Fantasy Football Week 2: Top performers from early games

The week 2 early games in the NFL were marred by major injuries that will impact fantasy football for weeks to come, but there were some great performances in the eight early games that got fantasy owners off to a great start. There were some breakout performances and some players that played great in opportunities they stepped into due to injury.

Stay tuned for continuing coverage on our fantasy football page throughout the week of who’s for real and whose injury will impact next week’s playing time. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of the top performers from the early games in week two:

Jimmy Graham-TE-New Orleans Saints

Graham came up huge for the Saints in their surprising loss against the Browns.  Graham was targeted an impressive 13 times while finishing with 118 yards on 10 catches.  He was the only receiver in the early games to score multiple touchdowns. Just in case you were tempted to move him off the top spot in your TE rankings, Graham reestablished himself as clearly the best TE play each week.

New England Patriots Defense

The Pats returned a blocked FG for a touchdown while picking off Matt Cassel four times and sacking him six more.  They allowed a quick Matt Asiata TD on the opening possession for Minnesota, but bounced back to play very well the rest of the game against a limited Vikings attack.

Delanie Walker-TE-Tennessee Titans

Walker did his best Jimmy Graham impersonation highlighted by a 61 yard touchdown from Jake Locker.  For the game, Walker had 10 catches for 142 yards but only had one touchdown which is why he finished with just barely points behind Graham.

Giovani Bernard-RB-Cincinnati Bengals

Bernard ran for 90 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons and adding 79 yards on five catches.  He continues to be a dual-threat RB1 every week.  Next week, Cincinnati takes on the Titans who were gashed by DeMarco Murray so expect another big week for Bernard next week.

DeMarco Murray-RB-Dallas Cowboys

Murray was a beast going for over 100 yards for the second week in a row to start the season.  He finished with 167 yards rushing on 29 carries while adding six yards on one catch.  He did find the end zone and should be a big part of the Cowboys gameplan going forward

Alfred Morris-RB-Washington Redskins

In the Kirk Cousins-led Redskins offense, Morris picked up a pair of rushing TDs along his his 85 yards on 22 carries. He still isn’t involved in the passing game, but Morris will be a strong start whenever the Redskins go run-heavy.

Cam Newton-QB-Carolina Panthers

In his season debut, Cam looked in midseason form leading the Panthers to a 24-7 win at home over the Lions.  Newton threw for 281 yards and one touchdown while picking up 19 yards rushing.  He worked well with all his new receivers and should be a QB1 for as long as he stays healthy.

Kirk Cousins-QB-Washington Redskins

Coming on for an injured RG3, Cousins connected for a pair of passing TDs to go with his 250 yards.  He was efficient and effective, and his performance will spark plenty o f QB controversy despite it coming against the hapless Jaguars.  With Griffin out long-term, Cousins makes a great pickup in 2QB leagues.

Sammy Watkins-WR-Buffalo Bills

Watkins had a huge game in his first home game as a member of the Bills.  He hauled in eight catches on his 11 targets while catching a touchdown and racking up 117 yards.

Dez Bryant-WR-Dallas Cowboys

Bryant bounced back from a rough week one with a big game against the Titans despite missing some time early in the game due to injury.  Bryant hauled in 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in a nice road win for Dallas.

Mark Ingram-RB-New Orleans Saints

Ingram totaled over 100 yards and looked to be the main back in New Orleans for the second straight week. He only took 11 carries but ran for 83 yards and a touchdown while adding three catches for 25 yards in the Saints loss to the Browns.

Niles Paul-TE-Washington Redskins

Paul stepped in for an inactive Jordan Reed and had a huge game working mostly with Kirk Cousins.  He finished with 99 yards on his eight catches to go with his first touchdown of the year.