Washington Redskins Player Power Rankings, Week 2: London Fletcher Takes Top Spot

One of the most interesting things about this Washington Redskins team is that there's not a definite franchise player you could point to right now. At 2-0, the Redskins are clearly doing something right, but if you say "Redskins, who is the first guy that comes to mind? It's a really tough question right now and it will be throughout the season.

Therefore, we at SB Nation D.C. have decided to answer that question with a weekly player power rankings list. Our council of Redskins staff members met in a conference board room yesterday and spent hours deliberating which 10 Redskins are the best players on the team. Well, actually, we just traded some e-mails, but the former sounds so much cooler. Each of us made a top 10 list, and we tallied up the results, with 10 points going to a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote and so on. Figuring out the best player on the roster at Week 2 proved to be easy. Figuring out everyone after that was far more difficult. The voters gave a lot of weight to this season as opposed to a player's career in general, which led to some interesting results.

Your voters: Mike Prada, Scott Jackson, Daniel Shiferaw, JP Finlay, TJ Doyle and Martin Shatzer.

1.  London Fletcher (60 points)

A unanimous selection for the top choice on the team, Fletcher has proven he is ageless in the middle of the Redskins' defense. Fletcher was especially good against the Cardinals on Sunday, pressuring Kevin Kolb twice on the opening drive and later picking him off. At 36, Fletcher is both the leader on the field and the leader off it, making him an obvious choice for the top spot.

2.  Ryan Kerrigan (43 points)

In a mild surprise, the rookie takes the second spot on this list after two unbelievable games. You all know about his breathtaking interception and touchdown in Week 1 against the New York Giants, but he also has one sack, several tackles for loss and even more quarterback hurries last week. He's even been impressive in coverage, something that was supposed to be difficult for him. You'd think he will drop in future weeks as the league figures him out, but you never know.

3.  Brian Orakpo (42 points)

Orakpo's spot here is entirely due to Martin leaving him off his list entirely. Despite his bone-crunching sack of Kolb on Sunday, Martin hasn't been especially wowed by anything Orakpo has done and decided to list others who have been more impressive this season. Four of the five other voters placed Orakpo second, so he should rise in the coming weeks.

4.  Fred Davis (40 points)

In the best example of "what have you done for me lately on this list," the voters decided Davis' big performances in the first two weeks of the 2011 season were enough to vault him this high up the list. He was ranked as high as third and no lower than fifth. So far, he's been the team's best receiver and one of the best tight ends in the league, so as long as he keeps it up, he'll be a fixture on this list.

5.  Tim Hightower (37 points)

The former Arizona Cardinals running back has been a really solid all-around back for Washington, both in running the ball and picking up the blitz. You can see why Mike Shanahan decided to make the trade to acquire him in the offseason. Hightower was a bit all over the place on these lists, ranking as high as second (by TJ) and as low as eighth (by Martin).

6.  Santana Moss (33 points)

Moss has been his typical reliable self this year, coming up with big first-down catches and huge plays in both of the Redskins' first two days. In particular, he ran a beautiful route to get open for the touchdown on fourth down on Sunday. The Redskins know exactly what they're getting from Moss at this point, which is why they re-signed him.

7.  Rex Grossman (20 points)

Grossman was in everyone's lower tier in the top 10, which is probably where he belongs given his reputation. Nobody would mistaken him for a top quarterback, and he certainly didn't play like one on Sunday, but he's also the quarterback of a 2-0 team and has inspired a lot of confidence with his brash statements. This feels about right for him.

8.  Roy Helu (13 points)

Is this a bit high for what basically amounts to one half of excellent running? Maybe, but even in the preseason, it was clear the rookie from Nebraska has a ton of talent. If he becomes better at picking up blitzes and catching the ball out of the backfield, he could easily supplant Hightower and be the top back on the team. Scott is certainly a believer, because he put Helu fourth on this list.

9.  Brandon Banks (11 points)

Banks made it only on two people's list, but it was enough to place him here. Martin ranked him fifth, while JP ranked him sixth. Those rankings show that there's a ton of value in having a return man who is always a threat to take it to the house. It's been far too long since the Redskins had that.

10.  Sav Rocca (9 points)

Some love for the punter? Why not, says Martin, who ranked him No. 4 on his list. Like with Banks, perhaps this is an example of Redskins fans counting their lucky stars that their team finally has a legitimate punter on their roster. Rocca's been more than legitimate too, pinning opponents deep inside their own territory regularly while not shanking any kicks in his first two games with the Redskins.

Others receiving votes: DeAngelo Hall (7), Oshiomogho Atogwe (4), Barry Cofield (3), Stephen Bowen (2), Will Montgomery (2), Rocky McIntosh (2), Trent Williams (1), Byron Westbrook (1).

Not eligible due to injuries: LaRon Landry, Chris Cooley.