Week 2 Rankings

Updated 9/14 12:50 ET. Doug Martin (knee) removed after Jay Glazer reports he won't play. Bobby Rainey No. 32 running back.

Updated 9/14 12:30 ET. Moved Doug Martin (knee) down based on our latest report. Click here for link.

Updated 9/14 12:10 PM ET. Removed Alshon Jeffery, Jordan Cameron and Carson Palmer. Matt Asiata settled at No. 34 running back. Brandon Marshall (game-time decision) No. 41 receiver. Michael Floyd ticked down with Palmer news.

First impressions can be tough to shake. Le'Veon Bell made a mixed one in 2013. Although he finished No. 15 in running back fantasy points, Bell’s introduction to fantasy owners was a Lisfranc injury that cost him the first three games of the season. When he returned, he was a three-down back, but a sluggish one. His 3.52 yards per carry was 39th out of 48 qualifiers for the YPC crown, while he never averaged more than five yards per carry in any one game. He had one 100-yard day on the ground.

Flash forward to the offseason, where Bell’s bridge building with fantasy owners could have scarcely gone worse. First there was the addition of touchdown vulture LeGarrette Blount. Next, the duo’s arrest on marijuana charges (with a DUI thrown in, to boot, for Bell). All along the way were the requisite whispers that Blount could be more than just an occasional breather back.

Week 1 didn’t go according to the pessimistic script. Bell out-touched Blount 27-4, looking like a star and having easily the best game of his career. Bell crossed the 5.0 threshold for the first time as a runner, taking his 21 carries for 109 yards (5.19 YPC) and a touchdown. A soft-handed receiver, he added six catches for 88 yards, giving him the most yards from scrimmage (197) of any player in Week 1, and yes, another new career best.

Bell’s yards did not come cheap against a defense that permitted just 3.85 yards per carry in 2013. Noticeably — and I do mean noticeably — thinner after reporting to camp 12 pounds lighter than he was a rookie, Bell looked leaner, meaner and quicker. He fit into holes that wouldn’t have had him in 2013, and showed an improved second gear. He was patient, while his already-impressive vision was better than ever. His cuts were precise, his stamina a weapon. Seven of Bell’s 21 carries went for five or more yards.

Bell is not going to be a big-play machine. It’s quite possible he’s already had his best game of the season. But a running back who often fell to the third or fourth round of fantasy drafts at the height of his summer troubles looks every bit ready to be an RB1. An RB1 you got after the second round? That can be the kind of bargain that wins you a championship.

Week 2 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: Peyton Manning’s debut probably wasn’t what owners had in mind, but he still ended up the No. 6 overall quarterback in a less-explosive Week 1 across the league than we’re used to seeing. He’s going to feast on a Chiefs defense reeling from the loss of two of its front seven. … There’s no real other way to put it: Aaron Rodgers got chewed up and spit out by a Seahawks defense that’s made a habit of making superstar quarterbacks look like paupers. Thankfully, he has just the Week 2 antidote in a Jets secondary starting Darrin Walls and a safety at cornerback. There will be blood. … The Browns’ defense was supposed to be the strength of a bad team. Then it allowed 490 yards to the Steelers. Drew Brees is never quite as prolific on the road as he is in the Superdome, but he’s going to get his in Cleveland. … Chad Henne threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles on the road in Week 1, even somehow managing to stake the Jags to a 17-0 halftime lead. It will be nice to see what Andrew Luck can do at home against Cary Williams and company.

Matt Ryan’s 448 yards against the Saints were a new career best, while his 72.1 completion percentage was unreasonably high for a quarterback who attempted 43 passes and posted a 10.42 YPA. Like Brees, Ryan’s show doesn’t always travel well, but he’s back to being a high-end QB1 with Julio Jones and Roddy White at full health. Ryan completed at least five passes to each of his top four wideouts against the Saints. … The matchup couldn’t be more inviting for Jay Cutler in a 49ers defense that could be missing each of its top two cornerbacks — in addition to Aldon Smith and Navorro Bowman — but Cutler has health concerns of his own with Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) and Brandon Marshall (ankle) banged up. You’re going to be starting Cutler regardless, but manage your expectations based on his wideouts’ health. … It was a charmed Week 1 for Matthew Stafford, but don’t forget that he’s facing a Panthers defense that allowed the third fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL last season.

Nick Foles was a dreadful joke in the first half of Sunday’s loss, but rebounded after halftime, where he threw for both of his scores, 183 of his 322 yards and took zero of his five sacks. For as maligned as the Colts’ defense is, it just held to Peyton Manning to 269 yards in Denver. This won’t be a road cake walk for a third-year pro who must prove he can adjust to the league’s adjustments. … Colin Kaepernick’s problem in Week 1? The Cowboys’ offense was so bad that it kept making things too easy for the 49ers’ offense, leading to a lack of urgency and yards to rack up. Kaep was superb when called on to spin it, however, posting his best completion percentage (69.6) since the 2012-13 playoffs while leaving town with two touchdowns and zero turnovers. The Bears’ defense is stouter than Dallas’, but is still a bottom-tier unit. … Tony Romo looked concerningly bad against the 49ers, moving in sluggish fashion while showing zero chemistry with any of his weapons after an abbreviated offseason. It could take him multiple weeks to round into form.

Jake Locker turned in one of Week 1’s most-encouraging performances. First things first: The Titans weren’t exactly asking Locker to reinvent the wheel. Operating almost exclusively out of shotgun, Locker was tasked with making quick, easy throws. He responded by completing the task, standing tall while rarely succumbing to the freneticism that has sometimes felled him in the past. Locker rarely progressed beyond his first or second read, but it didn’t matter because of how decisive he was when he spotted an open man. According to Pro Football Focus, Locker averaged just 2.31 seconds between snap and attempt, good for fourth best in the NFL, and .16 faster than his 2013 average. Going up against a Cowboys defense with no DEs, DBs or LBs, Locker should feast in Tennessee’s home opener. He’s an elite streaming option for Week 2. … Maybe give Cam Newton another week if you have Locker or Ben Roethlisberger on your bench, but there shouldn’t be much fear in firing up a dual-threat savant against the Lions’ secondary, no matter how rusty.

The Bengals are supposedly going to run more this week, but Atlanta’s picket-fence defense might challenge that notion. … On paper, it’s a tantalizing matchup for Carson Palmer in New York, but don’t forget this is a western team traveling to the Atlantic Coast to play a 1ET game. It won’t be as smooth sailing as the matchup suggests. … Week 1 was pretty much a worst-case scenario for Robert Griffin III owners, with Jay Gruden limiting him to short passes and essentially zero running. This is still a talent who could explode, but the wait could be agonizing if Griffin is your starter. … The Dolphins had one of Week 1’s most-impressive victories, but Ryan Tannehill wasn’t a huge reason why. Tannehill was a Bradford-ish 18-of-32 for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His pick came on a … wait for it … attempted deep connection with Mike Wallace. Tannehill is a mid-range QB2 until further notice. … Friends don’t let friends start Philip Rivers against the Seahawks. … Don’t be surprised if Geno Smith establishes himself as a legitimate QB2 this season.

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Week 2 Running Backs

RB Notes: Week 1 saw LeSean McCoy manage only 74 yards on 21 rushes (3.52 YPC), but fantasy owners should never be worried about a player who got the ball 27 times. It just wasn’t Shady’s day. Expect him to find the holes in Indy’s swiss-cheese front seven on Monday. … In Week 1’s most baffling development, Jamaal Charles received just 11 touches in a game where the Chiefs were missing their No. 1 receiver. Coach Andy Reid admitted on Monday that Charles’ usage was “negligence.” Even if the game gets out of hand early, there will be a corrective against the Broncos. … The performance of San Francisco’s run defense on Sunday should probably come with a disclaimer. Most of Dallas’ 23 carries for 127 yards (5.52 YPC) came after the game was out of reach. In other words, a 49ers defense that led 28-3 at halftime was more concerned with stopping the pass than the run after the break. But missing Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith and Glenn Dorsey, this unit simply isn’t the group we’re used to seeing. A matchup-proof, all-purpose machine for elite game caller Marc Trestman, Matt Forte is a top-three option for Week 2.

Adrian Peterson is used to being game-planned for, but he’ll be the target of Bill Belichick’s “stop the opponent’s No. 1 weapon at all costs” strategy on Sunday. It’s as good a tiebreaker as any between AD and Forte. … Summer 2014: Those halcyon days where we were worried about Marshawn Lynch. One of only three backs to rush for two touchdowns in Week 1, Lynch averaged the second most yards per carry of any runner with at least 20 totes (5.5) and created more missed tackles than anyone but Montee Ball. There will be Beast Mode in 2014. … Arian Foster’s 29 touches led all players in Week 1. Ride him till the wheels fall off. … Montee Ball managed only 83 yards on his 25 touches, but therein lies the rub: 25 touches. And as his aforementioned nine missed tackles can attest to, he wasn’t nearly as bad as the box score would indicate. Questions about Ball’s overall dynamism are warranted, but he’s getting the ball too much for it to matter right now. Neither C.J. Anderson nor Ronnie Hillman is a threat.

Eddie Lacy (concussion) appears likely to get cleared for Sunday’s game with the Jets, but it’s a brutal matchup. He gets another tough opponent in the Lions in Week 3 before things clear up with the Bears in Week 4. … Here’s the thing with Andre Ellington: If the Cardinals are willing to give him 18 touches just three days after he aggravated a foot injury, they’re dead serious about making him an every-down back. Throw in the fact that Ellington was a “lot less sore than he thought he was going to be” following Monday’s win, and you have a borderline RB1 you can breathe easy about. At least until his next injury. … Coming off a performance where he out-touched Jeremy Hill 20-4 — something OC Hue Jackson insists won’t be the norm — Giovani Bernard can be safely penciled in for another big week against the defense-less Falcons. … Alfred Morris is going to need close games and volume to keep fantasy owners happy this season, but he should have both in spades against the Jaguars.

Toby Gerhart’s coming out party as a reliable fantasy starter pretty much couldn’t have gone any worse. He managed just 42 yards on 18 carries (2.3 YPC) while his lateral agility was even more lacking than remembered. As a nice little cherry on top, he suffered an ankle injury on an illegal horse-collar tackle. Thankfully, the ailment isn’t serious, but 100 percent health is another feather no longer in Gerhart’s cap. All that being said, the volume is still there, and the Redskins are a flat-out bad defense. Gerhart can get on track for what was expected of him with a strong game against Jim Haslett’s unit. … Like Gerhart, Rashad Jennings is a volume-based RB2 who currently isn’t threatened by his backups. … Chris Ivory had more yards than Chris Johnson thanks to his 71-yard touchdown, but CJ2K out-touched his backfield mate 18-10. More importantly, Johnson continued to look reinvigorated like he did in the preseason, running uncharacteristically hard north and south while even breaking some tackles. He could stay in the RB2 conversation all season.

Knowshon Moreno is a survivor. Left for dead over the summer, he’s now comfortably ahead of Lamar Miller on the depth chart. … Zac Stacy didn’t exactly allay concerns in Week 1, but he remains an RB2 for the time being. … Was Doug Martin (knee) benched in Week 1? Coach Lovie Smith seemed to hint so on Tuesday. The stars aligned for Martin near the end of August, but his rope is getting shorter by the week. … Joique Bell confirmed in Week 1 that he’s the better standard-league play than Reggie Bush. … Going up against a Saints defense that’s better than it looked last week with Isaiah Crowell lurking in the shadows, Terrance West is a boom-or-bust RB2 in the absence of Ben Tate (knee). … Justin Forsett is the next man up in the Ravens’ Ray Rice-less backfield, but Bernard Pierce isn’t dead and gone. Forsett is the play for Thursday evening, but Pierce has to remain rostered. … Shonn Greene earned Pro Football Focus’ highest run grade for Week 1. Do with that info what you will. … It is no longer wise (if it ever was) to play Trent Richardson over Ahmad Bradshaw.

Week 2 Receivers

WR Notes: Nice mic drop, Calvin Johnson. … Expect Demaryius Thomas to be fuming after a four-catch, two-drop Week 1. The Chiefs’ embattled secondary can’t stop what’s comin’. … Julio Jones was Julio Jones against the Saints. That’s good news for fantasy owners, and bad news for the NFC South. … Dez Bryant’s 4/55 effort against the 49ers obviously had a lot to do with Tony Romo’s dreadful day, but less reported on was Bryant’s conditioning. Bryant had to check out multiple times in the second half due to “dehydration.” Particularly in a domed stadium, that’s simply unacceptable for a player of Bryant’s caliber in the first week of the season. But like he’s done after every other Cowboys disappointment, Bryant will bounce back. … Stop ignoring Antonio Brown. … If Jordy Nelson can go 9/83 against the league’s best secondary on the road, what do you think he’s going to do in Green Bay against a Jets unit starting Darrin Walls and a safety (Antonio Allen)? “Breaking Madden” is going to come to life this Sunday.

Brandon Marshall (ankle) and Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) could be in for the opportunity of a lifetime against an already undermanned 49ers defense that might be forced to start Perrish Cox and Dontae Johnson at cornerback, but they have to take care of their own health first. Marshall has made a habit of playing through injuries of any kind, but Jeffery’s status isn’t as certain. Owners need to be prepared for the possibility that he sits, which is tough since Bears/49ers is the Sunday night game. Thankfully, with four deep fantasy squads playing in this week’s primetime games (Philadelphia and Indianapolis in addition to CHI and SF), you should have an alternative. … Andre Johnson is going to eat up the hapless Raiders. … All signs continue to point toward Roddy White resuming 1B duties to Julio Jones’ 1A. The Falcons’ offense is back in business. … Larry Fitzgerald’s dad isn’t aboard the Michael Floyd WR1 train, but you sure as heck should be. Floyd is a beast at every level of the field.

How electric is Cordarrelle Patterson? His 102 rushing yards against the Rams made him the first receiver since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 to have a 100-yard day on the ground. He’s still a work-in-progress as a receiver who can create his own looks, but C-Patt is too explosive to ever be left on benches. He’s the kind of player who steals weeks. … Patterson’s older brother, Percy Harvin, finally looks ready to explode after two years in the injury wilderness. Harvin was force fed in the Seahawks’ opener, and there’s exactly zero reason to believe it won’t be a trend. Ride the wave for as long as Harvin can stay on the field. He took some vicious hits against the Packers. … Joe Flacco isn’t worried about Torrey Smith, and you shouldn’t be, either. Flacco’s words hint at a Thursday Night Football corrective. … Emmanuel Sanders had a Julian Edelman-esque night against the Colts — that’s both a slight and a compliment — but it’s not like the looks are going anywhere. Sanders’ volume makes him a legit WR2.

Keenan Allen has escaped Patrick Peterson Island for … Richard Sherman Island. Perhaps the Bolts will play Allen off Sherman the way the Pack did with Jordy Nelson, but it’s still best to plan on one more slow week for a player who should be a WR1 before it’s all said and done. … One of these days, you will start Vincent Jackson the right week. … Michael Crabtree (calf) looked far from 100 percent against the Cowboys, but escaped without further injury. He’s practicing in full for Week 2. Crabtree is going to be a high-end WR2 more weeks than not. … Ryan Tannehill still can’t find him on deep balls, but Mike Wallace is in for a better season under OC Bill Lazor. He punctuated that by scoring on Darrelle Revis last week. Wallace could prove to be a huge bargain. … It was a quiet start for Eric Decker, but the 5/74 he managed against the Raiders should be his baseline in the Big Apple. … Can Victor Cruz escape the Eli Manning Titanic? Already publicly begging for more targets, he’ll put the squeaky wheel theory to the test this week.

If Kelvin Benjamin can make hay with Derek Anderson, I like his odds with Cam Newton. … Justin Hunter is still somehow running as the Titans’ No. 3 receiver, but it’s only a matter of time before he announces his presence to the uninitiated. The Cowboys offer a golden opportunity. … T.Y. Hilton is still a boom-or-bust WR3 for the time being. He was way too sloppy against the Broncos. … Golden Tate is ready for his close up opposite Calvin Johnson’s bracketed coverage. … Reggie Wayne appears poised to star opposite Anquan Boldin in Old Guys Who Won’t Go Away. … Brandin Cooks would be the talk of the league if his second half had been anything like his first half on Sunday. That should be his season in a nutshell. Explosive plays, but inconsistency. … It’s hard not to be concerned about Rueben Randle, despite his golden opportunity. Few players make as many obvious mistakes. … Markus Wheaton looked better against the Browns than he did in the preseason. He could be a weekly riser. … Don’t second guess your Brian Quick flier: It’s worth it.

Week 2 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Jimmy Graham was targeted 10 times in Week 1. As you were. … Bad man Julius Thomas going up against a Chiefs linebacker corps in absolute disarray = good people are going to get hurt. … It’s hard to quibble with Rob Gronkowski’s return from a torn ACL. He caught four passes for 40 yards on only 38 snaps, was targeted 11 times and … drum roll … scored his 43rd touchdown in 51 career games. The only problem? He looked nowhere near peak Gronk, lumbering around the field like a much more common tight end. Of course, even at reduced speed Gronk is not a normal human being, but it was a sobering reminder that Gronk’s comeback is far from complete. Regardless, his usage keeps him firmly in the top three. … Colin Kaepernick is never going to stop searching for Vernon Davis in the red zone. … In a year with disappointingly few sure things at tight end, Greg Olsen is one of them.

Jordan Cameron (shoulder) is a guy I initially left out of the rankings. Speaking Wednesday, Cameron insisted things were “all good,” but he was held out of practice. This has the makings of a potential game-time decision. Have a back-up plan ready. … Kyle Rudolph had an off day against the Rams’ stingy tight-end defense, but encouragingly, it included a touchdown. … Dennis Pitta's 15 targets against the Bengals should go down as a season high, but he’s firmly established as Joe Flacco’s security blanket. … Zach Ertz has six touchdowns over his past 10 games. … Delanie Walker is a nice FanDuel option against the soft underbelly of the Cowboys’ “defense.” … Not even Antonio Gates’ hamstring injury could stop him from drawing 10 targets and curbing Ladarius Green’s upside against the Cardinals. A stubborn future Hall-of-Famer, Gates could again emerge as the Bolts tight end to own. … Don’t go chasing Larry Donnell waterfalls. … Niles Paul isn’t a legitimate fill-in for Jordan Reed (hamstring) owners.

Speaking Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid admitted Travis Kelce is “capable of playing more than 18 plays.” It was a coach’s way of saying, “we have got to start making a greater effort to get this dude the ball.” The Chiefs’ offense is Jamaal Charles and The Ghost of Dwayne Bowe. Reid is infamous for misusing his talent, but he seems to have seen the light with Kelce. Keep him stashed. … Jermaine Gresham’s status hasn’t really changed in the absence of Tyler Eifert (elbow, I.R./return). He’s a barely-there TE2. … Dwayne Allen will likely score more touchdowns than Coby Fleener, but Fleener could draw more looks thanks to his lack of blocking prowess. Like Eifert/Gresham in 2013, it’s a situation fantasy owners are best off avoiding. … Tim Wright played just 21-of-86 snaps in the Patriots’ Week 1 loss, but ESPN Boston believes that could change — at the expense of Danny Amendola — going forward. Wright is worth keeping around as a TE2 in 14-team leagues. … Garrett Graham (back) should return for Week 2.

Week 2 Kickers

Week 2 Defense/Special Teams