Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Updated Overview for All Positions

Week 1 of the NFL season helped confirm some of our thoughts about how fantasy football would shape up in 2016—wide receiver Antonio Brown is still a fantasy star; tight end Jordan Reed is worth targeting early—but turned some of our other projections on their heads. 

For instance, if you made Adrian Peterson the first running back off the board in your fantasy draft, he didn't reward you in Week 1, racking up just 31 yards on 19 carries and doing nothing in the receiving game. 

And if you thought Larry Fitzgerald was over, think again; the veteran wideout went off with eight receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns, marking the 100th touchdown of his career. 

Fantasy is never a sure bet from week to week, and that's what makes it so addicting. You are always in search of the perfect roster. 

Here are some ideas on who to start in Week 2. These rankings are based on 12-team leagues with standard scoring. 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team
1	Cam Newton	CAR
2	Eli Manning	NYG
3	Drew Brees	NO
4	Kirk Cousins	WSH
5	Russell Wilson	SEA
6	Aaron Rodgers	GB
7	Carson Palmer	ARI
8	Matthew Stafford	DET
9	Philip Rivers	SD
10	Jimmy Garoppolo	NE
11	Blake Bortles	JAX
12	Andy Dalton	CIN

Sure, the New Orleans Saints lost their first game of the season in heartbreaking fashion, coming up just short in the 35-34 loss to the Oakland Raiders, but it was through no fault of Drew Brees'.

The veteran signal-caller rewarded the Saints for extending his contract, going 28-of-42 for 423 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday. 

Had it not been for a lost fumble, Brees' day would have been just about perfect; even so, he still posted a 131.3 quarterback rating. 

As Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune pointed out, Brees now has the most 300-yard passing games in NFL history: 

The New Orleans offense may frustrate fantasy owners at the skill positions; after all, Brees connected with seven different pass-catchers against Oakland. Owners never know if Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead or Michael Thomas is going to have the biggest day. 

But if you're a Brees owner, you're sitting back and enjoying the ride. 

The Saints travel to New York to take on the Giants in Week 2, and while Brees may not do as well away from home, he's still a must-start option this week. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team
1	David Johnson	ARI
2	Jeremy Langford	CHI
3	Adrian Peterson	MIN
4	LeSean McCoy	BUF
5	DeAngelo Williams	PIT
6	Matt Forte	NYJ
7	C.J. Anderson	DEN
8	DeMarco Murray	TEN
9	Mark Ingram	NO
10	Lamar Miller	HOU
11	Devonta Freeman	ATL
12	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL
13	Jonathan Stewart	CAR
14	Rashad Jennings	NYG
15	LeGarrette Blount	NE
16	Todd Gurley	LA
17	Latavius Murray	OAK
18	Spencer Ware	KC
19	Doug Martin	TB
20	Ryan Mathews	PHI
21	Melvin Gordon	SD
22	Danny Woodhead	SD
23	Ameer Abdullah	DET
24	Theo Riddick	DET
25	Carlos Hyde	SF
26	Arian Foster	MIA
27	Justin Forsett	BAL
28	Eddie Lacy	GB
29	Matt Jones	WSH
30	Jeremy Hill	CIN

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

David Johnson is already rewarding fantasy owners who made him their No. 1 running back this year with high returns on their investment. 

Against the New England Patriots on Sunday night, Johnson rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. He also caught four passes for another 43 yards, so even though these rankings are based on standard scoring, Johnson is a no-brainer in points-per-reception leagues. 

Though he was the No. 4 running back taken on average in this year's fantasy drafts, per ESPN, Johnson significantly outperformed the three backs owners took ahead of him—Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson and Ezekiel Elliott—in Week 1. 

In fact, Peterson owners are not happy after Week 1 saw AP amass fewer than 50 yards with no scores.

The Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. Though the Bucs only allowed 52 rushing yards to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, Arizona's balanced offensive attack should keep Tampa Bay's defense honest and allow Johnson to do well.  

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG
2	Antonio Brown	PIT
3	Julio Jones	ATL
4	Allen Robinson	JAX
5	A.J. Green	CIN
6	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU
7	Jordy Nelson	GB
8	Dez Bryant	DAL
9	Brandon Marshall	NYJ
10	Amari Cooper	OAK
11	Alshon Jeffery	CHI
12	Mike Evans	TB
13	Jarvis Landry	MIA
14	Eric Decker	NYJ
15	Michael Floyd	ARI
16	Sammy Watkins	BUF
17	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI
18	Demaryius Thomas	DEN
19	Brandin Cooks	NO
20	Randall Cobb	GB
21	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR
22	John Brown	ARI
23	Marvin Jones	DET
24	Travis Benjamin	SD
25	Golden Tate	DET
26	T.Y. Hilton	IND
27	DeSean Jackson	WSH
28	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN
29	Michael Crabtree	OAK
30	Jeremy Maclin	KC

Is there anyone doing it better than Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown?

Brown went off against Washington on Monday night, catching eight passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Inexplicably, Washington did not match its top cornerback, Josh Norman, against Brown for the entire night, and Brown was able to beat his coverage easily. 

Expect more of the same from Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target in Week 2 as the Steelers look to take on the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. 

Mark Tenally/Associated Press/Associated Press

Now, division games can get crazy, so this isn't the time to make any sweeping statements. The Bengals have a good secondary, and they could very well walk away with a win in Week 2. 

However, that doesn't mean Brown can't do his thing. Cincinnati did give up only 189 receiving yards to the New York Jets in Week 1, but, with no disrespect meant to Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, they're no Antonio Brown, and Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is no Ben Roethlisberger. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE
2	Jordan Reed	WSH
3	Greg Olsen	CAR
4	Antonio Gates	SD
5	Gary Barnidge	CLE
6	Delanie Walker	TEN
7	Julius Thomas	JAX
8	Travis Kelce	KC
9	Coby Fleener	NO
10	Eric Ebron	DET
11	Jason Witten	DAL
12	Zach Ertz	PHI

New England tight end Rob Gronkowski's status for Week 2 is still up in the air, so this week we'll preview the next best thing: Washington tight end Jordan Reed. 

Now, Washington showcased a lot of problems on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was only able to put up 16 points.

But despite their failures in prime time, Reed still enjoyed some good production with seven receptions for 64 yards.

It looked as though Reed was in store for a big night when he caught three passes for 39 yards on Washington's opening drive, but Pittsburgh's defense caught on and made sure he never reached the end zone or broke 100 yards. 

"

Spoiler alert: Jordan Reed is legit. The TE had 3 catches for 39 yards on the Redskins' first drive. Follow here: https://t.co/6ZFrnVoJPR

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) September 12, 2016"

Reed should have a better showing against Dallas, which allowed 207 receiving yards and two touchdowns to the Giants in Week 1. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit
1	CAR
2	SEA
3	BAL
4	NYJ
5	ARI
6	NE
7	SD
8	DEN
9	IND
10	CHI
11	GB
12	DET

If you have the Seattle Seahawks defense heading into Week 2...you're a lucky dog.

Sure, the Seahawks have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard when they've met up with the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in the past.

But after L.A.'s showing on Monday night, it's hard to see how this squad won't get destroyed by Seattle's defense.

Just look at how the Rams' offensive drives went on Monday, per CBS Sports' Will Brinson:

The Seahawks are the definition of "must-start" this week. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Graham Gano	CAR
2	Stephen Gostkowski	NE
3	Blair Walsh	MIN
4	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI
5	Matt Prater	DET
6	Justin Tucker	BAL
7	Steven Hauschka	SEA
8	Brandon McManus	DEN
9	Dustin Hopkins	WSH
10	Chris Boswell	PIT
11	Josh Lambo	SD
12	Jason Myers	JAX

Stephen Gostkowski is always a solid option to start from week to week, but he has the added bonus of having proved that the Patriots are still putting points on the board via field goal in their new Jimmy Garoppolo-led offense.

Gostkowski made all three of his field-goal attempts on Sunday night, including one from 53 yards. Consistency and long-distance success are the magic formula for kickers, so if you happen to have Gostkowski, you're good to go.   

All scoring info and rankings courtesy of ESPN standard leagues and current as of Tuesday.