Rome Odunze, Jalen Coker Plus 6 More Must-Start Wide Receivers in Week 2 Fantasy Football
Week 1 fantasy football gave us all the unpredictability we expected. Jalen Coker ended up as WR1, DeVaughn Vele was WR10, and Ja'Marr Chase was WR87. You can never know, but you can certainly try. Today, I make my best case for fantasy managers to start these 8 wide receivers in Week 2. Just hear me out...
Jameson Williams
Coming in at WR34 this week is Jameson Williams. I have him slated to see 5.1 targets, 3.3 receptions, 55.4 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns against the Bills. The coverage unit in Buffalo is one that I rated the 29th-best in the NFL.
In Week 1, Williams ran the same number of routes as Amon-Ra St. Brown (39), resulting in 9 total targets, or a 25% target share of the 36 total pass attempts.
Rome Odunze
Odunze comes in as the WR29 in Week 2. His projection, as of Tuesday, is 5.9 targets, 3.8 receptions, 54.8 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns.
Week 1 was not great for Odunze despite the Bears scoring 59 points. There is no denying that. He had 3 targets, 2 receptions, and 52 yards. Odunze did run 22 routes, or the 3rd-most on the team. I would not panic for 1 week of the season.
Kalif Raymond is an overreaction.
— Tom Carelli | Fantasy Football (@TCarelliTakes) September 14, 2026
Ben Johnson is a demon. He laid up 59 points with relative ease. We know that won't happen weekly.
I would not pick up Raymond in Week 2. Still heavily Odunze, Burden, and Loveland as projected: WR2, WR2, TE1s in fantasy
A sample size must extend across multiple games, and in a weird 59-38 game, I will write this one off and keep Odunze tied with Luther Burden III for the expected team lead in target share per week.
Matthew Golden
Matthew Golden’s Week 1 usage was actually insane.
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) September 14, 2026
Amon-Ra St. Brown was the only WR with a higher expected PPG than Golden (26.0) in Week 1.
12 total targets; 3 redzone targets.
He should’ve had another 10+ points (26.0 expected vs 15.5 actual) pic.twitter.com/ds8kIvRxek
Who ran the most routes on the Packers in Week 1? Matthew Golden. Who had the most targets? Matthew Golden (12). He is ahead of Jayden Reed, which points to a possible deduction from Reed's weekly projections. Reed ran 11 less routes than Golden and 9 fewerfewer than Christian Watson.
The workload is awesome to see for the second-year wideout. The team cleared their depth chart of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks to help make each receiver's role more set in stone. I expect Golden to remain heavily used all season long. He is this week's WR28 against the Jets' 16th-ranked coverage and 25th-ranked pass rush.
Dontavyion Wicks
The most disappointing team in Week 1 might have been the Tennessee Titans. They lost in controlled fashion to the Jets, 23-10, at home. They now must face the juggernauts from Philadelphia.
The Titans rate no better than 25th in either defensive grouping. In Week 1, they allowed a +0.406 EPA/Pass, or 28th-best in the NFL.
Wicks ran the most routes of any Eagle not named DeVonta Smith in Week 1. He will remain involved to a large extent, especially in the red zone, with the trust of his coach from Green Bay, Sean Mannion.
Parker Washington
Washington is the WR33 in Week 2. I have him at 5.9 targets, 3.8 receptions, 53.8 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns.
Denver will offer a difficult matchup. That is understood, but Liam Coen loves his slot receivers. It proved its case in Week 1 when Washington led the Jaguars in targets (6), receptions (5), and yards (83). He scored one of Trevor Lawrence's 4 passing touchdowns. PFF rated Washington as the 4th-best wide receiver in Week 1.
Jalen Coker
We are talking about the Week 1 WR1 as a start-and-sit. As of Tuesday, September 15, Coker is being started in only 33% of fantasy leagues. So, we must ensure you know how to auto-start Coker.
This is a player that many, including Adam Thielen, have called as good as Tetairoa McMillan.
I have Coker as the WR31 in Week 2. That is mainly because he faces the Falcons' coverage, which I rank as the 4th-best in the NFL. Nonetheless, his role is rock solid, and he is a must-start after the Panthers scored 38 points in Week 1.
Rashod Bateman
Ja'Kobi Lane will miss some time. Zay Flowers could miss some time. That means an even more solid role for Bateman, the Ravens WR1, perhaps. Bateman ran 27 routes last week, the most of any Raven. The ball has to go somewhere.
Right now, Bateman is the WR38 for Week 2. That could rise higher before he takes the field against the Saints' defense, which allowed 31 points a week ago.
Josh Downs
Downs is the WR25 this week. Some may view him as the WR2 to Alec Pierce, but I am not so sure. Until Pierce is 100% healthy, I favor Downs. Downs ran 10 more routes than Pierce in Week 1, despite having less fantasy output.
The situation in Indianapolis is volatile, but we'd rather err on the side of safety. Downs' Week 2 projected yardage shares 25% of the passing offense, with 16% going to Pierce.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.