by Will Overton
You can’t make wholesale changes on your opinions after just one week ofaction. You can, however, learn things that at least alter your thinking. It’s a balancing act of not overreacting while not ignoring the “facts” that have emerged. With that balancing act in mind you won’t find too many massive changes in my rankings, but there are some adjustments. Let’s get to breaking down the Week 2 rankings:
- Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City
- DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans @ Tennessee
- Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina
- Odell Beckham Jr. – New York Giants @ Dallas
- Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland
- Keenan Allen – Los Angeles Chargers @ Buffalo
- Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh
- A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore
- Stefon Diggs – Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay
- Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota
- Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia
- Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay
- T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts @ Washington
- Jarvis Landry – Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans
- JuJu Smith Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City
- Allen Robinson – Chicago Bears vs. Seattle
- Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals @ LA Rams
- Emmanuel Sanders – Denver Broncos vs. Oakland
- Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos vs. Oakland
- Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans
- Devin Funchess – Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta
- Amari Cooper – Oakland Raiders @ Denver
- Corey Davis – Tennessee Titans vs. Houston
- Marvin Jones Jr – Detroit Lions @ San Francisco
- Brandin Cooks – Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona
- Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota
- Michael Crabtree – Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati
- Robby Anderson – New York Jets vs. MIami
- Kenny Stills – Miami Dolphins @ NY Jets
- Golden Tate – Detroit Lions @ San Francisco
- Chris Hogan – New England Patriots @ Jacksonville
- Nelson Agholor – Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay
- Cooper Kupp – Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona
- Jamison Crowder – Washington Redskins vs. Indianapolis
- Robert Woods – Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona
- Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit
- Brandon Marshall – Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago
- John Brown – Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati
- Sammy Watkins – Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh
- Keelan Cole – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England
- Kenny Golladay – Detroit Lions @ San Francisco
- Tyler Lockett – Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago
- Mike Williams – Los Angeles Chargers @ Buffalo
- John Ross – Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore
- Quincy Enunwa – New York Jets vs. Miami
- Ryan Grant – Indianapolis Colts @ Washington
- Pierre Garcon – San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit
- Mike Wallace – Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay
- Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia
- Ted Ginn Jr – New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland
Thoughts:
- We may be witnessing the new, most dynamic duo in the NFL with Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill teaming up. It’s almost unfair to see the arm strength of Mahomes paired with the freakish speed of Hill. The combination is going to have Hill racking up big plays all season, and I think most likely placing Hill in the Top 10 of these rankings an awful lot. The Chargers oddly porous secondary play helped last week, but I’m not sure Pittsburgh can do much more to slow him down.
- I think one of those things we learned in Week 1 is that just because he’s not in Miami anymore doesn’t mean Jarvis Landry can’t be a fringe WR1/top end WR2. The concern was whether he could keep up the target share that made him such a PPR monster and at least for a week, so far so good. Landry was targeted 15 times in Week 1 and ended up with seven catches for 106 yards. While I don’t think the Saints defense is as bad as they looked, I do think Landry can have another really nice game against them, especially if Marshon Lattimore is busy covering Josh Gordon all game.
- One of the things I am trying to decipher from is whether we can expect Emmanuel Sanders to be the go to guy for Case Keenum or not. In Week 1 Sanders had the blow up game, catching 10 balls on 11 targets for 135 yards and a TD. It wasn’t as though Demaryius Thomas was obsolete, as he also caught six passes on his 10 targets and scored a TD. I have the two receivers back to back this week and both could have a big game again facing off against the Raiders defense. Chances are you don’t own both anyway so you shouldn’t have too worry about choosing between them.
- There is a fair amount of injury fallout from Week 1, but one of the more intriguing stories is the injury to Greg Olsen in Carolina. The tight end was the clear favorite target of Cam Newton, along with Christian McCaffery, and that is going to leave a fair amount of opportunities on the table. Last season it was the weeks that Olsen was sidelined that Devin Funchess did the most damage and looked at times like a potential WR1 in the making. With Olsen on the shelf again there should be a lot of optimism among Funchess owners that history can repeat itself and Funchess could be in line for a strong string of games ahead.
- There was a pretty fair amount of hype around Chris Hogan this preseason after the trading of Brandin Cooks and suspension of Julian Edelman. With that Week 1 had to be especially disappointing for his owners as he caught only one pass for 11 yards on five targets. The Texans clearly schemed to take him out of the game and force other WR to step up. Unfortunately I’m not sure things will get a ton better for him going against one of the top CB pairs in the league in Jacksonville. If Hogan struggles again, as he very well might, this could be an ideal time to buy low because I do think he will be fine in the long run and will actually be helped by the return of Edelman.
- It’s a bit of a guessing game in Seattle as to who will emerge as the “go to guy” with Doug Baldwin shelved for the next few weeks. No one leaped off the page in Week 1, except maybe the surprising emergence of tight end Will Dissly. It was Brandon Marshall who led the team in targets with six, also catching a TD, but Tyler Lockett also brought in a TD. If I had to pick between the two I’m going Marshall as I do think he’s at least the go to guy in the red zone, but Lockett has some big play ability that makes him appealing as well with a bigger role perhaps in store.
- Saying there was a bright spot for the Detroit Lions in Week 1 is hard to do, but if there was one it’d have to be Kenny Golladay. The second year receiver caught seven passes on 12 targets, racking up 114 yards. It was a weird game for the Lions and it’s hard to know what one can take away from it, but I will say Golladay was creating separation and showing some legit burst for a guy of his size. I’m not ready to bump him up above the combo of Marvin Jones Jr and Golden Tate just yet, but I am very curious to see what happens with this situation in Week 2.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 rankings:
Quarterbacks |
Running Backs |
Wide Receivers |
Tight Ends |
Kickers |
Defenses |
Are these ranking for PPR or Standard?
WR2, Tate or Sanders?
I’d lean towards Sanders
Hi Professor,
If you have time….
I see that Connor had five catches against the Browns, so much like Bell, but with JuJu playing well, do you think they will attempt to throw more his way and ease up on Connor, or Bell, when he returns? Bell touched the ball 400+ times last year, so that is a lot of wear and tear.
Last week you confirmed that M Evans was a good start against the Saints, but could Josh Gordon do better? H Jackson mentioned today that JG would get more targets, but then the Saints are home. I have ARob on the bench as well, but worried about his QB.
I grabbed Golladay off waiver wire and curious as well what happens next?
Thank you very much!
tony
Anything is possible w/Pitt but I think it’ll be a week-to-week thing
I’d def. use Gordon in that matchup
Golladay is going to be interesting to watch, but the upside is there
Thank you for replying and your feedback!
I think Golladay’s first game last season showed promise, then the rest happened, but this season holds a lot of potential, and as you noted, could be interesting! I had Calvin on my team for years, so a bit like him and maybe Stafford will think the same. He had that great hit after the interception, then caused the fumble and recovered it…that was impressive as long as he doesn’t get hurt, but coaches will note his efforts and talent!
Anyway, thanks again and good luck with your team(s) this weekend.
So I have Devante Adams, John Brown, Josh Gordon and Brandon Marshall.Which 2 would you start in PPR league? Thanks in advance.!
And Mike Williams.
Adams/Gordon
Prof,
16 team PPR league. We can start a TE as a receiver.
Starting Lineup
QB – Brady
RB – Lamar Miller, Jamaal Williams
WR – Randal Cobb, Robert Woods, Rob Gronkowski
K – Will Lutz
I have on my bench:
RB – Gillislee and Powell
WR – Hurns, Cameron Meredith, Mike Wallace and Terrance Williams
Elderman when he comes off suspension.
Would you change anything in my starting lineup?
Thanks
Looks about right. Good luck!!
Watup Prof,
Crowder or Golladay? Standard. Thanks!
I’d go Crowder. Golladay is intriguing, but still a lot of questions re: opportunities
Is now the time to grab J.Brown from Baltimore?
Standard league and could drop Penny for him?
Eh, I wouldn’t go nuts
AJ Green rocked it on Thursday so now need wr2 and Flex. Assuming Michael Thomas as wr2, Jarvis Landry or Juju in Flex?
I’m rolling Landry