Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: Smart Matchup Plays, Sleepers and More

The initial slate of games for the 2014 NFL season has passed, so now it's a bit easier to look ahead to Week 2 with a little more conviction in predicting whom to start and sit in fantasy football.

Favorable matchups can be a big help when determining which players fantasy owners should deploy in their lineups. However, San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore managed just 63 yards on 16 carries against a lackluster Dallas Cowboys defense in his first game of the year.

Identifying sleepers can be especially valuable when facing lineup dilemmas, and there were several breakout performers or candidates from Week 1 who should continue producing for games to come.

Here is a look at some of the notable fantasy fixtures and where they shape up and project as Week 2 approaches, along with rankings for the top performers.

Best and Worst Matchup Plays

Best: Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans

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Head coach Ken Whisenhunt made a strong statement in his first game at the helm in Tennessee, crushing a Kansas City Chiefs team that qualified for the playoffs last season 26-10.

Perhaps most impressive was the poise Locker showed. With so much pressure on him to perform in a contract year and playing at one of the most hostile NFL environments in Arrowhead Stadium, Locker flashed signs of being a franchise quarterback.

Although Locker did take four sacks against a tough Chiefs pass rush, he was 22-of-33 passing for 266 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. The coach and QB seem to be getting on well, per The Tennessean's Jim Wyatt:

It's only been one game, so let's not overreact, but Locker is in some pretty good company in the beginning stages of the 2014 campaign, as The Associated Press' Teresa Walker points out:

Locker goes up against the Dallas Cowboys' shoddy defense in Week 2 at home. Dallas is facing a ton of adversity after an underwhelming performance in a loss to San Francisco, so hitting the road to face the Titans isn't exactly a cakewalk.

There are plenty of weapons in Tennessee's passing game for Locker to target. Young receivers Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter have to be covered on all areas of the field, while Nate Washington is a veteran presence and a sure-handed option.

Versatile playmaker Dexter McCluster can run the ball and catch it just as well, and tight end Delanie Walker has evolved into a more consistent pass-catcher than he was with the 49ers. That's a lot to deal with.

The Cowboys aren't deep enough in the secondary to account for all the wideouts Locker has at his disposal. It should lead to a 2-0 start for Tennessee and another big day numbers-wise for Locker, whose running ability ought to surface more than it did versus Kansas City, when he carried six times for 14 yards.

Projected Week 2 Stats: 18-of-31 passing for 290 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 5 carries, 35 yards, TD

Worst: Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Those hoping for Martin to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2013 campaign that saw him fall far short of the heights he reached as a rookie the previous year were disappointed in Week 1.

Martin ran for just nine yards on nine carries in a loss to the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers. The matchup was a tough one, but the Bucs looked inept on offense and saw their QB Josh McCown outplayed by his journeyman counterpart in Derek Anderson.

Check out this statistic from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, which might be the most mind-boggling of Week 1:

A knee injury slowed Martin in the regular-season opener, and even though he returned to the game, there wasn't much more production to be had. The same will likely be true in Week 2, when Tampa Bay hosts the St. Louis Rams.

After getting blown out 34-6 at home to the Minnesota Vikings, you can bet the Rams are going to be fired up to get back on track. Even with suspect QB play of its own, St. Louis' strength, its front seven, will shine through in this contest.

Defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn will make life difficult for the Bucs offensive line. Rookie Aaron Donald is the exact type of defensive tackle to shut Martin down with his outstanding quickness and burst from the inside.

Donald made an eye-popping play to tackle Minnesota superstar Adrian Peterson in the backfield, accumulating a total of four tackles and two for loss.

Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was the one who gashed the Rams on the ground with 102 yards on just two carries. St. Louis actually did a nice job of shutting down Peterson, who had just 75 yards on 21 rushing attempts.

That's bad news for Martin, Bucs fans and fantasy owners planning on a bounce-back week from the Tampa Bay ball-carrier. It warrants consideration to try alternative options at the running back position.

Sleeper to Start: Charles Clay, TE, Miami Dolphins

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

On the surface, it looks as though Clay is in line to disappoint this year after his two-catch, 27-yard performance in the Dolphins' Week 1 win over the New England Patriots.

It was generally a roller-coaster performance from Clay, and not necessarily all his doing. QB Ryan Tannehill missed him in the end zone for a potential touchdown, which would have changed Clay's Week 1 fantasy outlook entirely (h/t Brian McIntyre):

Then there was a play where Clay showed how dangerous he can be after the catch, per The Boston Globe's Ben Volin:

However, one big blunder was on the promising tight end, when he dropped a pass from Tannehill that could have gone for a massive gain. Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel was critical of the error:

With the opening-game jitters out of the way, Clay is bound to break out in Week 2 in another big AFC East game against the Buffalo Bills.

This may be on the road, but Buffalo just yielded 370 yards through the air to Chicago's Jay Cutler. As long as Tannehill can make the proper reads and decisions, Miami should keep its offense functioning at a high level after an upset win over New England.

Clay was targeted six times versus the Patriots—second-most on the team only to Mike Wallace. With the Bills keying in on Knowshon Moreno after his strong Week 1, there will be opportunities for Clay to slip down the seam and rack up big gains off play-action passes.

Projected Week 2 Stats: 7 receptions, 80 yards, TD

Sleeper to Sit: Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The first-year sensation wasn't one of the two second-round picks the Jaguars used on wide receivers in the draft. Hurns was undrafted out of the University of Miami, yet he proved he could be the best receiver in Jacksonville's offense with four catches, 110 yards and two TDs in Week 1.

Huge emphasis on "could" and in light of how the Jaguars offense figures to be, it may not be the biggest compliment. But there is no denying how Hurns exploded onto the scene, per the team's official Twitter account:

Will it last? I say no, because bear in mind what happened in Week 1 against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that isn't expected to be all that strong. A quick 17-0 lead evaporated after halftime as Jacksonville lost 34-17.

The limited second-half production and the trouble the Jags had establishing the run are bad signs for Hurns heading into Week 2, where he'll face the Washington Redskins on the road.

If Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can render Jacksonville a one-dimensional team in what should be a low-scoring, ugly game, the obvious passing situations won't bode well for the Jags. If it were Blake Bortles rather than Chad Henne under center, maybe it'd be a different story.

The young Hurns appears to have the proper, humble attitude, as was reflected in his postgame comments, via Fox Sports Florida's Ken Hornack:

"

There were a lot of good things we did. But at the end of the day, we didn't finish. It was one player on each play. I had two drops...It'll give me a lot of confidence. I know what to expect now. Each day out there, I work on getting better or focusing on one technique I feel I need to improve on.

"

Hurns is well worth a waiver-wire flyer, but Cecil Shorts, who figures to be the No. 1 receiver, was out for Jacksonville in Week 1 and could come back, though it's too early in the week to tell for sure. Plus, tight end Marcedes Lewis and receiver Marqise Lee will continue to get targets, especially with defenses adjusting to scheme against Hurns.

It's a bit too early to jump on the Hurns bandwagon based on his limited sample size at this level—and without a tremendous amount of talent surrounding him in Jacksonville.

However, Hurns is yet another example of the exemplary evaluation job Caldwell and the Jags have done in their rebuilding project. Caldwell and Co. have hired an enthusiastic coach in Gus Bradley and have brought in great players to point the franchise in the right direction for the future.

Anyone playing for the work-in-progress Jags can't be trusted just yet, with just one 2014 game to go off of. When Bortles takes over in 2015 and beyond, it could be a vastly different story.

Rank	QB	RB	WR
Rank	TE	Kicker	D/ST
1	Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos	Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings	Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
2	Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints	Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks	Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
3	Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers	Arian Foster, Houston Texans	A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
4	Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions	Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals	Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
5	Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons	LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles	Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
6	Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles	Matt Forte, Chicago Bears	Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
7	Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears	Knowshon Moreno, Miami Dolphins	Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals
8	Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans	Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs	Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
9	Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals	Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers	Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings
10	Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers	Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints	Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans
1	Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints	Shayne Graham, New Orleans Saints	Seattle Seahawks
2	Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers	Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers	Arizona Cardinals
3	Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos	Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons	Miami Dolphins
4	Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins	Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles	Houston Texans
5	Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots	Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos	Denver Broncos
6	Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings	Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers	St. Louis Rams
7	Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens	Phil Dawson, San Francisco 49ers	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans	Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens	Philadelphia Eagles
9	Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns	Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots	Tennessee Titans
10	Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers	Nick Novak, San Diego Chargers	San Francisco 49ers