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Week 2 Fantasy Viewer's Guide: Eagles and Cowboys have questions to answer

Michael Salfino

We're back looking at Week 2 action by ranking the games in expected order of point-producing relevance using the over/under totals reflected on our odds page (skipping the Thursday game).

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football: Enter our $1 Million Week 2 contest]

The Top Five

 1. Cowboys at Eagles, Sunday, 4:25 (all times ET), O/U 55:

How will the Cowboys play it with Dez Bryant out? I expect Cole Beasley ($16 in Yahoo DFS this week) to turn into a Julian Edelman PPR machine and for the Cowboys to employ a lot of two-TE looks with Gavin Escobar’s size and athleticism now badly needed, especially in the red zone. Joseph Randle ($23) seemed like a backup with the Cowboys averaging just 3.5 per carry. The only back on the roster who seems cut to be a bell cow is Christine Michael, but he will probably be inactive again.

The Eagles running game is a central concern for those invested in DeMarco Murray ($33) as the abandonment of the zone-read action in an effort to protect Sam Bradford ($42) seemed to come at a great cost in Week 1. Will the passing game have a downfield element or is the Philadelphia attack now strictly dink and dunk?

 2. Falcons at Giants, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 51:  Don’t expect the Giants to challenge Julio Jones ($37) with single-coverage. He will be doubled like Dez Bryant was before the injury. Jones is hampered by a tender hamstring but can beat more dedicated coverage, too.

Odell Beckham Jr. ($42) will need to get off in this game with the kind of target load and success we were accustomed to last year. But he may need others to step up a little bit to open up some lanes in opposing secondaries. Both quarterbacks are likely to be solid plays in this game. None of the running backs warrant more than flex action and even there only in standard (generally flex wideouts in PPR).

[Week 2 rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Flex | All Positions]

 3. Seahawks at Packers, Sunday, 8:30, O/U 49: Is the Seattle defense something to be feared? It sure didn’t look that way in Week 1. Seattle’s offensive line is a grave concern and that bears close watching on Sunday, especially for those with shares in Marshawn Lynch ($33) and even the suddenly pricey Russell Wilson ($42). To make Wilson owners happy, the Seattle quarterback will need to return to his running ways.

Can Jimmy Graham thrive in Seattle with the bullseye on his back or is he like most tight ends who can essentially be zeroed out with extra attention? The volume in the Seattle passing game won’t approach what Graham owners were accustomed to in New Orleans. Target allocation remains of special interest as the Packers’ passing game continues to transition away from Jordy Nelson.

 4. Buccaneers at Saints, Sunday, 1:00, O/V 47: Drew Brees ($43) gets so little fantasy love despite averaging an astounding two touchdown passes and 313 yards passing a game for the last seven-plus years. Will Mike Evans ($29) suit up? If not, his owners are going to regret picking him. And is Jameis Winston ($33) competent enough to allow his more highly-prized receivers to return expected value? Brandin Cooks ($24) needs to have a big game after being easily neutralized by the Cardinals.

 5. Jets at Colts, Monday, 8:30, O/U 47: The Jets offense looked pretty efficient in Week 1 so play Eric Decker ($26), Brandon Marshall ($24) and Chris Ivory ($24). Ryan Fitzpatrick ($35) has a good chance to finish top 12 this week, too. The Colts ran into a buzzsaw in Buffalo but now they are at home. Remember, Andrew Luck’s ($42) worst passing game ever (measured by yards per passing attempt) was against Todd Bowles’s defense in Arizona in late 2013. I thought Andre Johnson ($27) was finished this summer. He looked worse than I expected in Week 1. Will the Jets even waste Darrelle Revis on him? Frank Gore ($25) is just a borderline RB2 this week. In PPR, he would be on my bench for Dion Lewis, for example. I bet Bilal Powell ($12) outscores Gore on Monday night in PPR.

The Best of the Rest

 6. Chargers at Bengals, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 47: How are carries going to be allocated for the Chargers? Will it be a large dose of Danny Woodhead ($16), who doesn’t offer a standard running threat and can only pick up yards when teams are expecting a pass? Or will Melvin Gordon ($20) get an expanded role, especially if the Chargers don’t fall behind early like in Week 1? Another 100-yard game would cement Tyler Eifert ($17) as a bettable star.

7. Cardinals at Bears, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 46: David Johnson ($10) could win people leagues if he gets enough action but Bruce Arians doesn’t seem to like 50-yard touchdowns and swears that Chris Johnson ($10) will be the bell cow with Andre Ellington predictably hurt again.

8. 49ers at Steelers, Sunday 1:00, O/U 45.5: Is Carlos Hyde ($23) and the 49ers running game really good or did they just ambush the Vikings on Monday night by suddenly becoming a zone blocking, one-cut, back-door running team? That offense is generally much more effective vs. a 4-3 but the 3-4 Steelers did not look stout in any manner in Week 1. Vernon Davis ($10) could be sneaky good given Pittsburgh’s problems last week covering Rob Gronkowski.

9.  Patriots at Bills, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 45: Tom Brady ($45) gets to puncture a typically confident Rex Ryan, who mocked the defense deployed against Rob Gronkowski ($36) last week and claimed he doesn’t even know who Dion Lewis ($15) is. Will Tyrod Taylor ($27) come close to being the efficient double-threat he was in Week 1? I can’t see Bill Belichick allowing this to happen. LeSean McCoy ($28) needs to show he’s healthy.

10. Lions at Vikings, Sunday 1:00, O/U 43.5: All the interest is on the Vikings side and especially concerning Adrian Peterson ($36), who looked very uncomfortable while being bottled up easily by the 49ers in Week 1.

11. Raiders at Ravens, Sunday, 4:05, O/U 43: Justin Forsett ($30) concerned his owners last week with a real stinker against the Broncos, admittedly a top-flight defense. But he’s a non-productive receiver and not a goal-line back. I fully expect Buck Allen to have a significant role in this offense by Week 5.

12. Titans at Browns, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 41.5: Is Marcus Mariota ($36) a true star in the making or was his astoundingly productive debut more a product of the Bucs defense and ideal game flow? Bishop Sankey ($16) gets to show whether he’s really a RB2 or whether Week 1 was a high-water mark. I’m still betting the former. 

13. Dolphins at Jaguars, Sunday, 4:05, O/U 41.5: Ryan Tannehill ($39) was a fantasy darling this summer but seems pretty mediocre most days and doesn’t have any bankable receivers with Jarvis Landry ($24) unable to gain separation downfield. Will DeVante Parker ($11) be given a majority of Miami’s snaps or is he going to be worthless in the early going?

The Dead Zone

14. Rams at Redskins, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 41: Jordan Reed ($14) is a sneaky play and Alfred Morris ($26) deserves the benefit of the doubt but I can’t see this game coming closer to that over-under line.

15. Texans at Panthers, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 39.5: Greg Olsen ($21) should be played despite a disappointing Week 1 given the lack of attention the Texans paid last week to Travis Kelce.