Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: Choosing Top Fantasy Football Locks and Flops

We are more than warmed up as we head into Week 2 of the NFL season. While we haven't hit our stride just yet, there is every reason to feel confident about this week's smorgasbord of fantasy football opportunities.

Finding the top matchups is the way to go in this game on an every-week basis, and we will offer you our top choices as well as those who should be avoided at all costs.

We offer a rationale for every choice we make.

Player	Position	Team	Ranking	Lock/Flop
QB	Carson Palmer	Arizona Cardinals	8	Lock
QB	Eli Manning	N.Y. Giants	10	Lock
QB	Sam Bradford	Philadelphia Eagles	12	Lock
QB	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	9	Flop
QB	Ryan Tannehill	Miami Dolphins	13	Flop
QB	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions	16	Flop
RB	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	2	Lock
RB	DeMarco Murray	Philadelphia Eagles	7	Lock
RB	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints	8	Lock
RB	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals	3	Flop
RB	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	4	Flop
RB	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins	15	Flop
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	1	Lock
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	N.Y. Giants	3	Lock
WR	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints	8	Lock
WR	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	6	Flop
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans	10	Flop
WR	Julian Edelman	New England Patriots	14	Flop

Quarterbacks

Take a good look at Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals this week. He has gotten off to a sharp start as he threw for 307 yards in his team's home opener against the Saints.

The Cardinals go on the road this week, and Palmer should have another opportunity to approach the 300-yard mark and throw for at least two touchdown passes against the Chicago Bears defense. The Bears have been among the league's bottom feeders on defense the last two years, and they gave up three TD passes to Aaron Rodgers in Week 1.

"

Jay Cutler hasn’t won a football game since Nov. 23, 2014. Carson Palmer hasn’t lost a football game since Dec. 29, 2013. #Bears #Cardinals

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 17, 2015"

The Chicago defense should get better this season under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but it will take a while for the former San Francisco defensive guru's schemes to take hold. The Bears are hoping former Raven Pernell McPhee will turn into a big-time playmaker at the outside linebacker position, but he is not there yet. Look for Palmer to exploit the Chicago defense.

It all ended quite badly for Eli Manning in Week 1, as his poor clock management cost the Giants dearly against the Dallas Cowboys.

If his gaffe had occurred at midseason or later, it might have been a disaster. But the two-time Super Bowl winner can make up for it this week against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons are coming off a surprising upset of the Eagles on Monday Night Football, but they have had problems on defense because they regularly get pushed around. New head coach Dan Quinn's defense appears to have plenty of speed, but the Falcons' defense lacks size at every spot except defensive tackle. 

Look for a motivated Manning to bounce back from his mistake and throw for 290 yards and three TDs against the Falcons.

"

There's no defending Eli Manning's decisions Sunday. Now that he has owned up, he can make up for it by playing like a 2x SB MVP rest of way

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) September 14, 2015"

Sam Bradford started slowly in Week 1 against the Falcons, but turned it on in the second half and threw for 336 yards. He gets his first chance to play the Cowboys in Philadelphia, and last week's loss in Atlanta should help the Eagles focus in Week 2.

Chip Kelly's offense looked good at times in the opener, but it was not consistent. It should be better this week against a Dallas team that was a little bit lucky in winning its opener.

One note of warning: The Cowboys did not lose a road regular-season game all season last year.

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Running backs

Running back Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks should be counting the moments until his team takes the field in Green Bay against the Packers.

Lynch's hard-running style may be the telling factor in this game between last year's combatants in the NFC Championship Game. The Packers are an up-and-down defensive team, and they got run over by Chicago's Matt Forte in the opener. He gained 141 yards against the Green Bay run defense, and Lynch runs in a more punishing style.

"

Marshawn Lynch's gotta be aching to get to Week 2 after seeing what Matt Forte did to the putrid #Packers run D. #Seahawks

— Tom Kessenich (@TomKessenich) September 16, 2015"

Speaking of Forte, we don't like him this week against the Cardinals. Head coach Bruce Arians has had a solid defensive team the last two years, and the Cardinals gave up just 54 rushing yards against the Saints in Week 1.

They may not hold Forte to that number, but he will have a much harder time against the physical Arizona defense.

"

#Bears Matt Forte already has as many 20-plus-yard carries as he did all of last year after that 22-yard run on 2nd play from scrimmage.

— Bob LeGere (@BobLeGere) September 13, 2015"

We are also saying no to Dion Lewis and the New England running game. Lewis emerged with a sharp 69-yard effort in the season opener against the Steelers, but there's no guarantee that Bill Belichick will give him another full effort in Week 2.

Additionally, the Buffalo Bills shut down the Colts' running game in Week 1, and they should have one of the toughest and most physical defenses in the league. In addition to Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams, head coach Rex Ryan prides himself on his ability to come up with a defensive game plan that can shut down the best offenses.

That means the Patriots. While most of his attention will be focused on Tom Brady, he is not about to let the Patriots' running game get started here.

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Wide receivers

We shouldn't have to say anything about Antonio Brown, but it will be another brilliant game for the Steelers' big-play wideout. There is simply no stopping him after catching nine passes for 133 yards against the Patriots. Brown has caught at least five passes in 33 straight regular-season games.

"

"He continues to grow. His attention to detail is terrific." [Coach Haley on @AntonioBrown84] pic.twitter.com/fTueXeBaAY

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 17, 2015"

Some may hesitate because they are playing the 49ers, and the San Francisco defense played a sharp game against the Vikings on Monday night. But Brown has Ben Roethlisberger throwing to him, while the Vikings had Teddy Bridgewater under center, and the first thought after seeing his effort is regression. Brown should be good for double-digit receptions and two touchdowns against the Niners.

Terrance Williams is now the man in Dallas after Dez Bryant broke a bone in his foot in Week 1. Williams looked like he was going to have an excellent season as the team's No. 2 receiver, but now he steps up and becomes No. 1. Look for Williams to carry the Dallas offense in Week 2 against Philadelphia and throughout the majority of the season.

Calvin Johnson appeared to be healthy and motivated as the season got underway last week, and with all the talk about Brown and Bryant rising to the top as far as the league's receivers are concerned, it looked like Johnson wanted to regain the top spot.

Johnson caught two passes for 39 yards in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers, and don't expect things to get better in Week 2 at Minnesota. The Vikings played a poor game at San Francisco in the opener, but head coach Mike Zimmer is not about to let that defeat define the season or seep into the team's psyche. 

"

I'm afraid we've seen the best of Calvin Johnson and he's on the way down. Just doesn't look as explosive anymore.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 16, 2015"

The Vikings should play a much better game at home against their divisional rivals, and they will hold Johnson in check.