Fantasy Football Week 2: Preview and Predictions

The first week of the 2015 NFL season just came to a close, but Week 2 is already on the horizon, so it’s time to take a look at some fantasy football previews and predictions.

Several players had predictably great games in Week 1, including quarterback studs Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. A slew of tight ends also dominated during the first week of the season, while running backs proved to be a mixed bag.

Wide receivers, on the other hand, were downers in Week 1 (outside of Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown and Atlanta's Julio Jones).

There are a handful of juicy matchups worth attacking in fantasy in Week 2, including New Orleans vs. Tampa Bay and Baltimore vs. Oakland. Additionally, the Dallas-Philadelphia, New York-Atlanta and Green Bay-Seattle games should also lead to plenty of fantasy points on both sides of the ball.

This slideshow will go over a preview of each position entering Week 2 and provide several bold predictions.

QBs: Eli Manning Set to Bounce Back

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Eli Manning

Some of the game’s best gunslingers have fantastic matchups in Week 2. No quarterback, however, draws a better opponent than New Orleans’ Drew Brees. He’s in line for a massive week.

If Tampa Bay gave up four touchdowns—in one half—to a rookie quarterback with limited weapons, then what kind of stats will Brees post? A four-plus touchdown outing could be in the cards.

Tony Romo will be without superstar wideout Dez Bryant when the Cowboys square off against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he should still put up big stats in a game that’s lining up to be a shootout. He had no issues slicing through the New York Giants defense without Bryant at the end of Week 1.

Week 2’s Top 10 QBs

1. Drew Brees (NO vs. TB)
2. Andrew Luck (IND vs. NYJ)
3. Tony Romo (DAL at PHI)
4. Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. SEA)
5. Russell Wilson (SEA at GB)
6. Eli Manning (NYG vs. ATL)
7. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT vs. SF)
8. Ryan Tannehill (MIA at JAX)
9. Matt Ryan (ATL at NYG)
10. Sam Bradford (PHI vs. DAL)

Breakout QB of the Week: Eli Manning, New York Giants

Despite a combined 53 points in New York’s Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning threw for under 200 yards and didn’t score. He should have no problem eclipsing 275 yards with at least two touchdowns—potentially three—against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.

The Falcons’ Week 1 opponent—quarterback Sam Bradford of the Philadelphia Eagles—put up 336 yards and a touchdown. Bradford nearly threw for a second touchdown, but his receiver (Jordan Matthews) was marked down at the 1-yard line and the Eagles ran it in for a score on the next play instead.

Look for the Giants to get Odell Beckham Jr. more involved in Week 2. He finished the Week 1 game with eight targets—most among all Giants players—but at halftime he had just one reception. Philadelphia's Matthews torched the Falcons for 10 receptions and 102 yards to go along with the score-that-wasn't in Week 1. It's not unrealistic to think Beckham's numbers could be similar or better, which means Manning's numbers will likely impress as well.

QB Bust of the Week: Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith is currently riding a fantasy high he rarely experiences. He was the fifth-highest scoring quarterback in fantasy leagues in Week 1 thanks to his 234-yard, three-touchdown effort against the Houston Texans.

Things won’t come quite as easily against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

Against the Broncos in Week 1, Joe Flacco threw for just 117 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. We’re not saying Smith will be that bad (Flacco scored no points in standard leagues), but another QB1 effort from Smith is unlikely.

RBs: LeSean McCoy Could Shred the Patriots

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

LeSean McCoy

Matt Forte missed a couple of chances to score for the Chicago Bears in Week 1, but he was still able to finish the week as the second-highest scoring running back in fantasy leagues (behind Carlos Hyde). With the Arizona Cardinals on tap—a team that ceded 15 receptions to running backs in Week 1—Forte could be in for a big game thanks to his pass-catching abilities.

Some other running backs get strong matchups in Week 2 as well. LeSean McCoy will play against the New England Patriots, a team that gave up 127 rushing yards DeAngelo Williams in Week 1, and Justin Forsett will face the Oakland Raiders, which gave up two touchdowns to Jeremy Hill during the first game of the season.

Lamar Miller also gets a chance to bounce back against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, a team that gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs last season, according to ESPN.com.

Week 2’s Top 10 RBs

1. Matt Forte (CHI vs. ARZ)
2. Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. DET)
3. LeSean McCoy (BUF vs. NE)
4. DeMarco Murray (PHI vs. DAL)
5. Justin Forsett (BAL at OAK)
6. Eddie Lacy (GB vs. SEA)
7. Jamaal Charles (KC vs. DEN)
8. Jeremy Hill (CIN vs. SD)
9. C.J. Anderson (DEN at KC)
10. Lamar Miller (MIA at JAX) 

Breakout RB of the Week: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy struggled against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Despite carrying the ball 17 times, he averaged just 2.4 yards per carry en route to 41 total rushing yards. He added three receptions for 46 yards through the air to somewhat salvage his day, but for all intents and purposes McCoy was a letdown in Week 1.

However, as noted above, DeAngelo Williams just gashed the New England Patriots—McCoy’s Week 2 opponent—for 127 yards on 21 carries. Williams' teammate Will Johnson added a rushing touchdown for good measure.

It all adds up to a solid rebound week for McCoy.

McCoy nearly scored a touchdown against the Colts and actually had two other touchdown chances vultured by teammates, as Karlos Williams and Boobie Dixon both scored on the ground.

Against New England’s classic “bend-but-don’t-break” defense, McCoy is all but assured a 100-plus-yard outing. He’s also a good bet to find the end zone.

RB Bust of the Week: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders 

The good news it that Murray continues to show promise. He gained 44 yards on 11 carries in Week 1 and added 36 yards on seven receptions through the air.

The bad news is that the Baltimore Ravens are a worthy opponent.

The Ravens gave up just 29 yards on 12 carries to Denver’s C.J. Anderson in Week 1—one of the best running backs in fantasy. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, per ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley, which gives Murray additional hope, but it’s not enough to solidify him as an RB2.

The Raiders could find themselves behind big again, which means Murray won’t be leaned on quite as much as the Raiders play catch-up. Negative game flow could be a major issue for Murray owners all season long. He’s more reliable as a flex play right now than as an RB2.

WRs: Can Terrance Williams Replace Dez Bryant?

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Terrance Williams

Only two of the big-name wideouts went off in Week 1: Antonio Brown on Thursday Night Football and Julio Jones on Monday Night Football.

Fittingly, those two players find themselves atop the wideout rankings heading into Week 2.

However, the down week many of these big names had in Week 1 could simply have been the calm before the storm. An explosion of wideout points led by this crew of 10 studs could be on the horizon.

Week 2’s Top 10 WRs

1. Antonio Brown (PIT vs. SF)
2. Julio Jones (ATL at NYG)
3. Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG vs. ATL)
4. Demaryius Thomas (DEN at KC)
5. Calvin Johnson (DET at MIN)
6. Brandin Cooks (NO vs. TB)
7. Mike Evans (TB at NO)
8. Randall Cobb (GB vs. SEA)
9. Alshon Jeffery (CHI vs. ARZ)
10. A.J. Green (CIN vs. SD)

Breakout WR of the Week: Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys 

With Dez Bryant sidelined for at least a month with a foot injury, it’s time for Terrance Williams to step into the spotlight. He has always been known more as the guy who could score a 50-plus-yard touchdown on any given play, but he’ll now be forced into a more traditional and predictable role.

Simply being the No. 1 wideout in Dallas’ offense makes Williams much more valuable from a fantasy perspective. Things could get off to a quick start for him against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles gave up 141 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions to Julio Jones in Week 1. Williams is no Jones, but even stats half as big as Jones’ would make Williams an impactful player in any fantasy lineup. And while a two-touchdown game isn’t likely, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility—Williams had two multi-touchdown games last season.

WR Bust of the Week: Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills

Look for the New England Patriots to focus on bottling up Sammy Watkins in their Week 2 matchup.

The Bills may be eager to get Watkins the ball after he failed to record a reception on three targets in Week 1—but they may have to wait another week before unleashing the former first-round pick.

Last season against the Patriots, Watkins caught just two passes on three targets for 27 yards. The three targets were the lowest Watkins saw in a single game all season long.

Of course, Watkins was facing All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis in that game, and Revis is no longer on the Patriots, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Patriots stick Malcolm Butler on Watkins with help up top from safety Devin McCourty.

The Bills will also likely look to run the ball as much as possible against the Patriots in a bid to keep Tom Brady on the sideline more often than not. It’s shaping up to be another down week for Watkins.

TEs: Jordan Reed Still Flying Under the Radar

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Tight ends stole the show in Week 1, with five of them scoring at least two touchdowns. When compared to wide receivers, that statistic is even more impressive, as only three wideouts had multi-touchdown games to start the season.

Look for tight ends in general to come down from this high in favor of wideouts. (See the previous slide about wide receivers and how Week 1 was likely just the calm before the storm.)

The inevitable bump in production wideouts will get has to come from somewhere—there simply aren’t enough touchdowns and yards to go around for everyone to have a monster week on a regular basis—and the most logical place for that production to come is at the expense of tight ends.

With that said, there are still a handful of good tight end options out there this week—but none of them is a super sleeper at this point.

Week 2’s Top 10 TEs

1. Rob Gronkowski (NE at BUF)
2. Jimmy Graham (SEA at GB)
3. Travis Kelce (KC vs. DEN)
4. Martellus Bennett (CHI vs. ARZ)
5. Greg Olsen (CAR vs. HOU)
6. Jason Witten (DAL at PHI)
7. Zach Ertz (PHI vs DAL)
8. Jordan Reed (WAS vs. STL)
9. Jordan Cameron (MIA at JAX)
10. Tyler Eifert (CIN vs. SD)

Breakout TE of the Week: Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

Jordan Reed was an integral part of Washington’s offense in Week 1 and we should expect more of the same as the Redskins take on the St. Louis Rams in Week 2.

Reed easily led the team with 11 targets in Week 1—three more than the next most-targeted player (Pierre Garcon) and seven more than the third most-targeted player (Andre Roberts). With DeSean Jackson sidelined with an injury, Reed is in line for another busy day.

Reed converted those 11 targets into seven receptions for 63 yards and a score. He had several other scoring opportunities as well and appeared to be quarterback Kirk Cousins' No. 1 option when the team needed to make a play.

The Rams proved generous to tight ends in Week 1 as well. St. Louis gave up a touchdown to Jimmy Graham to start the season. Reed could find the end zone again in Week 2.

A big Week 1 from other tight ends still has Reed flying under the radar.

TE Bust of the Week: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This bust prediction assumes that Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans suits up and plays.

The fantasy world was introduced to Austin Seferian-Jenkins in Week 1. He caught five passes for 110 yards and two scores—mostly in garbage time. The tight end is clearly one of the few players rookie quarterback Jameis Winston is comfortable throwing the ball to, but Seferian-Jenkins will take a backseat to Evans and Vincent Jackson.

Week 1 will undoubtedly end up as one of Seferian-Jenkins’ best fantasy outings in 2015. Starting in Week 2, Seferian-Jenkins will come down from his top-five perch and land in the TE2 category, which is where he’ll find himself most of the season.

Kickers: New England's Gostkowski to Be Busy in Week 2

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Stephen Gostkowski

New England’s offense always finds itself in scoring position several times a week. In Week 1, the Patriots were able to score touchdowns and never had to settle for a field goal, limiting Stephen Gostkowski. In Week 2, however, against the much stouter Buffalo defense, a few stalled drives are to be expected. This means Gostkowski sits squarely atop the Week 2 kicker rankings.

Matt Bryant proved his worth in Week 1 with four field goals and should be good for another several attempts against the New York Giants in Week 2.

Week 2’s Top 10 Ks

1. Stephen Gostkowski (NE at BUF)
2. Matt Bryant (ATL at NYG)
3. Mason Crosby (GB vs. SEA)
4. Blair Walsh (MIN vs. DET)
5. Greg Zuerlein (STL at WAS)
6. Phil Dawson (SF at PIT)
7. Dan Bailey (DAL at PHI)
8. Justin Tucker (BAL at OAK)
9. Josh Brown (NYG vs. ATL)
10. Adam Vinatieri (IND vs. NYJ)

Breakout K of the Week: Randy Bullock, Houston Texans

Jacksonville's Jason Myers made just one of two field-goal attempts against the Panthers in Week 1—Houston’s next opponent—and he also missed an extra point. Bullock will make more of those opportunities.

K Bust of the Week: Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers

Gano missed two of four field-goal attempts in Week 1. And he faces the Houston Texans in Week 2, a team that gave up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to kickers in 2014, according to ESPN.com.

Defense and Special Teams: Steam on with Miami, St. Louis

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

The Rams defense stuffed Marshawn Lynch to win the game in Week 1

There was an onslaught of fantasy points—namely touchdowns—scored by D/ST units in Week 1. A whopping 10 touchdowns were scored by D/ST groups in Week 1.

Last season, an average of six-and-a-half touchdowns were scored by D/ST units each week, per ESPN.com, so the Week 1 total was clearly a bit higher than usual.

But while the number of D/ST units putting up huge numbers thanks to touchdowns should dip in Week 2, that doesn’t mean there are some fantastic matchups to take advantage of.

Week 2’s Top 10 D/STs

1. Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars
2. St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins
3. New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears
5. Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders
6. Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans
7. Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Francisco 49ers
9. Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
10. New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

Breakout D/ST of the Week: New Orleans Saints 

It looks like the 2015 Buccaneers will be a D/ST streamer’s best friend.

Tampa Bay gave up the third-most fantasy points to opposing D/ST units in 2014, and they got off to a similar start in 2015 by giving up 17 fantasy points to the Titans.

With Jameis Winston telegraphing several passes per game, a pick-six is very real possibility.

D/ST Bust of the Week: Cincinnati Bengals

Yes, the Bengals D/ST unit put up top-10 numbers in Week 1, but they face a much stiffer opponent than the Oakland Raiders in Week 2: Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.

Bold Predictions: Chris Ivory to Dominate Again

Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

Chris Ivory

We nearly hit on a few bold predictions last week—Carson Palmer, Jeremy Hill and Tom Brady all put up big numbers, as expected—but also missed on some others—Jordan Cameron had a solid debut with the Dolphins but didn’t score, let alone score twice as predicted.

We’ll forge ahead with five more bold predictions for Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season.

• Chris Ivory will put up top-five numbers again in Week 2. Ivory was the third-highest scoring running back in Week 1 after racking up 91 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries against the Cleveland Browns. Next up: the Indianapolis Colts, who just gave up 97 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Sound familiar?

• Brandin Cooks goes for over 120 yards and a touchdown. The New Orleans Saints could score a flurry of points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. In Week 1, Tennessee’s Kendall Wright was able to take an intermediate pass thrown over the middle 50-plus yards to the house by speeding away from the Tampa Bay defense. It’s not hard to envision Cooks doing more of the same. Cooks caught just four passes on eight targets for 49 yards in his 2015 debut, but he drew a matchup with star cornerback Patrick Peterson. That won’t be the case against the Buccaneers, and Cooks should find getting open to be a much easier task.

• Jordan Matthews has another 10-catch, 100-plus-yard outing. This would only be the fifth time in NFL history a player would have started a season with two straight 10-catch, 100-plus-yard games. The other four: Miles Austin (2010), Jimmy Smith (1999), Isaac Bruce (1998) and Andre Rison (1994), per Pro-Football-Reference.com.

• Both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning finish outside the top 12 in terms of fantasy points. This wouldn’t break some long-standing streak (it happened most recently in both Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2014 season), but it’s still odd to type. Brady was the highest-scoring quarterback of Week 1, while Manning ranked 32nd. However, Brady faces stiff competition against Rex Ryan's Buffalo Bills in Week 2 and Manning gets a short week—meaning there's less time to recover—before traveling to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.

• Jason Witten scores two touchdowns again. He scored two touchdowns in the 2015 season opener—his first multi-touchdown game since November 2013. But Witten will have a chance to do it again against the Eagles in Week 2. With no Dez Bryant for the Cowboys, Witten becomes Romo’s go-to receiver.