playMatt BowenCloseMatt BowenESPN WriterMatt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on “NFL Matchup.” After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons., Pamela MaldonadoClosePamela MaldonadoSports Betting AnalystPamela Maldonado is a sports betting analyst for ESPN., Eric MoodyCloseEric MoodyESPN WriterEric Moody is a writer for fantasy football, men’s and women’s basketball, and sports betting at ESPN. Eric joined ESPN in 2021 after working as a senior fantasy analyst at Pro Football Network.
Prior to that, he spent much of his career as a manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company., Ben SolakCloseBen SolakESPNBen Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Nation and The Draft Network., Seth WalderCloseSeth WalderESPN AnalyticsSeth Walder is an analytics writer at ESPN, specializing in quantitative analysis. He is also a regular on “ESPN Bet Live” and helps cover sports betting. Seth has been at ESPN since 2017.
He previously worked at the New York Daily News covering the Jets and Giants. You can follow Seth on X via @SethWalder.Multiple AuthorsSep 19, 2026, 06:30 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsWeek 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 predictionsMaldonado predicts two upsetsJacksonville 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 linesRhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots: 16 carries, 63 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 42 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdownSince 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 interceptionWoolen 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 touchdownWashington 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 sleepersJordan 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.play0:35Packers look to avoid rare 0-2 startCaleb 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 scorersDerrick 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 CowboysPickens 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.play1:51Stephen A. to Michael Irvin: The Cowboys didn’t show up vs. GiantsSaquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia EaglesBarkley 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.
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