Week 2 Fantasy Football Quarterback & Tight End Rankings: Sleepers, Fades, and Streamers (Ep. 2196)

September 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

"Every time we think it's deep, it gets rug pulled," Pat Fitzmaurice says of tight end after Week 1. The numbers back him up: Isaiah Likely finished as the overall TE1, Mike Gesicki was TE4, and Cole Kmet landed at TE10. Meanwhile, Colston Loveland—drafted as a top-2 tight end in many leagues—posted a donut. The quarterback position was almost as chaotic, with Bryce Young finishing QB3, Tyler Shough at QB6, and Carson Wentz at QB12. The lesson, as Andrew Erickson frames it: "As gravitating as it is to take the sexy elite tight end, a lot of them bust early." The late-round tight end hits every year, and the same pattern applies at quarterback.

Why the Chaos Happens—and How to Use It

The volatility at tight end and quarterback isn't random. It follows structural patterns that the hosts identify. For tight ends, the position is inherently touchdown-dependent and snap-share sensitive. A player like Dallas Goedert can finish as TE4 in Week 1 on the back of two touchdowns that came from defensive breakdowns—a 43-yard catch-and-run where three Commanders defenders went the wrong way, and a wide-open deep shot. Fitzmaurice cautions against overreacting: "If you watch those two touchdowns… just complete breakdowns by the Commanders secondary." That doesn't make Goedert a must-start; it makes him a volatile asset whose production may not repeat.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:38) **Show Introduction & Week 1 Chaos at QB and TE** - Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmorris, and Andrew Erickson set the table for Week 2 rankings, discussing how the top-12 finishers at both positions were wildly unpredictable in Week 1.
2 (03:56) **The "NFC North Not Coordinated by Brian Flores" Theory** - Pat Fitzmorris identifies a key pattern: quarterbacks who faced NFC North defenses not coordinated by Brian Flores (Bryce Young, Tyler Shuck, Carson Wentz) all finished as top-12 QBs.
3 (05:12) **Week 2 QB Rankings: Top 12 Overview** - The hosts run through the consensus top-12 quarterbacks for Week 2, starting with Josh Allen at QB1 and ending with Jared Goff at QB12.
4 (05:55) **Joe Burrow: Fade or Start?** - The biggest discrepancy in the QB rankings centers on Joe Burrow, with Fitzmorris keeping him at QB8 and Erickson dropping him to QB14.
5 (09:48) **Jackson Dart: Top 5 QB or Overvalued?** - The second major discrepancy features Andrew Erickson ranking Jackson Dart as a top-5 QB while Pat Fitzmorris has him at QB15, well below the consensus.
6 (14:53) **Deep Streamers: Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Tyler Shuck** - The hosts discuss the best streaming options for Week 2, with a focus on the revenge game narrative and the "trap" of Tyler Shuck.
7 (16:37) **Carson Wentz: The Super Flex Play** - The hosts discuss Carson Wentz as a potential one-week streamer, especially in super flex leagues, given his matchup against the Chicago Bears.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Pat Fitzmaurice Andrew Erickson

Show Notes

Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson break down the Week 2 fantasy football quarterback and tight end rankings, including some major disagreements near the top of the board.

Should fantasy managers trust Joe Burrow in a difficult matchup, or start Jaxson Dart, Baker Mayfield, or another upside option instead? The crew also digs into Geno Smith and Carson Wentz as deeper streaming plays.

At tight end, they debate Dallas Goedert, George Kittle, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, Harold Fannin Jr. and more while sorting through fantasy football’s most unpredictable position.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

QB Rankings - 0:04:37

Joe Burrow - 0:05:06

Jaxson Dart - 0:08:56

Geno Smith vs. Baker Mayfield - 0:12:25

Carson Wentz - 0:14:12

Malik Willis vs. Bryce Young - 0:16:36

TE Rankings - 0:18:05

Dallas Goedert - 0:18:29

George Kittle - 0:21:20

Mark Andrews vs. Kyle Pitts vs. Harold Fannin - 0:23:59

Outro - 0:29:54

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