Fantasy Football Week 2: Insider Notebook and Preview

The best-laid plans don't necessarily work out in fantasy football, which amounts to a battle of attrition for owners. Gone now is Ray Rice, ostensibly for the season if not his career after the Ravens and the NFL announced his release and indefinite suspension respectively on Monday. We have to adjust and press on.

When one door closes, others potentially open, though.

The Baltimore Ravens, who benched Bernard Pierce for a fumble Sunday, will turn to Justin Forsett as their starting running back, according to ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley. Forsett, owned in just 7 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, will be a popular pickup off the waiver wire Tuesday.

"[Head coach John Harbaugh] said, 'Being a running back in this league, if you're trying to stay in this league, you can't fumble the ball,'" Pierce told Hensley. "And I agree with him 100 percent."

We fully expect Pierce to be a factor again this season with Rice gone, though. Available in 23 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, he should be added to running back-needy rosters, too. Even rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro (2 percent owned) should get a look now. Taliaferro might be the most intriguing option long term since Forsett is a journeyman and Pierce has blown multiple opportunities to take the reins in the past.

The matchup Thursday night looks favorable for any of the three. The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed the seventh-most points to fantasy running backs in Week 1, per FFToday.com. They gave up 100 yards rushing to rookie Terrance West, and undrafted free-agent rookie Isaiah Crowell scored two touchdowns. They were mere backups to Ben Tate.

Josh Gordon Back in Play

Fantasy lost one potential star in Rice, but it might be getting another back in Josh Gordon, perhaps.

There is growing optimism that the suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver will be reinstated by the league this week, according to The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot. Gordon is available in 41 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, but he will be active in 100 percent once (if) his suspension is lifted.

We likely won't hear about Gordon's status until later in the week, but you have to use your waiver-wire priority on Gordon above everyone else because of his incredibly high ceiling. Gordon was the No. 1-scoring wideout in fantasy football last season (FFToday.com) despite being suspended for the first two games. That was with Brian Hoyer and a mess at quarterback.

We have been skeptical of owning Gordon in any leagues this season. CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported Sunday morning it was still "very unlikely" suspended players like Gordon and Wes Welker (four games) would get amnesty from their already-imposed suspensions. But the hope is growing to the point you have to own Gordon...at least until news comes out about the league's new substance-abuse policy agreement.

Thursday Night Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Pittsburgh Steelers

Start: Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Steelers D/ST

Sit: LeGarrette Blount, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Heath Miller

The Ravens didn't have a great Week 1 performance against the Bengals, but they should play better against their bitter rival. You can start all of your primary Steelers options, but you might want to leave their fringe guys as bye-week replacements, because this one has the potential to be a low-scoring, defensive game.

Baltimore Ravens

Start: Justin Forsett, Bernard Pierce, Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Dennis Pitta, Justin Tucker, Ravens D/ST

Sit: Joe Flacco, Jacoby Jones, Owen Daniels

The Ravens are going to be more of a Flacco team now, but you cannot necessarily start him outside of two-quarterback formats. Steve Smith had an outstanding Ravens debut, so add him to Torrey Smith and others among the viable Ravens options.

Waiver-Wire Options

Here are the best of the options to add this week, using CBSSports.com ownership as a guide.

QB Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (27 percent owned)

Not only was Locker solid in Week 1, but he draws the woeful Dallas Cowboys defense at home in a game that could get loose. Locker has emerging weapons, and this might be a breakthrough year for him. He should be starting in all two-quarterback formats and might even an option if you are looking for a productive option in standard leagues this week because of the favorable matchup.

RB Chris Ivory, New York Jets (56 percent owned)

Ivory and Chris Johnson split reps, per ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, but Ivory was the more productive option. Both backs are viable plays against the Green Bay Packers run defense this week. The Packers allowed the second-most points to fantasy backs in Week 1, per FFToday.com.

RB Forsett, Pierce and Taliaferro, Baltimore Ravens

See above. All three are speculative adds for a Ravens team that will have to find a feature back out of one of these guys. The Ravens will go with the hot hand, but we have a gut feeling Taliaferro will be the man before this year is out, if only because we haven't been disenchanted with him before like the two others.

RB West and Crowell, Cleveland Browns

The status of Ben Tate (knee) is up in the air until the official NFL injury report comes out, so you have to add this pair of Browns rookie backs. West is available in 30 percent of leagues while Crowell is owned in just 2 percent. The Browns running back situation is just as dicey as the Ravens', but they similarly figure to develop someone as their feature back in a run-heavy offense.

WR Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars

As we wrote in Bleacher Report's Instant Sunday Recap, the undrafted rookie receiver owned in just 5 percent of leagues was one of the revelations in Week 1. He will slip behind Cecil Shorts (hamstring) in the pecking order once the veteran is healthy, but he should be owned and active over fellow rookie Marqise Lee. He should be starting over all but 25 of fantasy's best receivers if Shorts is ruled out for Sunday at the Washington Redskins.

WR Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings

The adoration for sophomore receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is understandable for his playmaking ability, but it was the veteran Jennings who was the Vikings' best receiver Sunday. Available in over 50 percent of leagues, Jennings is a nice reserve option for fantasy owners.

WR Devin Hester, Atlanta Falcons

It isn't so much we like Hester's ability to be born again as a fantasy sleeper as much as Matt Ryan is going to find his way to a 5,000-yard season. Ryan needs more than just Julio Jones, Roddy White and Harry Douglas in the passing game. Hester could sneak up for some bye-week value in one of the burgeoning offensive juggernauts.

TE Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts

We should probably let go of the love affair with Coby Fleener as a fantasy sleeper, particularly with Allen back from his hip issue. Allen is the starter in one of the more intriguing offenses in football and should be considered a top-15 fantasy tight end despite being available in over 50 percent of leagues.

TE Larry Donnell, New York Giants

He is a big target at 6'6" and gives Eli Manning one of his few red-zone threats. Donnell showed some athleticism Monday night and might prove to be a consistent target in an offense that needs to adjust to new coordinator Ben McAdoo's scheme. The Arizona Cardinals are suspect against tight ends, so Donnell is in for more fantasy starter-worthy numbers despite being available in almost 100 percent of leagues.

D/ST Houston Texans

They lost Jadeveon Clowney (knee) for an extended period, but they draw the woeful Oakland Raiders in Week 2. It makes them intriguing in the 36 percent of leagues they are available.

D/ST Miami Dolphins

Few could have imagined the Dolphins holding up that well against the New England Patriots, but everyone should like them against the Buffalo Bills. They are going to be a popular streaming option in the 79 percent of leagues they are available.

D/ST Detroit Lions

That was an impressive performance Monday night against the New York Giants, something we missed the boat on. The Lions have a tough front, so consider them a viable streaming option against the Carolina Panthers.

Consensus Waiver Favorites

The following chart is published every week by FantasyPros.com, ranking the best of the waiver-wire options for Week 2. It is tough to know who might be available in your respective leagues, but this casts a wide swath of analyst favorites.

RK	Player	POS	TM	Consensus Rank	Best Rank	Worst Rank
1	Terrance West	RB	CLE	1.3	1	3
2	Chris Ivory	RB	NYJ	3	2	5
3	Markus Wheaton	WR	PIT	4	2	7
4	Justin Forsett	RB	BAL	5	1	11
5	Travis Kelce	TE	KC	6.7	5	10
6	Ahmad Bradshaw	RB	IND	6.7	2	15
7	James Starks	RB	GB	7	4	11
8	Andrew Hawkins	WR	CLE	8.3	4	12
9	Brian Quick	WR	STL	9.5	8	11
10	Robert Woods	WR	BUF	10.8	8	16
11	Isaiah Crowell	RB	CLE	11	9	13
12	Bobby Rainey	RB	TB	11	2	14
13	Allen Hurns	WR	JAC	12.7	7	16
14	Benny Cunningham	RB	STL	13.7	7	20
15	Rod Streater	WR	OAK	15	13	19
16	Jonathan Dwyer	RB	ARI	15.2	11	20
17	Malcom Floyd	WR	SD	16.7	4	21
18	Harry Douglas	WR	ATL	17.5	15	19
19	Delanie Walker	TE	TEN	17.7	16	20
20	Jacquizz Rodgers	RB	ATL	18.7	18	20

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Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.