Fantasy football stats: The best of Week 2
There were some big multi-touchdown performances in Week 2, including a three-touchdown game from a wide receiver no one thought would even play.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
It felt like Week 2 of the NFL season was even more unpredictable than Week 1. Some of the things we thought were new realities ("Matt Ryan is great!") were countered, while other things we thought would get better ("Eddie Lacy is going to be great!") just didn't.
And then there were all the injuries. Sunday was a real test in last-man-standing, and a lot of guys lost.
What that means is the best fantasy performances of the week aren’t just the good players -- they are the survivors. Read on:
Best quarterbacks in Week 2
Aaron Rodgers, GB (346 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 28 rushing yards, 27 fantasy points)
After a Week 1 in which he was basically shut down by the Seattle Seahawks, Rodgers exacted his revenge Sunday. The Green Bay Packers didn't score their first touchdown until the last eight seconds of the first half, but between then and the end of the third quarter, Rodgers threw all over the New York Jets.
Next game: The Packers travel to Detroit to take on the Detroit Lions next Sunday. Week 2 should have proven Rodgers is the Rodgers we thought he was, so he'll be fine for Week 3.
Jay Cutler, CHI (176 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 25 rushing yards, 25 fantasy points)
What a weird game for Cutler. He looked like he wasn't going to do much early, and never really got yardage -- 176 yards, 5.2 yards per attempt -- but he threw four touchdown passes, including three to wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He barely threw for half the yards Sunday that he did in Week 1, but doubled his touchdown passes and cut out the interceptions. After making some bad decisions a week ago, Cutler looked good Sunday night.
Next game: The Chicago Bears go from a Sunday night game to a Monday night, facing the Jets in MetLife Stadium. The Jets are strong against running backs, meaning teams often move to the air, which could mean another big game for Cutler.
Philip Rivers, SD (284 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 17 rushing yards, 24 fantasy points)
No one saw this coming. Playing against a Seahawks defense that had run wild in Week 1, we had Rivers as our No. 20 quarterback for Week 2, with no ranker listing him higher than 17th. Yet he had no troubles with that Seattle defense. Maybe they just can’t play outside of Seattle, but at this point, it’s clear Rivers’ subpar 2012 was the aberration. He’s back, and even the last holdouts should be willing to admit it.
Next game: The San Diego Chargers travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in a 1 p.m. ET game next Sunday. You never like a West Coast quarterback traveling cross-country for an early game, but at this point, Rivers is hard to bet against.
Fantasy football stats
Best running backs in Week 2
Giovani Bernard, CIN (90 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 79 receiving yards, 22 fantasy points)
Those Jeremy Hill worries from the preseason seem sillier now. The rookie Hill was considered a threat to steal Bernard's touches before the season, when Bernard wasn't looking great. But Bernard is getting plenty of looks so far this season, and while Hill did get 15 carries and a touchdown in his own right, much of his work came when the Cincinnati Bengals had the game well in hand. Bernard is fine.
Next game: The Bengals host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday. With wide receiver A.J. Green hobbled, expect a healthy dose of Bernard again.
Knile Davis, KC (79 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 26 receiving yards, 21 fantasy points)
"Kansas City Chiefs running back does well" isn't a headline, unless it was Davis, and not Jamaal Charles, performing in Sunday's game. Charles left after only two carries with an ankle injury, leading to Davis doing the vast majority of the work for Kansas City. Davis led the team with 22 carries, and also led the Chiefs with six receptions and nine targets.
Next game: The Chiefs travel to Miami for a 4:25 p.m. ET game against the Dolphins next week, which is meaningless information until we learn how long Charles is sidelined. Reports have him with a sprained ankle, with more information expected Monday.
DeMarco Murray, DAL (167 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 6 receiving yards, 1 fumble lost, 20 fantasy points)
Arian Foster, HOU (138 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 12 receiving yards, 20 fantasy points)
Good running backs are good. Film at 11. There were no worries about either of these guys entering the season from a talent perspective, with the only concerns being their abilities to stay healthy. So far, that’s not been a worry at all, as both backs have been great and carried the ball a lot. They’re both clear RB1s.
Best wide receivers in Week 2
Jordy Nelson, GB (209 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 26 fantasy points)
It’s a new single-game high in yardage for Nelson, besting the 162 in Week 17 of 2011 and 161 in Week 17 of last season (dude closes well). Nelson already had a big game Sunday, and that turned into a great game when he went for an 80-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. He was fine against Seattle in Week 1 (83 yards), but this was the kind of game Nelson was drafted for.
Randall Cobb, GB (39 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, 6 rushing yards, 17 fantasy points)
Yes, it’s another Packer, and yes, this is why I didn’t do a “Next game” bit on Nelson. The Packers had to love this from their receiving corps Sunday. Cobb continued his touchdown-magnet ways -- stretching back to last season, he now has five scores in his last three regular-season games. You’d like more yards from Cobb on a week-to-week basis, but if he can keep scoring like that you’ll live.
Next game: The Packers travel to Detroit to play the Lions in Week 3, and just like Aaron Rodgers will be a definite start, so will Nelson, and so will Cobb.
Brandon Marshall, CHI (48 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns, 22 fantasy points)
I bumped Marshall below Cobb for the nice formatting of the two Packers next to each other, but Marshall finished with the second-most fantasy points at the position in Week 2, catching three touchdown passes from his best little football friend, Jay Cutler. It was a strong game for Marshall, who many thought wouldn’t even play through mid-afternoon Sunday because of an ankle injury.
Next game: The Bears take on the Jets in New York Monday. Marshall is a must-start, like Marshall always is.
Best tight ends of Week 2
Antonio Gates, SD (96 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns, 27 fantasy points)
It's 2005 all over again, with Gates and Philip Rivers combining for huge production. The Ladarius Green preseason love was premature, as Gates is still the top tight end the Chargers have, but this was still a crazy-good day for the old man. He scored on two 8-yard completions and a 21-yarder, carrying the load for a San Diego offense that few thought had a chance against the Seahawks.
Next game: Chargers-Bills, Buffalo, Sunday. Gates has probably played himself back into deserving TE1 status. Even if you can’t reasonably count on three touchdowns, he’s a low-end starter at the very least.
Jimmy Graham, NO (118 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns, 23 fantasy points)
Hey, I know that guy. After a relatively muted Week 1 ("relatively muted" being eight catches for 82 yards), Graham reminded everyone why he's fantasy's top tight end in Week 2, catching 10 balls on 13 targets and almost single-handedly bringing the New Orleans Saints from down 16-3 to (briefly) up 17-16.
Next game: The Saints host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, but that's irrelevant. You're starting Jimmy Graham. Of course you're starting Jimmy Graham.
Delanie Walker, TEN (142 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 20 fantasy points)
I'm going to have to start rethinking Delanie Walker. After a quiet seven years in San Francisco, I figured his decent production last year was a fluke. But now that he's been really productive through two games this year as well, maybe the problem was just that he was blocked by Vernon Davis in San Francisco. Because Walker has looked good.
Next game: The Titans take on the Bengals in Cincinnati next week, and at this point Walker deserves serious consideration in fantasy.
Best kicker in Week 2
Dan Bailey, DAL (4/4 FG, 2/2 XP, 19 fantasy points)
Bailey was a victim of the Dallas Cowboys' general awfulness in Week 1, limiting him to five fantasy points, but this team should have a good offense, meaning Bailey is more the Week 2 version of his production than the Week 1.
Best defense in Week 2
New England Patriots (7 points allowed, 4 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 6 sacks, 27 fantasy points)
Apparently going against Matt Cassel, and a Vikings team without Adrian Peterson, is the cure for what ails ya as a defense, because the Patriots ran wild over Minnesota Sunday. They ran a blocked field goal back for a score and picked Cassel off four times, holding the quarterback to a 39.1 passer rating and a 17.2 QBR. Against Oakland in Week 3, the Pats' D/ST could be ranked No. 1.
