2015 Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings

Can I hit the reset button on Week 1?  Yikes!

Not only did I lose to my wife in my ESPN league, but I would have won in my money league had I started pretty much anyone other than Steve Smith at my FLEX position.  Danny Woodhead and Ryan Mathews both had plenty of points on my bench to get me the W, but it was not to be in Week 1.  The thing is, I should have played someone other than the Browns D and I could have won that way too.  No matter how you slice it, I'm trying to get back on track in Week 2.

But enough about my squad.  Let's get to the rankings!

QBs 1.Drew Brees  2.Aaron Rodgers  3.Andrew Luck 4.Matt Ryan  5.Russell Wilson  6.Ben Roethlisberger  7.Tom Brady  8.Sam Bradford 9.Carson Palmer  10.Tony Romo    11.Eli Manning  12.Ryan Tannehill 13.Peyton Manning  14.Philip Rivers 15.Cam Newton     16.Teddy Bridgewater 17.Marcus Mariota 18.Matthew Stafford   19.Andy Dalton 20.Nick Foles  Last week I was high on Eli Manning versus the ESPN experts (ESPN #12, ME #8), but he was terrible on Sunday night and didn't even crack the top-25.  But I was right to be down on Drew Brees (ESPN #8, ME #12), who only threw one TD pass and finished outside of the top-15 fantasy QBs.  You'll notice I moved him up just a bit for this week in his home opener against the Bucs though... I'm high on: Andy Dalton (ESPN #27, ME #19)  This week I have the Red Rifle in my top-20, but ESPN is showing him no love for his home opener against the Chargers.  He had 269 yards and a pair of TDs in a blowout win in Oakland, and I think he'll do just fine this week in Cincy.  I like AJ Green and Tyler Eifert a lot this week, so I feel the need to rank Dalton up there too. Without Dez, is Romo still a no-brainer QB1? I'm down on: Tony Romo (ESPN #6, ME #10)  Here's a guy who just lost his best wide receiver and is playing a division road game, but the experts have no problem ranking him way up there.  Well I do.  I think it's very possible the Cowboys go run heavy in this one to try to control the time of possession a bit, and I think Romo's numbers could suffer just from the fact that his best WRs are now Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.   RBs 1.Jeremy Hill  2.DeMarco Murray 3.Adrian Peterson 4.Marshawn Lynch  5.Jamaal Charles  6.Matt Forte 7.Eddie Lacy 8.Carlos Hyde      9.CJ Anderson 10.Mark Ingram   11.Justin Forsett   12.Chris Ivory 13.LeSean McCoy 14.Lamar Miller 15.Jonathan Stewart  16.Rashad Jennings   17.Joseph Randle  18.Ameer Abdullah  19.Alfred Morris 20.DeAngelo Williams 21.Frank Gore 22.Tevin Coleman    23.Latavius Murray  24.Doug Martin   25.Bishop Sankey  26.Danny Woodhead  27.LeGarrette Blount 28.TJ Yeldon 29.Tre Mason  30.Chris Johnson 31.Isaiah Crowell 32.CJ Spiller  33.Melvin Gordon  34.Joique Bell     35.Giovani Bernard  36.Darren Sproles  37.Alfred Blue  38.Ryan Mathews   39.Dion Lewis  40.Shane Vereen The top RB for Week 1 was Carlos Hyde, and it wasn't even close.  I was high on Jonathan Stewart (ESPN #14, ME #8), but he actually finished outside of the top-25.  But he wasn't alone among underwhelming top RBs in seemingly good matchups.  Others with bad days included the likes of Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and Lamar Miller.  I was down on Giovani Bernard (ESPN #29, ME #36), but he actually got plenty of touches as the Bengals destroyed the Raiders, and he finished just inside the top-25 RBs in the opening week.  BUT...I will say that my reasoning for being down on him was twofold: 1. I said Jeremy Hill would get fed, and that surely happened.  He finished as a top-5 RB. 2. I also said that I'd rather try my luck with Bishop Sankey, who I thought would end up with twice as many touches as Bernard.  And while they got the same amount of touches, Sankey was actually a top-5 fantasy RB last week.  Maybe I should have kept him over Latavius Murray in my money league.  Time will tell on that one... I'm high on: Rashad Jennings (ESPN #22, ME #16)  None of the ESPN experts have Jennings higher than 20th, and one even has him ranked 28th!  Well Jennings had a solid game in Week 1, and he might have been even better if his coach didn't tell him NOT to score late in the game.  Either way, he's now going up against an Atlanta defense that gave up the most fantasy points to RBs in the opening contest.  All of the Eagle running backs did well in that one, and I like Jennings to have a solid game in Week 2. I'm down on: Melvin Gordon (ESPN #26, ME #33)  I'm rolling with Little Danny Woodhead this week, so I hope I'm right on this one.  The veteran seems to be the preferred back in San Diego, but the ESPN guys are ranking Gordon well ahead of him.  Here's to hoping the Chargers stick with the little guy! WRs 1.Antonio Brown 2.Julio Jones 3.Odell Beckham, Jr.  4.DeMaryius Thomas  5.Brandin Cooks 6.AJ Green  7.Randall Cobb 8.Calvin Johnson   9.Jordan Matthews 10.DeAndre Hopkins  11.Alshon Jeffery    12.Keenan Allen  13.Emmanuel Sanders  14.Julian Edelman  15.Jarvis Landry  16.John Brown  17.Brandon Marshall   18.Terrance Williams 19.Vincent Jackson 20.Steve Smith  21.Larry Fitzgerald  22.Davante Adams  23.Allen Robinson   24.Jeremy Maclin 25.Golden Tate  26.Andre Johnson  27.Charles Johnson  28.Donte Moncrief   29.Mike Wallace  30.Amari Cooper  31.Steve Johnson  32.James Jones  33.Roddy White   34.Pierre Garcon 35.Kendall Wright  36.Brandon Coleman 37.Eric Decker    38.Sammy Watkins  39.Nelson Agholor 40.Cole Beasley  There were some big injuries at the WR position in Week 1 including guys like Dez Bryant, TY Hilton, and DeSean Jackson. So you'll notice Terrance Williams way up the WR rankings, and I had a tough time figuring out where to rank Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief.  I could see either one being a top-10 WR this week, but they'll have a tough matchup with the Jets secondary on Monday night.   Back to Week 1...Julio Jones and Antonio Brown both showed why they were first round fantasy draft picks this year, as they finished as top-3 WRs.  The guy I was high on was Larry Fitzgerald (ESPN #40, ME #26), and he finished right where I predicted (26th)!  How about them apples?  Not so fast though because the guy I was down on was Brandon Marshall (ESPN #20, ME #28), and he had 62 yards and a TD.  He should have every opportunity to keep that production going in Indy, as I expect New York to be passing a lot and playing from behind. I'm high on: John Brown (ESPN #24, ME #16)  Everyone seems to like Carson Palmer this week, so why not John Brown?  All this guy seems to do is make big plays, and I think he'll have at least one in Chicago this week. I'm down on: Amari Cooper (ESPN #17, ME #30)  I'm also way low on Sammy Watkins this week (ESPN #25, ME #38), but I'd rather talk about the Raider rookie.  As of right now, I don't even know if Derek Carr will suit up against the Ravens this week.  Add to that the fact that Baltimore completely shut down Peyton Manning (IN Denver) last week, and I just don't feel great about Amari just yet. TEs 1.Rob Gronkowski 2.Jason Witten 3.Travis Kelce 4.Jimmy Graham 5.Greg Olsen 6.Martellus Bennett  7.Tyler Eifert 8.Jordan Reed 9.Jordan Cameron  10.Austin Sefarian-Jenkins 11.Zach Ertz 12.Ladarius Green Why couldn't you have waited a week to break out, dude?!? Last week I was high on Tyler Eifert (ESPN #13, ME #9), who had over 100 yards and scored twice.  I was also down on Heath Miller (ESPN #9, ME not ranked), who actually finished as a top-15 TE.  But I suggested trying a younger guy rather than start Heath, and you were surely rewarded if you went with Jordan Reed, Ladarius Green...or Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (like the guy who beat me in Week 1...still bitter about that one!).  This week I'm not going to highlight a guy I'm high/down on because my rankings are just so close to ESPN's.  But I will say that I didn't rank Heath Miller again in my top-12, but ESPN did.  If I were faced with the choice between him or Ladarius Green (or ASJ), obviously I'd take youth before experience yet again. DEF 1.Dolphins  2.Rams  3.Panthers  4.Ravens 5.Texans   6.Cardinals  7.Broncos 8.Seahawks  9.Chiefs  10.Titans   11.Bills   12.Jets I totally whiffed here last week.  I was high on the Browns (ESPN #17, ME #10), and they did nothing to help me get a W as I started them in Week 1 in my money league.  I also was down on the Bills (ESPN #5, ME not ranked), thinking Andrew Luck would light them up.  He did not.  I hope they can do it two weeks in a row as Tom Brady rolls into town because I'll also be facing him in Week 2... I'm high on: Kansas City Chiefs (ESPN #20, ME #9)  I'm betting against science here (aka Peyton Manning), but he hasn't looked much like Peyton Manning in his last few games.  He did virtually nothing against Baltimore last week, and now he has a short week and travels to one of the most hostile environments in the league (Arrowhead).  I like the Chiefs to put plenty of pressure on the old signal caller and actually pull off the W tomorrow night. I'm down on: New England Patriots (ESPN #11, ME not ranked)   I struggled with who to put in at my 12 spot this week (Bengals/Saints), but ultimately I settled on the Jets.  But I wasn't even thinking about the Patriots, yet none of the ESPN experts have them ranked lower than 15th.    I'm just not sure they're still the same kind of consistent fantasy D they've been in the past.  I guess time will tell, but I don't see them as a top-12 fantasy defense this week. Good luck to everyone in Week 2!   (Except you, Brandon...) Cheers, Bart

2015 Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings

Just adding to the list of reasons I don't like Bishop Sankey...

Well the preseason is in the books, and my money league draft went on without a...well, it was a fun night.

You see, once the draft starts, we have a rule that you have to take a shot of liquor if you say the name of an NFL player who hasn't been drafted yet.  You also have to take a shot if you make an official pick and that player has already been drafted.  I think for most of our previous live drafts, there are usually 2 or 3 shots taken. This draft there were 18.

I don't know what was going on.  Maybe it was contagious.  Hell, I did two of them for mentioning Bishop Sankey and...wait for it...Michael Vick!  But it's all in good fun.

Now it's on to Week 1, and this year I'm not missing the Thursday night opener.  Last year I didn't see it because my wife and I were at a Brad Paisley concert in Austin, TX.  I can't complain though because it was a really good show.  But no country music for me this Thursday night.  It'll just be me, the wife, the dog, and...freaking Tom Brady.  Actually, I'm not even sure how much my wife will watch the game because she hates Brady almost as much as she hates Roethlisberger (and he's the other QB playing).  But you already knew that, right?

What about the other matchups though?  Have you looked at them yet?  Well, they definitely play a big part in my Week 1 rankings.  As usual, I'll give you some commentary after each position with a guy I like and a guy I don't like versus the ESPN consensus rankings.

Let's get to it!

QBs 1.Aaron Rodgers 2.Peyton Manning   3.Matt Ryan  4.Tom Brady  5.Andrew Luck 6.Tony Romo 7.Ben Roethlisberger  8.Eli Manning  9.Ryan Tannehill 10.Sam Bradford   11.Russell Wilson  12.Drew Brees   13.Carson Palmer  14.Cam Newton     15.Philip Rivers 16.Jay Cutler  17.Matthew Stafford   18.Colin Kaepernick 19.Teddy Bridgewater 20.Joe Flacco Just like the start of last year, guys like Andy Dalton and Alex Smith aren't even in my top-20.  And honestly, if you drafted one of those guys as your starting QB, you're probably in trouble. I also didn't rank Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston, even though both are facing each other's weak defenses.  You're probably not starting either rookie in Week 1 (or Tyrod Taylor for that matter), but if you have the guts then go for it.  Personally, I have plenty of other guys higher than all of them.  But let's see who I'm high/down on versus the ESPN experts, shall we? Eli lit up the Cowboys in 2014. I'm high on: Eli Manning (ESPN #12, ME #8)  I'm not going to dig too deep into Eli's career statistics versus the Cowboys, but last year he threw for 3 TDs in each game he faced them.  Oh, and the best corner for Dallas (Orlando Scandrick) is on injured reserve.  I realize he'll likely be without Victor Cruz for this one, but OBJ and Randle should be just fine against that secondary.   I'm down on: Drew Brees (ESPN #8, ME #12)  It's tough not to like a guy like Brees, but he is just so much worse away from the Superdome than in it.  And on top of that, he's playing a pretty solid defense in Arizona to start the season.  No one really knows what he'll be like without Jimmy Graham (it's been a while), and I think this will be a tough test right out of the gate.  I barely like him as a QB1 this week. RBs 1.Eddie Lacy 2.Adrian Peterson 3.Jeremy Hill  4.Jamaal Charles  5.DeMarco Murray 6.Matt Forte  7.Marshawn Lynch  8.Jonathan Stewart  9.CJ Anderson 10.Lamar Miller  11.LeSean McCoy 12.Justin Forsett   13.Andre Ellington  14.Mark Ingram   15.Carlos Hyde    16.Frank Gore 17.Chris Ivory  18.Latavius Murray   19.Alfred Morris 20.Doug Martin 21.Melvin Gordon  22.TJ Yeldon 23.Alfred Blue  24.Isaiah Crowell 25.Rashad Jennings   26.DeAngelo Williams 27.Joique Bell  28.Tevin Coleman 29.Darren McFadden 30.Ameer Abdullah   31.Bishop Sankey  32.Joseph Randle   33.Benny Cunningham 34.Brandon Bolden 35.Danny Woodhead  36.Giovani Bernard   37.Shane Vereen 38.Ryan Mathews  39.Duke Johnson 40.Dion Lewis I'm high on: Jonathan Stewart (ESPN #14, ME #8)  If you scrolled through my list, you might've done a double take when you got to this name.  But think about it.  He's playing the Jags, who gave up top-5 numbers to fantasy RBs last season.  Kelvin Benjamin is hurt and who knows who Cam will be throwing to other than Greg Olsen?  I just think the Panthers will give it to The Daily Show a ton in this game, and I like him as a top-10 play. I'm down on: Giovani Bernard (ESPN #29, ME #36)  Speaking of running a lot, I'm sure the Bengals will be doing that plenty in Oakland this week.  But I think Jeremy Hill will get fed, and he'll likely put up a good number AGAINST my fantasy team this week.  That being said, there are a lot of other guys I like ahead of Gio in Week 1.  I'd much rather try my luck with Bishop Sankey or Brandon Bolden, both of whom I think will end up with twice as many touches as Bernard in Week 1. WRs 1.Dez Bryant  2.Julio Jones 3.Antonio Brown 4.Odell Beckham, Jr.  5.DeMaryius Thomas  6.Calvin Johnson 7.AJ Green 8.Emmanuel Sanders  9.Julian Edelman  10.Randall Cobb  11.Jordan Matthews  12.TY Hilton    13.Alshon Jeffery  14.Brandin Cooks 15.DeAndre Hopkins   16.Mike Evans  17.Jarvis Landry  18.Keenan Allen  19.Davante Adams  20.Jeremy Maclin 21.Andre Johnson 22.Allen Robinson 23.Amari Cooper  24.Steve Smith  25.Golden Tate 26.Larry Fitzgerald     27.Vincent Jackson  28.Brandon Marshall   29.John Brown   30.Sammy Watkins 31.DeSean Jackson   32.Charles Johnson   33.Nelson Agholor  34.Anquan Boldin 35.Mike Wallace 36.Eric Decker   37.Eddie Royal 38.Roddy White 39.Marques Colston  40.Rueben Randle I'm high on: Larry Fitzgerald (ESPN #40, ME #26)  I realize Fitz had a down year, but Carson Palmer is back, people!  I think Michael Floyd won't play in this game, so it'll be Larry and John Brown who get most of the looks.  I like both of them in this one, and I definitely don't think Fitzgerald should be down in the 40s... I don't trust this combo just yet. I'm down on: Brandon Marshall  (ESPN #20, ME #28)  Some of this has to do with  my belief in the Browns defense (specifically Joe Haden to shut down Marshall and Tashaun Gipson to light him up if Joe needs help in coverage).  Some of it has to do with my doubt in Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Even more has to do with my thought that the Jets will pound it with Ivory a lot in this game.  Take your pick, but I don't like Marshall as a WR2 this week. TEs 1.Rob Gronkowski 2.Greg Olsen 3.Jimmy Graham 4.Martellus Bennett  5.Travis Kelce 6.Jason Witten 7.Jordan Cameron  8.Delanie Walker 9.Tyler Eifert 10.Owen Daniels 11.Larry Donnell 12.Kyle Rudolph I'm high on: Tyler Eifert (ESPN #13, ME #9)  I've been high on this guy all preseason, but I ended up drafting Kelce pretty early in my money league.  Otherwise I probably would have reached way too far to secure Eifert, but maybe it's for the best.  Time will tell, but I like Eifert to be a top-10 TE this week against a Raider D that gave up top-10 fantasy points to the position in 2014. I'm down on: Heath Miller (ESPN #9, ME not ranked)  I realize the Steelers will be without Martavis Bryant in this one, but that was also the case for the first 6 games last season.  What did Heath do in those contests?  How about 44 yards/game and 1 TD (total)?  Yeah, not much.  In fact, he only had 3 TDs in all of 2014, which is pretty standard for him these days.  I would much rather try my luck with a younger guy than start Miller tomorrow night.  DEF 1.Jets 2.Dolphins  3.Panthers  4.Seahawks  5.Packers 6.Texans   7.Bengals 8.Chiefs 9.Broncos 10.Browns  11.Rams  12.Cardinals Will we see this on Sunday? I don't think so... I'm high on: Cleveland Browns  (ESPN #17, ME #10)  I already alluded to this pick while talking about Brandon Marshall earlier, but I pretty much dislike all of the Jets this week.  I wish it was Geno Smith the Browns were going up against, but Fitzpatrick will have to do.  I like this game to be low scoring, and I'm hoping for a defensive touchdown to kick the year off right! I'm down on: Buffalo Bills (ESPN #5, ME not ranked)  Two words: Andrew Luck. Good luck to everyone in Week 1!   (Except you, Andy...) Cheers, Bart