Week 2 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

After an eventful opening week in the NFL, everyone's fantasy team is certainly in excellent shape and ready for a perfect season that will be capped off with a championship. 

Wait, that isn't what happened? Your fantasy team is a bigger mess than the Los Angeles Rams offense?

Calm down, because nothing is ever as bad as it seems after the first week. The Rams will eventually score a touchdown, and your fantasy team can pull itself up if you are diligent and making the right roster decisions before Week 2. 

To help you out, here are the top 10 players at each position and the underrated stars you need to start or sit. 

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	24
2	Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions	Tennessee Titans	20
3	Eli Manning, New York Giants	New Orleans Saints	19
4	Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints	New York Giants	18
5	Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	18
6	Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	17
7	Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	16
8	Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks	Los Angeles Rams	15
9	Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers	Jacksonville Jaguars	13
10	Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Arizona Cardinals	13

Start 'Em: Jimmy Garoppolo, New England Patriots

I give up trying to make sense of the New England Patriots. They had no business going into Arizona and winning without Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski, but Garoppolo was terrific at managing the game and finding the open man through his progressions. 

At the risk of oversimplifying, Garoppolo's success is a clean pocket, as noted by Pro Football Focus' Wes Huber following Week 1's win: "...with a clean pocket, he connected on 20-of-26 attempts for 216 yards, one touchdown and a 113.6 NFL QB rating."

Keep in mind Garoppolo threw for 264 yards and one touchdown against a Cardinals defense that loves to blitz, so the fact that he had so much time to throw so often bodes well for him over the next three games. 

Another thing that bodes well is having Gronkowski back at practice this week with a matchup against a Miami defense that struggles to get a consistent pass rush and lacks depth in the secondary. 

Sit 'Em: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

It's not a surprise that Wentz is the third-most added quarterback this week in Yahoo fantasy leagues. He had a stellar debut with 278 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns. 

The key part of that sentence is "against the Cleveland Browns." Wentz was essentially given an additional preseason game because the roster he went up against is dreadful, with Madden 17 rating the Browns as the NFL's worst team. 

Wentz is going up against the Chicago Bears this week. This certainly isn't the 1985 Bears defense, but taking on a rookie quarterback making his first road start will give a clearer sense of where Wentz's game is at than anything that happened last week. 

Running Back 

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	15
2	David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14
3	Lamar Miller, Houston Texans	Kansas City Chiefs	14
4	LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	14
5	Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys	Washington	13
6	Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions	Tennessee Titans	12
7	Rashad Jennings, New York Giants	New Orleans Saints	12
8	DeAngelo Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	11
9	Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	11
10	Ryan Mathews, Philadelphia Eagles	Chicago Bears	11

Start 'Em: DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans

Murray's debut with the Tennessee Titans turned into a fantasy success thanks to two receiving touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. He only had 77 total yards (42 rushing, 35 receiving), but that was going up against one of the NFL's best defenses. 

This week, Murray goes up against a Detroit Lions defense that gave up 82 yards on just 19 carries against the Indianapolis Colts last week. The Colts are so pass-heavy because of Andrew Luck's presence and an awful defense. 

The Titans do have two running backs to utilize with 2015 Heisman winner Derrick Henry also in the fold. Per ESPN.com, Murray was Tennessee's first option with 50 total snaps played, compared to 21 for Henry. 

Murray is Tennessee's best playmaker outside of quarterback Marcus Mariota, so expect him to see the ball more than the 18 times he got it last week. 

Sit 'Em: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers

When last season ended, Eddie Lacy's fantasy value was at an all-time low. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy even pointed out his running back's weight in the middle of last season. 

Michael Tagliere of Pro Football Focus was one of the few people advocating for Lacy as an underrated fantasy performer heading into 2016:

"

If you remove the games in which he carried the ball fewer than five times, he actually averaged 15.6 touches per game. If you extrapolate his 0.61 FPPT over that many touches, he would have finished with 9.52 fantasy points per game, rather than the 7.87 he did.

The Packers struggled as a team in 2015 and actually averaged almost two carries per game less than they did in 2014. This would most certainly negatively impact Lacy.

"

Last week against Jacksonville, Lacy had 78 total yards (61 rushing) on 15 touches. He did have a long run of 28 yards, which is good because it indicates he can find a hole when it's there and bad because he had a total of 50 yards the 14 other times he got the ball. 

It's time to stop looking for excuses with Lacy. He may return to being an 1,100-yard running back by the end of this season, but until we see evidence of that player on the field again, stop wasting your roster spot on hope. 

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	16
2	Odell Beckham, New York Giants	New Orleans Saints	15
3	A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	14
4	Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars	San Diego Chargers	14
5	Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears	Philadelphia Eagles	13
6	Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders	Atlanta Falcons	12
7	DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans	Kansas City Chiefs	12
8	Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys	Washington	11
9	Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	10
10	Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Arizona Cardinals	9

Start 'Em: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers

Not having Benjamin in the top 10 is probably a mistake, though there are only so many Carolina Panthers players you can put at or near the top of the fantasy lists for their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Despite Benjamin's name not appearing on the list above, expect him to have another strong fantasy output. His return to the field after missing all of 2015 with a torn ACL was a success with six catches on 12 targets, 91 yards and one touchdown. 

Just as encouraging as those stats are, NFL Network tweeted out all of Benjamin's catches and the beating his body took while making them:

That performance came against a Denver Broncos defense that is arguably the NFL's best. The 49ers did post a shutout against the Rams in Week 1, but Case Keenum is not Cam Newton. I know your mind is blown by this shocking revelation. 

There are no shortage of Panthers skill players to choose from this week, but make sure Benjamin finds his way into your starting lineup. 

Sit 'Em: Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals

Floyd is in a dangerous spot for fantasy owners right now. He still has tremendous big-play potential, as evidenced by his 61 yards on three catches last week against the Patriots. 

However, with David Johnson looking like a star at running back and Larry Fitzgerald still being Carson Palmer's favorite target, Floyd is not going to have as many chances to reach 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. 

Floyd didn't catch fire until Week 8 last season while recovering from a broken hand suffered during training camp. He had just 16 catches in the first seven games before closing with 36 catches and five 100-yard games in the second half when Fitzgerald seemed to hit a wall. 

With Fitzgerald still in top shape and producing, don't expect Floyd's 2016 breakout to happen in Week 2 against Tampa Bay. 

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	10
2	Jordan Reed, Washington	Dallas Cowboys	9
3	Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	8
4	Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans	Detroit Lions	7
5	Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints	New York Giants	7
6	Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions	Tennessee Titans	6
7	Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys	Washington	6
8	Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	5
9	Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers	Jacksonville Jaguars	4
10	Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	4

Start 'Em: C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have ruled out Tyler Eifert for this week as he continues to rehab from offseason ankle surgery. 

C.J. Uzomah will get the majority of Cincinnati's snaps at tight end in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His 2016 debut was nothing special with 59 yards on two catches, though Andy Dalton did target him more than anyone except A.J. Green. 

The Steelers defense was able to hold Washington's offense to just 16 points last week, though they did give up 329 passing yards. Kirk Cousins targeted tight end Jordan Reed 11 times, leading to seven catches for 64 yards. 

Not yet a household name, Uzomah is 6'6" and 265 pounds. He has the size and power to be a red-zone threat for Dalton as he gets more comfortable in an expanded role. 

Sit 'Em: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns

The best thing that could have happened to Barnidge is getting Josh McCown back as the team's starting quarterback. 

Per ESPN.com, Barnidge was one of the few bright spots for Cleveland last year with McCown under center: "Barnidge thrived with Josh McCown at quarterback last season, averaging 14.5 yards per reception while being targeted on 24.4 percent of his routes—a substantial rate for a tight end."

Dave Richard of CBS Sports put together more numbers to highlight the bond between Barnidge and McCown:

However, the Baltimore Ravens showed some improvement on defense last week against Buffalo, allowing just 160 yards and seven points. 

Regardless of what Barnidge and McCown did so well last year, the Browns are such a mess right now that expecting anything out of anyone on that roster will lead to fantasy disappointment. 

Kicker, Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	8
2	Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	8
3	Josh Brown, New York Giants	New Orleans Saints	8
4	Matt Prater, Detroit Lions	Tennessee Titans	7
5	Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	7
6	Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	7
7	Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks	Los Angeles Rams	6
8	Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	6
9	Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6
10	Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	5
1	Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	11
2	Seattle Seahawks	Los Angeles Rams	11
3	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	10
4	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	9
5	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	9
6	Arizona Cardinals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8
7	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	7
8	Detroit Lions	Tennessee Titans	7
9	Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	6
10	Houston Texans	Kansas City Chiefs	5

If you're desperate for information on a kicker or defense/special teams, shut your computer down and go outside for five minutes because there's a big world out there waiting for you to be a small part of it.  

If that's not enough, the Panthers are facing the 49ers at home and coming off an agonizing loss against the Broncos. That defense is going to have a field day against Blaine Gabbert. 

Kickers are virtually interchangeable, so there is no way to go wrong.