Top Plays and Sleepers For Week 2

If you’re playing in a one week Fantasy Football league this week, below are Fanspeak’s picks at each position and why. Also, check out the Sleepers at each position, as you can use those picks for any fantasy league!

QUARTERBACK:

Quarterback: Peyton Manning vs NYG:

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Runner-up: Aaron Rodgers vs Washington

Aaron Rodgers vs Washington is a close second, but it’s hard to pick against Peyton at this point. He was locked in Week 1, and Week 2 he faces a secondary that looks undermanned. On top of the issues the Giants have in their secondary, they could be without top cornerback Prince Amukamara as he has to pass the NFL’s concussion test to see if he can play. Tony Romo didn’t torch the Giants secondary, but he was hampered with not being on the same page as some of his receivers. That isn’t something that should be a concern for Manning. Another positive for Peyton, is that little brother Eli should keep the Giants in this game, so Peyton should be passing well into the fourth quarter. Another 450 yards and 7 TD performance seems unlikely, but Peyton should be a good bet for 350 yards and 4 TDs.

Sleeper: Sam Bradford vs. Atlanta:

Bradford is typically not thought of as a fantasy starting quarterback, but that could begin to change this year. Bradford threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns last week, but it should have been three if Jared Cook didn’t fumble the ball. Bradford completed 71% of his passes and averaged an impressive 7.9 yards per attempt, but the best stat of the day was zero, as in zero sacks allowed by the Rams offensive line. Bradford has weapons to work with, and a strong offensive line in front of him and an unreliable run game. If he was able to put up these numbers versus a very tough Cardinals defense, he should do well versus a far more suspect Falcons defense.

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Running Back:

LeSean McCoy vs. San Diego:

Runner-up: Ray Rice vs Cleveland

This one is no contest, LeSean McCoy is only one of two backs to run for 100 or more yards in week one, and the other Shane Vereen is sidelined due to injury. McCoy piled up over 180 yards rushing against the Redskins defense and he’s absolutely the focal point of this high powered offense. He only had one catch in week one, but expect those numbers to go up as well. The other plus with this match-up is that the Chargers allowed 4.3 yards per carry in their week one game, including 6.1 to Ben Tate. McCoy should have a huge game in his home debut and is easily the best running back fantasy play of the week.

Sleeper: Lamar Miller vs Indianapolis:

Miller didn’t have a great first week, but he’s playing a Colts team this week that allowed Terrell Pryor to run all over them last week. Granted that was a quarterback as opposed to a running back, but the Colts showed a lack of discipline that Miller could possibly exploit this week.

WIDE RECEIVER:

Jordy Nelson vs Washington:

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Runner-up: Larry Fitzgerald vs Detroit

Nelson is in line for a big game this week, coming off his 7 catch, 130 yard and one TD performance against the 49ers. Given that the Redskins just gave up 7 catches for over 100 yards and a TD to Eagles top receiver DeSean Jackson, it is a safe bet that Nelson can match or exceed his numbers from a week ago. Aaron Rodgers will spread the ball out some, but Nelson is his big play guy and he should get some chances in this game.

Sleeper: Rod Streater vs Jacksonville

Streater had five catches for 70 yards against the Colts in week one, and was the Raiders most targeted receiver. Though Oakland’s passing attack is suspect, Streater could be an interesting play this week as they face the Jacksonville Jaguars. Streater is a sneaky option to go over 100 yards this week and could even get a TD or two versus that weak Jaguars defense.

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Tight End:

Jared Cook vs Atlanta:

Runner-up: Julius Thomas vs New York Giants

Really tough to pick against the Broncos’ Thomas here and this really is a coin-flip between the two. Thomas plays against a Giants team that got beaten pretty badly by Jason Witten, but Thomas still has to deal with the fact that there are three receivers ahead of him on the pecking order. Cook doesn’t have that issue in St. Louis, as he appears to be one of the primary options in this offense. Cook had 141 yards and 2 touchdowns last week (should have been three), and appears to be the Rams top red zone target as well. The Falcons defense could have a tough time matching up with Cook so he could be heading for another 100 yard day.

Sleeper: Brent Celek vs San Diego

Typically you probably want to stay away from Eagles tight ends since they aren’t going to throw as much and they will rotate them, but Celek could be a good play this week. The Chargers had a bad time stopping Owen Daniels, and Celek showed he’s still important in this new Eagles offense. He won’t have huge numbers, but 65-80 yards and a touchdown are a good bet.

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