Fantasy Football Week 2: Quarterback Rankings

Don’t tell me the preseason doesn’t matter as Matt Ryan and Julio Jones looked just as good in Week 1 as they did through the month of August. For those of you that were hesitant in believing in Ryan’s maturity as a quarterback, it’s time to get on board.

In past years, if the Falcons would’ve won in Kansas City, you can bet we would see a large dose of Michael Turner, a game managing effort from Ryan and about 21 points on the scoreboard.

Instead you have Ryan totaling four touchdowns on the day, Turner running for under 40 yards and the Falcons putting up a 40 point effort in a blowout win.

If this continues we may see Ryan fighting to the top of the quarterbacks list for the 2012 season in fantasy football leagues. Next up, the Denver Broncos come to town and we will have another high scoring game on the big stage of Monday Night Football.

What Did We Learn From Week 1?

- Matthew Stafford struggled against the Rams with three interceptions. You can bet 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is already cutting up the tape from that game and comparing notes with how they frustrated the young quarterback in Detroit last season.

At the end of the day, Stafford should throw for around 300 yards and a couple touchdowns in San Francisco, but he will earn it—and probably have more turnovers. Like Drew Brees in the playoffs and Aaron Rodgers last week, expect most of those numbers to come in the second half, as the Lions are playing from behind.

- Surprise! Robert Griffin III is a stud and his calm, cool, collected attitude was on display early in New Orleans as he led the team down the field for points on the opening drive. Griffin is going to be one heck of a fantasy and NFL quarterback, but he will have his tough games along the way in his rookie season.

The good news is those of you that landed Griffin on draft day can feel safe about using him in lineups weekly. Like Cam Newton a year ago, Griffin’s upside as a runner makes him a safe bet to produce over 20 fantasy points weekly.

Sean’s Watch List For Week 2

- Michael Vick was horrible against the Browns, and I have to wonder if all he media attention about his style of play has gotten too him. I was discouraged that Vick actually admitted in a postgame interview that his teammates had to build his confidence up before the final drive of the game.

This isn’t a good sign, but let's see how he performs at home against the Ravens, a big test for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

- Josh Freeman did exactly what the Buccaneers need him to do as a game managing starter against the Panthers. Freeman looked good and if Carolina scored more points, I believe we would’ve seen Freeman throw for over 300 yards and three scores.

This week the game scripts will tilt towards Freeman needing to do just that if the Buccaneers hope to beat the Giants on the road. With New York’s corner situation in trouble as injuries have depleted their depth, we could see a nice stat line from Freeman this week.

- Drew Brees and Cam Newton struggled at times as both quarterbacks fell in Week 1. We should expect a high scoring game in Week 2, so get them in your lineup.

1	Drew Brees	@ Panthers
2	Tom Brady	Cardinals
3	Aaron Rodgers	Bears
4	Cam Newton	Saints
5	Matt Ryan	Broncos
6	Robert Griffin III	@ Rams
7	Peyton Manning	@ Falcons
8	Matthew Stafford	@ 49ers
9	Jay Cutler	@ Packers
10	Eli Manning	Bucs
11	Andrew Luck	Vikings
12	Tony Romo	@ Seahawks
13	Philip Rivers	Titans
14	Michael Vick	Ravens
15	Josh Freeman	@ Giants
16	Andy Dalton	Browns
17	Joe Flacco	@ Eagles
18	Ben Roethlisberger	Jets
19	Alex Smith	Lions
20	Christian Ponder	@ Colts

Week 2 Rankings – RB | WR | TE | Flex | D |