Making the Call on Week 2's Toughest Fantasy Lineup Decisions

We are through one week of NFL action, and already we are faced with a host of new and difficult fantasy football decisions thanks to injuries, poor play and unexpected performances.

Aside from some bad luck on a couple of occasions and one rather unexpected performance, Week 1's calls worked out. Here are some of this week's interesting decisions to be made based on the latest injury reports, rumored benchings, Week 1 performances and matchups.

What happened to Doug Martin? Can we trust Chris Ivory? Did Eli Manning draft Victor Cruz in his high-stakes league?

Find answers to these and similar questions within.

Start: Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

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Honestly, this should almost read "Start: Quarterback X vs. Dallas Cowboys."

That defense is going to allow a ton of fantasy points this season, and Jake Locker has it in his sights for Week 2. The fourth-year Titans quarterback looked like he was finally starting to put it all together in 2013 before being felled by injury, and he all but picked up where he left off in Week 1.

Despite being a bit out of rhythm early, Locker finished with 266 passing yards and two touchdowns on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the same Chiefs defense that, when healthy, was one of the best in the league last season. 

Locker is home, and the Cowboys are not the Chiefs. Find a way to get him in your lineup unless you have one of the top-tier quarterbacks going this weekend.

Fantasy Prediction: 24-of-37, 285 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 35 rushing yards, 0 rushing TD

Final Verdict: Locker's matchup and rushing upside must be exploited barring obviously better options.

Sit: Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

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Getting mauled is no fun.

That is precisely what happened to Robert Griffin III on the road last week against J.J. Watt and that Houston Texans defense. Washington's offensive figurehead completed a whopping 78.4 percent of his passes, but they went for just 267 yards and zero points.

Jacksonville's defense is a perfect remedy, right?

If you saw what the Jaguars did to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles in the first half last week, you might think again.

Granted, the Eagles soared back to the tune of 34 unanswered points, but credit head coach Chip Kelly's halftime savvy and a balefire offense for that. Washington doesn't quite have that firepower, though Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are a nice duo at wide receiver.

Griffin won't have another awful game, but he seems like a shell of his electrifying self these days. Perhaps getting used to Jay Gruden's new offense has something to do with it, but the Jaguars defensive line isn't going to do him any favors.

Fantasy Prediction: 26-of-35, 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 20 rushing yards, 0 rushing TD

Final Verdict: Waiting Griffin out might be the best course of action right now.

Flex Only: Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets (at Green Bay Packers)

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Feeling lucky, punk?

Chris Ivory had just 10 carries in last week's victory against the Oakland Raiders. Nine of them went for 31 yards, good for a measly 3.4 yards per carry.

That's not what fans and fantasy owners remember, though, because that other carry was a doozy—a 71-yard romp where he started celebrating at the 40-yard line.

Granted, Ivory has always had that big-play capability, but that touchdown has blinded many from the fact he is second banana to Chris Johnson, who got eight more touches. Ivory will certainly get opportunities, though, which is why he is worth starting in the flex.

The other concern is his matchup and likely game flow this Sunday. 

The Jets are on the road, taking on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. While that defensive front might make life difficult for Rodgers, it seems likely the Jets will be playing from behind much of the day.

That means more passing, which could put a damper on Ivory's touch count.

Fantasy Prediction: 12 attempts, 50 yards, 0 TD; 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Unless you are banking on a 71-yard touchdown, Ivory is a rather risky start.

Sit: Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. St. Louis Rams)

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It's tough to bench someone you drafted in the first few rounds, but Doug Martin is forcing your hand.

When the third-year back disappeared last week—off the field entirely, not just on the stat sheet—the common assumption was that he was injured. That prevailed for much of the week, though whispers circulated that he was benched.

Steve Gallo of TheHuddle.com tweeted that was, indeed, the case—Martin was benched for his poor pass blocking. Hey, at least it wasn't for his putrid stat line.

Unfortunately, this portends doom for his fantasy owners, at least if they cannot find a suitable alternative while he sorts his blocking issues out. Not only did Martin have a poor 2013 season before ultimately succumbing to injury, but Week 1 was discouraging.

That is not to mention the Rams defensive front, which is among the best in the league. The Rams allowed just 10.9 fantasy points to Adrian Peterson and his cohorts last week, no small feat.

Fantasy Prediction: 14 attempts, 45 yards, 0 TD; 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Don't trust Dougie Howser this week. It might be the beginning of the end for Martin under head coach Lovie Smith.

Start: Terrance West, RB, Cleveland Browns (vs. New Orleans Saints)

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Isaiah Crowell may have made the loudest noises last week, but Terrance West quietly led the way with 16 carries and 100 rushing yards for the Cleveland Browns.

West's touch count more than tripled Crowell's, who was the beneficiary of a goal-line carry on his first in the NFL and broke another long one soon after. The touchdowns weren't enough to keep him on the field much, however; West seemed to be the man as the Browns nearly completed a huge comeback.

The rookie will get another chance to strut his stuff this week, with Ben Tate out of the lineup due to injury. Fellow rookie Crowell will certainly get run, but West could approach 20 touches if everyone stays healthy.

The New Orleans Saints, meanwhile, gave up two touchdowns to running backs in Atlanta last week, although that Falcons offense looked like one of the best in the league.

Fantasy Prediction: 17 attempts, 85 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 15 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Give the rookie a whirl if you nabbed him or happened to draft him; he is liable to put up a big day if the Browns use him like they did last week.

Sit: Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns (vs. New Orleans Saints)

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The shine has tarnished for tight end Jordan Cameron and his fantasy owners, at least if Week 1 was taken to heart. 

Without Norv Turner orchestrating the offense and Josh Gordon to occupy the defense's nightmares, Cameron wound up with a lackluster 2014 debut. His shoulder injury ended a disappointing showing and put his Week 2 status into doubt.

Fortunately for him, there was no structural damage, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, his status is up in the air for this week.

Even if he does play, there is no telling how effective he will be coming off the injury. It may be better to be safe than sorry while Cameron recovers.

Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 35 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Coming off injury, Cameron's fantasy value this weekend is too volatile to risk putting him in your lineup.

Start: Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (at Denver Broncos)

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Offense was optional in Kansas City last week.

The Chiefs were unable to get much going on that side of the ball. Some of that had to do with uncharacteristic turnovers from quarterback Alex Smith. Kansas City was simply missing targets.

An upgrade is in order this week in the form of Dwayne Bowe, who is coming off a one-game suspension. He is stepping on the field in a tantalizing situation for fantasy owners, to boot.

The Chiefs head to Denver to face quarterback Peyton Manning and that vaunted Broncos offense. That likely means an early deficit and plenty of passing for Smith and Bowe while the Chiefs offense plays catch-up.

Bowe looked good during the preseason, perhaps signaling an improved fantasy output for the 2014 season. It all starts this week in Denver.

Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

Final Verdict: The Chiefs will probably need to pass the ball plenty to keep pace with the Broncos, and Bowe will be a primary beneficiary.

Flex Only: Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

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Is Eli Manning done?

The New York Giants quarterback has done nothing to support any argument otherwise over the past year-plus. His preseason under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was horrific, but it was widely attributed to Manning's comfort level—or lack thereof—with his first new system in a decade.

Nothing has changed now that the regular season has rolled around, though we still don't know if the new system is the root of the problem.

What we do know is the Giants offense is an Edvard Munch throwback, and owners who invested fantasy stock in players not named Rashad Jennings are suffering. 

The biggest loser thus far has been receiver Victor Cruz, who was invisible for much of his first game of the season. He caught just two passes for 24 yards while the Giants tried to come from behind against the Detroit Lions.

He was targeted six times, however, and he has the big-play ability to explode on any given Sunday. Of course, that would require passable quarterback play, which Manning is seemingly incapable of at the moment.

Maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.

Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 75 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Eli Manning puts a damper on everything, including Cruz's fantasy stock. If he can get into the end zone, he will have a nice day, but he is a flex option at best until further notice—or until the Giants play the Cowboys.

Start: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee Titans (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

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Justin Hunter was a preseason darling, a fantasy sleeper whose expectations grew daily.

He didn't meet those expectations in Week 1, catching just three passes for 63 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. The raw stats might have been relatively meager, but there is hope yet.

The good news for Hunter is that quarterback Jake Locker targeted him a healthy number of times—eight, to be exact. One came in the end zone on an incompletion and another was a catch inside the 5-yard line, meaning he was a bit unlucky in terms of fantasy scoring.

Of course, playing the Cowboys cures all manner of ills, and Hunter's weak Week 1 output wasn't all that bad. 

Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

Final Verdict: A big game was just not in the cards for Week 1, but the Cowboys should oblige in Week 2.

Sit: Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Washington)

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You just spent good FAAB money or a good waiver slot on Allen Hurns, so it's understandable that you would want to start him. Cecil Shorts looks like he will be missing more time, to boot.

So why bench Hurns?

Well, for starters, he isn't playing the Philadelphia Eagles defense. Granted, Washington isn't exactly Seattle, but Hurns will see a little more quality attention from the likes of DeAngelo Hall and Co. Once the Eagles figured out they should probably cover Hurns after the first quarter, he caught just one pass for nine yards.

The good news for Hurns and those who nabbed him this week is that Cecil Shorts looks like he may be out another week with his bad hamstring, as tweeted by Jaguars.com writer John Oehser. That means Hurns should get at least one more week of increased playing time and targets.

Just don't bank on the undrafted rookie repeating history.

Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 55 yards, 0 TD

Final Verdict: Washington isn't going to leave Hurns wide-open for a pair of touchdowns. I think.

All fantasy statistics courtesy of FFToday.com.

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