Fantasy Football Week 2: Flex and PPR Rankings

The first week of the 2016 NFL season is now complete. For fantasy football enthusiasts, this means a couple of things. It means we've gotten our first real glimpse of what we might expect from players this season, and it means Week 2 is only a couple of days away.

The time to put in your waiver claims and begin preparing for the next round of fantasy competition is now. We're here to help with our fantasy flex and points-per-reception rankings

We'll be looking at the top 50 position players for fantasy heading into Week 2. We'll be basing our decisions on players' Week 1 performances, upcoming opponents and roster situations. Injuries will also be factored in, where applicable. We won't be ranking quarterbacks, though quarterback situations will obviously play a role in our decisions.

We will provide separate lists for standard and PPR formats, and we'll also examine some of the top fantasy storylines coming out of Week 1 and moving forward.

Week 2 Flex/PPR Rankings

Rank	Standard Flex	PPR Flex
1	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
3	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
4	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
5	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
6	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
7	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
8	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	David Johnson, RB, ARI
9	David Johnson, RB, ARI	Theo Riddick, RB, DET
10	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	Mohamed Sanu, WR, ATL
11	Mohamed Sanu, WR, ATL	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
12	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Mike Wallace, WR, BAL
13	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN	Spencer Ware, RB, KC
14	Mike Wallace, WR, BAL	Willie Snead, WR, NO
15	Theo Riddick, RB, DET	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
16	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX
17	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
18	Willie Snead, WR, NO	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR
19	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
20	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR	Julius Thomas, TE, JAX
21	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
22	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
22	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
23	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
24	Julius Thomas, TE, JAX	Mike Evans, WR, TB
26	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
27	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI	Chris Hogan, WR, NE
28	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
29	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
30	Todd Gurley, RB, LA	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
31	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU
32	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
33	Chris Hogan, WR, NE	Michaell Crabtree, WR, OAK
34	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	Doug Martin, RB, TB
35	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
36	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
37	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
38	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Martellus Bennett, TE, NE
39	Travis Kelce, TE, KC	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
40	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	Dwayne Allen, TE, IND
41	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ
42	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL	Charles Sims, RB, TB
43	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
44	Dwayne Allen, TE, IND	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL
45	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS
46	Arian Foster, RB, MIA	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
47	Mertellus Bennett, TE, NE	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
48	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
49	Will Fuller, WR, HOU	Travis Benjamin, WR, SD
50	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE

We'll go ahead and address the elephant in our list first. You'll probably notice New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski doesn't hold a spot in our rankings.

The perennial fantasy star was held out of New England's opener against the Arizona Cardinals with the same hamstring issue that bothered him throughout the preseason.

We're not yet sure if Gronkowski will be able to go this week against the Miami Dolphins. We're not sure the Patriots would rush him onto the field or give him a significant workload if he is healthy. New England is a lot more concerned about having Gronkowski healthy at the end of the season and in the playoffs.

If he is healthy, though, he's worth a start.

You'll probably also notice Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams sits at the top of our standard rankings. This might seem like an odd place for him since Williams was supposed to just be the guy who holds down the fort while Le'Veon Bell is on suspension. However, it's hard not to love the role he has in Pittsburgh's offense.

Williams rumbled for 143 yards rushing and two scores against the Washington Redskins on Monday night, and he added six receptions for 28 yards.

"You can't say enough about DeAngelo Williams and his performance," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after Monday's game, per the Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. ''But we've come to expect that from him. That's why we're completely confident in his ability to deliver during the time that Bell is out. We'll continue to ride with him.''

This is why he also holds a ton of PPR value. Williams will face a tougher defensive matchup this week, but it's worth noting the Cincinnati Bengals run defense was rated just 26th by Pro Football Focus in Week 1.

If you glance over at our PPR list, you'll find Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. We're putting him above PPR stars like Williams and Antonio Brown based primarily on his matchup—though Jones is capable of producing against anyone.

The Falcons draw the Oakland Raiders, and as we saw last week, that Raiders pass defense is still a work in progress.

The New Orleans Saints pretty much had their way against the Raiders pass defense in Week 1. Receivers Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead combined for a whopping 315 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Jones, along with running mate Mohamed Sanu, could run roughshod over the Oakland defense this week.

Pro Football Focus rated the Raiders last in pass coverage for Week 1 and rated the Saints 31st. This means New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. might get his chance for a monster game this week against New Orleans.

Since we're talking about favorable matchups, let's look at the Baltimore Ravens' matchup against the woeful Cleveland Browns. Last week, the Browns defense made rookie Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz look like a future Hall of Famer.

That bodes quite well for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and his offensive weapons. Speedy receiver Mike Wallace could post a huge game. Running back Justin Forsett should also be a solid start even if he splits carries in the backfield.

The Browns lost their quarterback in Week 1. According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, the Browns placed Robert Griffin III on injured reserve with a broken bone in his non-throwing shoulder:

The good news for fantasy players, though, is that with Josh McCown under center, Gary Barnidge might have some PPR value again.

Finally, let's address the fact Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has fallen drastically in both standard and PPR rankings. For many folks, he was the safest overall choice in fantasy drafts coming into the season.

Gurley might be a supreme talent, but the Rams offense around him isn't good. L.A. got manhandled by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, losing 28-0. Gurley produced just 42 combined rushing and receiving yards on the night.

This week, he gets to face the Seattle Seahawks, which means his job of carrying the offense isn't going to get any easier.