Fantasy Football Week 2: Flex and PPR Rankings

Week 1 of the 2014 NFL regular season was even wilder than fans could have imagined, and that madness carried over into fantasy football leagues everywhere.

From top running back Jamaal Charles racking up just 34 yards to undrafted rookie Allen Hurns amassing four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, it was a unique and interesting way to start the new fantasy season.

As Week 2 approaches, here are the overall flex rankings and the top-50 list for PPR leagues as well.

Flex Players

Rank	Player	Week 2 Opponent
1	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	Indianapolis
2	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB	Denver
3	Adrian Peterson, Min, RB	New England
4	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	San Francisco
5	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	Carolina
6	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Cleveland
7	Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR	Kansas City
8	Marshawn Lynch, Sea, RB	San Diego
9	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Baltimore
10	Julius Thomas, Den, TE	Kansas City
11	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	Cincinnati
12	A.J. Green, Cin, WR	Atlanta
13	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	San Francisco
14	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Minnesota
15	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Baltimore
16	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	Tennessee
17	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Oakland
18	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	New York Jets
19	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Oakland
20	Percy Harvin, Sea, WR	San Diego
21	Doug Martin, TB, RB	St. Louis
22	Roddy White, Atl, WR	Cincinnati
23	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	San Francisco
24	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB	Seattle
25	Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR	New York Giants
26	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	Carolina
27	Cordarrelle Patterson, Min, WR	New England
28	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	New York Jets
29	Reggie Wayne, Ind, WR	Philadelphia
30	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Miami
31	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Detroit
32	Montee Ball, Den, RB	Kansas City
33	Vernon Davis, SF, TE	Chicago
34	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Arizona
35	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Seattle
36	Zac Stacy, StL, RB	Tampa Bay
37	Alfred Morris, Wsh, RB	Jacksonville
38	Randall Cobb, GB, WR	New York Jets
39	Shane Vereen, NE, RB	Minnesota
40	Knowshon Moreno, Mia, RB	Buffalo
41	Marques Colston, NO, WR	Cleveland
42	Julian Edelman, NE, WR	Minnesota
43	Giovani Bernard, Cin, RB	Atlanta
44	Jeremy Maclin, Phi, WR	Indianapolis
45	Vincent Jackson, TB, WR	St. Louis
46	Mike Wallace, Mia, WR	Buffalo
47	Chris Johnson, NYJ, RB	Green Bay
48	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB	Philadelphia
49	Frank Gore, SF, RB	Chicago
50	Pierre Garcon, Wsh, WR	Jacksonville

Choosing the right flex player in Week 2 should be easier now than it was to start the season since fans have a frame of reference. The perfect example of this theory is Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Brown exploded in Week 1, racking up five receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown. Fantasy owners expected solid numbers from Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 1 target, but this was a gift from the fantasy gods.

Pittsburgh squares off against Baltimore on Thursday, and owners should expect six receptions for 80 yards and another touchdown for Brown. We also learned in Week 1 that Brown has a pretty sweet front kick as well, per SportsCenter:

Another player to get in your lineup is New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. After playing on 38 of 86 snaps in Sunday’s game, per RotoWorld.com, Gronkowski managed to catch four of the 11 passes thrown his way (a team high), add 40 yards and score a touchdown.

As he continues to get re-acclimated to the team and practice, expect the tight end to be an even bigger fantasy threat. Against Minnesota in Week 2, six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown is likely.

If Gronk stays healthy, he will be a force in 2014.

One underrated player to watch for in Week 2 is Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno. The veteran ran the ball 24 times for 134 yards and added a touchdown against New England. If Moreno gets the same workload against Buffalo, fantasy owners should expect another 100-plus-yard rushing performance.

PPR Players

Rank	Player	Week 1 Opponent
1	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	Indianapolis
2	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB	Denver
3	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	San Francisco
4	Adrian Peterson, Min, RB	New England
5	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	Carolina
6	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Cleveland
7	Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR	Kansas City
8	Julius Thomas, Den, TE	Kansas City
9	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Baltimore
10	A.J. Green, Cin, WR	Atlanta
11	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	Cincinnati
12	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	San Francisco
13	Marshawn Lynch, Sea, RB	San Diego
14	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Baltimore
15	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Minnesota
16	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	Tennessee
17	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	San Francisco
18	Percy Harvin, Sea, WR	San Diego
19	Roddy White, Atl, WR	Cincinnati
20	Shane Vereen, NE, RB	Minnesota
21	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Oakland
22	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	Carolina
23	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Miami
24	Cordarrelle Patterson, Min, WR	New England
25	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Arizona
26	Julian Edelman, NE, WR	Minnesota
27	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	New York Jets
28	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Oakland
29	Reggie Wayne, Ind, WR	Philadelphia
30	Doug Martin, TB, RB	St. Louis
31	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	New York Jets
32	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Seattle
33	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB	Seattle
34	Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR	New York Giants
35	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Detroit
36	Randall Cobb, GB, WR	New York Jets
37	Chris Johnson, NYJ, RB	Green Bay
38	Marques Colston, NO, WR	Cleveland
39	Brandin Cooks, NO, WR	Cleveland
40	Giovani Bernard, Cin, RB	Atlanta
41	Montee Ball, Den, RB	Kansas City
42	Vernon Davis, SF, TE	Chicago
43	Steve Smith, Bal, WR	Pittsburgh
44	Eric Decker, NYJ, WR	Green Bay
45	Kelvin Benjamin, Car, WR	Detroit
46	Alfred Morris, Wsh, RB	Jacksonville
47	Pierre Garcon, Wsh, WR	Jacksonville
48	Mike Wallace, Mia, WR	Buffalo
49	Knowshon Moreno, Mia, RB	Buffalo
50	Jeremy Maclin, Phi, WR	Indianapolis

Week 1 in PPR leagues was unpredictable and volatile. While many tops names faltered under the pressure, other stars emerged as PPR juggernauts.

One of the biggest winners was Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell. The talented running back did not split carries with LeGarrette Blount as many feared, and instead racked up 109 yards and a touchdown rushing, as well as six receptions for 88 yards.

When asked about Bell’s performance, Roethlisberger told Scott Brown of ESPN.com, “I thought this was a game that everyone got to see what he can do. I thought his endurance and conditioning was superb.”

Fantasy owners should expect 80-plus yards on the ground, 40-plus yards receiving and a touchdown against a Baltimore Ravens defense that struggled against Cincinnati.

Two players not getting enough love in PPR leagues are Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. Both veteran receivers have many miles on their legs and have dealt with injuries over the last year, but instead of going quietly into that good night, each showed they are still viable threats.

Wayne caught nine passes for 98 yards, and Johnson caught six passes for 93 yards. With each team leaning on these two players as the No. 1 receiver in pass-happy settings, each should be starting in your PPR leagues every week.

In Week 2, expect both Wayne and Johnson to catch at least seven passes for 80-plus yards and a touchdown apiece.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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