Jeudy, Smith among 4 must-start Week 2 fantasy football wide receivers

1 of 5 | Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) is among my favorite fantasy football options this week. File Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI | License Photo

MIAMI, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith are among my four must-start fantasy football wide receivers for Week 2 of the 2025 season.

Emeka Egbuka and D.J. Moore are my other must-start plays this week. My must-start picks are players who rank inside the Top 28 of my rankings, meaning that they are in the WR2 range for 14-team leagues that start at least two wide receivers.

Ja'Marr Chase leads my Weekly Top-50 rankings, which are listed below. CeeDee Lamb, Malik Nabers, Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua are among my other Top 5 options.

Brian Thomas Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, Ladd McConkey and Tee Higgins join the aforementioned group in my Top 10 for Week 2.

All of my positional rankings will be updated until Week 2 kickoffs. Players also will be moved out of or adjusted within the rankings based on injuries. Be sure to monitor your fantasy football team lineups. Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers players, who faced off Thursday, were removed from my rankings.

Emeka Egbuka

Egbuka sits at No. 15 in my Week 2 wide receiver rankings. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie, who can be plugged in as a WR2, logged 67 yards on four catches, including two that went for touchdowns, in Week 1. He also logged a 9-yard rush.

Egbuka and the Buccaneers will face the Houston Texans on Sunday in Houston. The Texans just allowed the third-most receiving yards (221) to wide receivers in Week 1, including 130 yards and 10 catches from Los Angeles Rams pass catcher Puka Nacua.

Look for quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, who totaled three passing touchdowns in Week 1, to air it out again this week. Egbuka should log at least five catches and eclipse 75 yards in this superb matchup.

D.J. Moore

Moore totaled 68 yards in Week 1, but he only hauled in three catches. Look for a much more productive day from the Chicago Bears pass catcher this week when he faces the Detroit Lions.

The Lions allowed 160 yards and a score to Green Bay Packers pass catchers in Week 1 and allowed the most yards to the position in 2024. Moore logged 165 yards and 15 catches and a score on 26 targets in two games last season against the Lions. He totaled 45 targets, 28 catches 329 yards and three scores over his last four games against the Lions.

I expect Moore to find the end zone once again against this vulnerable defense, which also is dealing with injuries in the secondary. He sits at No. 19 in my rankings, but could easily provide WR1 production.

Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy sits right behind Moore in my Week 2 wide receiver rankings. The Cleveland Browns playmaker, who made his first Pro Bowl last year, isn't know for his end zone prowess, but should be involved enough to provide WR2-level production for his fantasy football stock holders.

Jeudy was targeted eight times in Week 1, when he caught five passes for 66 yards in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, the Browns will face the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens, who allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to wide receivers last season, surrendered a league-high 240 yards to the position in Week 1 during their loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Look for the Browns to get behind early in this matchup and be forced into playing catch-up. Jeudy is a near lock for at least eight targets in this AFC North meeting. He can be plugged in as a WR2, but is more useful in points-per-reception formats.

DeVonta Smith

Smith got off to a slow start, with just 16 yards on four catches and a 7-yard run in the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Look for much more passing volume from the Eagles this week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Smith led the Eagles with 69 yards and a score on five catches in their Super Bowl LIX win over the Chiefs. The Chiefs also just surrendered the second-most yards (232) to wide receivers in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. I expect the Chiefs and Eagles to have a shootout Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Look for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to each near 250 passing yards.

Smith has a great shot to find the end zone for his first score of the season and should be among Hurts' top targets. He sits at No. 27 in my Week 2 rankings.

Week 2 wide receiver rankings

1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals vs. JAX

2. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys vs. NYG

3. Malik Nabers, New York Giants at DAL

4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. ATL

5. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams at TEN

6. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars at CIN

7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions vs. CHI

8. Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. TB

9. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers at LV

10. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals vs. JAX

11. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles at KC

12. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at HOU

13. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins vs. NE

14. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons at MIN

15. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at HOU

16. DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. SEA

17. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. BUF

18. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens vs. CLE

19. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears at DET

20. Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns at BAL

21. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams at TEN

22. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals vs. CAR

23. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders vs. LAC

24. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks at PIT

25. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos at IND

26. Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers at NO

27. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles at KC

28. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions vs. CHI

29. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers at ARI

30. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills at NYJ

31. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys vs. NYG

32. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins vs. NE

33. Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans vs. LAR

34. Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs vs. PHI

35. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears at DET

36. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers at LV

37. Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots at MIA

38. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints vs. SF

39. Travis Hunter Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars at CIN

40. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints vs. SF

41. Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns at BAL

42. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills at NYJ

43. Quentin Johnston, Los Angels Chargers at LV

44. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts vs. DEN

45. Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks at PIT

46. Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants at DAL

47. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs vs. PHI

48. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. ATL

49. Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos at IND

50. Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots at MIA

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on September 8, 2025. The Vikings defeated the Bears 27-24. Photo by Mark Black/UPI | License Photo