Week 2 RB Rankings

Photo By: Bruce Kluckhohn / US PRESSWIRE

Ok, I’ll admit it; I bet against Adrian Peterson making an impact week one and I was wrong. Peterson looked good and it’s a terrific sign for the Vikings that he was back on the field and playing well.

Then again, we’ve seen talented players come back after major injuries / illness (Wes Welker, Jeremy Maclin) and have big games early on, only to look average through the course of the season.

Only time will tell what Peterson will do for his fantasy owners but a week two matchup against the Colts makes him a RB1, even if he touches the football less than twenty times. Expect Toby Gerhart to work with Peterson, but the all world running back is clearly an every week starter at this point.

Week 2 Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex | D | K | Waiver Wire | Start – Sit |

What Did We Learn From Week One?

- Fantasy owners with Frank Gore in there lineup were probably disappointed to see Kendall Hunter in the game early on. Then we looked up and Gore had 16 carries for over 100 yards and an impressive touchdown run from over 20 yards out.

Gore is finished as a feature back in the NFL, but the 49ers are wise to keep him on a pitch count, especially early in ball games. As defenses breakdown through the game, Gore should benefit with fresh legs, and that makes him a productive RB2, especially with Brandon Jacobs out of the lineup.

- Other than a few exchange problems with Robert Griffin, rookie Alfred Morris had him self a nice game. For now, Morris has earned himself the right to be the starter against the Rams, but expect Roy Helu to continue to work as the third-down option.

- Not only did DeAngelo Williams fall on his face, but the Panthers seemed to abandon the run early on. Will have to go back and watch more of this contest on Game Rewind, but I can’t understand why the Panthers went away from the ground game?

In the end, Tampa Bay won in time of possession, and this is what I’m afraid of when it comes to Carolina’s chances of making the playoffs. The defense still needs some work, but if Jonathan Stewart is out again, consider Williams a worthy play as a flex option against the Saints.

We should expect boom or bust numbers from the Panthers running game, until the defense picks it up.

- Every year a few starting tailbacks fall to injury early on, and it opens the door for talented backups to make an impact. This was the case for C.J. Spiller as Fred Jackson went down with what looked to be a nasty knee injury. Only an LCL injury, Jackson is likely to be down for at least a couple of weeks, so consider Spiller a must start.

Just temper your expectations on his performance because Spiller benefited from the Bills being down, which led to the Jets defense easing up on the run game, because they didn’t want to give up big plays down the field.

- It was Knowshon Moreno working in third-down situations and not Lance Ball for most of the Broncos matchup against the Steelers. Moreno had a touchdown but was unimpressive most of the game, missing blocking assignments, and dancing around in the backfield.

Heck, he even took about ten hours to find an open lane for his touchdown run, but for now, it appears he has a role in this offense.

Sean’s Watch List For Week 2

- Maurice Jones-Drew still needs to work his way back into football shape but with Rashad Jennings sustaining another knee injury, the star tailback will be the feature option against the Texans. A tough matchup, but Jones-Drew is a must start from this point on.

- As expected in Atlanta, the times are changing as Matt Ryan led his team to 40 points against the Chiefs, via the passing game. Even in a blowout win, Michael Turner ran for less than 40 yards. Expect him to have a better day against the Broncos, but perhaps Turner is only a flex play option, even in standard leagues for the rest of the season.

- Cedric Benson has a couple of good runs against the Bengals, everyone jumps up and down, he moves up draft boards and then does nothing week one, even though the 49ers were daring Green Bay to run the football. Don’t feel too bad about Benson’s performance as the 49ers run defense is so good, they can play a gap short against Benson and still shut him down.

Expect better production against the Bears this week, but unless your desperate for a flex option, he’s just a bench player on your team at this point.

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Last Updated – September 14th

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