Weekly Fantasy Football: Marshawn Lynch Headlines Week 2 Dream Lineup
Did Week 1 not go your way?
If you play weekly fantasy football, we have good news for you: Week 2 is a whole new ballgame. The beauty of daily fantasy sports — and weekly fantasy football in particular — is the slate is wiped clean after every game, meaning you’re not stuck with an injured Dez Bryant for the next two months.
As is the case every week, there are plenty of awesome fantasy matchups to exploit this Sunday, from Drew Brees’ return to the Superdome to DeMarco Murray’s showdown against his former team.
In this week’s “dream lineup,” we picked the absolute best players at all eight standard-league positions — one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one flex (RB/WR/TE) and one defense (sorry, kickers) — based on their Week 2 projections.
Quarterback: Drew Brees (Saints)
Brees isn’t necessarily the best QB in the league, but his matchup in Week 2 can’t be beat. Brees always plays better at home, and he welcomes in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that rookie Marcus Mariota torched in Week 1.
Running Backs: Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks), DeMarco Murray (Eagles)
Beast Mode managed to eclipse 100 total yards last Sunday against the stingy St. Louis Rams front seven, and he should run wild over the Green Bay Packers’ weak run defense Sunday. Murray, meanwhile, will have plenty of motivation to put up 2014-esque numbers against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, both on the ground and as a receiving threat out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers: Antonio Brown (Steelers), Julio Jones (Falcons)
Both of these guys put up monster numbers in Week 1, and all signs point to them living up to their billing once again Sunday. Brown still is Ben Roethlisberger’s go-to weapon with Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant sidelined, and Jones faces off against a New York Giants team he torched for 105 receiving yards on 11 catches last season.
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Yes, the New England Patriots are playing the stingy Buffalo Bills and Rex Ryan, who has given this offense trouble in the past. But Gronk is far and away the best tight end in fantasy football, and after his mammoth performance in Week 1, we’re taking him 10 times out of 10.
Flex: Matt Forte (Bears)
The Arizona Cardinals have a stout run defense, but they got torched for 149 receiving yards by Saints running backs in Week 1. That’s great news for Forte, who makes his hay as a dual-threat back. If you’re playing in a points-per-reception (PPR) game, Forte could return huge dividends.
Defense: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens recorded four sacks and a pick-six against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos last weekend, so how do you think they’ll do against Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders? Answer: Very well.
Have a fantasy football question for Darren? Send it to him via Twitter at @darren_hartwell
Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images
