NFL Player News

Jets quarterback Geno Smith is in uniform and the starting lineup Thursday against the Patriots, after making it through practice in Week 2 with an ankle injury. He was considered probably coming into the game, and is not expected to be limited by the injury. 

Dolphins second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill had a pretty strong season debut in Week 1 against the Browns. He will try to build on that while returning to the site of one of his best performances as a rookie, when the Dolphins take on the Colts in Week 2.

Tannehill had his second-most prolific passing game of the season the first time he faced the Colts, as he totaled 290 yards on 22 of 38 passing, and it was one of just six games in which he tossed a touchdown pass without adding an interception.

Tannehill had a very up-and-down rookie season, but he looked strong in his season opener. The Colts have the kind of offense that could force the Dolphins to throw the ball a lot to keep up, which could lead to big numbers for Tannehill. Still, he is too unproven to consider a worthy starting Fantasy option in Week2.  

When Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton takes on the Steelers on Monday night, he'll face off against a defense that has had his number ever since he came into the league. 

Dalton is 1-3 all-time against the Burgh, never posting good stats against them. He has one game with two touchdowns and one or none in the rest. He has five interceptions in his four games. He's thrown for over 200 yards against them once -- a 278-yard effort in his last meeting with them.

Aside from two early interceptions, Dalton did fine in his Week 1 matchup -- a toughie against the Bears in Chicago. He threw for two touchdowns and 282 yards in that game, completing a career-best 78.8 pct. of his passes. 

Despite the bad history against the Steelers, Dalton should piece together enough stats to be decent in Fantasy. However, with the grand total of very good Fantasy quarterbacks available at the start of the season, he probably doesn't have much upside and therefore shouldn't be considered a start-worthy choice in Week 2. 

Jets quarterback Geno Smith was able to hold his own in his NFL debut last week, and he will try to build on that in Week 2, against the division rival Patriots. New England's defense struggled a bit with another rookie signal caller in Week 1, so Smith has something of a guide to success.

The Patriots struggled to get to Bills rookie EJ Manuel last Sunday, as he passed for two touchdowns. The Patriots were unable to force him into many mistakes, and he was not sacked once in the game, while completing 18 of 27 passes for 150 yards.

Smith and Manuel aren't the same player, but the fact the Patriots weren't able to rattle the first rookie they faced at the position bodes somewhat well for Smith. Still, he is unproven and has little in the way of offensive weapons on his side, So Fantasy owners should only consider starting Smith in an emergency for Week 2. 

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers heads into his Week 2 matchup at home against the Redskins looking for his first win after he was beaten by San Francisco Week 1. After throwing for 333 yards and three touchdowns last week in a loss, he should be in for another solid performance.

Rodgers has won 19 of his last 20 starts at home for Green Bay. He's completed 68.7 percent of his passes in those games with 54 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Couple that with a Redskins team that gave up the fifth-most Fantasy points to quarterback Michael Vick Week 1, and Rodgers has a recipe for success.

Since becoming the team's starter in 2008, Rodgers has 18 games with at least 300 yards passing and three TDs. That is second most in the league over that span. Rodgers is a top-three Fantasy quarterback for Week 2 of the season against a struggling Washington secondary. He can be considered a must-start for all Fantasy owners.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who made his NFL debut a winning one on Sunday, is probable for the game Thursday night against the Patriots with an ankle injury.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson heads into a tough Week 2 matchup at home against the 49ers.

Wilson had mixed results against the 49ers last season, however, the last time Wilson faced the 49ers at home, he fired four touchdown passes and completed 15 of 21 attempts for 171 yards. He has totaled 293 yards passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions in two career games against San Francisco.

Wilson, who cracked the 300-yard mark in Week 1 at Carolina, should have a tough time moving the chains against San Francisco's defense, even through the 49ers allowed 333 yards and three passing touchdowns to Aaron Rodgers last week. At this point, there are other quarterbacks with better Fantasy matchups heading into Week 2. Consider Wilson a low-end starting option in deeper formats for Week 2.

Things aren't looking great for Matthew Stafford in Week 2. Not only did Arizona allow the fifth-fewest passing yards in the league last season, but Stafford also threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in his only career game against the Cardinals. 

There are a couple bright spots. The Cardinals let Sam Bradford throw for 299 yards in Week 1, and Bradford has far less at his disposal than the mighty Lions. Also, Reggie Bush exceeded expectations against the Vikings and is a dangerous x-factor for Detroit in their passing game moving forward.

Stafford is going to throw the ball 40-50 times in Week 2, and with Calvin Johnson, Bush, and Joique Bell on the other end of those passes, it may not matter which defense they're facing, as plenty balls will be caught. With an exciting offense on the other side of the ball -- Carson Palmer threw for 327 yards in Week 1 -- we could be treated to an air show between two pass-happy offenses. And that will only help boost Stafford's value. 

He may not finish with the most passing yards this week, but Stafford is still a must-start in most Fantasy formats, despite the stingy pass defense of Arizona. 

Sure enough, quarterback Sam Bradford emerged as the focal point of the Rams offense with Steven Jackson out of the picture Week 1 against the Cardinals, putting together one of the most productive games of his career. But because he didn't get much help from the running game, with starter Daryl Richardson averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, he'll be on the hook for a repeat performance Week 2 at Atlanta.

The Falcons were at their best against the pass last year, allowing just 14 touchdowns through the air, fewest in the league. They did allow 357 yards and two touchdowns to Saints quarterback Drew Brees last week, but of course, Bradford isn't quite in the same class.

Of course, if new tight end Jared Cook continues to make the difference he made in Week 1, when he led the Rams with 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns, Bradford could eventually rise a class, but after just one encouraging performance, he's still an option better left for two-quarterback leagues.

Rookie inside linebacker Manti Te'o, who earlier was ruled out with a foot injury, heads the Chargers' list of inactives for Monday night's game against Houston. Also sitting out are safety Brandon Taylor (knee), quarterback Brad Sorensen, wideout Seyi Ajirotutu, guard Johnnie Troutman, linebacker Tourek Williams and defensive end Drake Nevis.