Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

When playing fantasy football, it's important to try to have a forward-thinking outlook.

For example, if you see how well a certain player (or team defense) did in Week 1 and think that's going to translate to the rest of the season, that may not be the case.

Fantasy success is based on a few different things (e.g. skill level, opportunity, matchup, etc.), but some factors may not be in play down the road.

Ultimately, it's best to look ahead and take the season by a week-by-week basis and make estimated guess based on the slate.

Here's a look at some Week 2 positional rankings.

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. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) at Jacksonville Jaguars: 250 passing yards, 2 TD, 30 rushing yards (21 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: 275 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (18 points)

The top four quarterbacks are pretty clear heading into the week, as we have a quartet of top-of-the-line signal-callers facing off in friendly dome environments for explosive offensive football.

Really, you can pick any of the top four on the list above and make a case for why they will be the high scorer.

Otherwise, keep an eye out for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. He looked great on Sunday in a 30-17 win over the Washington Redskins, especially on a 58-yard touchdown pass to wideout Nelson Agholor that only occurred because Wentz danced around a group of defenders before firing a pass.

Without Kansas City Chiefs superstar safety Eric Berry, who is unfortunately out for the year with a ruptured Achilles, Wentz will have better opportunity to make plays through the air against the K.C. defense.

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. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 40 yards (18 points)

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

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

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

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

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

9. Terrance West (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cleveland Browns: 70 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 20 receiving yards (15 points)

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

Green Bay Packers running back Ty Montgomery was featured early and often in a 17-9 win over the Seattle Seahawks, as he touched the ball 23 times (19 runs, four catches).

It's hard to imagine Montgomery receiving 23 touches every game (that would mean a whopping 368 for the season, which is a rarity these days), but it's clear that the Packers are going to rely on him as a focal point of the offense to take some pressure off signal-caller Aaron Rodgers.

In a potentially high-scoring game in Atlanta, Montgomery should hear his number called often again.

Wide Receiver

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

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

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

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

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

6. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) at Indianapolis Colts: 6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

7. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants) vs. Detroit Lions: 8 catches, 100 receiving yards, 1 TD (16 points)

8. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 4 catches, 80 receiving yards, 1 TD, 20 rushing yards (16 points)

9. Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 5 catches, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD (15 points)

10. Ted Ginn Jr. (New Orleans Saints) vs. New England Patriots: 5 catches, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD (15 points)

Don't let one rough game from New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to open the season fool you. He's still one of the best wideouts in the game, and he gets to play in the friendly confines of the Mercedes-Benz Dome eight times a year.

Yes, Thomas struggled against cornerback Xavier Rhodes and the Minnesota Vikings defense, accruing just five catches for 45 yards, but playing at Minnesota is one of the toughest matchups for any offense in the league.

Against a New England Patriots defense that looked porous at home versus the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday, Thomas should have more opportunities.

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. Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Chicago Bears: 5 catches, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (11 points)

9. Austin Hooper (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Green Bay Packers: 3 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

10. Evan Engram (New York Giants) vs. Detroit Lions: 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

Much like Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a quieter game, catching four passes for 50 yards Thursday while running back Kareem Hunt and wide receiver Tyreek Hill scored the majority of the touchdowns.

Still, Kelce is one of the best tight ends in football, and he should end up amassing the most targets on the team by the end of the year. Expect him to have a big game against Philadelphia this week.

Kicker

1. Wil Lutz (New Orleans Saints) vs. New England Patriots: 3 PAT, 2 FG (18-39 yards), 2 FG (40-49 yards): 17 points

2. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) at New Orleans Saints: 4 PAT, 1 FG (18-39 yards), 2 FG (40-49 yards): 15 points

3. Greg Zuerlein (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Washington Redskins: 1 PAT, 2 FG (40-49 yards), 1 FG (50-plus): 14 points

4. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cleveland Browns: 2 PAT, 1 FG (18-39 yards), 2 FG (40-49 yards): 13 points

5. Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys) at Denver Broncos: 2 PAT, 1 FG (18-39 yards), 2 FG (40-49 yards): 13 points

6. Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers) at Atlanta Falcons: 4 PAT, 2 FG (40-49 yards): 12 points

7. Younghoe Koo (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 3 PAT, 2 FG (40-49 yards): 11 points

8. Giorgio Tavecchio (Oakland Raiders) vs. New York Jets: 3 PAT, 2 FG (18-39 yards): 9 points

9. Blair Walsh (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 3 PAT, 2 FG (18-39 yards): 9 points

10. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Green Bay Packers: 5 PAT, 1 FG (40-49 yards): 9 points

If you're in the business of streaming kickers (in other words, picking up and dropping kickers each week based on their matchups), then consider going for those who (a) are facing weak defenses and (b) are playing in domes or warm weather.

This isn't exactly rocket science, nor a new thought by any stretch. But focusing on a kicker who checks off those two boxes is a good start.

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz is in a good spot this week. The Patriots' pass rush might have a hard time getting to quarterback Drew Brees, which means that the Saints could be driving down the field frequently.

Of course, drives could end in touchdowns more often than not, meaning fewer field-goal opportunities for Lutz, but he should still get his scoring chances.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Chicago Bears): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 1-6 PA (13 points)

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

3. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Houston Texans): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (8 points)

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

5. 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): 4 sacks, 2 INT, 14-20 PA (9 points)

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

9. Denver Broncos (vs. Dallas Cowboys): 3 sacks, 1 INT, 14-20 PA (9 points)

10. Houston Texans (at Cincinnati Bengals): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 14-20 PA (8 points)

Remember what I said about not taking one game too seriously? Well, I am going to break my own rule in this section.

The Carolina Panthers may have faced one of the worst offenses in football Sunday when they beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-3, but the linemen, linebackers and secondary looked fantastic.

They held the 49ers to just 51 yards rushing and 193 yards passing, in addition to sacking quarterback Brian Hoyer four times and picking him off once.

The secondary looks much improved from last year, linebacker Luke Kuechly is back and healthy, and the addition of defensive end Julius Peppers makes the pass rush even stronger. With a weak schedule on paper, we might have a few repeat performances of the opener.