Weekly Rankings: Ranking Each Position for Week 2

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Welcome to QB List’s weekly rankings! Each week, I’ll be taking a look at the upcoming matchups and ranking each position, as well as flex positions.

Week 2 Notes:

• I know, I know, Ben Roethlisberger was terrible last week. But here’s the thing—he’s at home this week against a pretty terrible Chiefs secondary (outside of Kendall Fuller), so I think you can start Big Ben this week as a pretty solid QB1.
• I actually think Matt Ryan is a halfway decent play this week and could be a QB1 in deeper leagues/leagues where people are hoarding QBs. I’m not all that impressed with the Panthers’ secondary. Outside of Mike Adams, there isn’t much to write home about. I don’t think Ryan has insane upside, but I think he’ll be up against a beatable secondary and a pass rush that’s not going to worry him too much. There are higher upside plays, but Ryan isn’t a terrible one.
• Andy Dalton was serviceable last week but I want no part of him this week. In a Thursday night game against a Baltimore Ravens defense that looked absolutely dominant on Sunday? That’s a hard pass.
• The game Ryan Fitzpatrick had last week was amazing, but I’m not investing in FitzMagic this week, especially against the Eagles’ secondary. If you’re desperate, maybe I guess? But I think there are definitely better options out there.
• A lot of top running backs are going up against solid run defenses this week, including Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, and Ezekiel Elliott. I still think they’re all RB1s, clearly, but that’s something to keep in mind this week. There is one top runner who’s going up against a pretty beatable run defense, and that’s David Johnson, which is why I’m a bit higher on him than others. None of that is really going to affect your lineup, unless by some black magic you ended up with Elliott and Johnson on your team, but it’s worth noting.
• James Conner looked great last week and it looks like Le’Veon Bell isn’t going to play again in Week 2. Against a very weak Kansas City run defense, Conner should serve well as an RB1 this week.
• If you were worried about the fact that Kenneth Dixon got more carries than Alex Collins last week, worry no longer. First off, that was entirely thanks to garbage time, and second, Dixon is hurt and has been moved to the IR. Collins will be up against a weak Bengals run defense, and while it is a Thursday night game, Collins didn’t play an entire half of football on Sunday, so he should be fairly well-rested.
• Keep an eye on news around Leonard Fournette‘s hamstring injury. He could sit out practice all week and still play Sunday, who knows. If Fournette is out, T.J. Yeldon should be a solid RB2 option against a New England run defense that ranked second-to-last in DVOA last year.
• While I like Alex Collins in the Thursday night game, I am not as much of a fan of Joe Mixon. I think you should still slate him in as an RB2, but that Baltimore run defense is legit, which will make life tough for Mixon.
• I think LeSean McCoy could produce some value this week because of gameflow. The Chargers have one of the best secondaries in the league, and with rookie Josh Allen behind center, I don’t think Bills’ are going to have much success in the passing game. However, the Chargers’ run defense isn’t all that great, and if I’m the Bills, I’m attacking this team with McCoy on the ground rather than with my rookie QB through the air. The Bills haven’t been shy about giving McCoy volume in the past, and I think he could get it here.
• In sort of the reverse of the above, I think the way the Dolphins are going to try and attack the Jets will be through the air. The Jets’ run defense is quite good, but their secondary isn’t as much. As a result, I could see Kenyan Drake struggling. He’s still an RB2, but I’m not as high on him as others.
• While I still think he’s a WR1, I’m kinda down on A.J. Green this week for the reasons I mentioned with Dalton. The Ravens secondary is really good, and I expect Green to get shadowed by Brandon Carr. While Green should still be able to take advantage of that matchup, it’s not going to be easy. I also would stay far far away from John Ross and Tyler Boyd.
• I’m pro-Demaryius Thomas this week and see him as a decent WR2 option. He’ll likely be covered by Rashaan Melvin, and while Melvin is a solid corner, I think Thomas will be able to beat him.
• I also like Allen Robinson as a low-end WR2 this week because Seattle’s secondary is pretty beatable, especially Tre Flowers, who I expect to be on Robinson for most of the game.
• I love Cooper Kupp, and I especially think he’s an interesting flex play this week. He’ll likely draw Budda Baker in coverage which should be to his advantage. He and Jared Goff seem to have a connection, so I could see a nice game for him.
• I am not a Chris Hogan fan this week and it’s because of one man—Jalen Ramsey. I expect Ramsey to be on Hogan this game, and as a result, I think Hogan is more a flex play than a WR2.
• We’ll see what kind of workload Josh Gordon gets this week, I expect it’ll be decent, but he’ll likely draw shadow coverage from Marson Lattimore, and I don’t like that. I also think the Browns will be more focused on running the ball than passing the ball in this game, because it’s easier to beat the Saints on the ground than in the air (last week notwithstanding).
• I’ve got Jared Cook as a TE1 this week. He looked excellent last week and draws a really favorable matchup this week against the Broncos where he’ll likely be primarily defended by Will Parks—a matchup I think he could take advantage of.

Check out the full rankings below: