Love/Hate for Week 2

Giovani Bernard, Bengals: Not only did Giovani "Don't call me Gio" Bernard lead the Bengals with 10 targets last week, he got all three of Cincy's red zone rushes. I know Hue Jackson has said he wants to increase Jeremy Hill's role, but he's not going to increase it that much. This is a great matchup here with the Falcons, who allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs last week against that noted running team, the New Orleans Saints. Bernard is a top-10 play this week.

Frank Gore, 49ers: Remember last year, when the Bears couldn't stop the run? Nothing has changed.

Darren Sproles, Eagles: So last week, Sproles got a ton of use. He had 11 rushes, his most since 2011, played 30 snaps (a 25 percent increase from last year) and actually touched the ball on 50 percent of those snaps (compared with 37 percent last year). All this jibes with what LeSean McCoy told me in the preseason. If you missed that interview, he told me how the offense they were installing had both of them in the backfield a lot, had McCoy as a decoy sometimes and had a lot of different uses for Sproles. I expect that to continue Monday night, when Sproles' speed will create a ton of mismatches against Indy in a high-scoring, up-tempo game. You're already starting him in PPR formats, but he's a legit high-end flex in standard play, too.

Shane Vereen, Patriots: He's not just the passing-down back! Vereen got 57 snaps (Stevan Ridley got 20) and most important got three of the four red zone rushes they had, converting one into a short touchdown. Meanwhile, he is also still the passing-down back. Only two Patriots had more targets (he had eight) and it's a nice matchup with the Vikings. Since the start of last season, the Vikings have allowed the most receiving yards to opposing running backs.

If you're desperate: I like both Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory (in that order) going against the Packers, who can't stop the run. Johnson looked great last week running north-south, and Ivory, always a tough tackle, gets a team that has allowed the fourth-most yards after contact in the league since the start of 2013. ... If you're rolling the dice on a Ravens running back, Justin Forsett is where I'd place my bet. That's rhymes! I'm a poet and didn't know it. Here's what I do know: After Bernard Pierce's fumble last week, Forsett played almost every snap. Pierce will be in the mix here, but this is a big chance for Forsett and he knows it. It's a good matchup, too, as the Steelers allowed more than 6 yards per rush last week. ... In what should be a ball-control, try-to-keep-Drew-Brees-off-the-field type game, I believe Terrance West will put up flex-worthy numbers for the Browns.

Running backs I hate in Week 2

Zac Stacy, Rams: You know I love Stacy as a talent, but last week the Rams made the Vikings look like the '85 Bears. What was that? I expect Tampa Bay to employ the same plan, which is basically, "Hey, try to throw on us!" Benny Cunningham got almost as many touches as Stacy, who will be running behind a line that graded out as the seventh worst in run blocking last week, according to Pro Football Focus. It's not a great matchup, as the Bucs allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs last season and gave up just 3.4 yards per carry against the Panthers last week. Stacy's got a decent chance to score, so that's your hope if you start him, but until we see more consistency from either his touches or even the Rams' offense, it's tough to trust him as a top-15 play, which is where he was drafted. This week, I have him just outside my top 20, making him more of a flex play than a starter. I own him in a 12-team ½-PPR dynasty league and I'm starting Chris Johnson over him this week -- Eddie Lacy is my other back, going WR at flex -- if that helps you. Or even if it doesn't. Since when has actually helping you stopped me?

Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, Lions: I feel good after last week about my preseason prediction (and Week 1 prediction that came true) that Joique Bell and not Reggie Bush is the Lions running back you want in standard scoring, and that they will be very close in PPR (Bell outscored Bush in PPR last week by one point). But I'm not crazy about either of these guys, splitting touches, on the road at Carolina.

Bishop Sankey, Titans: I tried to tell you. He's not the starter.

Trent Richardson, Colts: Until further notice, he is on the list. Yesterday, in a league I am in, a guy dropped Richardson for Ahmad Bradshaw. No issue with that move at all.

C.J. Spiller, Bills: Another guy I have just outside my top 20. The Bills rushed the ball 11 times in the red zone last week. Zero of those carries went to Spiller. Zero. The Dolphins played pretty good defense last week and have been strong against the run for a while. You're hoping for a receiving score, which could easily happen, but it's worth noting that in eight career games against the Dolphins, Spiller has only one rushing touchdown.

Wide receivers I love in Week 2

Cordarrelle Patterson, Vikings: I know. I've heard the critics. He didn't get a ton of targets last week and made his fantasy bones on an unlikely-to-reoccur 67-yard touchdown run. He will probably be stuck on Revis Island this week. Why, even our own Christopher Harris, a smart guy in his own right, expressed doubts in the preseason about him having a good year, saying his sloppy footwork and poor route running (among other things) would prevent a Josh Gordon-like breakout. I encourage you to read Christopher's article for a different viewpoint on Patterson, but while I hear it all, I respectfully disagree. I think his route running has improved significantly from last year, I believe the lack of targets in Week 1 was due to game flow (the Vikings dominated this game from start to finish) and the odds of a Norv Turner quarterback throwing it just 25 times a game all season long (as Matt Cassel did last week) are slim. Patterson now has eight touchdowns, either rushing or receiving, in his past nine regular-season games and at some point, you have to say, by hook or by crook, this is a guy who gets in the end zone. Since the midway point of last season, no player has scored more touchdowns on big plays (20-plus yards) than Patterson's five. During that span, the Patriots have allowed seven touchdowns on "big plays" in nine games, tied for 10th-most in the league. As for Revis, last week he didn't shadow Mike Wallace the entire game, so there's no guarantee he locks in on one receiver this week, either. But even if he does, Revis made a few mistakes against Wallace and if they can get the ball to Patterson in open space (which I believe Norv is creative enough to do, even against Revis), it's over. The Year of Cordarrelle continues this week and he should be considered a no-brainer, start-every-week type player. Soon, he will be.

Kendall Wright, Titans: Sensing a theme? What can I say? I like my guys. A stud slot guy, no player had more receptions or receiving yards out of the slot last year. He had all of his targets last week from the slot as well. Among the ways the Cowboys have been terrible on defense since 2013, they've allowed the most receptions and are tied for the second-most touchdowns to opposing slot receivers.

Mike Wallace, Dolphins: Last week I had Wallace on the "hate" list saying I thought his comeback season would start this week. Well, I was a week too late. Darrelle Revis didn't matter, nothing mattered. Already with two red zone targets on the year (had just 10 all of last year), they are throwing to him deep (five deep targets last week, tied for fourth most) and this is a nice matchup. Since 2013, the Bills have allowed the fifth-most yards on deep throws to opposing wide receivers.

Kelvin Benjamin, Panthers: It's one thing for the Lions' defense to look OK at home against Eli Manning, it's another to do it on the road against Cam Newton. Against an unimpressive secondary and a strong front seven, I see Carolina throwing a lot more than running here and Benjamin, their best deep threat, will be the main beneficiary. He's the real deal.

If you're desperate: The Ravens have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on deep passes since last year, making Markus Wheaton a nice flier Thursday night. ... I actually have Jeremy Maclin as a top-20 play this week in a shootout with Indy, so he probably should be in the actual "love" section, but let's face it, that sounds like hustling to rewrite everything and, as you faithful podcast listeners know, nothing good comes from hustling. ... Trendy preseason sleeper Justin Hunter (his legal name) got a lot of targets last week, is the Titans' deep threat and gets Dallas this week. Have I mentioned I like the Titans' passing game this week yet? I feel like I have.

Wide receivers I hate in Week 2

Keenan Allen, Chargers: The Seattle D. Need more? Fine. Last year, Allen faced four top-10 fantasy defenses, in terms of fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. He averaged only 5.3 fantasy points per game against them. He has yet to show that he can consistently perform against the elite defenses, healthy Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates are taking targets away and, you know, Seattle. Not a top-20 guy for me this week.

Victor Cruz, Giants: Better days are ahead for Cruz (how could they get worse?), but not sure Sunday will be one of them. The Giants' offense looked out of sync, Eli looked terrible and frankly, so did Cruz, dropping a couple of very catchable balls. When your wide receiver is looking back at the QB with his hands up, as if to say, "I don't understand the audible you just called ..." that's not good, right? I'm starting Kendall Wright over Cruz in the one league I own him in. Need to see it before I will trust him in a 10- or 12-team league.

Terrance Williams, Cowboys: As I mentioned on the podcast, I'm on the "Titans are a legit defense" bandwagon. Yes, he got a late garbage-time score last week, but I don't want to count on that this week, especially when you know Dez Bryant will be forced-fed the ball. Did you know that since the start of 2013, only the Seahawks have allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than the Titans? Outside my top 30 this week.

Tight ends I love in Week 2

Delanie Walker, Titans: Wow, I have a Titan listed here. Shocker. But this Titan led all the other Titans with three red zone targets last week and the two passing touchdowns the Cowboys gave up last week went to ... a tight end. Since 2013, only the Cardinals have allowed more fantasy points to opposing tight ends than the Cowboys.

Zach Ertz, Eagles: Since the midway point of last season, the only tight ends with more touchdowns than Ertz are Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas. And in case you missed it, Julius Thomas just torched the Colts last week. Ertz creates matchup problems with Indy as well and continues to be the best bet outside of LeSean McCoy to score on a consistent basis.

If you're desperate: Once Tyler Eifert left the game last week, Jermaine Gresham had five targets (only one fewer than A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard) and got one of the two Bengals red zone targets. Since 2013, the Falcons have allowed the third-most touchdowns to opposing tight ends. ... Speaking of the Falcons, Levine Toilolo was on the field for 50 of the Falcons' 69 snaps in Week 1 and caught his lone red zone target for a touchdown. Cincy has struggled with tight ends recently, including Dennis Pitta lighting them up last week on a 10-for-83 game. ... Larry Donnell led the Giants in all receiving categories in Week 1, such as it was (eight targets, five receptions, 56 yards with a touchdown), got two red zone targets and is playing against the Cardinals. Since 2013, the Cardinals have allowed 66 more fantasy points than any other team to opposing tight ends. ... He's not Jordan Reed, but Niles Paul is an athletic tight end with a good matchup and a quarterback who has to keep his passes short while his pocket continues to collapse around him.

Tight ends I hate for Week 2

Kyle Rudolph, Vikings: Only two receptions for 16 yards last week, and while he's always a threat to score a touchdown, the Patriots are traditionally strong against the tight end. Outside my top 10 this week.

Antonio Gates, Chargers: See Rivers, Philip.

Any Lions tight end: A three-headed monster against a tough defense ... no thanks. Feel free to drop any of them in a re-draft league as well.

Defenses I love in Week 2

Arizona Cardinals D/ST: They continue to suffer losses, but you know what? Happiness is facing Eli.

Tennessee Titans D/ST: I'm on almost every other Titan this week, might as well make it a clean sweep. I'm a believer in this defense and Ray Horton (and so, now, are the Chiefs), not just for this week against a turnover-prone Tony Romo, but long term as well.

Houston Texans D/ST: No Clowney, no schmowney. They still have J.J. Watt and they still face the Oakland Raiders. The past five fantasy defenses to face the Raiders have averaged over 10 points a week.

If you're desperate: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have averaged eight fantasy points a game at home since the start of last year and might be facing Austin Davis. And if not him, Shaun Hill. ... The Miami Dolphins scored double-digit points against Tom Brady and looked awesome doing it. Now they get EJ Manuel.

Defenses I hate in Week 2

Kansas City Chiefs D/ST: Too many injuries, too much Peyton. No thanks.

New Orleans Saints D/ST: Still owned in 87 percent of leagues, what about last week's minus-7 points did you like? I get they are playing Cleveland, but it's on the road and I'm going to tell you a secret. Cleveland isn't terrible. They're not great, but not they're not brutal, either. Which makes the Saints not a top-10 play.

Matthew Berry -- The Talented Mr. Roto -- is looking forward to when we no longer have to talk about the NFL in terms of what happened off the field. He is the creator of RotoPass.com, a website that combines a bunch of well-known fantasy sites, including ESPN Insider, for one low price. You may also have heard: He has written a book.