The transition from Week 1 to Week 2 is pretty drastic all around as now we’ve got to see a little bit of what teams are made of and some of my preconceived notions get tossed out the window. There’s usually some discourse around these movements, but I like to see that. Just keep in mind that even if your team won, they may have slid in the rankings if other teams ranked lower than them won in a more convincing fashion. Let’s check it out:
Top 10
1. Niners – It’s probably no surprise to see SF up here at number 1 after they completely embarrassed Pittsburgh in Week 1. This is a complete team through and through. Right now, I don’t see anyone dethroning these guys. They visit the Rams in LA this week, and I think they probably win handedly.
2. Dolphins – The Fins secure the 2 spot thanks to their prolific offense in despite of their middling defense. Also, they were probably the only other squad I could make an argument for putting above Dallas, so, you know I had to do it. They’ve got the Pats in Foxborough on SNF, and I think the offense will probably be overwhelming yet again.
3. Cowboys – I guess I have to give the Boyz credit for manhandling the Giants last week, but I’m not gonna give them too much credit because it is after all, the Giants. Their matchup with the Jets at home should be a defensive battle.
4. Eagles – I’m not sure if the close game with New England is an inditement on Philly or perhaps a product of elite coaching on behalf of the Pats. Anyway, they did pretty much exactly what they needed to do, no more, no less. So at 4 they stay. Up next: tomorrow night against Kirk Cousins and the Vikings…knowing Kirk’s record in prime time games, I’ve got a good feeling about a 2-0 start for the Super Bowl runner-ups.
5. Chiefs – The Chiefs must pay for their disappointing performance on opening night. They’re still a talented team, so 5 feels reasonable. Chris Jones has finally agreed to a contract, and he should help bolster this defense. It appears as if Travis Kelce will be back as well, and that should help shore up some of the offensive woes this team felt last week. They’ll need all the troops they can rally against a Jacksonville team looking to make a statement as they host the Chiefs this weekend.
6. Bills – This isn’t the first time the Bills have opened the season in lackluster fashion. Good news is, they tend to flip it around. They get the Raiders at home this week, and that’s one that you gotta win. I don’t see them having any trouble getting that done.
7. Bengals – It’s pretty unlikely that we’ll the Bengals play as poorly as they did last week in their contest against Baltimore this weekend. Much like Josh Allen with Buffalo, we’ve seen Joey B start the season rough before. This is a team that will bounce back, but they’ve got a tough out against a divisional rival, and that could spell trouble.
8. Chargers – There’s no questions about the capability of this offense. The defense could use a little work though. It’s hard to handle an offense as prolific as Miami’s week one and luckily they get to visit Tennessee this week. That receiving corps is a lot less scary. But how will they hold up against Derrick Henry?
9. Jets – Even with the season-ending injury of Aaron Rodgers, yes, I am moving the Jets up a spot. Why? The defense is bonkers. With Zach Wilson as the de facto starter, sure, this is pretty much just the 2022 squad. However, if he’s picked up anything from Rodgers during the offseason, that may contribute to more favorable outcomes going forward. They’ve got the Cowboys this week, and they’ll need to win the turnover battle if they want to come out on top.
10. Lions – I don’t think I’ve ever had Detroit in the Top 10. They impressed with their win against KC on opening night and hope to build on that at home against Seattle this week. The Seahawks should come into this one hungry after getting smacked around by the Rams last week. Detroit will need to come prepared.
Outside Looking In
Sitting at 11, the Ravens just didn’t dominate the Texans in a way that I feel they should’ve. Big contest against Cincinnati this weekend. A win will surely place them in Top 10 territory.
After tossing Cincy into the dirt last week, Cleveland has earned the right to move up to 12. If they do the same thing to Pittsburgh on Monday night, they could find themselves in elevated position next week.
As for the Vikings sitting at 13, they are the only team to completely fall out of the Top 10 this week. You just can’t lose to the Bucs in a noon game where Kirk Cousins should excel. He’ll have to buck the trend of poor prime time performances tomorrow in Philly if they want a chance to hang around the top half of the rankings.
Don’t look now but the Jaguars are lurking at 14, and with a huge opportunity on their hands this week. If they can knock of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the rest of the league should be on notice.
I also wanted to talk about the Packers. I may have underestimated Jordan Love, although I need some more tape to be sure. The Falcons should provide a little bit more of a challenge than the Bears did, but anything less than a W will be a disappointment.
Other Big Movers
The Rams leap up 5 spots as they won convincingly against Seattle. I don’t expect them to beat the Niners, of course. If it’s close, that’ll be good enough.
Speaking of underestimating, I moved the Bucs up 10 spots after the knocked off Minnesota. Maybe that’s a bit of an over correction, but if Baker plays to his best, this team can win the NFC South. Justin Fields and Co. come to town this week, and win would do good to convince me that last week’s victory wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
I’ve dropped the Bears significantly (8 spots) as I feel that maybe I was too confident in their offseason improvements. As mentioned above, they go to Tampa this weekend to try to get back on track against a surprising Bucs team.
Finally, let’s talk about the Giants. I slid them down a giant (haha) 14 spots to the bottom of barrel. And why not? Somebody has to be the worst, and they got absolutely brutalized by Dallas. All those turnovers and lack of ability to score pretty much cost me a Week 1 fantasy matchup as my opponent got a cool 35 points because the Giants suck. Makes me sick. They play Arizona this week, a team that is actively tanking. I hope they lose.
Wrapping It Up
So yeah, there it is, power rankings. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, that’s a lot of reading compared to what I normally do. Week 2 Picks coming your way tomorrow.
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