Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Top Pickups After Latest Injuries

San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey will miss Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings with a right calf injury and Achilles tendinitis, one of the fantasy football studs whose absence will leave managers scrambling to find a replacement in hopes of keeping their league championship hopes alive early on in the 2024 season.

Luckily, several players teased breakout seasons in Week One, and another is looking to have a major bounceback from a performance that could best be described as disastrous.

Ahead of Week 2, find out which potential fantasy stars to pick up in replacement of those who may have popped up on the injury report with this fantasy preview.

The only disaster greater than Daniel Jones' Week One performance against Minnesota was the New York Giants' throwback uniforms.

The starting quarterback barely completed half of his passes, threw two interceptions, and finished the Giants' 28-6 loss to the Vikings with a quarterback rating of 44.3 that has created more than a few doubters when it comes to Gotham City's $160 million man.

Add to that six interceptions to just two touchdowns in his last seven games and that doubt is appears justified.

All is not lost for Jones, though, as he has a Week 2 showdown against a bad Washington Commanders defense when he needs it most.

The struggling Washington defense gave up four touchdowns and 289 yards to Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week One. While the Giants do not have the offensive weapons that the Bucs do, Jones and rookie wide receiver Malik Numbers will have plenty of opportunities to exploit the weaknesses of their NFC East rival and put up numbers.

If Jones can find open field to run, which he should, even better.

With an injury keeping Jordan Love off the field for Green Bay, fantasy managers looking to piece together a starting lineup this week should consider Jones, who has a career QB rating of 98.0, 215 yards, less than one interception, and 1.4 touchdowns per game against the Commanders.

Jones is available in six and seven percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, respectively.

Alec Pierce enjoyed a breakout game in Week One against Houston, taking advantage of an opportunity presented by Josh Downs' injury. With the talented young wideout still suffering from a banged-up ankle, and his status uncertain for Sunday's game, managers should take a flier on the third-year man out of Cincinnati.

Pierce exploded onto the scene a week ago, catching three balls for 125 yards and a touchdown while establishing himself as a deep ball threat for quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Colts offense.

Sunday, Indianapolis rolls into Green Bay, where they will face a Packers defense that gave up 12 catches for 203 yards and 38.30 to Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers. While the Colts do not have an AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith on their roster, there will be opportunities for Pierce to create space and repeat his dynamic performance from a week ago.

Managers in deeper leagues, who need a replacement for Downs or have an opening on their roster at receiver should consider Pierce and definitely hold onto the 24-year-old if he manages to continue his breakout performance.

Pierce is available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues and a surprising 100 percent of ESPN.

Jordan Mason stepped in for all-world back Christian McCaffrey when the 49ers star was unexpectedly scratched from the season opener against the New York Jets. With the Madden 25 cover athlete and reigning Offensive Player of the Year out against Minnesota Sunday, and a trip to IR not out of the question, the 25-year-old is worth grabbing off the waiver wire and stashing.

Mason carried 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown against the Jets in what may very well have been his breakout performance.

The Vikings had a statistically great game against the Giants in Week One, but much of that can be attributed to their opponent's nonexistent offense.

The Niners' offensive line is superior and if Mason can find open lanes, he should be able to break through and have another strong outing. Do not be surprised to see him contribute in the passing game out of the backfield. He only had one catch for five years against the Jets but when the ground game worked as well as it did, there was no need for him in that respect.

With the possibility that McCaffrey misses multiple games, Mason suddenly becomes a very attraction option for managers looking to replace the No. 1 overall pick or in need of depth at the position.

Hurry, though. While he is available in 81 percent of ESPN leagues, Yahoo users have scooped him up, leaving Mason available in just 17 percent of leagues.

All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.