Cowboys -6 (over/under 47)
Matchup to watch: Saints LT Taliese Fuaga vs. Cowboys DE Micah Parsons. After an impressive training camp, Fuaga got off to a strong start in his regular-season debut, allowing Derek Carr to have plenty of time to operate against the Carolina Panthers. But the competition level will increase for the first-round rookie tackle against Parsons, who hit Deshaun Watson five times in Week 1. —Manzano
Key stat: The Cowboys sacked Watson six times, putting them in the league lead after Week 1. New Orleans needs to hold up for the immobile Carr, starting with Fuaga. —Verderame
Start ’em/sit ’em: Dak Prescott scored only 11.5 points against the Cleveland Browns last week, but I expect you’ll get more this week at home. Last season, Prescott put up an average of almost 25 fantasy points per game at Jerry World. —Fabiano
Best bet: Brandin Cooks anytime TD (+195). We cashed our Ezekiel Elliott touchdown last week, and I would bet on him again this week, too, but there’s no value. Instead, let’s pivot to Cooks. He found the end zone last week, and this week the Cowboys are at home, where Cooks was instrumental in 2023. When at home, Cooks averaged 66 receiving yards per game with five total receiving touchdowns in ’23. On the road, he averaged only 21.6 yards per game with three touchdowns. The Saints will be worried about stopping Lamb, and Cooks will find the end zone. —Piacenti
SI’s pick: Cowboys. I took the Saints in my personal picks but if I take another upset while speaking for the entire group I think I may get fired. So, Dallas it is. Mike Zimmer’s reentry into the league is going to cause some interesting wrinkles for teams who have not had to contend with his unique brand of defense. I’m eager to see how the Saints use players such as Taysom Hill to add an extra layer of protection between Carr and Parsons. —Orr
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1–0)
When/TV: Noon ET Sunday, Fox
Spread: 49ers -5 (over/under 45.5)
Matchup to watch: Vikings RB Aaron Jones vs. 49ers. LB Fred Warner. Darnold took advantage of a balanced offense last week, with Jones averaging a whopping 6.7 yards per carry against the New York Giants. The 49ers will need to take away Darnold’s run game to avoid downfield completions to Justin Jefferson. Warner often sets the tone for San Francisco, including last week against the New York Jets, recording an early forced fumble. —Manzano
Key stat: Against the Giants, Darnold averaged 2.7 seconds of pocket time per dropback, second-most only to Kyler Murray. Against a ferocious 49ers front, that could spell trouble. —Verderame
Start ’em/sit ’em: Deebo Samuel scored 18.7 points in a win over the Jets. He saw eight rushes, and that could continue if Christian McCaffrey is out Sunday. I’d start Samuel in a plus matchup in Minnesota. —Fabiano
Best bet: 49ers-6 (-110). Yes, Darnold looked impressive in his Vikings debut, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is the NFC champion 49ers and not the Giants. —Piacenti
SI’s pick: 49ers. The 49ers dominated a talented Jets team and the Vikings don’t have nearly the firepower up front that New York did. I took the Vikings in my preseason All-272 game projections because I wondered if Darnold could have left San Francisco with some intel that was possibly useful. However, watching the 49ers’ ground game during the opener shows there’s no intelligence that can counter a complete pounding. —Orr
Cincinnati Bengals (0–1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1–0)
When/TV: 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS
Spread: Chiefs -5 (over/under 48)
Matchup to watch: Chiefs DT Chris Jones vs. Bengals’ offensive line. It’s going to take a collective effort for Cincinnati to keep Joe Burrow upright against a vaunted defensive front featuring Jones, who wrecked the game plan for the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. Burrow appeared rusty against the Patriots, throwing for only 164 yards after rehabbing most of the offseason from a wrist injury. —Manzano
Key stat: In Week 1, the Chiefs led the NFL with 7.1 yards per play despite facing the league’s top scoring defense from a year ago. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo must devise a scheme to slow them down without elite secondary talent. —Verderame
Start ’em/sit ’em: Burrow has averaged 14.6 fantasy points in his past six games, including 8.1 last week. The Chiefs have allowed an average of just 181.4 passing yards in their last 10 home games, so beware of starting Burrow. —Fabiano
Best bet: Chiefs -5 (-110). I’m mystified as to why the Chiefs are only favored by five after beating the Ravens by seven in Week 1 while the Bengals got embarrassed by the Patriots. Kansas City is at home where it is dominant, Burrow always starts slowly with last week being no exception, and Tee Higgins is still not practicing. The Chiefs are Super Bowl favorites for a reason. —Piacenti
SI’s pick: Chiefs. The Bengals are both notoriously slow starters and, for the past two seasons, a forum for which we panic about a possible lingering injury to their superstar quarterback. Hopefully we see a more comfortable Burrow and a less punchless Bengals attack. From a viewing perspective, more Xavier Worthy from the Chiefs, because watching fast people score touchdowns rule. —Orr
Chicago Bears (1–0) at Houston Texans (1–0)
When/TV: 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC, Peacock
Spread: Texans -6.5 (over/under 45)
Matchup to watch: Texans WR Nico Collins vs. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson. Johnson’s fingerprints were all over the Bears’ comeback victory against the Tennessee Titans, recording two tackles for losses and the game-sealing interception. If the star cornerback can contain Collins on Sunday night, the Bears have a strong chance of pulling the upset. C.J. Stroud is at his best when Collins is involved in the game. —Manzano
Key stat: The Texans have to protect Stroud better this week. Against the Indianapolis Colts, he was pressured on 34.2% of dropbacks, second-worst in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Bears ranked seventh in pressure rate from the opening weekend. —Verderame
Start ’em/sit ’em: Stroud scored 18.7 points in Week 1 and had an Expected Points Added (EPA) of +6.8. I’d start him against the Bears, who allowed more than 20 points per game to home quarterbacks last year. —Fabiano
Best bet: Tank Dell anytime TD (+210). The Bears may be able to limit Nico Collins or even Stefon Diggs, but there’s no way they can cover all three Houston receivers. Dell is the big-play threat that should be able to shake loose. Dell had seven touchdowns in only 11 games played in 2023. —Piacenti
SI’s pick: Houston. This is a big one for Caleb Williams and his development. Last week, the Bears proved they could win ugly but this week is going to be about Williams doing less and playing on schedule against blitzes that he has never seen before and probably could not fathom while in college. Week 1 was a good chance for Williams to realize what he could and could not carry over from his stunning preseason debut. Now it’s time to refine and get the ball out before DeMeco Ryans has time to cook. —Orr
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SI STAFF