Fantasy Football Week 2 Starter Rankings: Do You Sit Tom Brady Against Rex Ryan's Bills?
By Jason Lisk
Tom Brady came back with a vengeance last week, throwing 4 touchdowns in the season opener against Pittsburgh and posting the most fantasy points at the QB position. So owners who took a chance on Brady dealing with the 4-game suspension got an unexpected boost. But do you consider benching him this week?
The answer to that, of course, depends on what else you have available. This week’s matchup with Buffalo looks like a tough one. The player who led the league in touchdown passes and came in as the presumptive top QB for fantasy, Andrew Luck, managed only a 14th place finish at the position, and most of that came in garbage time.
Brady also has a history with Rex Ryan, and that history suggests that there is plenty of risk in penciling Brady in as an automatic start regardless of other options.
Here’s a summary, in reverse chronological order, of Brady’s stats and fantasy point rank at QB when facing Ryan’s Jets teams in the regular season over the last six years.
He averaged a fantasy rank of 13.9 on the week he played the Jets. He has as many stinkers where he finished outside the top 20 as those fantasy-winning weeks where he was top 6, including 3 of the last 4 meetings.
I’ve got him at QB #10 this week. Tom Brady can always put up a big game, but there is downside risk because of the tough Bills defense coupled with the Rex Ryan factor. It’s doubtful you drafted Brady along with Rodgers, Luck, Brees, Roethlisberger, or Wilson. But if you have Palmer, Bradford, Tannehill, Eli Manning, Romo, or Rivers–all with much better opponent matchups–I think you have a very difficult decision. And if you don’t have any of those guys, it’s probably worth the risk of going with Brady and seeing if he can come up with a good performance at Buffalo.
[Related: Week 2 NFL Picks and Predictions Podcast, Plus Interview with Wall Street Journal’s Kevin Clark]
All rankings below, + = probable ++ = questionable to play [Note: Updated 9/20 with early game inactive and active info and new injury information]
QUARTERBACKS
- Aaron Rodgers vs. SEA
- Andrew Luck vs. NYJ
- Drew Brees vs. TB
- Matt Ryan at NYG
- Ben Roethlisberger vs. SF
- Russell Wilson at GB
- Carson Palmer at CHI
- Sam Bradford vs. DAL
- Ryan Tannehill at JAC
- Tom Brady at BUF
- Eli Manning vs. ATL
- Tony Romo at PHI++
- Philip Rivers at CIN
- Cam Newton vs. HOU
- Peyton Manning at KC+
- Matthew Stafford at MIN+
- Teddy Bridgewater vs. DET
- Colin Kaepernick at PIT
- Jay Cutler vs. ARI
- Andy Dalton vs. SD
- Nick Foles at WAS
- Marcus Mariota at CLE
- Tyrod Taylor vs. NE
- Jameis Winston at NO
- Joe Flacco at OAK
- Alex Smith vs DEN
- Ryan Fitzpatrick at IND
- Derek Carr vs. BAL+
- Johnny Manziel vs. TEN++
- Kirk Cousins vs. STL
- Blake Bortles vs. MIA
- Ryan Mallett at CAR
RUNNING BACKS
- Matt Forte vs. ARI
- Marshawn Lynch at GB
- Eddie Lacy vs. SEA
- DeMarco Murray vs. DAL
- Adrian Peterson vs. DET
- Jamaal Charles vs. DEN
- Jeremy Hill vs. SD
- LeSean McCoy vs. NE
- Carlos Hyde at SF
- Mark Ingram vs. TB
- Lamar Miller at JAC
- Latavius Murray vs. BAL
- DeAngelo Williams vs. SF
- Joseph Randle at PHI
- Bishop Sankey at CLE
- Justin Forsett at OAK++
- C.J. Anderson at KC++ (Schefter says he will play with the injury)
- Alfred Morris vs. STL
- Ameer Abdullah at MIN
- Rashad Jennings vs. ATL
- Doug Martin at NO
- Chris Ivory at IND++ [Ivory downgraded after initial #10 ranking based on being now questionable for Monday Night, proceed with caution]
- Jonathan Stewart vs. HOU++ [Stewart is active]
- Melvin Gordon at CIN
- T.J. Yeldon vs. MIA+
- Frank Gore vs. NYJ
- Tevin Coleman at NYG
- Chris Johnson at CHI
- LeGarrette Blount at BUF
- Bilal Powell at IND [upgraded with Chris Ivory questionable]
- Giovani Bernard vs. SD
- C.J. Spiller vs. TB++ [Spiller is active]
- Danny Woodhead at CIN
- Tre Mason at WAS+
- Joique Bell at MIN
- David Johnson at CHI
- Javorius Allen at OAK (watch status of Forsett)
- Ronnie Hillman at KC
- Alfred Blue at CAR
- Darren Sproles vs. DAL
- Isaiah Crowell vs. TEN
- Devonta Freeman at NYG
- Shane Vereen vs. ATL
- Benny Cunningham at WAS
- Ryan Mathews vs. DAL
- Dion Lewis at BUF
- Duke Johnson at TEN
- Darren McFadden at PHI
- Lance Dunbar at PHI
- Karlos Williams vs. NE
- Khiry Robinson vs. TB
- Johnathan Grimes at CAR
WIDE RECEIVERS
- Antonio Brown vs. SF
- Julio Jones at NYG++ [Jones is active, proceed]
- Odell Beckham vs. ATL
- Calvin Johnson at MIN
- Randall Cobb vs. SEA++
- DeAndre Hopkins at CAR
- A.J. Green vs. SD
- Keenan Allen at CIN
- Demaryius Thomas at KC+
- Jordan Matthews vs. DAL
Alshon Jeffery vs. ARI[Jeffery has been inactivated for today’s game]- Brandin Cooks vs. TB
- Julian Edelman at BUF
- Emmanuel Sanders at KC
- Brandon Marshall at IND
- Jarvis Landry at JAC
- Mike Evans at NO++ [Evans is active]
- Terrance Williams at PHI
- Roddy White at NYG
- Larry Fitzgerald at CHI
- Amari Cooper vs. BAL
- Steve Smith at OAK
- Andre Johnson vs. NYJ
- Jeremy Maclin vs. DEN+
- Davante Adams vs. SEA
- Golden Tate at MIN++ [Tate is active]
- John Brown at CHI
- Kendall Wright at CLE
- Steve Johnson at CIN
- Donte Moncrief vs. NYJ
- Pierre Garcon vs. STL
- Vincent Jackson at NO
- Sammy Watkins vs. NE
- Allen Robinson vs. MIA+
- James Jones vs. SEA
- Mike Wallace vs. DET
- Eric Decker at IND
- Anquan Boldin at PIT
- Markus Wheaton vs. SF
- Torrey Smith at PIT
- Brandon Coleman vs. TB
- Tavon Austin at WAS
- Charles Johnson vs. DET
- Cole Beasley at PHI
- Michael Crabtree vs. BAL
- Marques Colston vs. TB
- Jermaine Kearse at GB
- Michael Floyd at CHI+
- Rueben Randle vs. ATL
- Doug Baldwin at GB
- Nelson Agholor vs. DAL
- Percy Harvin vs. NE++
TIGHT ENDS
- Rob Gronkowski at BUF
- Travis Kelce vs. DEN+
- Jimmy Graham at GB
- Jason Witten at PHI
- Tyler Eifert vs. SD
- Greg Olsen vs. HOU
- Martellus Bennett vs. ARI
- Jordan Cameron at JAC
- Austin Sefarian-Jenkins at NO
- Heath Miller vs. SF
- Ladarius Green at CIN+
- Jordan Reed vs. STL
- Zach Ertz vs. DAL
- Kyle Rudolph vs. DET
- Dwayne Allen vs. NYJ
Delanie Walker at CLE++- Jared Cook at WAS
- Eric Ebron at MIN
- Vernon Davis at PIT
- Charles Clay vs. NE
- Larry Donnell vs. ATL
- Owen Daniels at KC
- Richard Rodgers vs. SEA
- Crockett Gilmore at OAK
- Coby Fleener vs. NYJ
KICKERS
- Cody Parkey vs. DAL
- Adam Vinatieri vs. NYJ
- Zach Hocker vs. TB
- Stephen Gostkowski at BUF
- Mason Crosby vs. SEA
- Matt Bryant at NYG
- Josh Scobee vs. SF
- Justin Tucker at OAK
- Josh Brown vs. ATL
- Mike Nugent vs. SD
- Dan Bailey at PHI
- Chandler Catanzaro at CHI
- Steven Hauschka at GB
- Cairo Santos vs. DEN
- Brandon McManus at KC
- Blair Walsh vs. DET
DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS
- DOLPHINS at JAC
- RAMS at WAS
- RAVENS at OAK
- PANTHERS vs. HOU
- CHIEFS vs DEN
- BRONCOS at KC
- SAINTS vs TB
- BILLS vs. NE
- VIKINGS vs. DET
- CARDINALS at CHI
- SEAHAWKS at GB
- LIONS at MIN
- BENGALS vs. SD
- TITANS at CLE
- EAGLES vs. DAL
- GIANTS vs. ATL