Fantasy football expert Brandon Funston provides his weekly insight and rankings of the best plays to help you win big.
Week 2 of the 2017 NFL season features some major shakeups as Arizona’s David Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick in most drafts, is out 2-3 months with a wrist injury.
Quarterbacks
In fantasy, it’s always a good idea to follow the point spreads. The two highest projected scoring games of Week 2 are the New England/New Orleans matchup and a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game between Green Bay and Atlanta. Topping this week’s fantasy QB rankings are the four signal callers that will be facing off in these two games, with the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers taking top honors.
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Aaron Rodgers | GB | @ ATL |
| Drew Brees | NO | vs NE |
| Tom Brady | NE | @ NO |
| Matt Ryan | ATL | vs GB |
| Russell Wilson | SEA | vs SF |
| Derek Carr | OAK | vs NYJ |
| Philip Rivers | LAC | vs MIA |
| Jameis Winston | TB | vs CHI |
| Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | vs MIN |
| Marcus Mariota | TEN | @ JAC |
| Kirk Cousins | WAS | @ LAR |
| Carson Palmer | ARI | @ IND |
| Cam Newton | CAR | vs BUF |
| Sam Bradford | MIN | @ PIT |
| Joe Flacco | BAL | vs CLE |
| Matthew Stafford | DET | @ NYG |
| Jay Cutler | MIA | @ LAC |
| Carson Wentz | PHI | @ KC |
| Eli Manning | NYG | vs DET |
| Alex Smith | KC | vs PHI |
| Blake Bortles | JAC | vs TEN |
| Andy Dalton | CIN | vs HOU |
| Dak Prescott | DAL | @ DEN |
| Tyrod Taylor | BUF | @ CAR |
| Jared Goff | LAR | vs WAS |
| DeShone Kizer | CLE | @ BAL |
| Trevor Siemian | DEN | vs DAL |
| Deshaun Watson | HOU | @ CIN |
| Jacoby Brissett | IND | vs ARI |
| Mike Glennon | CHI | @ TB |
| Brian Hoyer | SF | @ SEA |
| Josh McCown | NYJ | @ OAK |
Running Backs
Le’Veon Bell’s season got off to a rough start in Cleveland, where he totaled just 47 yards and failed to find the end zone against the Browns. Bell gets his first taste of home cooking this week, which should help him get back on the right track in fantasy this week, even against a stout Minnesota defense. Bell scored at least 14 fantasy points in every home game last season.
Wide Receivers
Atlanta’s Julio Jones opened 2017 with modest numbers at Chicago (four catches, 66 yards), but look for him to find the next level of production this week at home against Green Bay. The last time the Packers came to town was for last season’s NFC Championship game, when Jones carved up the Green Bay secondary for nine catches, 180 yards and two scores. He tops this week’s fantasy WR rankings.
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski was bottled up by an Eric Berry-led KC defense in Week 1. Fortunately for Gronk, he won’t face anyone close to the talents of Berry this week when he travels to New Orleans. The Saints allowed a 143 Passer Rating and 346 passing yards to Minnesota QB Sam Bradford in Week 1. Now they’ll face Tom Brady in a game with a point total projection in the mid-50s. It’s a ripe situation for the Patriots passing game, and it’s hard to imagine Gronk, who tops this week’s fantasy TE rankings, not being heavily involved in that action.
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Rob Gronkowski | NE | @ NO |
| Travis Kelce | KC | vs PHI |
| Jimmy Graham | SEA | vs SF |
| Greg Olsen | CAR | vs BUF |
| Jordan Reed | WAS | @ LAR |
| Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @ PIT |
| Martellus Bennett | GB | @ ATL |
| Delanie Walker | TEN | @ JAC |
| Zach Ertz | PHI | @ KC |
| Tyler Eifert | CIN | vs HOU |
| Austin Hooper | ATL | vs GB |
| Eric Ebron | DET | @ NYG |
| Cameron Brate | TB | vs CHI |
| Jack Doyle | IND | vs ARI |
| Coby Fleener | NO | vs NE |
| Antonio Gates | LAC | vs MIA |
| Jared Cook | OAK | vs NYJ |
| Dwayne Allen | NE | @ NO |
| Julius Thomas | MIA | @ LAC |
| Hunter Henry | LAC | vs MIA |
| Charles Clay | BUF | @ CAR |
| Jason Witten | DAL | @ DEN |
| Jesse James | PIT | vs MIN |
| Evan Engram | NYG | vs DET |
| Zach Miller | CHI | @ TB |
Defense / Special Teams
The Jets offense was as anemic as expected in Week 1, scoring just 12 points and finishing with the second-fewest total yards (214). The Khalil Mack-led Oakland defense plays host to this sacrificial New York offense in Week 2, a matchup that propels the Silver and Black to the top of the fantasy defense chart this week.
| Name | Opp |
| Oakland Raiders | vs NYJ |
| Seattle Seahawks | vs SF |
| Baltimore Ravens | vs CLE |
| Carolina Panthers | vs BUF |
| Cincinnati Bengals | vs HOU |
| Kansas City Chiefs | vs PHI |
| Los Angeles Rams | vs WAS |
| Denver Broncos | vs DAL |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | vs CHI |
| Arizona Cardinals | @ IND |
| Houston Texans | @ CIN |
| Los Angeles Chargers | vs MIA |
| New York Giants | vs DET |
| Minnesota Vikings | @ PIT |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | vs TEN |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | vs MIN |
| Washington Redskins | @ LAR |
| Tennessee Titans | @ JAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | @ DEN |
| Green Bay Packers | @ ATL |
| Philadelphia Eagles | @ KC |
| Detroit Lions | @ NYG |
| New England Patriots | @ NO |
| Buffalo Bills | @ CAR |
| Miami Dolphins | @ LAC |
| Atlanta Falcons | vs GB |
| Chicago Bears | @ TB |
| Cleveland Browns | @ BAL |
| Indianapolis Colts | vs ARI |
| San Francisco 49ers | @ SEA |
| New Orleans Saints | vs NE |
| New York Jets | @ OAK |
Kickers
Kickers presented without comment… ALWAYS!
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Justin Tucker | BAL | vs CLE |
| Stephen Gostkowski | NE | @ NO |
| Matt Bryant | ATL | vs GB |
| Mason Crosby | GB | @ ATL |
| Wil Lutz | NO | vs NE |
| Blair Walsh | SEA | vs SF |
| Cairo Santos | KC | vs PHI |
| Graham Gano | CAR | vs BUF |
| Dan Bailey | DAL | @ DEN |
| Giorgio Tavecchio | OAK | vs NYJ |
| Brandon McManus | DEN | vs DAL |
| Phil Dawson | ARI | @ IND |
| Adam Vinatieri | IND | vs ARI |
| Matt Prater | DET | @ NYG |
| Dustin Hopkins | WAS | @ LAR |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | vs MIN |
| Steven Hauschka | BUF | @ CAR |
| Ryan Succop | TEN | @ JAC |
| YoungHoe Koo | LAC | vs MIA |
| Nick Folk | TB | vs CHI |
| Aldrick Rosas | NYG | vs DET |
| Cody Parkey | MIA | @ LAC |
| Kai Forbath | MIN | @ PIT |
| Jason Myers | JAC | vs TEN |
| Greg Zuerlein | LAR | vs WAS |
