2014 Fantasy FootballFantasy Football

2014 Fantasy Football: Week 2 — The Good, The Mediocre, The Ugly, Part II

Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant

Editor’s note: This post was written by Matt Moczygemba. You can find part 1 of this post here.

Yesterday we took a look at the good, the mediocre and the ugly at the quarterback and running back positions from Week 2. Today we’ll take a look at the wide receiver and tight end positions. Remember, the placement of each player in a specific category will be based on how they performed in Week 2 relative to expected production coming into the game.

WR: The Good

Jordy Nelson: 9-209-1… Nelson scored an 80-yard touchdown and was peppered with 16 targets throughout the game. Nelson is a WR1 who might just end up being the top scoring WR.

Brandon Marshall: 5-48-3… Many fantasy owners (like me) probably left Marshall on the bench due to his uncertainty to play early on Sunday and missed out on a virtuoso game. Marshall made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch to end the first half and his ankle didn’t appear to be a huge issue. Get him back in all lineups.

Dez Bryant: 10-103-1… Romo incessantly targeted Bryant on a day where he was seen complaining at teammates and coaches on the sideline, and it looks like his frustration was obliged with the plethora of targets (14). He’s locked and loaded as a top-five WR.

Sammy Watkins: 8-117-1… Watkins is the Bills only true pass-catching threat and they made it abundantly clear they will be feeding Watkins the ball. Consider him a WR3 for now who has WR2 upside. He has a nice matchup against the Chargers in Week 3.

Julio Jones: 7-88-1… On a day where not much went right for the Falcons, Jones was targeted 13 times and came through for fantasy owners. Jones is a matchup-proof top-five WR. Enjoy his many talents.

Julian Edelman: 6-81-1… Edelman has shown that last year’s breakthrough campaign was no fluke and he’s a huge part of the Patriots offense. With Gronk still trying to recapture his past form, Edelman should be an every-week fixture in lineups, especially in PPR formats.

Randall Cobb: 5-39-2 (2PC)… Cobb seems to be finding all the creases in the end zone as he has already accumulated three touchdowns through the first couple games. He’s going to have a huge year as the second option in the passing attack as long as he stays on the field.

The Mediocre

Victor Cruz: 5-60… Cruz dropped three passes for 65 yards and has already dropped five passes for the year, leading the NFL. Larry Donnell seems to be Eli Manning‘s most trusted target at the moment and Cruz seems to be headed for another down year.

Cordarrelle Patterson: 4-56… Surprisingly Patterson didn’t receive any touches as a running back without Adrian Peterson and the Patriots bottled up the explosive athlete. He’s going to have his fair share of ups and downs but don’t even think about benching him against the Saints defense in Week 3.

Calvin Johnson: 6-83… For mere mortals, this would qualify as a quality performance. For Megatron, those same standards don’t apply. In all seriousness there’s obviously nothing to worry about here as he was facing a great defense. He’s the odds on favorite to lead WR’s in scoring in Week 3 as he faces the Packers.

Roddy White: 5-42… White had an underwhelming performance against a stout Bengals secondary but gets to face the Bucs on Thursday. Owners need to monitor his health though, he’s dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Ugly

Marques Colston: 0-0… Colston wasn’t targeted and it was his first game without a catch in 87 games. Look for Brees to feed Colston next week in a favorable matchup against the Vikings.

Torrey Smith: 1-10… Calls for Smith breaking out again seem to be a bit premature as fellow wideout Steve Smith is the man to own in the Ravens passing attack as of now. He will probably be matched up with Joe Haden in Week 3 and is best left on benches until he proves otherwise.

Pierre Garcon: 1-12… You would expect Garcon to dominate the targets when DeSean Jackson leaves early with an injury, but he couldn’t capitalize as the top wideout. Owners can consider this outing fluky and start him with confidence as a WR2 against the Eagles in Week 3.

Michael Floyd: 1-19… With Carson Palmer unavailable, the Cardinals had to resort to Drew Stanton and he was looking Larry Fitzgerald‘s direction more often. If Palmer is unable to play this week, it might be best to leave Floyd on benches.

Brandin Cooks: 3-17, 2-31… The Browns made it known they wanted to stop the deep passing game and they ultimately succeeded. Cooks was bottled up by the Browns secondary and just like all other Saints not named Jimmy Graham, he will battle some inconsistency.

Kendall Wright: 3-31… In an appetizing matchup against the Cowboys, Wright was targeted five times and hauled in three. The PPR dynamo is usually a safe bet for 5+ catches but he might struggle again in Week 3 versus the Bengals.

Kelvin Benjamin: 2-46… After a fantastic rookie debut, Benjamin took a step back as he dropped three passes and was largely ineffective. Benjamin will have to address this issue if he wants Cam Newton‘s full trust, like he has with sure-handed Greg Olsen. He’s no doubt a better value in standard formats due to his red-zone presence.

Tight Ends: The Good

Antonio Gates: 7-96-3… Gates hauled in all seven of his targets and made Seahawks defenders look silly while trying to cover him. This was a vintage throwback performance from Gates and owners should have no concerns about Ladarius Green.

Jimmy Graham: 10-118-2… Graham was the only reliable pass-catcher for Brees and dominated in the red zone. Good luck to the Vikings trying to stop him in Week 3. He’s fantasy top TE by a landslide.

Delanie Walker: 10-142-1… Walker had a career outing on a day where Jake Locker and Co. struggled to develop any semblance of a passing attack. Weird. Walker will be inconsistent as is best left as a TE2, but he has TE1 upside.

Martellus Bennett: 7-37-1… Cutler loves targeting Bennett and he is a great bet to finish as a top-eight TE in a high-powered Bears offense.

Larry Donnell: 7-81… Donnell has proven to be Eli’s favorite target in the early going as he butters his bread with routes over the middle. Fire him up as a TE1 until he gives you a reason not too. It appears Donnell is the real deal.

Niles Paul: 8-99-1… Replacing Jordan Reed in the lineup, Paul showed out against a helpless Jaguars defense. Even with Kirk Cousins at the helm, Paul should be an every-week TE1 streamer until Reed returns from his hamstring ailment. Pick him up where available.

The Mediocre

Kyle Rudolph: 5-53… Rudolph has a good chance to bust out against the Saints but his upside may be limited until the Vikings make a switch at QB.

Travis Kelce: 4-81… A week after admitting he needed to use Kelce in the passing game more, Andy Reid made good on his promise as Kelce played on 37 percent of the snaps. The Chiefs are going to have to put their best product on the field without the services of Jamaal Charles for a couple weeks, look for Kelce to have a true breakout performance very soon.

Zach Ertz: 4-86… Ertz could have had an even better night if Foles didn’t throw behind him on a big play that could have gone for a TD. Seemingly still splitting snaps with Brent Celek, who muffed an easy touchdown catch, Ertz possesses massive potential but may take a while to develop into a consistent fantasy option on an Eagles team with an abundance of options.

The Ugly

Rob Gronkowski: 4-32… Gronk played on only 28-67 snaps against the Vikings, although he wasn’t needed much since the Patriots won the game early. Look for him to score against the Raiders.

Jason Witten: 4-32… Expected to be the number two option for Romo in the passing game coming into the season, Witten has only managed to catch six passes for 46 yards through two games. Based on the Cowboys current game philosophy, he can be considered a low-TE1.

Dwayne Allen: 0-0… Self-explanatory. Don’t count on him to provide reliable value.

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