Fantasy Football Week 2: Rankings, Projections and Waiver-Wire Tips

When looking at the Week 2 NFL schedule, two games immediately stick out as matchups wherein points will be scored in bunches.

At 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, the New England Patriots will travel to face the New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Both offenses are excellent, but their defenses could struggle this year (we already saw New England's have issues in a 42-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs).

The Sunday Night Football game could be a classic, as the Atlanta Falcons host the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game. Undoubtedly, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his team are out for revenge after losing 44-21 in that showdown last season.

While those games seem like they'll have the most points (real and fantasy), a couple other spots stand out where certain players have good matchups.

Here's a look at some Week 2 rankings, projections and waiver-wire tips.

Quarterback

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 350 passing yards, 3 TD (26 points)

2. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. New England Patriots: 350 passing yards, 3 TD (26 points)

3. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 300 passing yards, 3 TD (24 points)

4. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Green Bay Packers: 300 passing yards, 3 TD (24 points)

5. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 225 passing yards, 2 TD, 30 rushing yards (21 points)

6. Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 275 passing yards, 2 TD (21 points)

7. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Chicago Bears: 275 yards, 2 TD (21 points)

8. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. Buffalo Bills: 175 passing yards, 1 TD, 30 rushing yards, 1 TD (20 points)

9. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) vs. New York Jets: 275 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (20 points)

10. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) at Kansas City Chiefs: 225 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (18 points)

Naturally, the four quarterbacks in the aforementioned games lead the pack in this week's projections. Outside of that quartet, keep an eye on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who heads home to face the rebuilding San Francisco 49ers.

This is a clear plus matchup for Wilson. The 49ers defense looked decent in a 23-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was off for most of the game as he missed wide-open receivers.

In fairness, Newton is still rounding into form after offseason shoulder surgery that prevented him from participating in many preseason activities, but the San Francisco offense couldn't get anything going, giving Carolina plenty of scoring opportunities.

Expect a similar result on Sunday, as the stingy Seahawks defense should keep the 49ers offense at bay, which in turn will give Wilson the ball in good field positions to score touchdowns.

Running Back

1. Chris Carson (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 120 rushing yards, 3 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD (21 points)

2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 80 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (19 points)

3. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Green Bay Packers: 60 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (17 points)

4. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) vs. Buffalo Bills: 40 rushing yards, 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (16 points)

5. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Tennessee Titans: 90 rushing yards, 1 TD (15 points)

6. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) at Denver Broncos: 70 rushing yards, 2 catches, 20 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

7. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Washington Redskins: 70 rushing yards, 2 catches, 20 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

8. Ty Montgomery (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 40 rushing yards, 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

9. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 80 rushing yards, 3 catches, 40 yards (12 points)

10. Mike Gillislee (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 50 rushing yards, 1 TD (11 points)

It may seem odd that a running back who gained just 49 yards from scrimmage on Sunday (Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson) leads Week 2's projections, but no one thought that Chicago Bears backup running back Tarik Cohen would outscore every single person at his position not named Kareem Hunt in points-per-reception leagues, either. Weird things happen in the NFL sometimes.

Carson was the best running back on Seattle's roster on Sunday, as he continued his preseason run of success into the regular season. He may have gained just 49 yards, but they were on seven touches.

Sooner or later (the guess is very soon), Carson will be installed as the team's clear No. 1 running back ahead of Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise.

As noted before with Wilson, Carson also gets a good matchup with the 49ers. Expect Seattle to run the ball early and often as they pull away from San Francisco, which will help open up the passing lanes to wideout Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham.

Wide Receiver

1. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 8 catches, 160 yards, 1 TD (22 points)

2. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) at Indianapolis Colts: 6 catches, 70 yards, 2 TD (19 points)

3. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Chicago Bears: 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

4. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. New England Patriots: 10 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

5. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Green Bay Packers: 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

6. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 9 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD (17 points)

7. Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) vs. New York Jets: 6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

8. Doug Baldwin (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

9. Randall Cobb (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 7 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

10. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 7 catches, 120 yards (12 points)

One can't help but look at the Week 2 slate and see that New England Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks is headed back to New Orleans and facing the team that traded him in the offseason. That extra motivation could be useful on Sunday.

Otherwise, this list is full of players from the two aforementioned high-scoring games. All four quarterbacks are predicted to have big days, so naturally, the wide receivers should too.

Notably, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb looked excellent on Sunday, catching nine passes for 85 yards against a stingy Seahawks defense. He should have another good game again in Week 2.

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 7 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 6 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

3. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 5 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

4. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) at Kansas City Chiefs: 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

5. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

6. Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

7. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) at Los Angeles Rams: 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

8. Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) vs. Buffalo Bills: 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (10 points)

9. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 3 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (10 points)

10. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) at Pittsburgh Steelers: 7 catches, 70 yards (7 points)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a quiet game on Thursday, catching five passes for 40 yards and no scores, but don't expect that to be the norm. He's one of the best at his position in the league and should see plenty of targets all season long.

Otherwise, 33-year-old Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker showed no signs of slowing down on Sunday, as he caught seven passes for 76 yards. He's a tough cover, even against stingy defenses. He should do well against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, although the Jags looked excellent in a 29-7 win over the Houston Texans.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Houston Texans (at Cincinnati Bengals): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (11 points)

2. Seattle Seahawks (vs. San Francisco 49ers): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (11 points)

3. Baltimore Ravens (vs. Cleveland Browns): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

4. New York Giants (vs. Detroit Lions): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Miami Dolphins): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

7. Los Angeles Rams (vs. Washington Redskins): 3 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (9 points)

5. Carolina Panthers (vs. Buffalo Bills): 3 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (9 points)

8. Denver Broncos (vs. Dallas Cowboys): 3 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (9 points)

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Chicago Bears): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 14-20 PA (7 points)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Houston Texans): 1 sack, 2 INT, 14-20 PA (6 points)

The New York Giants defense looked great against the Dallas Cowboys considering it seemed like it was on the field all the time. At home against a weaker team in the Detroit Lions, the Giants should fare well.

Otherwise, the Panthers should have a good game against Buffalo as long as they are able to stop Bills running back LeSean McCoy. Carolina's cornerbacks are underrated and should be able to shut down a few passing attacks this year.

Waiver-Wire Tips

Simply put: Don't spend all of your free-agent budget on one player who looked great on Sunday whom everyone neglected to draft. Also, don't go wild for a player who may not see similar opportunities in the future.

For example, Chicago Bears running back Cohen looked excellent against the Atlanta Falcons, but he's not going to get 12 targets per game all the time. It's simply not sustainable.

That doesn't mean he'll fail to do well in the future, but he'll regress to the mean and also has to compete with running back Jordan Howard for time in the Chicago Bears backfield.

Do consider Carson for the reasons mentioned above, as well as Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, the 6'4" rookie who caught two touchdown passes and looks like a serious red-zone threat.