Week 2 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

For some fantasy football owners, Week 1 was a performance to forget. For others, it was a nice head start.

Things get back to an even playing field with an added layer of complexity for the Week 2 edition of "Start 'Em, Sit 'Em."

Unlike last week, which had only offseason news, preseason showings and last year's performances to go on, owners now have a full week of injuries, usage rates, schemes and—most importantly—relevant production at their disposal when making important lineup decisions.

Without further ado, let's get to the good stuff.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	KC	26
2	Drew Brees	NO	at CLE	24
3	Andrew Luck	IND	PHI	23
4	Russell Wilson	SEA	at SD	20
5	Andy Dalton	CIN	ATL	19
6	Tom Brady	NE	at MIN	18
7	Aaron Rodgers	GB	NYJ	16
8	Jake Locker	TEN	DAL	16
9	Nick Foles	PHI	at IND	14
10	Matthew Stafford	DET	at CAR	14

Start 'Em: Jake Locker, TEN (vs. DAL)

This is not a shock.

At all.

Jake Locker, who appeared in all of seven games last season—and scored in double digits in five—was the No. 6 overall quarterback last week after roasting Kansas City's defense.

For him, the improvements come from his experience.

"I see it more often now," Locker said of pressure in the pocket, per John Glennon of The Tennessean. "I understand where it's coming from and where your problems are. I think that helps you."

Considering the Dallas defense is an absolute joke and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick posted 17 points on it last week on the road, Locker figures to be even more productive at home in an offense more inclined to pass.

Locker is a must-start option in all leagues.

Sit 'Em: Cam Newton, CAR (vs. DET)

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Cam Newton missed last week's contest but has been confirmed a go this week when the Detroit Lions come for a visit.

Great, but let's pump the brakes a tad. 

Detroit ranked in the top 15 against quarterbacks last year and limited New York's Eli Manning to all of 163 yards and one touchdown to two interceptions last week. The Lions also happen to have a great run defense led by the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, so Newton will be asked to do it all on his own. 

Surely not 100 percent and in a bad matchup, Newton needs to ride the pine. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at IND	22
2	Giovani Bernard	CIN	ATL	22
3	Adrian Peterson	MIN	NE	20
4	Frank Gore	SF	CHI	18
5	Matt Forte	CHI	at SF	16
6	Jamaal Charles	KC	at DEN	16
7	Montee Ball	DEN	KC	15
8	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at SD	14
9	Arian Foster	HOU	at OAK	14
10	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at TEN	14

Start 'Em: Rashad Jennings, NYG (vs. ARI)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Yes, New York's Rashad Jennings does not make the above list, but he is a player who must be in any and all lineups as long as he remains healthy.

Jennings is the entire offense for the Giants. The offensive line is a mess, so he gets a ton of looks in the passing game. Last week, he caught four passes for 50 yards on five targets. Even better, he rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Efficiency matters little when a back is sure to get so many touches. Jennings averaged all of 2.9 yards per carry last week but was the No. 8 scorer at his position.

He needs to be in all lineups.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Mathews, SD (vs. SEA)

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Seattle's defense spells doom for most running backs.

This includes Ryan Mathews, who scored his owners a cool 12 points last week against a hobbled Arizona defense.

But center Nick Hardwick is out for the season. Now, he has to try to find wiggle room against a defense that has allowed one running back in the past eight games to reach double-digit production. It has been almost a full season since the unit allowed a rushing touchdown to a back (Week 7).

Mathews was surely drafted by a lot of owners as a starter no matter what, but he is quite the risky play this week.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	at CAR	18
2	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	KC	17
3	A.J. Green	CIN	ATL	16
4	Andre Johnson	HOU	at OAK	16
5	Percy Harvin	SEA	at SD	15
6	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	KC	14
7	Randall Cobb	GB	NYJ	13
8	Jordy Nelson	GB	NYJ	13
9	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	NE	13
10	Reggie Wayne	IND	PHI	12

Start 'Em: Brandin Cooks, NO (at CLE)

David Goldman/Associated Press

What, afraid of a rookie?

One thing owners don't have to be afraid of is the previously scary Cleveland defense led by corner Joe Haden. The unit allowed 365 passing yards and a touchdown last week to Pittsburgh, and things will only get worse with New Orleans in town.

Brandin Cooks exploded onto the scene last week and was the No. 10 overall scoring wideout, with 14 points. He was a major part of the staff's game plan, and the result was seven receptions for 77 yards and a score along with a rush that went for 18 yards.

Drew Brees clearly trusts Cooks plenty despite his first-year status, meaning his place in the offense as a Darren Sproles-type weapon is sure to stay.

Sit 'Em: Dwayne Bowe, KC (at DEN)

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The man is back from suspension, but that in no way means you should jump to get him in lineups.

Dwayne Bowe is the leader of the league's most uninteresting receiving corps. Last year, he managed just five double-digit outings, catching more than five passes in a game just once. That one time saw him grab seven, which went for six points.

Look, there was a time when Bowe was a No. 1 fantasy receiver. He's set to turn 30 in a week and change. Even worse, he's mired in an offense that allowed star running back Jamaal Charles to touch the ball all of 11 times last week.

As Andy Reid did Charles, go ahead and forget Bowe.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Julius Thomas	DEN	KC	18
2	Jimmy Graham	NO	at CLE	16
3	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at MIN	15
4	Greg Olsen	CAR	DET	12
5	Jason Witten	DAL	at TEN	10
6	Delanie Walker	TEN	DAL	9
7	Charles Clay	MIA	at BUF	9
8	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	ATL	9
9	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at SF	8
10	Zach Miller	SEA	at SD	8

Start 'Em: Delanie Walker, TEN (vs. DAL)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Go ahead and roll with Locker's tight end, Delanie Walker.

Walker scored last week against Kansas City and might just do so again against that miserable Dallas defense. The Cowboys allowed opposing tight ends to score twice last week, which was par for the course given the fact that the unit surrendered the fourth-most points to the position a year ago.

Speaking of last season, Walker himself was a top-12 scorer at the position. At an unstable position, Walker is a sneaky play who could pay dividends.

Sit 'Em: Eric Ebron, DET (at CAR)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Alright, be afraid of a rookie.

Eric Ebron played all of 18 snaps in his pro debut against the Giants on Monday, while Joseph Fauria saw 29 snaps. The North Carolina star caught zero passes in the process.

As Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com points out, Ebron is quite raw at this point:

Steer clear for the time being.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Blair Walsh	MIN	NE	13
2	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	HOU	13
3	Josh Scobee	JAC	at WAS	12
4	Josh Brown	NYG	ARI	11
5	Mason Crosby	GB	NYJ	10
6	Ryan Succop	TEN	DAL	10
7	Mike Nugent	CIN	ATL	10
8	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	at NYG	9
9	Graham Gano	CAR	DET	9
10	Greg Zuerlein	STL	at TB	9

Start 'Em: Mike Nugent, CIN (vs. ATL)

Rob Carr/Getty Images

For the time being, Mike Nugent is certainly worth a roster spot and a start. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were laughably bad in the red zone last week, meaning Nugent got plenty of opportunities to score points. He had one field-goal attempt blocked but still nailed five to come in at 16 points.

Don't expect that every week, but if the Cincinnati offense continues to struggle, Nugent should be consistent.

Sit 'Em: Cairo Santos, KC (at DEN)

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The opposite is true for Cairo Santos.

Despite the struggles of his offense, he floundered in his debut by missing one of his two attempts. He even managed to hit both goal posts over the course of the two attempts.

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub offered some not-so-encouraging advice afterward, as captured by ESPN.com's Adam Teicher:

"

He might have been a little nervous. What happened was he couldn’t wait to see the kick. His eyeballs were coming up every time he hit the ball. That’s something that’s easily corrected. That’s something we really worked on (Wednesday) and we’re going to work on again. He was just anxious. It was his first game. He was looking up to see the result of the kick. He did that on both kicks and that’s something he normally doesn’t do.

"

It should go without saying, then, that owners need to look elsewhere.

D/ST

Rank	Unit	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Cardinals	at NYG	10
2	Rams	at TB	10
3	Saints	at CLE	8
4	Bills	MIA	8
5	Panthers	DET	8
6	Packers	NYJ	7
7	Dolphins	at BUF	7
8	49ers	CHI	6
9	Seahawks	at SD	6
10	Bengals	ATL	6

Start 'Em: Texans (at OAK)

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Last week's sleeper pick came through in the clutch for owners brave enough to take the dive.

Against what could have been an explosive Washington offense, J.J. Watt and the Houston defense gave up all of six points, registered three sacks and recovered two fumbles.

Now, the superb unit hits the road and gets to face rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

Too easy.

Sit 'Em: Eagles (at IND)

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Chip Kelly is known for his offense, which should be enough for owners to steer clear of his defense.

Philadelphia lucked out last week with a matchup against Jacksonville, but this week, a visit to Indianapolis for an encounter with Andrew Luck is not going to end well.

Indianapolis rolled for 408 yards of total offense last week, with 370 of those and two scores coming from Luck himself. After the Philadelphia secondary was repeatedly torched by Allen Hurns, who is now a breakout fantasy star, T.Y. Hilton is in for a major day.

Note: Pittsburgh/Baltimore omitted due to Thursday Night Football. All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).