Week 2 Fantasy Football Projections: 5 Running Backs That Will Bounce Back

Conventional wisdom suggests that your first pick in a fantasy football draft should always be a running back. They're the ones who produce the big points, and they produce them consistently.

Except for when they don't. Unfortunately for myriad fantasy owners the world over, a number of top running backs fell flat in Week 1 of the NFL season. No doubt a good portion of their owners suffered a loss as a result.

Hey, it happens. Thankfully, it doesn't happen often. Some running backs are just too good to stay down for long, and some who fell flat in Week 1 should bounce right back in Week 2.

For example, I think you can expect the five guys listed below to start producing again.

5. LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa’s LeGarrette Blount didn't exactly do nothing on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, but he came pretty close. He rushed for just 15 yards on five carries.

You can blame Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense for that, but you can also blame Raheem Morris. He panicked and abandoned the running game, and the effect that had on Blount's production speaks for itself.

But don't worry. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Blount's production will pick up. It has to, right?

Prediction: 90 yards rushing.

4. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers must have noticed that Marshawn Lynch is the only legit weapon the Seattle Seahawks have on offense, because they just didn't let him do anything. Lynch got just 13 carries, with which he gained 33 yards.

Lynch and the Seahawks now have to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ordinarily, this would be death sentence for Lynch, but the Steelers are coming off a game in which they allowed 170 yards rushing. The last time they allowed that many rushing yards was something like 1,000 years ago.

It could be a coincidence, but I would start Lynch anyway. After a 1,000-year layoff, maybe he can make it two-for-two.

Prediction: 95 yards rushing, 10 receiving yards.

3. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers

Speaking of the Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall got only 12 carries for 45 yards against the Baltimore Ravens, and he also lost a fumble. In fantasy terms, it was a dismal performance.

But don't expect the Steelers to give up on Mendenhall. They're at their best when they're running the football, and they will no doubt look to get back to that against the Seahawks.

Also, the Seahawks don't have the kind of offense that is going to put the Steelers in a hole they have to pass their way out of.

Prediction: 130 rushing yards.

2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Next time I'm strolling through the Tennessee Titans' front office, I'll be sure to ask the first person I see why the hell the Titans would pay Chris Johnson so much money and then only give him nine carries.

My hope is that they know they need to get more bang for their buck. Lucky for them, nobody provides bang quite like CJ2K.

He doesn't have a favorable matchup this weekend, mind you. The Baltimore Ravens can be tough on running backs. Just ask Mr. Mendenhall.

He'll probably tell you to trust in CJ2K. He'll probably also scold you if you happened to celebrate his lousy performance against Baltimore.

Prediction: 125 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, one touchdown.

1. Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns

The good news is that Peyton Hills didn't fumble the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals. The bad news is that he didn't do much else with it either.

In all, the Madden 12 cover boy got 17 carries for 57 yards and caught six passes for 30 yards. No bad, but not what we're used to.

Things will go back to normal on Sunday. The Browns get to face the Indianapolis Colts, and stopping the run just isn't, and in fact has never been, their specialty. Ben Tate can vouch.

Prediction: 110 yards rushing, 25 receiving yards, two touchdowns.