Fantasy football rankings for Week 2, position by position:
Quarterback
1. Tom Brady, New England at New Orleans
2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay at Atlanta
3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta vs. Green Bay ... In Ryan’s past three games against the Packers (including last year’s playoff game), he has averaged 351.7 passing yards with 3.7 TDs.
4. Drew Brees, New Orleans vs. New England
5. Russell Wilson, Seattle vs. San Francisco
6. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago ... Winston posted 312 passing yards with two scores last year against Chicago.
7. Philip Rivers, LA Chargers vs. Miami ... Rivers posted 326 passing yards with three scores last year against Miami.
8. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
9. Derek Carr, Oakland vs. NY Jets
10. Cam Newton, Carolina vs. Buffalo
11. Carson Palmer, Arizona at Indianapolis
12. Matthew Stafford, Detroit at NY Giants ... Stafford comes in hot but has an unattractive matchup on the road against a tough N.Y. Giants defense.
13. Alex Smith, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia
14. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee at Jacksonville
15. Kirk Cousins, Washington at LA Rams ... Avoid Cousins this week on the road against a stout-looking Rams’ defense. You would think Rams head coach (and former Washington OC) Sean McVay will have some inside knowledge .
16. Dak Prescott, Dallas at Denver
17. Sam Bradford, Minnesota at Pittsburgh ... Dating to last season, Bradford has thrown for three touchdowns in three consecutive games, but Pittsburgh isn’t the friendliest of venues.
18. Eli Manning, NY Giants vs. Detroit
19. Jared Goff, LA Rams vs. Washington
20. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia at Kansas City
21. Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo at Carolina
22. Jay Cutler, Miami at LA Chargers
23. Trevor Siemian, Denver vs. Dallas
24. Joe Flacco, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
25. DeShaun Watson, Houston Cincinnati ... The DeShaun Watson era in Houston didn’t take long. He will make his first NFL start this week.
26. Mike Glennon, Chicago at Tampa Bay
27. DeShone Kizer, Cleveland at Baltimore
28. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati at Houston ... Dalton limps into Week 2 off a disastrous four-interception game.
29. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
30. Josh McCown, NY Jets at Oakland
31. Brian Hoyer, San Francisco at Seattle
32. Scott Tolzien, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
Running backs
1. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia ... Hunt’s 249 yards from scrimmage last week were the most in NFL history for a player in the first game of his career.
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas at Denver
3. Melvin Gordon, LA Chargers vs. Miami
4. LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
5. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
6. Todd Gurley, LA Rams vs. Washington ... Plenty of positives for Gurley in Week 1 including five receptions and a score – though averaging just 2.1 yards per carry is a little concerning.
7. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
8. Marshawn Lynch, Oakland vs. NY Jets
9. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
10. Ty Montgomery, Green Bay at Atlanta ... Look for another productive game after Ty Montgomery (Green Bay) played 90 percent of the Packers’ Week 1 snaps.
11. Jay Ajayi, Miami at LA Chargers
12. LeSean McCoy, Buffalo at Carolina
13. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina vs. Buffalo
14. Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago ... Rodgers should draw the Week 2 start with Doug Martin suspended. In the five games last year when Rodgers received a starter’s workload he averaged 105.4 yards per game.
15. C.J. Anderson, Denver vs. Dallas
16. Jordan Howard, Chicago at Tampa Bay ... Howard’s stock takes a marked hit after the play of Tarik Cohen last week – Howard had 16 touches last week to 13 for Cohen, and Cohen produced 47 more yards.
17. DeMarco Murray, Tennessee at Jacksonville
18. Mike Gillislee, New England at New Orleans
19. Tevin Coleman, Atlanta vs. Green Bay ... Coleman will continue to be a strong complement to Devonta Freeman. He had 12 touches to Freeman’s 14 in Week 1.
20. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina vs. Buffalo
21. Lamar Miller, Houston Cincinnati
22. Mark Ingram, New Orleans vs. New England
23. Tarik Cohen, Chicago at Tampa Bay ... Cohen looked mighty explosive in Week 1 and moves up considerably in the Week 2 rankings.
24. Terrance West, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
25. Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland at Baltimore
26. Ameer Abdullah, Detroit at NY Giants ... It was a challenging Week 1 draw against Arizona, as is this one, but it is encouraging that Abdullah saw a career-high 18 touches.
27. James White, New England at New Orleans
28. Javorius Allen, Baltimore vs. Cleveland ... Allen got a surprising 21 carries in Week 1, and he should be busy again with Danny Woodhead (hamstring) out for several weeks.
29. Carlos Hyde, San Francisco at Seattle
30. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans vs. New England
31. Theo Riddick, Detroit at NY Giants
32. Chris Thompson, Washington at LA Rams
33. Kerwynn Williams, Arizona at Indianapolis ... Williams looks to be the Cardinals’ Week 2 starter with David Johnson (wrist) out two to three months. Watch for Chris Johnson to get re-integrated soon.
34. Derrick Henry, Tennessee at Jacksonville
35. Thomas Rawls, Seattle vs. San Francisco ... Rawls (ankle) will need to be monitored but he is expected back this week.
36. Rex Burkhead, New England at New Orleans
37. Shane Vereen, NY Giants vs. Detroit ... Vereen led the Giants with nine targets in Week 1.
38. Bilal Powell, NY Jets at Oakland
39. LeGarrette Blount, Philadelphia at Kansas City
40. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati at Houston
41. Robert Kelley, Washington at LA Rams
42. Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati at Houston
43. Paul Perkins, NY Giants vs. Detroit ... Perkins had an ugly 2.3 yards per carry average on seven rushing attempts in Week 1.
44. Charles Sims, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
45. Chris Carson, Seattle vs. San Francisco
46. Adrian Peterson, New Orleans vs. New England
47. Darren Sproles, Philadelphia at Kansas City
48. Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati at Houston
49. Duke Johnson Jr., Cleveland at Baltimore
50. Frank Gore, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
Wide receivers
1. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
2. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay at Atlanta
3. Julio Jones, Atlanta vs. Green Bay ... Look for a bigger game at home for Jones, who recorded his 500th career catch in 80 career games last week, tying an NFL record for fastest ever to 500 receptions.
4. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota ... It’s hard to drop Antonio Brown down much, though he has a tough task going against shutdown corner Xavier Rhodes.
5. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia ... Hill has scored a touchdown of 60 yards or longer in five consecutive games, an NFL record.
6. Amari Cooper, Oakland vs. NY Jets
7. Brandin Cooks, New England at New Orleans ... Cooks returns to New Orleans, where he played his first three NFL seasons.
8. Michael Thomas, New Orleans vs. New England
9. Doug Baldwin, Seattle vs. San Francisco
10. Keenan Allen, LA Chargers vs. Miami ... Allen should be very busy – Philip Rivers had 33 pass attempts last week, and 10 went Allen’s way.
11. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Cincinnati ... The volume looks to be there which is a big plus – Hopkins led all players with 16 targets in Week 1.
12. Golden Tate, Detroit at NY Giants
13. Randall Cobb, Green Bay at Atlanta ... Cobb’s 13 targets in Week 1 tied for second-most among wide receivers.
14. A.J. Green, Cincinnati at Houston
15. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona at Indianapolis
16. Michael Crabtree, Oakland vs. NY Jets
17. Odell Beckham Jr., NY Giants vs. Detroit ... Beckham (ankle) will need to be monitored.
18. Davante Adams, Green Bay at Atlanta
19. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
20. Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina vs. Buffalo
21. Demaryius Thomas, Denver vs. Dallas
22. DeVante Parker, Miami at LA Chargers ... Parker was clearly Jay Cutler’s favorite target in preseason. We will see if that carries over.
23. Adam Thielen, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
24. Dez Bryant, Dallas at Denver ... Bryant had two receptions in Week 1 and could have another below-average game this week against a tough secondary at Denver.
25. Terrelle Pryor, Washington at LA Rams
26. DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
27. Tyrell Williams, LA Chargers vs. Miami
28. Marvin Jones, Detroit at NY Giants
29. Emmanuel Sanders, Denver vs. Dallas
30. Travis Benjamin, LA Chargers vs. Miami
31. Sterling Shepard, NY Giants vs. Detroit
32. Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
33. Corey Coleman, Cleveland at Baltimore
34. Corey Davis, Tennessee at Jacksonville ... Davis led the Titans with 10 receptions in his first NFL game last week.
35. Jarvis Landry, Miami at LA Chargers
36. Cooper Kupp, LA Rams vs. Washington
37. Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
38. John Brown, Arizona at Indianapolis
39. Ted Ginn Jr., New Orleans vs. New England
40. Chris Hogan, New England at New Orleans
41. Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
42. Paul Richardson, Seattle vs. San Francisco
43. Danny Amendola, New England at New Orleans ... Amendola (concussion) will need to be monitored.
44. Pierre Garcon, San Francisco at Seattle
45. Kenny Golladay, Detroit at NY Giants ... After tallying two touchdowns on four receptions last week, look for super-sleeper Golladay’s role to continue to rise. Note that this is a tough draw against the Giants on the road.
46. Brandon Marshall, NY Giants vs. Detroit
47. Sammy Watkins, LA Rams vs. Washington ... Watkins drops some in the rankings this week, when he’ll likely have to deal with Josh Norman.
48. Jamison Crowder, Washington at LA Rams
49. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
50. Jordan Matthews, Buffalo at Carolina
51. J.J. Nelson, Arizona at Indianapolis
52. Eric Decker, Tennessee at Jacksonville
53. Taylor Gabriel, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
54. Kendall Wright, Chicago at Tampa Bay ... Wright should become the Bears’ No. 1 wide receiver after Kevin White broke his collarbone.
55. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia at Kansas City
56. Jermaine Kearse, NY Jets at Oakland
57. Rishard Matthews, Tennessee at Jacksonville
58. Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia at Kansas City
59. Robby Anderson, NY Jets at Oakland
60. Robert Woods, LA Rams vs. Washington
61. Marquise Goodwin, San Francisco at Seattle
62. Mike Wallace, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
63. Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
64. Tyler Lockett, Seattle vs. San Francisco
65. Allen Hurns, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee ... Desperate times in Jacksonville – Hurns becomes the de facto No. 1 receiver for the Jaguars after the season-ending injury to Allen Robinson.
66. Cole Beasley, Dallas at Denver
67. Terrance Williams, Dallas at Denver
68. Brandon Coleman, New Orleans vs. New England
69. Kenny Stills, Miami at LA Chargers
70. Marqise Lee, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee ... Lee should move into the starting lineup after the season-ending injury to Allen Robinson.
71. Devin Funchess, Carolina vs. Buffalo
72. Zay Jones, Buffalo at Carolina
73. Kenny Britt, Cleveland at Baltimore
74. Chris Conley, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia
75. Jaelen Strong, Houston Cincinnati ... Strong will make his 2017 debut after a one-week suspension, and should be starting in Week 2.
Tight ends
1. Rob Gronkowski, New England at New Orleans
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia
3. Jimmy Graham, Seattle vs. San Francisco ... Graham should bounce back strong this week at home against the 49ers. Last year he collected a 100-yard game and a score against the 49ers at home.
4. Delanie Walker, Tennessee at Jacksonville
5. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia at Kansas City
6. Greg Olsen, Carolina vs. Buffalo
7. Jason Witten, Dallas at Denver ... Witten needs seven receptions to move into fourth place in NFL history in receptions, and he is about to pass Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison.
8. Charles Clay, Buffalo at Carolina
9. Jordan Reed, Washington at LA Rams
10. Coby Fleener, New Orleans vs. New England
11. Martellus Bennett, Green Bay at Atlanta
12. Austin Hooper, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
13. Evan Engram, NY Giants vs. Detroit ... Engram shined in Week 1 for the Giants collecting four receptions on five targets.
14. Jesse James, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
15. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati at Houston
16. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
17. Antonio Gates, LA Chargers vs. Miami
18. Jared Cook, Oakland vs. NY Jets
19. Hunter Henry, LA Chargers vs. Miami
20. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
21. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
22. George Kittle, San Francisco at Seattle
23. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
24. Jermaine Gresham, Arizona at Indianapolis
25. Zach Miller, Chicago at Tampa Bay
26. Eric Ebron, Detroit at NY Giants
27. Tyler Higbee, LA Rams vs. Washington
28. Seth DeValve, Cleveland at Baltimore
29. Julius Thomas, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
30. Vernon Davis, Washington at LA Rams
Kickers
1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
2. Stephen Gostkowski, New England at New Orleans
3. Blair Walsh, Seattle vs. San Francisco
4. Greg Zuerlein, LA Rams vs. Washington
5. Matt Bryant, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
6. Giorgio Tavecchio, Oakland vs. NY Jets
7. Dan Bailey, Dallas at Denver
8. Nick Folk, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
9. Mason Crosby, Green Bay at Atlanta
10. Cairo Santos, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia
11. Graham Gano, Carolina vs. Buffalo
12. Phil Dawson, Arizona at Indianapolis
13. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
14. Brandon McManus, Denver vs. Dallas
15. Younghoe Koo, LA Chargers vs. Miami
16. Ryan Succop, Tennessee at Jacksonville
17. Matt Prater, Detroit at NY Giants
18. Wil Lutz, New Orleans vs. New England
19. Dustin Hopkins, Washington at LA Rams
20. Kai Forbath, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
21. Jason Myers, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
22. Aldrick Rosas, NY Giants vs. Detroit
23. Connor Barth, Chicago at Tampa Bay
24. Stephen Hauschka, Buffalo at Carolina
25. Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston Cincinnati
26. Randy Bullock, Cincinnati at Houston
27. Chandler Catanzaro, NY Jets at Oakland
28. Andrew Franks, Miami at LA Chargers
29. Caleb Sturgis, Philadelphia at Kansas City
30. Zane Gonzalez, Cleveland at Baltimore
31. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
32. Robbie Gould, San Francisco at Seattle
Defenses
1. Seattle DT, Seattle vs. San Francisco
2. Carolina DT, Carolina vs. Buffalo
3. Baltimore DT, Baltimore vs. Cleveland
4. Arizona DT, Arizona at Indianapolis
5. LA Rams DT, LA Rams vs. Washington
6. Tampa Bay DT, Tampa Bay vs. Chicago
7. Kansas City DT, Kansas City vs. Philadelphia
8. Pittsburgh DT, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
9. Oakland DT, Oakland vs. NY Jets
10. Cincinnati DT, Cincinnati at Houston
11. Jacksonville DT, Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
12. NY Giants DT, NY Giants vs. Detroit
13. Houston DT, Houston Cincinnati
14. Tennessee DT, Tennessee at Jacksonville
15. LA Chargers DT, LA Chargers vs. Miami
16. Dallas DT, Dallas at Denver
17. Denver DT, Denver vs. Dallas
18. Washington DT, Washington at LA Rams
19. Detroit DT, Detroit at NY Giants
20. New England DT, New England at New Orleans
21. Philadelphia DT, Philadelphia at Kansas City
22. Buffalo DT, Buffalo at Carolina
23. Atlanta DT, Atlanta vs. Green Bay
24. Indianapolis DT, Indianapolis vs. Arizona
25. Minnesota DT, Minnesota at Pittsburgh
26. Miami DT, Miami at LA Chargers
27. Cleveland DT, Cleveland at Baltimore
28. Chicago DT, Chicago at Tampa Bay
29. Green Bay DT, Green Bay at Atlanta
30. San Francisco DT, San Francisco at Seattle
31. New Orleans DT, New Orleans vs. New England
32. NY Jets DT, NY Jets at Oakland
Alan Satterlee is in his fourth year of writing about fantasy football for The Charlotte Observer. Find him on Twitter at @Speedkills_DFW.
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