The second week of the 2026 National Football League regular season begins on Thursday from Buffalo. Here are some of the key injuries, fantasy stars and projected upsets.
Key Injuries
The most notable week one injury happened on opening night in the game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on Wednesday. That is when Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown of Starkville, Mississippi suffered an ankle injury and has subsequently gone on the injury reserve. Other players who got hurt in week one include Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (thumb), San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle), 49ers tight end Jake Tonges (knee), and Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett (knee).
Fantasy Stars
The top projected quarterback is Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. On Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, he is expected to get 262 passing yards, 33 rushing yards, and three touchdowns. The top rated running back of the week is also to play Thursday night. It’s Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs of Dalton, Georgia, who is projected to get 132 total yards (194 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving) and one touchdown. The top rated wide receiver is Jaxon-Smith Njigba of Nacogdoches, Texas, who is projected to get seven catches for 96 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks against the Arizona Cardinals.
Projected Upsets
I like one underdog this week. I like the Jacksonville Jaguars to beat the Denver Broncos. Jacksonville enters the game as a 2.5 point underdog. However, last week the Jaguars looked great in a convincing 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, while the Denver Broncos were awful in a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
