Last week is over -- it's all about Week 2. When it comes to wide receiver rankings, that can be tough to remember. A couple of stars didn't play (Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans), even more stars disappointed (Julio Jones, Dez Bryant), and some preseason sleeper picks really disappointed (Martavis Bryant, Jamison Crowder). Meanwhile, guys like Kenny Golladay and Cooper Kupp looked unstoppable. Inevitably, Week 2 WR start-sit decisions are some of the most difficult you'll make all season.
But they shouldn't be. That's not to say you won't get some calls wrong, but overreacting to Week 1 is a common mistake. The Rams aren't that good, the Bengals aren't that bad, and the Colts...well, the Colts might actually be that bad, but a likely QB change to Jacoby Brissett certainly can't hurt.
Similarly, don't overreact to what we saw from defenses in Week 1. While we always do our best to factor in matchups, there's still much we don't know. Offensive play wasn't what you would call "sharp" in Week 1, so we're not too intimidated by any defenses just yet, despite the fact only three teams threw for at least 300 yards. It's entirely possible New England's pass defense really is horrible, but we're not buying that the Seahawks (286 yards allowed) or the Giants (263) is set up to be torched again.
WEEK 2 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
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: WRs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Antonio Brown, Steelers vs. Vikings. The Vikings have a great pass defense, but it's tough to pick against Brown in any situation. |
| 2 | Julio Jones, Falcons vs. Packers. Remember last year's NFC Championship game? Jones put up 180 yards and two TDs. Expect a bounce back after a disappointing Week 1 for Jones. |
| 3 | Brandin Cooks, Patriots @ Saints. Call it a "Revenge Game" if you want -- we're just calling it a great matchup for Tom Brady's new deep threat. |
| 4 | Michael Thomas, Saints vs. Patriots. |
| 5 | Jordy Nelson, Packers @ Falcons. |
| 6 | Mike Evans, Bucs vs. Bears. |
| 8 | Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals @ Colts. |
| 9 | Alshon Jeffery, Eagles @ Chiefs. Jeffery didn't do much against Josh Norman in Week 1, but he still received a relatively healthy seven targets and converted a two-point conversion, indicating he's a preferred option around the goal line. This week will be easier. |
| 10 | Amari Cooper, Raiders vs. Jets. |
| 11 | Doug Baldwin, Seahawks vs. 49ers. |
| 12 | A.J. Green, Bengals vs. Texans. |
| 13 | Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. Eagles. |
| 14 | Terrelle Pryor Jr., Redskins @ Rams. Pryor's modest Week 1 shouldn't undermine the fact he received 11 targets. The big games will come soon enough. |
| 15 | Michael Crabtree, Raiders vs. Jets. |
| 16 | Davante Adams, Packers @ Falcons. We're worried about the Randall Cobb resurgence, too, but we're willing to somewhat chalk that up to matchup. We still think Adams is the bigger threat, and in a favorable matchup against Atlanta, he should be targeted more. |
| 17 | Jeremy Maclin, Ravens vs. Browns. |
| 18 | Kelvin Benjamin, Panthers vs. Bills. The Cam-to-Kelvin connection did not look sharp last week in what figured to be a favorable matchup, but we're not giving up on it after just one week. Benjamin remains Newton's top receiving threat, and this matchup isn't exactly intimidating either. |
| 19 | Sammy Watkins, Rams vs. Redskins. Will Watkins get the Josh Norman treatment all game? If so, this ranking might be too high, but the Rams will move Watkins around, and he has the upside to make big plays. |
| 20 | DeVante Parker, Dolphins @ Chargers. |
| 21 | Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Dolphins. Allen looked healthy while hauling in five of his team-high 10 targets on Monday night. Expect him to continue to be Philip Rivers' go-to receiver. |
| 22 | Demaryius Thomas, Broncos vs. Cowboys. |
| 23 | Dez Bryant, Cowboys @ Broncos. |
| 24 | Brandon Marshall, Giants vs. Lions. Marshall and Eli Manning didn't look to be on the same page last week, but an easier matchup against the Lions should help them get back on track. |
| 25 | DeSean Jackson, Bucs vs. Bears. |
| 26 | DeAndre Hopkins, Texans @ Bengals. Hopkins salvaged his Week 1 with a touchdown, but the truth is Houston's offense didn't look much different from last year. His 16 targets give you hope for this week, but Hopkins is no longer a "sure thing." |
| 27 | Golden Tate, Lions @ Giants. |
| 28 | Martavis Bryant, Steelers vs. Vikings. Bryant disappointed with just two catches for 14 yards in Week 1, but we've always known he has a boom-or-bust quality to him. Even in tough matchups like this one, Bryant can easily go off. |
| 29 | Allen Hurns, Jaguars vs. Titans. Hurns figures to be first man up to take the targets of Allen Robinson (knee), but Marqise Lee will also be involved. Hurns still has to deal with iffy QB play, but the Titans were terrible against the pass last year and struggled in Week 1 against the Raiders, making Hurns a nice flier. |
| 30 | Jamison Crowder, Redskins @ Rams. Last week was about as bad as it gets for Crowder, who actually finished with negative fantasy points. Still, he had seven targets, and we know the Rams secondary is burnable, as shown by last year's 24.8 fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to WRs (sixth most). |
| 31 | Jarvis Landry, Dolphins @ Chargers. |
| 32 | T.Y. Hilton, Colts vs. Cardinals. The quarterback situation is still suboptimal, to say the least, but the Cardinals pass defense still has major issues. Hilton is always a candidate to get loose for a big gain. |
| 33 | Chris Hogan, Patriots @ Saints. |
| 34 | Tyrell Williams, Chargers vs. Dolphins. |
| 35 | Jordan Matthews, Bills @ Panthers. Matthews only having three targets last week is a bit of a worry, but it's possible a lack of practice time this preseason had a lot to do with that. We expect him to get more work as he gets more comfortable in the Bills offense. |
| 37 | Sterling Shepard, Giants vs. Lions. |
| 38 | Rishard Matthews, Titans @ Jaguars. |
| 39 | Stefon Diggs, Vikings @ Steelers. Diggs starred early in the season in a prime-time game last year before ultimately getting hurt and tailing off, so let's hope that's not the case this year. While it's clear the Vikings' receiver has talent, what isn't clear is whether he can post big numbers in tough matchups. You have to like his ceiling, but his floor isn't as high as we'd like it to be. (UPDATE: With Sam Bradford out and Case Keenum in for Minnesota, Diggs loses even more value.) |
| 40 | Marvin Jones Jr., Lions @ Giants. Rookie Kenny Golladay might take more of Jones' targets as the season goes on, but the veteran is still a presence in the Lions' offense. He might actually benefit from more attention being paid to Golladay this week. |
| 41 | Pierre Garcon, 49ers @ Seahawks. |
| 42 | Ted Ginn Jr., Saints vs. Patriots. Based on what we saw last week from the Patriots, there's a good chance Ginn can get behind the defense for at least one big play this week. |
| 43 | Corey Coleman, Browns @ Ravens. |
| 44 | Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Redskins. If Sammy Watkins is covered by Josh Norman all game, it's possible Kupp can post numbers similar to Nelson Agholor's last week. But Kupp often looked like the Rams' No. 1 receiver in Week 1, so we wouldn't be surprised if he saw tighter coverage. Either way, there's concern here given the matchup and L.A.'s offense. |
| 45 | Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos vs. Cowboys. |
| 46 | Eric Decker, Titans @ Jaguars. He busted in Week 1, but he still received a healthy eight targets. He's just as likely as Rishard Matthews or Corey Davis to have a good game. |
| 47 | Mike Wallace, Ravens vs. Browns. |
| 48 | Jaron Brown, Cardinals @ Colts. |
| 49 | Kenny Golladay, Lions @ Giants. Perhaps we're underrating Golladay, who certainly looks the part of a big-time receiver, but we're a little nervous about him in a tougher matchup with the spotlight on him. |
| 50 | Zay Jones, Bills @ Panthers. |
| 51 | Taylor Gabriel, Falcons vs. Packers. |
| 52 | Nelson Agholor, Eagles @ Chiefs. |
| 53 | Randall Cobb, Packers @ Falcons. In a game where both Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams figure to be open more often, we're not expecting Cobb to see double-digit targets again. |
| 54 | Phillip Dorsett, Patriots @ Saints. |
| 55 | J.J. Nelson, Cardinals @ Colts. |
| 56 | Adam Thielen, Vikings @ Steelers. Like Diggs, we want to see Thielen have a big game against good pass defense before saying he's an every-week starter. Clearly he has talent and a good rapport with Sam Bradford, but the Vikings offense still has a lot to prove. (UPDATE: With Bradford out, Thielen's upside appears limited.) |
| 57 | Kendall Wright, Bears @ Bucs. |
| 58 | Robby Anderson, Jets @ Raiders. |
| 59 | Marqise Lee, Jaguars vs. Titans. |
| 60 | Paul Richardson, Seahawks vs. 49ers. |
| 61 | Cole Beasley, Cowboys @ Broncos. |
| 62 | Donte Moncrief, Colts vs. Cardinals. |
| 63 | Jermaine Kearse, Jets @ Raiders. |
| 64 | Corey Davis, Titans @ Jaguars. |
| 65 | Kenny Stills, Dolphins @ Chargers. |
| 66 | Kenny Britt, Browns @ Ravens. |
| 67 | Russell Shepard, Panthers vs. Bills. |
| 68 | Braxton Miller, Texans @ Bengals. |
| 69 | Brandon LaFell, Bengals vs. Texans. |
| 70 | Marquise Goodwin, 49ers @ Seahawks. |