Kareem Hunt for president, Tarik Cohen for vice present, right? After last week's impressive debuts, fantasy football owners probably expect to see both high in our Week 2 RB rankings, but we're going to show some restraint...with Cohen, anyway. There are still legitimate start-sit questions with the top waiver-wire pickup, but Hunt erased any concerns with his showing last Thursday.
Hunt isn't No. 1, though. One game does not a fantasy reputation make, and guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell, and Devonta Freeman have more than a couple monster performances under their belts. Even in tough matchups, we like those three -- and a couple others -- more than Hunt this week, but obviously the Chiefs' newest star is a sure starter.
Unfortunately, you'll notice that David Johnson isn't listed in that group, and with him expected to miss an extended period of time because of a wrist injury, it's unclear when he'll be in these rankings again. Those are big shoes to fill, but the season goes on, and other players will fill the void left by Johnson.
WEEK 2 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Matchup-wise, guys like Mike Gillislee (@ Saints), Terrance West (vs. Browns), and, if he plays, Thomas Rawls (vs. 49ers) stand out as solid options, while all Bengals backs (vs. Texans), Isaiah Crowell (@ Ravens), Frank Gore (vs. Cardinals) really take a tumble.
Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often.
WEEK 2 DFS:
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Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ Broncos. Melvin Gordon did some pretty good work against the Broncos on Monday night, so you know Zeke and his 20-plus touches are gonna get the job done. |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell, Steelers vs. Vikings. Bad matchup after Bell failed to do much in a great matchup. So what? Bell is still as good as it gets. Consider last week his first preseason game. He's ready for the season now. |
| 3 | Jay Ajayi, Dolphins @ Chargers. Ajayi's Week 1 bye should have him fresh, right? OK, that's ridiculous, but he's still really good and the Chargers run defense allowed four yards per carry to C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles last week. A big-play back like Ajayi can sting them for even more. |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy, Bills @ Panthers. |
| 5 | Devonta Freeman, Falcons vs. Packers. |
| 6 | Kareem Hunt, Chiefs vs. Eagles. It's impossible for Hunt to satisfy after his remarkable debut, but we know he's going to get the ball a ton as both a runner and receiver. Even against a stout run defense like Philadelphia, he'll pay off. |
| 7 | Marshawn Lynch, Raiders vs. Jets. With 18 carries in his Raiders debut, Lynch was used more than many thought. Against the Jets, who were roasted for 190 rushing yards last week, he can put up RB1 numbers with less work. |
| 8 | Melvin Gordon, Chargers vs. Dolphins. |
| 9 | Ty Montgomery, Packers @ Falcons. |
| 10 | Leonard Fournette, Jaguars vs. Titans. |
| 11 | Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ Steelers. |
| 12 | Todd Gurley, Rams vs. Redskins. Gurley didn't really look any better than last year against the Colts, disappointing with just 40 yards on 19 carries. But he managed to get in the end zone and added 56 yards through the air. With a heavy workload, he can still produce decent fantasy numbers -- even if it always seems like he should be producing more. |
| 13 | Lamar Miller, Texans @ Bengals. |
| 14 | Mike Gillislee, Patriots @ Saints. Seems like a trap, right? After Gillislee's three-TD Pats' debut, what are the odds he comes through again? Even with that said, he did get 15 carries, operating as the "lead back" for much of last Thursday night. Against the Saints defense, he should be able to do enough to merit starting as an RB2. |
| 15 | Thomas Rawls, Seahawks vs. 49ers. If Rawls is back from his ankle injury, he should handle most of the RB duties for the Seahawks. Eddie Lacy was a disaster, and Chris Carson, while obviously talented, is still a second-string rookie. Rawls might not produce much in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks have a good chance to be running out the clock, but he can put up numbers early and often in this one. |
| 16 | Jacquizz Rodgers, Bucs vs. Bears. |
| 17 | DeMarco Murray, Titans @ Jaguars. |
| 18 | Terrance West, Ravens vs. Browns. Buck Allen is a real threat to West's playing time, but Baltimore's starting back still totaled 19 carries, 80 yards and a score last week. We expect him to get the bulk of the carries in a closer game this week, and we're not totally sold on the Browns' defense just because they bottled up Le'Veon Bell. Last year Cleveland allowed the second-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs (23.1), and not that much has changed. |
| 19 | C.J. Anderson, Broncos vs. Cowboys. |
| 20 | Ameer Abdullah, Lions @ Giants. The Lions offense looked good last week, but Abdullah didn't get in on the fun, totaling just 41 yards. The good news is that he had 18 touches, and if that trend continues, he'll eventually break through. The Giants got worn down by the Cowboys' big offensive line last week, and while that probably won't happen with the Lions, Abdullah could still produce based on volume alone. |
| 21 | Jonathan Stewart, Panthers vs. Bills. |
| 22 | Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Bills. The 18 touches last week were great, but 85 total yards and a lost fumble against the 49ers has to be considered a disappointed. Still, it's clear the Panthers are determined to get McCaffrey the ball, and that gives him a lot of potential value. Jonathan Stewart is still "in the way" (especially around the goal line), but McCaffrey can put up numbers in this favorable matchup. |
| 23 | LeGarrette Blount, Eagles @ Chiefs. We saw the Chiefs get bulldozed around the goal line last week, and we know that's Blount's specialty. He likely won't get as many scoring opportunities as his replacement in New England, Mike Gillislee, got in Week 1, but even if he just gets one he can pay off for his fantasy owners. |
| 24 | Carlos Hyde, 49ers @ Seahawks. Sure, we all hate the matchup, but Hyde was used quite a bit as a receiver in Week 1 (six catches). His talent and volume give him upside. |
| 25 | Tarik Cohen, Bears @ Bucs. Cohen was the talk of Week 1 after several big plays that showcased his speed and athleticism. But he was sparsely used as a runner (five carries), depending on receptions (eight catches on 12 targets) to really put up consistent yards. That's a risky recipe for fantasy success, so by no means should Cohen be viewed as a "sure thing," but the talent is there. For now, consider him more valuable in PPR leagues, though with Jordan Howard (shoulder) banged up, Cohen could shine in standard leagues, too. |
| 26 | Jordan Howard, Bears @ Bucs. Yes, we're all worried about Tarik Cohen stealing touches, but Howard still played pretty well in Week 1 (goal-line drop at the end of the game notwithstanding), and he had eight more carries than the dynamic rookie. Will that change this week? Tough to say, especially with his bum shoulder casting doubt on his ability to carry a full load, but it's also tough to imagine Howard just "going away" in the Bears' offense. Both Howard and Cohen can get between 10-15 touches and produce. |
| 27 | Mark Ingram, Saints vs. Patriots. We wish the Saints would just use Ingram as their primary back, but aside from a bunch of garbage-time catches last week, he was basically a non-factor. This is a good matchup, but with Adrian Peterson and Alvin Kamara almost getting an equal share of the playing time, you can't count on Ingram as anything more than a flex or risky RB2. |
| 28 | Kerwynn Williams, Cardinals @ Colts. Williams won't get the volume David Johnson did (for obvious reasons), but this is still a great matchup. Even 13 touches for Williams against the Colts could result in decent numbers. |
| 29 | Isaiah Crowell, Browns @ Ravens. |
| 30 | Paul Perkins, Giants vs. Lions. |
| 31 | Rob Kelley, Redskins @ Rams. Kelley disappointed with just 30 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, but perhaps most important is that backup Samaje Perine didn't see an offensive snap. The Redskins clearly view Kelley as their RB1 right now, so that's a plus. The Rams run defense is average at best, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Washington try to run more early in this game. |
| 32 | Frank Gore, Colts vs. Cardinals. Bad matchup, bad offense -- the only good thing we can say about Gore here is he should dominate touches...unless the Colts get blown out again. |
| 33 | Buck Allen, Ravens vs. Browns. |
| 34 | James White, Patriots @ Saints. |
| 35 | Tevin Coleman, Falcons vs. Packers. |
| 36 | Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Texans. The less said about Mixon's debut, the better. If there is a positive, it's that he led the team in carries (8), totaling one more than Giovani Bernard and two more than Jeremy Hill. He also had one more target (3) than Bernard. It's tough to trust any Bengals back at this point, but Mixon still has the most upside. |
| 37 | Bilal Powell, Jets @ Raiders. Powell had more carries (7 to 6) and receptions (5 to 3) than Matt Forte, but he only totaled 39 yards in Week 1. Again, better than Forte (36), but still nothing to brag about. |
| 38 | Adrian Peterson, Saints vs. Patriots. We saw nothing encouraging out of Peterson on Monday night -- quite the opposite, really -- but he still managed the same amount of carries (6) as Mark Ingram. Given this favorable matchup, he's almost as likely as Ingram to break a couple big plays and/or get in the end zone. |
| 39 | Matt Forte, Jets @ Raiders. |
| 40 | Jeremy Hill, Bengals vs. Texans. |
| 41 | Theo Riddick, Lions @ Giants. Riddick is almost purely a PPR play with Ameer Abdullah healthy, but the fact that the Lions love to pass to him inside the 10 gives him upside in standard leagues, too. |
| 42 | Derrick Henry, Titans @ Jaguars. |
| 43 | Chris Carson, Seahawks vs. 49ers. It just feels like Carson will be racking up garbage-time yards in the fourth quarter of this one. That feeling isn't enough to start him if Thomas Rawls (ankle) plays, but it puts him on the radar. |
| 44 | Shane Vereen, Giants vs. Lions. |
| 45 | C.J. Prosise, Seahawks vs. 49ers. |
| 46 | Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Patriots. |
| 47 | Andre Ellington, Cardinals @ Colts. Ellington will likely play on a lot of passing downs, and given that the Colts were burned through the air by Todd Gurley last week, that could yield some stats. Moreover, would it really shock anyone if Ellington proved to be the more effective runner between him and Kerwynn Williams and gradually got more playing time? |
| 48 | Charles Sims, Bucs vs. Bears. |
| 49 | Jalen Richard, Raiders vs. Jets. |
| 50 | Chris Thompson, Redskins @ Rams. |
| 51 | Giovani Bernard, Bengals vs. Texans. |
| 52 | Darren Sproles, Eagles @ Chiefs. |
| 53 | Mike Tolbert, BIlls @ Panthers. |
| 54 | DeAndre Washington, Raiders vs. Jets. |
| 55 | Latavius Murray, Vikings @ Steelers. |
| 56 | Jamaal Williams, Packers @ Falcons. |
| 57 | Chris Ivory, Jaguars @ Bengals. |
| 58 | Duke Johnson Jr., Browns @ Ravens. |
| 59 | Wendell Smallwood, Eagles @ Chiefs. |
| 60 | Jamaal Charles, Broncos vs. Cowboys. |
| 61 | Alfred Morris, Cowboys @ Broncos. |