NFL Week 2 Predictions: 10 Rookies Who Will Star in Week 2 Matchups
While it may be difficult to believe, football has well and truly returned, bringing with it the joys of speculation, and because attempting to figure out all of the sport's best action before it happens is almost as fun as actually witnessing it, we bring to you NFL Week 2 predictions!
The season is off to a thrilling start, and much of the credit belongs to 2015's rookie class' sensational debuts. Although almost all of them deserve a round of applause for their efforts, the name of the game is production rather than simple participation (and always exceeding expectation).
Names like running backs Tevin Coleman and Ameer Abdullah have already gained notoriety and for good reasons—the same reasons that catapulted them to the top of this list.
Just what are those reasons?
Players were assessed on two major categories: matchup opportunity and momentum heading into this week's lineup of contests. Both categories were considered equally.
Essentially, the players who possess strengths capable of best exploiting their opponent's weaknesses and already demonstrated an ability to do so a week ago ranked highest among the bunch.
Players with loads of momentum but little matchup opportunity graded at about the same level as players who had both momentum and matchup opportunity in equal but smaller shares.
This obviously isn't a perfect science, but neither is football. One must always account for the infuriating and exhilarating principle that is "any given Sunday."
Curious? Without further ado, Week 2's rookie stars.
Honorable Mentions
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15. TE Maxx Williams, Baltimore Ravens
Opponent: Oakland Raiders (0-1-0)
In a hard-fought, defensive battle against the Denver Broncos, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco only managed to throw for 117 yards, collecting two interceptions and no scores along the way, Williams only caught one pass for 15 yards, but facing a wounded Raider's secondary, this athletic tight end should find a way to get his share,
14. RB Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams
Opponent: Washington Redskins (0-1-0)
If Gurley should play on Sunday, he'll enter riding the wave of confidence and success the Rams have been on since their defeat of their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks. According to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner, both he and fellow back Tre Mason were full participants for Wednesday's practice.
13. OLB Shane Ray, Denver Broncos
Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs (1-0-0)
According to the MMBQ's Neil Horsnby, new Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips dials up blitzes on 74 percent of plays—a dramatically larger figure than last season's league-wide average of 34 percent. Ray is a part of a formidable defensive group that includes outside linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Kansas City's young, shuffling offensive line performed well against Houston, but two weeks in a row is a lot to ask of them.
12. CB Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
Opponent: Denver Broncos (1-0-0)
The 18th overall selection had a fantastic day on Sunday against the Houston Texans, posting seven tackles, three passes defensed and an early interception. This week, he won't be facing Houston quarterback Brian Hoyer, however. Although the Baltimore Ravens did a commendable job slowing down quarterback Peyton Manning in the Broncos' close victory, it will be a formidable challenge for Peters, who will need to call upon some of the confidence from his excellent debut to lock down Denver's talented receivers.
11. WR Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
Opponent: Baltimore Ravens (0-1-0)
The No. 1 receiver in the 2015 draft, Cooper's debut came and went without much fanfare, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's no doubting his talent is among the best in his class, but after witnessing the Ravens defense shut Manning's aerial offense down to only 175 yards, it's difficult to see Raiders quarterback Derek Carr doing much better. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com has reported that Carr's bruised hand is just fine, however, which means that Cooper can still create some fanfare this time around if he so desires.
10. RB T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars
2 of 11
Opponent: Miami Dolphins (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
T.J. Yeldon experienced a taste of All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly before his early exit in the second quarter.
This week, he'll meet defensive end Cameron Wake, along with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
On the one hand, with no clear, emerging stars for the Jaguars on the offensive side of the ball, Yeldon will have a sizable target on his back.
On the other, he'll also get the bulk of the available work.
Momentum
While it wasn't incredible, Yeldon's performance against the Carolina Panthers may have been the best of his team.
The rookie, in addition to contributing 51 yards on 12 carries, caught three passes for 16 yards.
Revealing Statistic
Despite the big names on their defensive front, the Dolphins allowed Washington, led by running back Alfred Morris, a total of 161 yards on the ground.
Yeldon may not be at Morris' level as things currently stand, but as evidenced by Blake Bortles' limited offensive production, they'll be going to the second round pick early and often.
The Bottom Line
Much like the Houston Texans' Arian Foster, Yeldon may become the Jaguars' offensive conduit—the source of all offensive production, rushing and passing.
After allowing so much to Morris last week, the Dolphins defense will likely be trying to stop Yeldon immediately, but if Bortles can put up a few respectable passes in the first quarter, the crowding will stop and lanes for Yeldon will open back up.
9. WR Phillip Dorsett, Indianapolis Colts
3 of 11
Opponent: New York Jets (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
With starting receiver T.Y. Hilton likely out on Monday night's matchup after missing today's practice, as reported by Colts.com's Kevin Bowen (h/t ProFootballTalk.com's Josh Alper), Phillip Dorsett will be the beneficiary of quite a bit more offensive action.
Couple that with New York's cornerback Antonio Cromartie probably sitting out Monday's contest as well after he too was sidelined during today's practice, per NJ.com's Dom Cosentino, and the speedy Dorsett could find himself looking at a lot of open field.
Momentum
Of every player on this list, Dorsett's momentum just might be the lowest. In fact, his debut against the Buffalo Bills may be a decent part of why the opposing team was able to so soundly upset the Colts.
Dorsett fumbled not one, but two punt returns, one of which was recovered by the Bills in the red zone.
The only thing that might be propelling him forward in this respect is his will to get redemption.
Revealing Statistic
Despite the rookie's rocky start, things took a turn for the better following fellow receiver Hilton's third-quarter exit.
Dorsett had two back-to-back receptions for 45 yards total in the fourth quarter. Should he produce at that rate throughout a full 60 minutes, he could be looking at an impressive stat line.
The Bottom Line
Dorsett has been given, albeit through unintentional circumstances, the opportunity to redeem himself after his catastrophic, fumble-filled debut.
Given that quarterback Andrew Luck is likely on a warpath for victory after last week's upset, it's a safe bet that he'll find some success.
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8. CB Ronald Darby, Buffalo Bills
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Opponent: New England Patriots (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
Aside from tight end Rob Gronkowski, none of the Patriots receivers are truly physical threats.
Yes, Julian Edelman, in his quick, agile way can be particularly elusive, but the success of all New England pass-catchers starts and ends with quarterback Tom Brady.
Now a man on a warpath after feeling wronged by the NFL's allegations that he or his team were cheating in the quest for a championship, he'll likely be, as he was a week ago, at peak form.
There is zero advantage for Ronald Darby in this contest (unless he gets tasked with covering wide receiver Danny Amendola).
Momentum
Darby must think being an NFL player is easy after the day he had against quarterback Andrew Luck and his Indianapolis Colts.
The second-round pick put together a cool six-tackle and one-interception game wrapped up with two beautiful passes defensed.
He's more than got the tide of confidence behind him. After that upset, he's riding the elation of the entire Bills organization.
Revealing Statistic
Brady, particularly with the help of Gronkowski, embarrassed the Steeler secondary.
At the end of four quarters, the quarterback had thrown for 288 yards with four touchdowns and zero picks, of course.
The Bottom Line
Darby, a week removed from a fantastic performance, will be facing one of the biggest challenges in his career.
While Brady is an undeniable all-time great, Darby's success against one of the NFL's new elite in Luck is compelling enough to believe that he won't be made a fool.
7. OLB Kyle Emanuel, San Diego Chargers
5 of 11
Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
As fabulous as Kyle Emanuel was against the Lions, the Bengals will pose a bigger challenge.
Cincinnati's offensive line has been one of the NFL's best for years, and the one-two punch of running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard will be an upgrade from Detroit's Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell.
Should Emanuel be inclined to pick off Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton, however, he may just find himself in a good position.
Momentum
Emanuel had an exceptional debut against the Lions.
Along with a sack, a pass defensed and an interception, the fifth-round pick also chipped in three tackles.
In essence, he was everywhere doing all things, and truth be told, he may have posted the best defensive rookie stat line of the week.
Revealing Statistic
The Bengals offensive line was ranked by ProFootballFocus.com as the third best at pass protection a season ago.
A week ago against the Oakland Raiders, they didn't allow Dalton to be sacked once, even facing emerging defenders such as defensive end Khalil Mack.
The Bottom Line
Emmanuel will be up against some tougher blocking this go-around, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't get things done.
It's expected and likely that he won't replicate his numbers from a week ago, but it would be surprising to see him shut down.
6. DT Jordan Phillips, Miami Dolphins
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Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1-0)
Matchup Opportunity
The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line has proved to be fairly porous, and without a huge amount of offensive talent for quarterback Blake Bortles to quickly send the ball to, this is a more than favorable situation for Jordan Phillips.
Add to that the fact that men such as free-agent acquisition defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, will be drawing a lot of attention, and this might be the best opportunity Phillips will get all season.
Momentum
Despite a stacked defensive front (or perhaps because of), Philips was the only Dolphin to register a sack in last week's contest against the Washington Redskins.
The rest of his statistics were short of gaudy, but the confidence boost of being the only player on a touted line to get home must be tremendous.
Revealing Statistic
In their matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the Jaguars offensive line sacked Blake Bortles five times.
Clearly this is a more-than-exploitable situation.
The Bottom Line
It would be very surprising to not see Phillips at least get a hit on Bortles.
The group surrounding him is too good and the Jaguars offensive line too subpar to not come away with something.
5. CB Kevin Johnson, Houston Texans
7 of 11
Opponent: Carolina Panthers (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
After the loss of emerging star receiver Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina's pass attack has certainly lost its teeth. Considered a pro-ready prospect, Kevin Johnson has proved he's ready to take on what NFL receivers have to offer.
In this case, however, what the Panthers have to offer isn't much. The quick, hard-hitting rookie will get his shot at making big plays and perhaps cause that turnover the Texans were so hopeful for last week.
Could we see a rookie-versus-rookie contest between Johnson and Devin Funchess?
The fact of the matter is, with the Houston defensive line swarming in on him, quarterback Cam Newton will resort to making plays with his legs rather than lofting some into the air.
Momentum
Although Johnson only had two tackles in last Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, one of them, a thundering hit on big-bodied tight end Travis Kelce, would have been enough.
Although the first-round pick generated some initial concern over his leaner build, the much larger Kelce, temporarily taken out of the game, could attest that it isn't an issue.
Revealing Statistic
Last week, playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Panthers' leading receiver, Ted Ginn, only caught two passes for 54 yards.
The Bottom Line
After getting gouged early by the Chiefs' aerial assault, the Texans' deep cornerback corps will relish the opportunity to take advantage of Carolina's receiver struggles.
With starters Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson locking down Ginn and Jerricho Cotchery (or Philly Brown), Johnson will be primed to dominate—and perhaps introduce himself to Greg Olsen.
4. WR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
8 of 11
Opponent: Green Bay Packers (1-0-0)
Matchup Opportunity
Let us rewind to a pre-Tyler Lockett era in Seahawks history—just a few months ago.
When it seemed as if the Green Bay Packers had all but sealed their ticket to the Super Bowl, Seattle stormed back in unbelievable comeback fashion and took the NFC championship crown away from them.
The Pack will be out for revenge, and while the Seahawks' victory had nothing to do with Lockett, it's a safe bet that they'll be keeping multiple sets of eyes on the speedster.
Momentum
There are few players, let alone rookies, who have as much momentum heading into the week as Lockett.
His 57-yard punt return against the St. Louis Rams was the first since 2007 for Seattle, though it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who kept up with preseason headlines.
Revealing Statistic
According to Pro Football Focus (h/t Sporting News' Tadd Haislop), Lockett played 58 of Seattle's 83 total offensive snaps, or around 70 percent.
Lockett, while already emerging as one of the league's most dynamic punt returners, is clearly already an important part of the Seattle offense—he's technically the Seahawks' No. 3 man at the position.
The Bottom Line
The Packers are one of the league's premier teams. They will try everything to stop Lockett, both on special teams and on offense, but it's difficult to anticipate them succeeding in every regard.
Lockett is simply too nimble, too quick and too already well installed in the Seattle offense to slow down any time soon.
3. RB Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons
9 of 11
Opponent: New York Giants (0-1-0)
Matchup Opportunity
Without the presence of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants defensive front is lacking some of their spark.
After finding success against the Eagles' above-par primary defenders, Coleman shouldn't be too distressed battling New York.
Momentum
Although he doesn't possess Abdullah's pass-catching propensity, he's already showing signs of being one of the better Falcons rushers in recent history.
Revealing Statistic
The Giants only allowed 80 yards on the ground to the Dallas Cowboys, with running back Joseph Randle leading the way with 65 yards.
The game, however, did get to be fairly pass-heavy in the crunch of the final, ultra-competitive minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Bottom Line
Provided that this matchup doesn't turn into a receiver shootout between the Falcons' Julio Jones and the Giants' Odell Beckham Jr., Coleman should see production consistent with that of last week's.
2. RB Ameer Abdullah Detriot Lions
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Opponent: Minnesota Vikings (0-1-0)
Matchup Opportunity
There may be no better combination of player strength and opponent weakness than Ameer Abullah's facing the Minnesota Vikings.
The powerful dual threat will be difficult to stop in a system full of so many talented receivers stretching the field.
Momentum
Everyone's new favorite fantasy football option, Abdullah, despite early rumors that he would be taking a back seat to fellow running back Joique Bell, racked up an impressive 50 yards rushing (7.1 yards/carry) as well as 44 yards receiving (11 yards/catch) and a score.
He's been on fire since the preseason, and it doesn't appear that he'll be slowing down any time soon.
Revealing Statistic
In last week's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings allowed second-year running back Carlos Hyde to bust out for 168 yards and two touchdowns on the ground; perhaps even more impressive, on Hyde's part at least, was that he averaged 6.5 yards/carry.
Granted, the 49er offense operates almost exclusively as a run-first offense while the Lions have a predominantly pass-first mentality, but given that Hyde was able to bite off such large chunks of yardage every time he carried the rock, Abdullah should produce even with limited touches.
The Bottom Line
This second-round pick's ability to catch passes will keep him relevant and productive in Detroit's aerial-dominant scheme, but his ability to gain such big yardage on limited carries will be how he earns his checks.
The Vikings should be very concerned with their ability to even remotely contain Abdullah after their porous run defense was so badly exposed.
1. QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
11 of 11
Opponent: Cleveland Browns (0-1-0)
Matchup Opportunity
Cornerback Joe Haden is likely champing at the bit in anticipation of giving this now highly touted rookie his first career interception, along with Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner.
If the Browns truly aim to be successful and slow Marcus Mariota down, however, they'll need their defensive front to stop Titans running back Bishop Sankey.
Momentum
Remember how few players had more momentum than Tyler Lockett? Enter Mariota.
The king of recent football buzz, the Tenessee quarterback stunned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in navigating his team to a 42-14 victory.
In three quarters of play (because his job was well and truly done by the fourth), Mariota threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns.
Call it hype or whatever you'd like, but Mariota has confidence and the tide rolling on his side.
Revealing Statistic
While Mariota's own stat line essentially speaks for itself, consider this: The Browns, in their previous matchup against the Jets, allowed journeyman backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick 179 yards and two touchdowns (while also picking off one pass).
One could extrapolate that, as a result, they'll be buckling down on the secondary, but there's not enough time to make a considerable improvement within the span of a week. In fact, most teams couldn't.
Here's another statistic, this time not in Mariota's favor: According to ClevelandBrowns.com's Kevin Jones, the Browns ranked ninth in the NFL in total points allowed at home.
The Bottom Line
It's highly improbable that Mariota will even approach the success he achieved during Week 1, but it would be almost as unlikely to predict that it would fall sharply.
The second overall selection will put up yet another impressive performance, and the praise will continue.
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