Fantasy Football Week 2: Award Roundup for Busts and MVPs

With an eye on surveying the fantasy football landscape in the wake of Week 2, we've compiled a series of awards for the best box scores as well as the biggest busts. With injuries and upsets littering the landscape, this week's edition might help to lighten the mood on this murky early-season Monday morning.  

The Eagles looked like the Sixers. The Patriots, well, looked like the Patriots. Meanwhile, many fantasy rosters look about as good as office survivor pools after this second weekend of NFL action. 

Week 2 has been a rough one for those into predictive wagering, as five out of the top six most popular survivor selections on Yahoo for Week 2 lost as favorites on Sunday. Only the Colts are still alive of the top six on the site. No pressure, guys.

Tony Romo injured his clavicle. Eddie Lacy left Sunday night's contest with an ankle injury. Carlos Hyde, Lamar Miller, Jordan Cameron and the rest of your fantasy dreams were also hurt in Week 2. Let's just assume the waiver wire will be very active this week.

Join us in discussing the MVPs and busts across the Week 2 fantasy football landscape.

Quarterback MVP for Week 2: Tom Brady Claims the Crown Again

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Going back to Week 10 of last season, the Bills entered Week 2 having only allowed six passing touchdowns, 185 passing yards per game, 10.4 fantasy points (using ESPN standard scoring) per game and an average passer rating of 68 versus opposing arms.

On Sunday, Tom Brady threw for 466 yards and three scores, and he posted a passer rating of 105.6. In Orchard Park, no less, Brady tamed the league's most feared defense. He produced one fewer fantasy point than Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2, but given the extreme challenge of dismantling a dominant defense on the road, we're sticking with the former Michigan man as the fantasy QB MVP for Week 2. 

No doubt Brady's opponent in this week's division battle, Tyrod Taylor, posted a stellar fantasy outing that offered rich margins for daily fantasy investors and whoever was bold enough to deploy him in redraft competition.

Rounding out a surprising top crop at the position this week, Oakland's Derek Carr enjoyed a career outing against the Ravens, while Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton both produced strong fantasy lines. Carson Palmer remains poised to return major profits for those who valued his strong pre-injury 2014 metrics.

Investors in the ailing duo of Tony Romo and Jay Cutler could be scouring the market for help, while names such as Taylor and Kaepernick will end up in the most-added mix.

Despite Being a Heavy Favorite, Drew Brees Is the Biggest QB Bust of Week 2

Bill Haber/Associated Press

The shot above of Drew Brees running from a pack of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defenders sums up his worrisome Week 2 well. It also helps to capture what owning Brees felt like this past Sunday: helpless and a bit scary—save maybe for the whole getting mauled by Gerald McCoy part. 

Brees ranks 24th among signal-callers in ESPN fantasy scoring for Week 2, and this is before Monday Night Football! As the week's biggest favorites in the supposedly friendly confines of the Superdome, according to FootballLocks.com, Brees struggled against a middling Tampa Bay defense. 

To start the season, he has thrown for just two passing touchdowns through two weeks, his fewest in the first two games while with the Saints since 2007, when he posted just one score over the first two games. 

Philip Rivers and Sam Bradford also left investors ailing, but it was clearly Brees who stunk up the fantasy elevator before getting off on Sunday.

Running Back MVP for Week 2: DeAngelo Williams Runs Wild on the 49ers

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

DeAngelo Williams looks genuinely happy, and why wouldn't he? Through two weeks with the Steelers, the veteran's revival campaign in place of the suspended Le'Veon Bell has been inspiring, as he is currently second in the NFL in rushing yards. 

For those Bell investors who've used Williams as a stopgap until the brilliant third-year back returns in Week 3 from his suspension, golf claps all around. Gauging Williams' independent fantasy value going forward isn't so clear, but he's clearly worthy of an enduring roster spot as insurance behind Bell. Having proved he still has some juice left, Williams' career appears to have a second life in Pittsburgh. 

The Redskins' Matt Jones broke out in a big and unexpected way versus the Rams on Sunday in an upset outing, as the rookie racked up 146 yards while out-touching teammate Alfred Morris. Jones will undoubtedly be the top waiver addition in fantasy football this week. 

Adrian Peterson made his way back up the fantasy leaderboard, quelling fears over his demise. Meanwhile, Dion Lewis might still be the back of choice in New England. 

From Breakout to Bust, DeMarco Murray Can't Get Going in Philly

Michael Perez/Associated Press

From leading the league in rushing, rushes, yards from scrimmage and total touches last season to being tied with Tony Romo and Andy Dalton in rushing yardage through two games this year, DeMarco Murray's strange struggles with the Eagles have investors perplexed. 

While his outing was a bit better salvaged in point-per-reception formats, Murray's utter lack of positive production has him earning the biggest running back bust award for Week 2. While health doesn't appear to be an active influence at the moment, spotty usage and the Eagles' lack of push on the line deflate Murray's stock. The best and only advice for his investors is to hold tight and hope for improved outcomes. 

Carlos Hyde, Lamar Miller and Eddie Lacy all left their respective games with injuries, so while it's difficult to deem them busts, we'll all be closely watching their scenarios unfold this week. 

Legendary Larry Fitzgerald Is the Wide Receiver MVP for Week 2

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

As a fellow Pitt alum, I can't help but give Fitzgerald his due props for what is turning out to be a strong renaissance campaign for the Canton-bound receiver. With three scores over the suspect Chicago secondary, Fitzgerald is our wide receiver MVP for this second week of fantasy football action.

Not only did "Fitz" score the most points at the position this week, but his success appears sustainable, as his resurgence coincides with Carson Palmer's brilliant start. As long as these two capable veterans form a proven passing battery, the Cardinals should be considered contenders.

Joining Fitzgerald atop the leaderboard is Travis Benjamin, who scored three times on Sunday in nearly single-handedly downing the Titans. If you had Benjamin ahead of Julio Jones in fantasy points after two weeks, collect your prize around back. 

Of the surprising class of top performers, Torrey Smith's strong showing was encouraging for his prospects going forward, while Michael Crabtree might still have some life left in his legs after all. 

Brandin Cooks Is a Bust and Not a Breakout in Week 2

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

While we have a number of names we could deem busts in Week 2 among fantasy wideouts, Brandin Cooks earns the dubious distinction as our wide receiver bust for Week 2. Given such lofty draft pricing and an expectedly rich and rewarding target share for the Saints, Cooks' slow start to the season is disconcerting. 

While Cooks did haul in five balls for 62 yards, the utter lack of big-play output versus an otherwise generous Tampa Bay secondary promotes real doubt over his ability to ascend as a top fantasy option. Better days should be ahead for the Saints' passing game, but don't be surprised if Cooks' market value deflates in the coming weeks.

Rob Gronkowski Is Once Again the Fantasy Tight End MVP

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

The fantasy tight end MVP statue is actually just a bronzed Gronk doing a keg stand in Cabo. Fitting, since Rob Gronkowski was second among fantasy tight ends in scoring in Week 2, despite facing one of the league's stingiest defenses on the road. 

While Crockett Gillmore took the top spot in points, no one outside of Gilmore Girls-themed fantasy leagues deployed him in lineups, thus voiding the celebration to a degree. It's unclear if such success is enduring for Gillmore, but he'll get looks on the waiver wire because of the position's shallow nature alone. 

Jimmy Graham Leaves Fantasy Football Investors Needing More in Week 2

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

If Gronkowski's endless scoring binge offers amazing return on investment even on his lofty draft price, Jimmy Graham's weak Week 2 has investors wondering if they bought fool's gold. With just one fantasy point this week in ESPN scoring, Graham's two-target Week 2 earns him the title of tight end bust of the week in fantasy football. 

Bigger box scores are sure to come, but such a minor target share (just 6.6 percent of Wilson's attempts went to Graham) should change our projections for the big red-zone target going forward. 

The Denver Broncos D/ST Dominates Again in Week 2

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

A huge outing from your fantasy defense can shift fortunes in a given week. An enduringly dominant fantasy defense can win you your league. The Denver Broncos are shaping up to join the long-term club, as Wade Phillips has this talented and balanced defense primed to produce the most fantasy points this season. 

Two shutdown corners in Aqib Talib and Chris Harris to go with brilliant edge-rushers in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware highlight arguably the league's most talented unit. While the Cowboys stymied the languid Eagles offense, we're buying the sustainability of the Broncos' fantasy efforts, thus earning them the distinction of our defense/special teams MVP for Week 2 in fantasy football. 

Which defenses are you looking to stream for Week 3? Is there a group that could challenge the Broncos for the fantasy crown next week? 

The biggest bust among fantasy defenses must be the Baltimore Ravens, as they went into the East Bay charged with dominating a reeling Raiders offense yet left with negative fantasy production after enduring an unexpected offensive shootout. Even when Vegas and all the friendly metrics align, fantasy D/ST groups are a fickle bunch. 

Fantasy Rookie of the Week: Matt Jones Runs Wild

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

We praised the Redskins' Matt Jones in our running back MVP discussion, but DeAngelo Williams' brilliant Week 2 was worthy of the award. Meanwhile, Jones earns the top honors among professional freshmen for his awesome and unexpected breakout game. 

With 22 touches to veteran peer Alfred Morris' 20, an interesting share of work has emerged for fantasy investors to inspect. As Jones is surely the top waiver addition for the coming week, B/R's own Tyler Conway broke down the scenario succinctly in a recent piece: 

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We'll have to see if this is a one-week fluke before endorsing adding Jones to starting lineups. That said, he should be near the top of waiver-wire pickup lists heading into Week 3 and is a potential gem in keeper/dynasty leagues. This could be a fluke...or it could be the start of Jones overtaking Morris in the running back pecking order.

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Fantasy stats courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.