Week 2 Fantasy Football Projections: Players Bound to Rebound After Tough Start

Players like Kevin Ogletree, C.J. Spiller and Alfred Morris all had coming out parties on Sunday, at least in terms of fantasy football productivity.

Meanwhile, a whole lot of stars struggled in Week 1.

From a trio of productive performers in New York to another disappointing game from 2011's biggest first-round bust, there are plenty of players who will be looking to redeem themselves in Week 2. Let's take a look at a few players who should do just that.

In other words, don't bench them just yet.

Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants

I don't think there will be another week this season where the above three players combine to offer 19 fantasy points. Consider whatever Super Bowl hangover this team might have still been nursing officially over after losing the opener to the Dallas Cowboys.

Manning will have his weeks with just 12 fantasy points. For as good of a quarterback he is, in the past, his fantasy production hasn't always been steady week to week.

I was surprised that Cruz was only good for six catches and 58 yards, and Nicks had just four catches for 38 yards. The fact that neither found pay dirt was disappointing as well.

Still, with 17 targets between them, you know the opportunities will be there. Cruz may have been three drops away from a very productive evening anyway. A matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week isn't easy, but expect the Giants' passing game to get back on track.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

The New England Patriots have a way of jumping out to big leads and rendering opposing running back irrelevant. Taking that into consideration, I'll give Johnson a one-week pass for his putrid performance.

Then again, 11 carries for four yards? FOUR YARDS? That's just unacceptable. I'm angry just thinking about it, and I don't even own him in any leagues.

It would have been worse, but Johnson at least made up for it somewhat by snagging six catches for 47 yards. And with a game against the San Diego Chargers next—a team that shouldn't have them trailing 21-3 after the first half—expect Johnson to be a much larger part of the offense in Week 2.

Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

Hey, if the passing game is working, keep airing it out, right?

Such was the case for Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who torched the Kansas City Chiefs through the air. For that reason, Turner saw just 11 carries for 32 yards, a non-factor as the Falcons didn't really need him in this one.

However, against the Denver Broncos, I think he'll see far more work. The Broncos have a potent pass rush led by young superstar Von Miller (they sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times on Sunday night), and one way to keep the Denver edge rushers from pinning back their ears on third down is to pound the rock early and stay out of long third-down situations.

Look for a lot more carries and a touchdown or two against the Broncos.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals face the Patriots in Week 2. The Patriots will probably have a pretty big lead early on. The Cardinals will be forced to start throwing the ball around in an attempt to stage a comeback. This means Larry Fitzgerald should see a huge number of targets.

And keep in mind that, despite finishing with just four catches for 63 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, Fitzgerald was targeted 11 times on Sunday. While that number doesn't say much for John Skelton and Kevin Kolb, that number could be in the 15-17 range if the Cardinals have to play catch-up right off the bat.

Fitzgerald will have a very nice week for fantasy owners, and the Patriots will blow the Cardinals out.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots

I can't tell you how shocked I was that Welker finished with just three catches for 14 yards on Sunday. It wasn't at all how I expected his season to begin.

It's not that Welker isn't immune to down weeks—he had five or less fantasy points five times last season—but in a game that saw the Patriots having so much success through the air, I would have expected more from him.

Welker will be up to his old fantasy-stud ways next week against the Cardinals. He's too good to be a total non-factor in fantasy two weeks in a row.

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