2011 Fantasy Football Week 2 Ranks: Top 20 QB, 40 RB & 40 WR
QB Ranks
1. Aaron Rodgers @ Carolina
2. Michael Vick @ Atlanta
3. Drew Brees @ Chicago
4. Tom Brady @ San Diego
5. Philip Rivers @ New England
6. Tony Romo @ San Francisco
7. Matthew Stafford @ Kansas City
8. Ben Roethlisberger @ Seattle
9. Rex Grossman @ Arizona
10. Josh Freeman @ Minnesota
11. Matt Schaub @ Miami
12. Joe Flacco @ Tennessee
13. Matt Ryan @ Philadelphia
14. Chad Henne @ Houston
15. Eli Manning @ St. Louis
16. Ryan Fitzpatrick @ Oakland
17. Sam Bradford @ Giants
18. Jay Cutler @ New Orleans
19. Kyle Orton @ Cincinnati
20. Cam Newton @ Green Bay
I guess I’m higher than most on Grossman, Henne and Fitzpatrick.
As I mentioned in Marketwatch, my weekly article that comes out Tuesdays, Grossman has 15+ points in three of his last four starts and faces what might end up being the worst secondary in football this year (Arizona). If you have don’t have one of the top end QB’s and you do have a bench player to spare, I’d add Grossman and put him in your starting lineup for the week.
The rankings of Henne and Fitzpatrick are more a function of me being higher than most on them for the entire season rather than because of their Week 2 matchup. They’re both underrated and under owned, so if you’re looking for a backup QB, one of the two may be your guy.
I guess I’m lower than most on Schaub, Ryan, and Bradford.
Schaub started slow last year and has a pretty decent run game to compete with to put up fantasy points. Ryan struggled against a good defense last week and faces what is presumably one of the best pass defenses in the league this week. Being at home in the dome and on the turf should work in his favor, but those factors aren’t enough for me to say he’s a top ten play this week. Bradford isn’t healthy. His teammates, Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson, aren’t healthy either. He’s going to need to be healthy and get a little help to take the next step many predicted him to take this year.
(September 7, 2011 – Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)
1. Adrian Peterson @ Tampa Bay
2. Ray Rice @ Tennessee
3. LeSean McCoy @ Atlanta
4. Jamaal Charles @ Detroit
5. Rashard Mendenhall @ Seattle
6. Darren McFadden @ Buffalo
7. Matt Forte @ New Orleans
8. Chris Johnson @ Baltimore
9. Maurice Jones-Drew @ Jets
10. Michael Turner @ Philadelphia
11. Arian Foster @ Miami
12. Peyton Hillis @ Indianapolis
13. Frank Gore @ Dallas
14. Felix Jones @ San Francisco
15. Ahmad Bradshaw @ St. Louis
16. LeGarrette Blount @ Minnesota
17. Mike Tolbert @ New England
18. Cedric Benson @ Denver
19. Beanie Wells @ Washington
20. Fred Jackson @ Oakland
21. Jahvid Best @ Kansas City
22. Willis McGahee @ Cincinnati
23. Tim Hightower @ Arizona
24. Reggie Bush @ Houston
25. Ryan Mathews @ New England
26. DeAngelo Williams @ Green Bay
27. James Starks @ Carolina
28. Mark Ingram @ Chicago
29. Cadillac Williams @ Giants
30. Joseph Addai @ Cleveland
31. Shonn Greene @ Jacksonville
32. BenJarvis Green-Ellis @ San Diego
33. Ben Tate @ Miami
34. Ryan Grant @ Carolina
35. LaDainian Tomlinson @ Jacksonville
36. Danny Woodhead @ San Diego
37. Pierre Thomas @ Chicago
38. Darren Sproles @ Chicago
39. Marshawn Lynch @ Pittsburgh
40. Jonathan Stewart @ Green Bay
If it’s not obvious from looking at my rankings, I’m buying the week 1 performances of McFadden and Tolbert. McFadden looked fantastic last week (22 carries for 150 yards), and I except him to continue in that fashion as long as he can stay on the field. Tolbert isn’t going to score three touchdowns again, but he does seem the preferred redzone option over Mathews. Touches inside the 20 should allow him to be a pretty reliable fantasy starter each week.
With
Steven Jackson and Knowshon Moreno out this week, their backups, McGahee and Cadillac, will get a chance to show they still have something left in the tank. Because Denver should be leading or staying close to Cincinnati all day, McGahee is a borderline RB2 in ten team leagues because he may get to carry the ball 20+ times and has a decent shot of getting in the end zone. The Rams may be playing catch up against the Giants, but Cadillac is an option out of the backfield in the passing game. That makes him a viable RB2 option if you’re thin at RB or don’t have better option to replace Jackson.As for guys I’m down on this week, let’s hold off on Arian Foster as a top ten RB until he plays a full game and practices the following week. Until Foster’s 100%, Ben Tate is still an option for those of you in deeper leagues. Marshawn Lynch managed just 33 yards on 13 carries last week, and his Seattle team travels east to take on Pittsburgh in week 2. And finally, who decided Shonn Greene was good? For some reason he was billed as a top 20 or 30 fantasy player last season, and he has done absolutely nothing to show that billing was warranted to this point. Until he proves otherwise, I’m not even sure he’s a viable flex play.
(September 10, 2011 – Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images North America)
1. Calvin Johnson @ Kansas City
2. Greg Jennings @ Carolina
3. Andre Johnson @ Miami
4. Mike Wallace @ Seattle
5. Larry Fitzgerald @ Washington
6. Miles Austin @ San Francisco
7. Roddy White @ Philadelphia
8. Vincent Jackson @ New England
9. DeSean Jackson @ Atlanta
10. Mario Manningham @ St. Louis
11. Mike Williams @ Minnesota
12. Anquan Boldin @ Tennessee
13. Brandon Marshall @ Houston
14. Kenny Britt @ Baltimore
15. Santana Moss @ Arizona
16. Brandon Lloyd @ Cincinnati
17. Wes Welker @ San Diego
18. Steve Johnson @ Oakland
19. Santonio Holmes @ Jacksonville
20. Reggie Wayne @ Cleveland
21. Dwayne Bowe @ Detroit
22. Steve Smith @ Green Bay
23. Robert Meachem @ Chicago
24. Jeremy Maclin @ Atlanta
25. Hines Ward @ Seattle
26. Johnny Knox @ New Orleans
27. Percy Harvin @ Tampa Bay
28. Malcolm Floyd @ New England
29. Brandon Gibson @ Giants
30. Nate Burleson @ Kansas City
31. Devery Henderson @ Chicago
32. Mike Thomas @ Jets
33. Deion Branch @ San Diego
34. Julio Jones @ Philadelphia
35. Jordy Nelson @ Carolina
36. A.J. Green @ Denver
37. Plaxico Burress @ Jacksonville
38. Jacoby Jones @ Miami
39. Davone Bess @ Houston
40. Lee Evans @ Tennessee
Let me start by saying that my decision to put Manningham in the top ten was based on the belief that Hakeem Nicks won’t play this week. If Nicks is good to go, I’d have him in the 15-20 range and Manningham would slide back to the 20-25 range. Nicks’ injury places his owners in a precarious position this week because his game is on Monday night. If you own Nicks and have another top 25 receiver you would otherwise be leaving on the bench, play them over Nicks so that you don’t get burned in the event Nicks doesn’t play. In the event you don’t have a legitimate replacement for Nicks, add someone like Brandon Gibson (or even Domenik Hixon if Gibson isn’t available) as a backup plan on Monday night.
There are a few other receivers I’m quite high on this week. One is Santana Moss. If I love Rex Grossman, I’ve got to love someone Rex Grossman will be passing too. Voila! Santana Moss. I also like a couple of older guys in Hines Ward and Lee Evans. According to Mike Clay of ProFootballFocus.com, Ward was in on every pass play Pittsburgh ran last week and Evans ran a pass route on as many plays as Boldin did. That level of opportunity makes Ward a borderline flex play in ten team leagues and Evans a nice sleeper option in deeper leagues for the week.
On the flip side, it may not be the best week for Roddy White. You obviously have to start him, but (
insert obligatory Philly secondary statement here). However, Wes Welker isn’t an automatic start. He should be a safe play, but he’s not going to repeat last week’s heroics. If you drafted three RB’s and two receivers ahead of Welker to fill out your starting lineup, don’t get carried away and assume there is no circumstance where you might have to sit Welker this week. Likewise, Steve Smith owners should act in a similar fashion. Finally, I’ve left Dez Bryant off the list because I don’t think he plays.(July 31, 2011 – Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images North America)
Written by Brett Talley exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Brett is a law student in Dallas who has spent roughly 40 more hours thinking about fantasy sports than being a law student this week. You can follow him and/or ask him for fantasy advice on Twitter @therealTAL.
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