For the first two articles in the weekly series, I discussed all 32 teams. Now that the foundation has been laid for who is fantasy relevant on teams, I’m no longer going to be writing up every team. Instead, I’ll tackle some of the teams from each headlined grouping and note significant player value changes that are either the result of an increase in usage, changed role, or the matchup for this week.

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21-32

 
The bottom of the barrel is bad. The Browns were dealt a blow with Corey Coleman suffering a broken hand. Sticking on the theme of injuries, Jordan Howard is banged up and was spotted in a sling, but he says it’s “good.” Tyler Eifert is iffy for this week, and both DeMarco Murray and Corey Davis of the Titans have their own injury woes to deal with. Murray being ruled out would actually bump the Titans up in the Fantasy Power Rankings as Derrick Henry would get a boost in value. If both play, they’re likely to cut into each other’s touches and value. There are some elite players such as A.J. Green, LeSean McCoy, Odell Beckham Jr., and DeAndre Hopkins in this portion of the rankings, but they either face tough matchups, or have limited help to keep defenses honest. Terrance West is less than 100% and was limited to only 15 snaps in Week 2. Even if West is healthy, Javorius Allen has done enough to earn Flex consideration or fringe RB2 value on teams weak at RB. If West is out, Allen gets a bump in value, and the defense/special teams (D/ST) is one of the top options on that side of the ball. The Jaguars have similar value with a strong D/ST option in London. Their running back touches are more consolidated with Leonard Fournette the unquestioned top back, but his matchup is much tougher.

11-20

 
It might seem crazy for the 49ers to crack the top 20 since I love the Rams D/ST this week, but their offensive value is concentrated between two high-volume options in Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garcon, and both are easy selections as fantasy starters. The Seahawks have been a mess, but their backfield gained clarity with Chris Carson pacing the group and playing on 61% of the team’s offensive snaps last week. A healthy Sam Bradford would make me feel better about where the Vikings rank, but head coach Mike Zimmer hasn’t provided a definitive timetable on when he’ll be back. Dalvin Cook has established himself as a high-end RB2 or low-end RB1, but Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Kyle Rudolph are more volatile plays with every start Case Keenum makes. The Saints and Panthers have a game over/under total of 48 points with the Panthers favored by 5.5 points, according to Pinnacle. Both teams will provide fantasy value, but outside of the quarterbacks and the No. 1 receivers in that contest, things get a little trickier. The option from that next group in the NFC South’s potential shootout is Christian McCaffrey. I expect him to be busy as a pass catcher and chip in on the ground, too.

6-10

 
How high can a team without a truly elite fantasy option rise in the Fantasy Football Power Rankings? It looks like at least to the ninth spot. Matthew Stafford has top-5 QB upside, and Golden Tate is a slam-dunk starter in all leagues. The game against the Falcons should feature a ton of point scoring, and that thrusts both of Detroit’s running backs, Kenny Golladay, and Eric Ebron into fantasy starter consideration this week. It’s been murderer’s row for Dez Bryant to start the year, and a showdown with Patrick Peterson won’t make life any easier this week. The good news is that Dak Prescott is throwing him the ball a ton even in tough matchups. Ezekiel Elliott will bounce back from a disastrous showing against the Broncos. If this was horse racing, there would need to be a photo finish to rank the top three teams in this group. In full-point PPR formats, I’d bump the Dolphins up to sixth and nudge the other two back accordingly. These rankings were concocted with non-PPR scoring in mind, though, which hurts the value of Jarvis Landry immensely and, thus, bumps the Dolphins behind the Chiefs and Bucs.

5 – Patriots (vs. Texans)
The Patriots rebounded from their disappointing opener and squashed the Saints. They face a rookie quarterback at Gillette Stadium and are massive 13-point betting favorites with an implied team total of 28.25 points. Rob Gronkowski’s groin injury doesn’t appear to be any threat to his playing status this week. Tom Brady is a no-brainer starter at QB, and Mike Gillislee should be in a position to match or exceed his 18-69-1 line from Week 2 as the closing back. James White matched Gillislee in percentage of offensive snaps played, and he ripped off 96 yards from scrimmage with eight receptions, making him useful even in standard-scoring leagues. Brandin Cooks failed to light it up against his former club, but he’s a home-run threat and tied Chris Hogan for the lead in offensive snaps played among wide receivers on the team in Week 2. Both are fantasy starting options, though, each has a fairly low floor. There’s a ton of upside and depth here, but the lower floors created by Brady’s willingness to spread the ball around and Bill Belichick’s usage of a committee backfield hold them back a little bit behind the next four teams.

4 – Falcons (@ Lions)
Matt Ryan only had to throw the ball 28 times last week since the Falcons opened up a huge lead at the half. As a result of the low attempt output, he totaled just 252 yards passing and one touchdown. He’s following up his MVP campaign with an efficient start to this year, albeit with an underwhelming two touchdown passes. I’m a believer that the Lions force the Falcons to keep their foot on the gas for the duration of the game, and that bodes well for Ryan outproducing his first two games. Julio Jones is a threat to top the wide receiver position in scoring every week, and playing indoors in Detroit will allow his high-end speed to play up. Devonta Freeman is the top back and a low-end RB1 this week, while Tevin Coleman plays enough to be a low-floor, high-ceiling option at RB as well. Austin Hooper was quiet against the Packers after catching two balls for 128 yards and a touchdown in the opener. The Lions surrendered a 4-49-1 line to rookie tight end Evan Engram last night on seven targets, and they struggled against the position in 2016, so Hooper’s a fringe TE starter this week.

3 – Steelers (@ Bears)
Le’Veon Bell touched the ball a whopping 31 times against the stout defense of the Vikings and amassed 91 yards from scrimmage, but he failed to reach pay dirt. He should end his touchdown drought this week and rack up a ton of yardage against the Bears. Chicago tends to be a tough draw for No. 1 receivers, but Antonio Brown is a freak, and Mike Evans’ 7-93-1 last week against them is nothing to sneeze at. Bell and Brown are in the weekly discussion for highest scorer at their respective positions regardless of matchup, and they’ll continue to push the Steelers into the upper echelon of the Fantasy Power Rankings as long as they stay healthy. The Steelers D/ST is a solid play against the injury-riddled Bears offense, and Martavis Bryant showcased his pre-suspension big-play ability in Week 2 hauling in three of his four targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. Ben Roehtlisberger has well known home/road splits that favor playing at home, but he’s a fantasy starter even on the road this week.

2 – Packers (vs. Bengals)
Ty Montgomery is a workhorse, do-it-all back and an RB1. Aaron Rodgers is the top fantasy quarterback thanks to his excellence through the air but also his ability to pick up points with his legs. The Packers are eight-point favorites with an implied team total of 26.25 points this week. The high total is appealing for whichever pass catchers are healthy. The Packers Fantasy Power Rankings rank isn’t contingent on Jordy Nelson playing, because if he’s out, it provides a shot in the arm to the value of other fantasy starting-caliber players that include Davante Adams, Randall Cobb (assuming he’s healthy enough to play after undergoing a precautionary MRI on Monday), Martellus Bennett, and the aforementioned Montgomery. Oh, and after getting torched by the Falcons, the Packers D/ST is a streamable commodity facing the touchdown-less Bengals offense. There’s a great mix of elite fantasy options and depth here.

1 – Raiders (@ Redskins)
The Raiders implied team total of 28.25 is tied with the Patriots for the highest this week — with the Falcons and Lions total yet to be released at time of writing. Unlike with the Patriots, it’s considerably clearer who the top options are on offense. Marshawn Lynch is the RBBC leader with 30 carries for 121 yards, one touchdown, and two receptions for 20 yards through two weeks with Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington splitting up change-of-pace/pass-catching duties behind him. The latter duo aren’t usable, but Lynch is a rock-solid RB2. Out of Derek Carr’s 60 passes, 42 have been thrown in the direction of Amari Cooper (18), Michael Crabtree (13), and Jared Cook (11). Crabtree maintains his stranglehold on touchdown production with three through two weeks, and he’s backed the touchdowns with 12 receptions total for 163 yards. Cooper has just one touchdown grab and nine receptions for 95 yards, but the team-leading target total bodes well for a big game on the horizon, perhaps as soon as this week. Cook is another weapon at Carr’s disposal, and he is a fantasy starter this week. Washington struggled to defend tight ends last year and have been laughably bad against them this year allowing 13 receptions on 208 yards on just 15 targets. Now, let’s circle back to Carr, who has all these great options to pick apart defenses with. He’s completed 75% of his passes this year at a hearty 8.2 yards per attempt and 9.9 Adjusted Yards Per Attempt, per Pro-Football Reference. His yards per attempt and Adjusted Yards Per Attempt are sixth and fifth best out of the gate, respectively, and he’s also rattled off five touchdown passes. The fourth-year pro is in line for a monster game against the Redskins this week.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.