Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Projections for Players with Matchups We Love

Is it too early to hit the panic button for your fantasy team? Although the NFL season is 17 weeks long, plenty of fantasy football owners are looking to get things back on track with wins in Week 2.

In order to do so, they'll hope that their biggest fantasy studs perform up to expectations. Having your top stars flop doesn't always doom your entire team, but it puts you behind the proverbial eight ball in a big way.

Below are projections for the top 10 fantasy performers at each position this weekend. The four players highlighted look poised to take advantage of very favorable matchups.

Note: The rankings were created before Thursday night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Players from that game are updated with their final stats.

Quarterback

Pos.	Player	Opp.	Projection
1	Drew Brees	Cleveland Browns	See Below
2	Andrew Luck	Philadelphia Eagles	30-42, 321 yards, 3 TDs
3	Peyton Manning	Kansas City Chiefs	32-41, 302 yards, 3 TDs
4	Aaron Rodgers	New York Jets	22-32, 292 yards, 2 TDs
5	Nick Foles	Indianapolis Colts	19-27, 275 yards, 2 TDs
6	Matthew Stafford	Carolina Panthers	20-35, 256 yards, 3 TDs
7	Colin Kaepernick	Chicago Bears	16-28, 254 yards, 1 TD
8	Tom Brady	Minnesota Vikings	20-39, 248 yards, 2 TDs
9	Matt Ryan	Cincinnati Bengals	22-37, 257 yards, 1 TD
10	Russell Wilson	San Diego Chargers	18-25, 235 yards, 2 TDs

Drew Brees vs. Cleveland Browns

David Goldman/Associated Press

Mike Pettine came to the Cleveland Browns with a strong reputation on the defensive side of the ball. Through Week 1 and including the preseason, however, the Browns defense has looked rather shaky. Giving up 365 yards through the air to Ben Roethlisberger won't inspire much confidence from the fanbase.

If Roethlisberger can do that, imagine what Drew Brees can do.

Offense wasn't the problem for the New Orleans Saints in their 37-34 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Brees had 333 yards and a touchdown. One encouraging development from a New Orleans perspective was Brandin Cooks getting seven receptions for 77 yards. He can be another weapon for an already loaded offense.

Pettine's already called what Brees and Saints head coach have done "legendary," so he knows exactly what he's up against on Sunday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:

Still smarting from their Week 1 loss, the Saints and Brees should be looking to make an example of the Browns.

Final Projection: 25-35, 346 yards, 3 touchdowns

Running Back

Pos.	Player	Opp.	Projection
1	Adrian Peterson	New England Patriots	25 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs
2	LeSean McCoy	Indianapolis Colts	22 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions 42 yards
3	Marshawn Lynch	San Diego Chargers	25 carries, 102 yards, 2 TDs
4	Jamaal Charles	Denver Broncos	19 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD
5	Matt Forte	San Francisco 49ers	21 carries, 89 yards; 7 receptions, 62 yards
6	Le'Veon Bell	Baltimore Ravens	Final Stats: 11 carries, 59 yards; 5 receptions, 48 yards
7	Alfred Morris	Jacksonville Jaguars	See Below
8	Giovani Bernard	Atlanta Falcons	18 carries, 89 yards; 3 receptions, 37 yards
9	DeMarco Murray	Tennessee Titans	24 carries, 101 yards
10	Montee Ball	Kansas City Chiefs	20 carries, 99 yards

Alfred Morris vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Alfred Morris ran for 91 yards against the Houston Texans last week and is due for even more carries on Sunday.

Many Redskins fans wondered why head coach Jay Gruden didn't rely on the ground game more in the 17-6 loss, and he admitted after the game that it was a strategic error on his part.

"If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have run the ball more than I did," Gruden told reporters.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had plenty of problems corralling Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy, who combined to rush for 145 yards.

Morris should crack the century mark, and if he adds a touchdown or two it will be a huge fantasy day.

Final Projection: 22 carries, 117 yards, 1 touchdown

Wide Receiver

Pos.	Player	Opp.	Projection
1	Demaryius Thomas	Kansas City Chiefs	9 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TDs
2	A.J. Green	Atlanta Falcons	7 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD
3	Dez Bryant	Tennessee Titans	See Below
4	Calvin Johnson	Carolina Panthers	8 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD
5	Julio Jones	Cincinnati Bengals	6 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
6	Jordy Nelson	New York Jets	7 receptions, 92 yards
7	Brandon Marshall	San Francisco 49ers	7 receptions, 84 yards
8	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Final Stats: 7 receptions, 90 yards
9	Alshon Jeffery	San Francisco 49ers	5 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD
10	Percy Harvin	San Diego Chargers	5 receptions, 67 yards

Dez Bryant vs. Tennessee Titans

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Tony Romo was really, really bad against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, which in turn meant Dez Bryant wasn't his usual self. Four receptions for 55 yards is unacceptable for one of the best wide receivers in the league.

This week should be different.

Both players should be motivated to atone for their poor Week 1 performances when they take on the Tennessee Titans.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett felt that one of the problems on Sunday was Romo constantly targeting Bryant despite the receiver not always being open, as he told the media:

"

I think it’s pretty clear—you don’t force the ball to people. Dez is a great player, but [Jason Witten is] a great player too, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, Dwayne Harris, all those guys are really, really good football players, who, if given an opportunity, are going to come through for us. Tony understands that. Tony’s typically struck a really nice balance about trying to give these guys a chance and understanding how to read things out and throwing the ball to the right guy. In each of those cases, he probably was too aggressive throwing to Dez, and those plays hurt us, obviously.

"

In a way, having Romo look off Bryant could be better for the wide receiver's fantasy prospects. The more the secondary is worried about other WRs, the less attention it can afford to pay to Bryant on every down.

The 25-year-old is one of the best wideouts in the league and should show why on Sunday.

Final Projection: 8 receptions, 112 yards, 1 touchdown

Tight End

Pos.	Player	Opp.	Projection
1	Jimmy Graham	Cleveland Browns	See Below
2	Julius Thomas	Kansas City Chiefs	5 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
3	Greg Olsen	Detroit Lions	7 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
4	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	5 receptions, 87 yards
5	Vernon Davis	Chicago Bears	4 receptions, 75 yards
6	Zach Ertz	Indianapolis Colts	6 receptions, 69 yards
7	Jason Witten	Tennessee Titans	4 receptions, 59 yards
8	Dennis Pitta	Pittsburgh Steelers	Final Stats: 3 receptions, 30 yards
9	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	4 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
10	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	5 receptions, 51 yards

Jimmy Graham vs. Cleveland Browns

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

If Brees has a huge game, then you can bet that Jimmy Graham will be a big reason why. Last week, he had eight receptions for 82 yards, and his 10 targets were tops among Saints receivers.

ClevelandBrowns.com's Kevin Jones wrote that Browns safety Donte Whitner has experience playing against Graham during his time with the San Francisco 49ers:

"

Graham caught six passes for 41 yards in 2013 against San Francisco and an even worse four catches for 33 yards in 2012. Graham did go off on the 49ers in a playoff loss in 2011, scoring two touchdowns on five catches.

The 49ers mixed coverages on Graham as often as they could – zones, double coverage, man-to-man. Whitner says Graham truly does play the football like it’s basketball. The key for the Browns will be beating him with quickness and not allowing him to get box out position on pass attempts.

"

Having Karlos Dansby inside will help Whitner and the Cleveland secondary, but man-for-man the Browns defense can't match up with the strength of the Niners defense over the last few years. What you've seen from Graham in the past against San Francisco isn't emblematic of what you'll see on Sunday.

Graham will be heavily targeted by Brees once again, and another seven- or eight-reception day looks to be in order.

Final Projection: 6 receptions, 96 yards, 2 touchdowns