Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: The Best and Worst Offensive Fantasy Studs to Play

With so many superstars on offense in an era where points are going on the board at an unprecedented rate, it's often difficult to figure out who to start and sit.

Overreacting to what happened in the 2013 NFL season opener can be common, because it's unclear which teams will establish themselves as the best. However, there are several sure bets to start and sit as Week 2 approaches.

Let's take a look at two options per offensive position to insert into your lineup, as well as stars who aren't likely to thrive based on their matchups, situations with their teams and other relevant factors.

Quarterbacks

Start 'Em: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos; Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Manning threw seven touchdowns in the opener against the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, exacting sweet revenge for last year's AFC divisional playoff loss and then some.

The emergence of uber-athletic tight end Julius Thomas combined with the already present potency of the receiving corps' Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker made the Broncos unstoppable.

Although the New York Giants should be able to generate some pressure up front, their secondary isn't nearly up to snuff to stack up with Manning's weapons.

Meanwhile, Palmer had a respectable debut against the tough defense of the St. Louis Rams, throwing for 327 yards and two touchdowns.

Most importantly, the new Cardinals signal-caller spread the ball to all his marquee receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts.

That three-pronged attack in Bruce Arians' aerial scheme is sure to test the Detroit Lions in the Cardinals' home opener more in Week 2 than Vikings QB Christian Ponder could at Ford Field on Sunday.

Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons; Eli Manning, New York Giants

By no means did Ryan have a bad game against the New Orleans Saints in the opening loss, but he will be up against a hungry Rams secondary that will be poised to bounce back on the road.

The Falcons are in danger of dropping to 0-2, and star receiver Roddy White is nursing a high ankle sprain. St. Louis boasts Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins on the outside, along with smart coverage linebackers in James Laurinaitis and rookie Alec Ogletree to lock up Tony Gonzalez.

The junior Manning threw for 450 yards on the Dallas Cowboys, but chucked three interceptions, continuing to show his vulnerability to critical errors.

Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle all looked great at receiver, but a precarious running back situation will not allow Manning to win a shootout with Denver, who is quarterbacked by this older brother.

Running Backs

Start 'Em: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears; DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers

The first game in the NFC North division should feature a heavy dose of Forte in both the running and passing game.

Head coach Marc Trestman’s new West Coast offense is ideal for Forte’s strengths, and the opposing Vikings couldn’t handle the likes of Reggie Bush last week, who had 101 yards receiving and 90 yards rushing.

Carolina wisely tried to establish the run in the opener against the Seahawks in order to not challenge Seattle's stout secondary. It largely worked in the defensive struggle, but Williams fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter and cost his team dearly in a 12-7 loss.

Still, he ran well with 86 yards on 17 carries and isn't facing a timeshare situation with Jonathan Stewart right now. Williams also has not fumbled more than three times in a single season, so that mishap should be viewed as an unwelcome blip rather than a discouraging trend.

This week's opponent is the Bills, who yielded 157 yards on the ground to the New England Patriots.

Sit 'Em: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Due to the link Rice has to Bucs head coach Greg Schiano from his college days at Rutgers, these two players have drawn comparisons due to their diminutive stature and all-around prowess.

Both are unreliable options in fantasy this week, though.

In Martin's case, the Bucs were unable to generate much cohesion on offense in an 18-17 loss to the New York Jets, mostly because they couldn't establish the run.

Martin carried it 24 times for just 65 yards and caught two passes for -1 yard. The New Orleans Saints defense looks improved under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan—the brother of Jets head coach Rex—and should continue to give Martin problems.

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce is splitting carries with Rice, a strategy questioned by current free-agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth:

In any event, Rice is facing a Cleveland Browns defense in Week 2 that held the Miami Dolphins to just 20 yards on the ground and allowed two combined running back receptions.

Wide Receivers

Start 'Em: Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts; A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck targeted Wayne on eight of 23 passes in a 21-17 victory the Oakland Raiders—better than one-third of the time.

Wayne caught all eight of those balls for 96 yards and a touchdown, proving that he still has chops as the go-to guy despite the new offensive scheme and age of 34. Why shouldn't that continue at home against the Dolphins?

As far as Green is concerned, let's face it—Andy Dalton is looking his way far more than anyone else on the Bengals, who don't really have a proven No. 2 receiver.

Against the vaunted Bears DBs last week, Green had nine catches, 162 yards and two touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers' safety play is rivaled by few in the NFL, but in 2012 he matched a career best with 10 receptions against Pittsburgh in Week 16.

Expect Green to be near the 10-catch mark again on the Monday Night Football stage.

Sit 'Em: Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings; Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers

Jennings is still capable of being a stud, but his quarterback in Ponder is simply not good enough, even with Adrian Peterson to hand the ball to.

Next week's contest against the Chicago Bears will prove to be another difficult outing for Jennings, who had three receptions for 33 yards on seven targets in the Lions game. Bears cornerback Charles Tillman had two picks last week, and Tim Jennings recovered a fumble.

Those turnover-generating, Pro Bowl corners will be covering the Vikings' No. 1 wideout and likely shutting him down. Jerome Simpson had seven catches and 140 yards in Week 1 and should continue benefiting from the defense's focus on Jennings.

Boldin formed a dynamic combination with Colin Kaepernick and caught 13 passes for a league-high 208 yards and a touchdown in his 49er debut.

With Brandon Browner's status in doubt after missing the opener, per Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com, it's likely the Seahawks' Richard Sherman will lock up Boldin.

Even the physicality and strong hands Boldin has won't win one-on-one battles often enough with Sherman with frequent safety help over the top to be as formidable of a No. 1 fantasy play. If Browner can go, it puts Boldin's effectiveness into even more question.

Tight Ends

Start 'Em: Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams; Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns

Cook had seven catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, and it easily could have been three if not for Tyrann Mathieu punching the ball out from Cook's grasp as he approached the end zone.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford will likely continue to look for Cook, who seems to be destined for big things in Brian Schottenheimer's offense.

The only other tight end to register a 100-yard game in Week 1 was Cameron, who was the lone bright spot on the Browns offense in the 23-10 loss to Miami. Cameron had nine catches for 108 yards and Cleveland's lone touchdown.

Baltimore struggled to defend Broncos tight end Julius Thomas last week. Although Denver has more weapons than the Browns on the outside, it will be linebackers that Cameron will most often be matched up with.

That should translate to another big outing, as Brandon Weeden has no other truly dependable and explosive targets.

Sit 'Em: Kellen Winslow, New York Jets; Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears

Rookie Jets signal-caller Geno Smith found Winslow for a team-high seven catches and 79 yards, including a critical seven-yard touchdown just before halftime.

Smith is facing the New England Patriots on a short week, though, and the Pats limited talented Bills tight end Scott Chandler to four catches and 36 yards without a touchdown in Week 1. Between that and Smith's likely regression, don't count on Winslow.

Inconsistency has marred Bennett's career, something that will likely continue against the Vikings.

Chicago will be emphasizing Forte and wide receiver Brandon Marshall in the game plan, limiting Bennett's role in the offense.