Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 40 Wide Receivers for Week 2 (Non-PPR)

Here are my top 40 wide receivers for Week 2 (standard-scoring leagues).

To clarify, this countdown doesn't lean on a particular stat; it's merely an educated best guess of which rushers will tally the best combination of total yards (receiving/rushing) and touchdowns for the NFL's second weekend.

(Note: These estimates shall remain fluid through Sunday morning.)

When it comes to crafting a weekly listing of elite wide receivers, simply follow the trail of quarterbacks primed for Week 2 glory...or the wideouts with a good track record of success against middling pass defenses. 

Top 40 Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson @ San Francisco
2. Reggie Wayne vs. Minnesota
3. Larry Fitzgerald @ New England
4. Brandon Marshall @ Green Bay
5. Victor Cruz vs. Tampa Bay
6. Andre Johnson @ Jacksonville
7. A.J. Green vs. Cleveland
8. Jordy Nelson vs. Chicago
9. Julio Jones vs. Denver
10. Malcom Floyd vs. Tennessee
11. Miles Austin @ Seattle
12. Jeremy Maclin vs. Baltimore
13. Steve Smith vs. New Orleans
14. Marques Colston @ Carolina
15. Demaryius Thomas @ Atlanta
16. Roddy White vs. Denver
17. Wes Welker vs. Arizona
18. Antonio Brown vs. N.Y. Jets
19. Brandon Lloyd vs. Arizona
20. Vincent Jackson @ N.Y. Giants
21. Hakeem Nicks vs. Tampa Bay
22. Dwayne Bowe @ Buffalo
23. James Jones vs. Chicago
24. Percy Harvin @ Indianapolis
25. Nate Washington @ San Diego
26. Steve Johnson vs. Kansas City
27. Pierre Garcon @ St. Louis
28. Eric Decker @ Atlanta
29. Santonio Holmes @ Pittsburgh
30. Torrey Smith @ Philadelphia
31. Mike Wallace vs. N.Y. Jets
32. Dez Bryant @ Seattle
33. Justin Blackmon vs. Houston
34. DeSean Jackson vs. Baltimore
35. Sidney Rice vs. Dallas
36. Darrius Heyward-Bey @ Miami
37. Michael Crabtree vs. Detroit
38. Lance Moore @ Carolina
39. Mike Williams @ N.Y. Giants
40. Brandon LaFell vs. New Orleans 
 

Quick Hitters

1. Calvin Johnson may not have the juiciest of matchups this week (at the 49ers), but he shall remain the best weekly bet until his streak of 100-yard games (currently at five) gets snapped...or some scientist clones Randy Moss, circa 1998, for NFL usage.

2. Speaking of streaks, Reggie Wayne has posted double-digit targets in his last three games (dating back to last year), including an NFL-high 18 against Chicago in Week 1 (a feat shared with Raiders tailback Darren McFadden).

3. I love Larry Fitzgerald's matchup for the week (against the Patriots) and that Kevin Kolb is back—albeit temporarily—as the Cardinals' starting quarterback.

4. I wish I had time to gather the negative tweets from Monday, bemoaning the lackluster stats of Wes Welker (three catches, 14 yards) and Jordy Nelson (five catches, 64 yards). Apparently, no high-end receiver is allowed to have a bad game in the season opener. Otherwise, be prepared to catch hell from short-sighted, short-fused, harebrained fantasy owners.

5. How's this for wasteful spending? I landed Cowboys receiver Kevin Ogletree (eight catches, 114 yards, two touchdowns in Week 1) on blind-bidding waivers three times this week, prioritizing him over every other free agent in the marketplace. And yet, I still don't have the hubris to include KO on some random top 40 list.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.