Week 2 Rankings

As FootballOutsiders points out, it's National Jump to Conclusions week. The Bengals offense is dead, Michael Turner is the messiah, and Marc Bulger has forever morphed into the late career Drew Bledsoe.

The question every owner must answer: How much truly changes in a week?

I was in a draft that took place Wednesday night that opened my eyes to how quickly perceptions can change. (Our annual NBC league was delayed as people got back from the Olympics, so we were forced to start late). Within today's ranking notes, I'll mention some of the draft results to highlight what players legitimately saw their value change in Week 1 (Selvin Young, Philip Rivers) and which performances were a mirage. Fantasy owners love action and transactions, but don't forget that staying the course is often our best move.

For projections of all the rankings below, head to Season Pass. I'll also be chatting there with subscribers on Friday afternoon.

Week 2 Quarterbacks

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Tony Romo	vs. PHI	-
2	Donovan McNabb	at DAL	-
3	Peyton Manning	at MIN	Give him a mulligan
4	Ben Roethlisberger	at CLE	Keep an eye on practice
5	Drew Brees	at WAS	-
6	Jay Cutler	vs. SD	-
7	Kurt Warner	vs. MIA	-
8	Eli Manning	at STL	-
9	Aaron Rodgers	at DET	-
10	Carson Palmer	vs. TEN	It has to get better . right?
11	Derek Anderson	vs. PIT	-
12	David Garrard	vs. BUF	-
13	Brett Favre	vs. NE	-
14	Philip Rivers	at DEN	-
15	Matt Schaub	vs. BAL	-
16	Brian Griese	vs. ATL	Decent emergency fill-in
17	Matt Hasselbeck	vs. SF	-
18	Jon Kitna	vs. GB	-
19	Jake Delhomme	vs. CHI	-
20	Matt Cassel	at NYJ	-
21	Marc Bulger	vs. NYG	How the mighty have fallen
22	Jason Campbell	vs. NO	-
23	J.T. O'Sullivan	at SEA	-
24	Tarvaris Jackson	vs. IND
25	Chad Pennington	at ARZ	-
26	Trent Edwards	at JAC	-
27	Kerry Collins	at CIN	-
28	Damon Huard	vs. OAK	-
29	Kyle Orton	at CAR	-
30	JaMarcus Russell	at KC	-
31	Matt Ryan	at TB	-
32	Joe Flacco	at HOU	-

QB Notes: Let's start with Bulger, who quarterbacked an incomparably terrible Rams offense Sunday. The play that summed up the effort for me on tape, other than the six false starts, was on a first half play in which the Rams max protected Bulger. Three Eagles landed on top of him anyway. With Torry Holt double teamed, the Rams wideouts just didn't create any separation. In the draft last night, Bulger went 171st! This was after Trent Edwards and Matt Ryan. After all the good times Bulger has given fantasy owners, I felt guilty, like I should call him to apologize. Bulger is not that bad and he should have gone way before the young guys. You can't play him this week against a strong Giants defensive line, but he's still a top-20 quarterback. . I was confident Donovan McNabb was a top-seven quarterback all along, but it was nice to see his young receivers perform so well. The second year after ACL surgery is a beautiful thing. . Ben Roethlisberger should play this week and he's got a great matchup. With Sean Jones out for Cleveland, the Browns are going to struggle preventing big plays.

Jay Cutler went with the 47th pick in our draft, a leap that was understandable. With Tom Brady out for the season, my top two tiers of quarterbacks are down to six and there is a huge drop-off after Cutler. Some of the QB options after the drop (Vince Young, Matt Hasselbeck, David Garrard) have legitimate concerns, making this top six more valuable. . Garrard fell to the 114th pick, which was too far. All the offensive line injuries will hurt the Jaguars, but they are strong enough to stay solid. I expect all the injuries to effect the running game more.

One player whose season-long value did change in Week 1 was Philip Rivers. I didn't expect him to look so strong coming off ACL surgery. It wasn't just his numbers, but his amazing movement and confidence in the pocket. The pass rush didn't bother him. In fact, he avoided many hits and threw on the run. He still must prove he can be consistent (a problem in the past), but I'm far less concerned about his post-surgery accuracy. He was far more comfortable than Carson Palmer, Daunte Culpepper, or Donovan McNabb after their surgery.

Matt Hasselbeck's value is legitimately lower than it was a week ago. Until the team has Bobby Engram and Deion Branch back, he'll do well to be a solid QB2. He's a matchup play.
Some players I wouldn't jump to conclusions on:

Carson Palmer: The Ravens will make a lot of quarterbacks look terrible Unfortunately, so will the Titans.

Jake Delhomme: It was very surprising to see the Panthers go so pass-wacky. But Delhomme was still erratic for much of the game.

Derek Anderson: The concern here is that the Browns defense will keep losing games, and Brady Quinn chants will start. But D.A. will bounce back because of the weapons around him.

Matt Schaub: Like Carson Palmer, he faces a brutal early start. But he's still a long-term QB1/2. 25-of-33 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions are the stats you want when a quarterback struggles.

Week 2 Running Backs

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	LaDainian Tomlinson	at DEN	Fully expected to start
2	Adrian Peterson	vs. IND	-
3	Brian Westbrook	at DAL	-
4	Frank Gore	at SEA	-
5	Steven Jackson	vs. NYG	-
6	Marshawn Lynch	at JAC	-
7	Marion Barber	vs. PHI	Probable(ribs)
8	Brandon Jacobs	at STL	-
9	Ryan Grant	at DET	Lions incompetence > hamstring injury
10	Joseph Addai	at MIN	-
11	Clinton Portis	vs. NO	-
12	Willie Parker	at CLE	-
13	Larry Johnson	vs. OAK	-
14	Reggie Bush	at WAS	-
15	Michael Turner	at TB	-
16	Matt Forte	at CAR	-
17	Thomas Jones	vs. NE	-
18	Jamal Lewis	vs. PIT	-
19	Earnest Graham	vs. ATL	-
20	Chris Johnson	at CIN	-
21	Maurice Jones-Drew	vs. BUF	-
22	Selvin Young	vs. SD	Don't give up . yet
23	Laurence Maroney	at NYJ	-
24	DeAngelo Williams	vs. CHI	-
25	Edgerrin James	vs. MIA	-
26	Darren McFadden	at KC	-
27	Willis McGahee	at HOU	Role uncertain
28	LenDale White	at CIN	-
29	Chris Perry	vs. TEN	-
30	Justin Fargas	at KC	-
31	Ronnie Brown	at ARZ	-
32	Steve Slaton	vs. BAL	Expected to start
33	Jonathan Stewart	vs. CHI	-
34	Julius Jones	vs. SF	-
35	Ricky Williams	at ARZ	Coming off bench?
36	Kevin Smith	vs. GB	-
37	Fred Taylor	vs. BUF	-
38	Ray Rice	at HOU	-
39	Pierre Thomas	at WAS	-
40	Felix Jones	vs. PHI	-
41	Jerious Norwood	at TB	-
42	Andre Hall	vs. SD	-
43	Sammy Morris	at NYJ	-
44	Chester Taylor	vs. IND	-
45	Warrick Dunn	vs. ATL	-
46	Brandon Jackson	at DET	Keep eye on concussion
47	Rashard Mendenhall	at CLE	-
48	Chris Taylor	vs. BAL	Should backup Slaton
49	Tim Hightower	vs. MIA	-
50	Kenny Watson	vs. TEN
51	Fred Jackson	at JAC	-
52	Kevin Jones	at CAR	-
53	Jamaal Charles	vs. OAK	-
54	Rudi Johnson	vs. GB	-
55	Leon Washington	vs. NE	-
56	Ahmad Bradshaw	at STL
57	Ladell Betts	vs. NO	-

RB Notes: Willie Parker was undervalued by fantasy writers and owners alike because we expected Rashard Mendenhall to develop faster. 7 of Mendenhall's ten carries came in the final 18 minutes against Houston when the game was out of reach. The question remains how undervalued was Parker? He certainly wasn't worth the tenth overall pick in our draft last night. I'd argue he still wasn't worth a top-30 pick. Willie Parker will not score 48 touchdowns this year and his lack of receiving skills remains a problem. He could be a good sell high candidate after this week. But Parker's early success around the stripe will get him more chances, making him a legitimate mid-level RB2 who has emerged from the third and fourth round running back morass of a few weeks back.

Michael Turner's huge week looks like a bigger mirage. The Lions will make a lot of running backs look like Hall of Famers, and defenses will quickly catch up to Matt Ryan. After one week, we still consider Turner a solid RB2. If you can get better value than that for him, go right ahead and deal. (Turner went 17th overall and 15th at running back in our draft. More receivers should have gone before him.)

Sammy Morris is another player who rocketed up our office draft after a strong Week 1, going 64th overall, ahead of backs like Jonathan Stewart, Steve Slaton, Chris Perry, LenDale White, and DeAngelo Williams. This was too far a leap. Morris is a nice pickup, but the Patriots backfield will be split three-ways and Morris' touches will remain inconsistent. He's a flex option that will mostly be useful when bye weeks hit. I expected Laurence Maroney to take a bigger hit in our draft, but he still went early. I've been carping all off-season that the Patriots will try to keep Maroney fresh with relatively little work early in the season. That remains likely, despite Tom Brady's injury. I've heard the argument that Brady's injury helps Maroney because the team will run more, but I don't buy it. It will be harder to run and the team will score less. . Jamal Lewis eased some concerns for Browns fans and fantasy owners against the Cowboys despite average numbers. He ran hard and looked healthy.

Selvin Young's value legitimately changed in Week 1. I'm not ready to give up on him as a RB2 option, but he's not a plug-and-play guy after watching Michael Pittman and Andre Hall have such big roles in Week 1. The mid-season return of Ryan Torain looms too. Just don't assume the Denver rotation will remain consistent. Young will get the chance to start again, and he could very well get 20 carries and enjoys a big day against the Chargers. The leader of an effective Denver rotation has plenty of value. Perhaps just not as much as we thought a week ago.

Don't jump to conclusions on:

Jonathan Stewart: He fell to the 68th pick in our draft, which is a nice value. While he didn't get the goal-line carries in Week 1, he looked great when he was on the field. He's still a great long-term RB3.

Matt Forte: I love the kid and he'll be a great RB2. But he still plays for the Bears and should not have gone with the 18th overall pick in our draft last night.

Joseph Addai: Still a safe bet for 12 scores. Of course. He's only ranked so low this week because of the matchup and concern the Colts will play it safe with him after a head injury.

Chris Perry: He was a matchup-type play going into the season, and he remains so. He just happens to have started with two brutal matchups.

Reggie Bush: Seeing Bush truly step up would make me very happy. But he's had excellent games before. Let's see it for a month.

Their draft value should change after Week 1:

I never put Ricky Williams higher than Ronnie Brown, but his value is limited if he's already being passed on the depth chart.

The Titans aren't waiting to get Chris Johnson more touches than LenDale White. If the split is 60-40 in favor of Johnson already, he's a RB2.

Week 2 Wide Receivers

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Terrell Owens	vs. PHI	-
2	Larry Fitzgerald	vs. MIA	-
3	Randy Moss	at NYJ	Keep eye on back injury
4	Andre Johnson	vs. BAL	-
5	Reggie Wayne	at MIN	-
6	Brandon Marshall	vs. SD	-
7	Braylon Edwards	vs. PIT	-
8	Plaxico Burress	at STL	-
9	Santonio Holmes	at CLE	-
10	Anquan Boldin	vs. MIA	-
11	Jerricho Cotchery	vs. NE	-
12	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	vs. TEN
13	Chad Ocho Cinco	vs. TEN	-
14	Marvin Harrison	at MIN	-
15	Torry Holt	vs. NYG	-
16	Greg Jennings	at DET	-
17	Calvin Johnson	vs. GB	-
18	Roy Williams	vs. GB	-
19	Lee Evans	at JAC	-
20	Wes Welker	at NYJ	-
21	Joey Galloway	vs. ATL
22	Dwayne Bowe	vs. OAK	-
23	Donald Driver	at DET	-
24	Hines Ward	at CLE	-
25	Patrick Crayton	vs. PHI	-
26	Santana Moss	vs. NO	-
27	Laveranues Coles	vs. NE
28	Roddy White	at TB	-
29	Chris Chambers	at DEN	-
30	Antonio Bryant	vs. ATL
31	Anthony Gonzalez	at MIN	-
32	D.J. Hackett	vs. CHI
33	Eddie Royal	vs. SD	Can he repeat?
34	DeSean Jackson	at DAL	-
35	Vincent Jackson	at DEN	-
36	Ronald Curry	at KC	-
37	Bernard Berrian	vs. IND	-
38	Sidney Rice	vs. IND	-
39	Donte' Stallworth	vs. PIT	Questionable(quadriceps)
40	Jerry Porter	vs. BUF	Questionable(hamstring)
41	Amani Toomer	at STL	-
42	Courtney Taylor	vs. SF	-
43	Bryant Johnson	at SEA	-
44	Matt Jones	vs. BUF	-
45	Kevin Walter	vs. BAL	-
46	Derrick Mason	at HOU	-
47	David Patten	at WAS	-
48	Mark Clayton	at HOU	-
49	Isaac Bruce	at SEA	-
50	Hank Baskett	at DAL	-
51	Antwaan Randle El	vs. NO
52	Muhsin Muhammad	vs. CHI	-
53	Ted Ginn Jr.	at ARZ	-
54	Javon Walker	at KC	Expected to play . for now
55	Arnaz Battle	at SEA	-
56	Logan Payne	vs. SF	-

WR Notes: Wideout and tight end notes coming later Thursday, but we wanted to get the rankings up.

Week 2 Tight Ends

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Jason Witten	vs. PHI	-
2	Kellen Winslow	vs. PIT	-
3	Antonio Gates	at DEN
4	Tony Gonzalez	vs. OAK	-
5	Jeremy Shockey	at WAS	-
6	Chris Cooley	vs. NO	-
7	Vernon Davis	at SEA	-
8	Dallas Clark	at MIN	Questionable(knee)
9	Owen Daniels	vs. BAL	-
10	Todd Heap	at HOU
11	Tony Scheffler	vs. SD	-
12	Heath Miller	at CLE	-
13	L.J. Smith	at DAL	-
14	Zach Miller	at KC	-
15	Greg Olsen	at CAR	-
16	Randy McMichael	vs. NYG	-
17	Dante Rosario	vs. CHI	Keep eye on foot injury
18	Alge Crumpler	at CIN	-
19	Ben Utecht	vs. TEN	-
20	Marcedes Lewis	vs. BUF	-
21	Anthony Fasano	at ARZ	-
22	Donald Lee	at DET	-
23	John Carlson	vs. SF	-
24	Desmond Clark	at CAR	Probable(knee)
25	Bo Scaife	at CIN	-
26	Kevin Boss	at STL	-

Week 2 Kickers

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Nick Folk	vs. PHI	-
2	Mason Crosby	at DET	-
3	Stephen Gostkowski	at NYJ	-
4	Josh Scobee	vs. BUF	-
5	Nate Kaeding	at DEN	-
6	Rob Bironas	at CIN	-
7	Ryan Longwell	vs. IND	-
8	Shayne Graham	vs. TEN	-
9	Josh Brown	vs. NYG	-
10	Adam Vinatieri	at MIN	-
11	Neil Rackers	vs. MIA	-
12	Robbie Gould	at CAR	-
13	Jeff Reed	at CLE	-
14	David Akers	at DAL	-
15	Matt Bryant	vs. ATL	-
16	Phil Dawson	vs. PIT	Probable(-)
17	Matt Stover	at HOU	-
18	Martin Gramatica	at WAS	-
19	John Kasay	vs. CHI	-
20	Olindo Mare	vs. SF	-
21	Joe Nedney	at SEA	-
22	Kris Brown	vs. BAL	-
23	Jason Hanson	vs. GB	-
24	Jason Elam	at TB	-
25	Rian Lindell	at JAC	-
26	Matt Prater	vs. SD	-
27	Sebastian Janikowski	at KC	-
28	Jay Feely	vs. NE	-
29	John Carney	at STL	-
30	Shaun Suisham	vs. NO	-
31	Dan Carpenter	at ARZ	-
32	Nick Novak	vs. OAK	-

Week 2 Team Defense

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Bears Def/Spec Team	at CAR	-
2	Giants Def/Spec Team	at STL	-
3	Patriots Def/Spec Team	at NYJ	-
4	Buccaneers Def/Spec Team	vs. ATL	-
5	Colts Def/Spec Team	at MIN	-
6	Seahawks Def/Spec Team	vs. SF	-
7	Packers Def/Spec Team	at DET	-
8	Titans Def/Spec Team	at CIN	-
9	Chargers Def/Spec Team	at DEN	-
10	Ravens Def/Spec Team	at HOU	-
11	Vikings Def/Spec Team	vs. IND	-
12	Texans Def/Spec Team	vs. BAL	-
13	Cowboys Def/Spec Team	vs. PHI	-
14	Steelers Def/Spec Team	at CLE	-
15	Bills Def/Spec Team	at JAC	-
16	Chiefs Def/Spec Team	vs. OAK	-
17	Bengals Def/Spec Team	vs. TEN	-
18	Cardinals Def/Spec Team	vs. MIA	-
19	Eagles Def/Spec Team	at DAL	-
20	Jaguars Def/Spec Team	vs. BUF	-
21	Panthers Def/Spec Team	vs. CHI	-
22	Broncos Def/Spec Team	vs. SD	-
23	Raiders Def/Spec Team	at KC	-
24	Jets Def/Spec Team	vs. NE	-
25	Saints Def/Spec Team	at WAS	-
26	Fortyniners Def/Spec Team	at SEA	-
27	Redskins Def/Spec Team	vs. NO	-
28	Dolphins Def/Spec Team	at ARZ	-
29	Browns Def/Spec Team	vs. PIT	-
30	Falcons Def/Spec Team	at TB	-
31	Lions Def/Spec Team	vs. GB	-
32	Rams Def/Spec Team	vs. NYG	-