Fantasy Fallout: Week 2

By: Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86) and Tony Kneepkens (Tonytk44)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Saquon Barkley right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

COMMANDERS @ PACKERS

• Washington RB Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury late in the Commanders’ loss in Green Bay. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt should see an expanded role moving forward.

• Green Bay WR Jayden Reed suffered a broken collarbone that will require surgery. He will miss 6-8 weeks, and his absence could afford role-playing WRs like Matthew Golden and Dontayvion WIcks more snaps and opportunities.

• Packers’ TE Tucker Kraft turned seven targets into a monster 6-124-1 line. He leads the team in all major receiving categories through two weeks and is an every-week starter.

GIANTS @ COWBOYS

• Russell Wilson was cooking in Dallas, totaling 450 passing yards in a wild overtime loss. Wilson struggled in Week 1 when the Commanders were getting consistent pressure, but he was outstanding in Week 2 as the Cowboys let him get comfortable. The Giants’ next two games are against the blitz-happy Chiefs and the strong pass rush of the Chargers.

• Giants wide receivers Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson were electric, combining for 17 receptions, 309 yards, and three touchdowns. Nabers is obviously a no-brainer starter, but Robinson is the story here as he showed downfield ability and a weekly ceiling we had not seen anything close to in the past.

• It appears we have a full blown RB committee in New York, with Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. splitting the work nearly evenly. Skattebo could become the feature back here sooner than later.

• No injuries or surprising usage for the Cowboys, with all of their main players having solid games.

SEAHAWKS @ STEELERS

• Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was terrific, as always, but veteran WR Cooper Kupp had a nice game with seven receptions for 90 yards after a disappointing opening week. The two receivers combined for two-thirds of the team’s targets, a trend that we should expect to continue. 

• Seattle RB Kenneth Walker III outplayed Zach Charbonnet in Week 2. Walker may have taken control of the backfield with 118 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches, while Charbonnet managed only 10 yards on 15 carries. Walker gets a juicy matchup with the Saints in Week 3.

• Aaron Rodgers targeted six different players between four and six times. DK Metcalf is the only receiver or tight end you can trust here.

• Steelers RB Jaylen Warren pulled away from Kenneth Gainwell a bit in Week 2. Warren played 58% of the snaps (compared to 42% for Gainwell) and had 134 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches. Warren is a solid Flex starter next week against the Patriots, while Gainwell is nothing more than a bench stash for now.

RAMS @ TITANS

• The Rams offense ran as expected, with the trio of Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams accounting for 70% of the team’s offense. All three of the aforementioned players are locked-in starters regardless of matchup, but no one else on this team is startable in fantasy.

• Titans RB Tony Pollard had another “meh” fantasy output. But, make no mistake, this is his backfield, as he played 90% of the team’s snaps and handled nearly all of the running back opportunities.

• Rookie WR Elic Ayomanor made a highlight touchdown catch and finished the first half with a 5 // 46 // 1 receiving line, but he was shut out in the second half. He is a promising talent and played 73% of the team’s snaps, making him a great target if he is still available in your league.

BILLS @ JETS

• Jets QB Justin Fields left the game to be evaluated for a concussion in the second half, and he did not return. Veteran QB Tyrod Taylor came in to finish the game and appears likely to start next week at Tampa Bay. 

• As was the case in Week 1, the Jets offense ran almost entirely through RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson. The results were much worse this week, as the Bills are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and handled them very well. 

• Bills RB James Cook was the star of the show with 135 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns. 

• Ten players were targeted in the passing game for Buffalo, with no one posting a useful fantasy score. This is an offense that spreads the ball around, which means everyone except James Cook and Josh Allen are risky starts in a given week.

PATRIOTS @ DOLPHINS

• Patriots QB Drake Maye had a huge game but spread things around, and all of New England’s receivers and tight ends had modest-to-disappointing stat lines – probably a situation to avoid starting anyone from for the time being. Also exercise caution with Maye, as this performance against the Dolphins’ struggling defense doesn’t really tell us much.

• Rhamondre Stevenson quieted the calls for him to have a smaller role, playing two-thirds of the team’s offensive snaps and out-touching TreVeyon Henderson by a 16-5 margin. Stevenson finished with 142 yards from scrimmage and caught five passes. He is a good Flex play in good matchups.

• Per usual, the Dolphins offense was almost entirely three players (Achane, Tyreek, and Waddle). The biggest news for them is probably just that they were actually able to move the ball and had a few explosive plays. The offensive line is still a huge issue, though, and their running backs barely averaged 3.0 yards per carry.

JAGUARS @ BENGALS

• The big news here was Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sustaining a toe injury in the first half and not returning. After the game, it was announced that he may have torn ligaments and is facing potential surgery and a three-month absence. We should have confirmation on this early this week, with Jake Browning stepping in as the Bengals’ starting QB for the foreseeable future. Browning led an impressive fourth-quarter comeback and facilitated productive days for both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.

• Exciting rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten stepped into a real role for the Jaguars in the first game since Tank Bigsby was traded and did not disappoint . Travis Etienne is still the lead back and played 66% of the team’s snaps, but Tuten has a real role and was schemed touches early and often. Tuten ended with 74 yards and receiving TD on 10 touches. This backfield looks like it will be very productive, with Etienne a weekly starter and Tuten a solid Flex play in deeper leagues who has HUGE upside if anything ever happens to Etienne.

• Jaguars WR Dyami Brown was second on the team in snaps and targets, with Travis Hunter having another quiet day. Brown ended with seven targets and a carry and caught a first-half touchdown.

49ERS @ SAINTS

• Mac Jones performed admirably in his 49ers starting debut. The matchup was great, but Jones was in control out there and we can be relatively confident in the San Francisco skill players with him under center. Next week, he gets a Cardinals defense that sustained several injuries in Week 2.

• 49ers WR Jauan Jennings was active after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday and ended up leading the team in receiving. Jennings and Ricky Pearsall should dominate the 49ers passing game for the next few weeks while George Kittle is on IR.

• Saints TE Juwan Johnson made a terrific touchdown catch in the first half and has now been targeted 20 times through two weeks. He should be a top priority waiver add for those who need tight-end help.

BROWNS @ RAVENS

• Baltimore dominated this game start to finish and racked up 41 points, but Derrick Henry finished with 2.3 fantasy points. Funny game. He isn’t hurt. Don’t panic.

• Lamar Jackson had a huge passing game, but the Ravens’ propensity to spread the ball around kept everyone’s stats in check. Ravens TE Mark Andrews now has two receptions for seven yards through two weeks despite the team playing without Isaiah Likely. Yes, you can panic now.

• The Browns operated a three-man RB committee, but that seems likely to change very quickly with the team looking like they are headed for a rebuild and rookies Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson performing well. The potential suspension Judkins may be facing is the elephant in the room here, but Judkins and Sampson should be rostered everywhere.

• Cleveland threw the ball 48 times, yet no wide receiver or tight end scored over 10.2 PPR points. Probably a situation to avoid if you can for the time being, as the Browns face the Packers and Lions the next two weeks.

BEARS @ LIONS

• Jared Goff went nuclear at home against the Bears, throwing as many TD passes as incompletions, five, while passing for 334 yards. Goff is a matchup-based fantasy option who is most effective in games played at home or in road games played indoors.

• Second-year Chicago WR Rome Odunze continued his fast start to the season, catching seven of 11 targets for a huge 7-128-2 line. He has been the featured player in new HC Ben Johnson’s offense, leading the team in targets, catches, yards, and TDs through two weeks.

• D’Andre Swift (69 scrimmage yards and a TD) and DJ Moore (5-46-0 receiving) had usable scores in the blowout loss. They look like usable fantasy starters going forward. Highly drafted Bears rookies TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden have three targets each through the first two weeks. They are simply bet-on-talent bench stashes at this point to see if their roles might start to expand.

BRONCOS @ COLTS

• Daniel Jones had another strong fantasy performance to open his Colts career, passing for a 316-1 line and adding a rushing TD against a formidable Broncos defense. He’s usable next week at the Titans, if you need him.

• Broncos’ J.K. Dobbins was afforded 16 of 26 RB opportunities, racked up 85 scrimmage yards, and scored a TD for a second consecutive week to open the year; he's a fantasy starter with this role. Rookie RJ Harvey was the clear second RB, turning his seven touches into 24 scrimmage yards.

• Denver WR Troy Franklin led the team with nine targets, five more than any teammate, and had a breakout 8-89-1 game. No other Broncos player had more than 24 receiving yards.

PANTHERS @ CARDINALS

• Second-year RB Trey Benson had nine of 21 RB opportunities, continuing to cut into veteran James Conner’s workload. Conner handled the rest of the RB work and scored for a second consecutive week, but we can confirm the team has big plans for Benson this season.

• QB Bryce Young chucked 55 passes in a failed comeback attempt, accumulating a 328-3 line through the air. The usually mobile Young only added two rushing yards, also threw a pick and lost a fumble. The immense volume masked an inefficient performance.

• Second-year WR Xavier Legette turned his eight targets into minus-2 receiving yards, an incredible feat. Through two games, XL has caught four of 15 targets for just eight yards.

EAGLES @ CHIEFS

• Jalen Hurts passed for 101 yards and added 15 yards and a rushing TD in a win over the Chiefs. Hurts has 253 passing yards and hasn’t thrown a TD through two weeks. Stud WRs A.J. Brown (5-27) and DeVonta Smith (4-53) had better games than last week despite Hurts’ limited output.

• WR Tyquan Thornton was one of four Chiefs to have 5+ targets and had a 2-59-1 line, including a 49-yard TD. Travis Kelce (4-61) was the only other Chiefs player with more than 30 receiving yards.

• The Chiefs’ RB room remains one to avoid for now. Isiah Pacheco had 12 of 23 RB opportunities and Kareem Hunt nine. They combined for 20 touches and 63 scrimmage yards against the stout Eagles’ defense.

FALCONS @ VIKINGS

• The Falcons controlled the game on the ground in their comfortable win over the Vikings. Superstar Bijan Robinson led the way with 168 scrimmage yards and backup RB Tyler Allgeier added 80 scrimmage yards and a TD of his own. The two combined to handle a whopping 38 carries and six targets.

• Veteran Falcons WR Darnell Mooney returned to the lineup after missing much of camp and Week 1 with a shoulder injury. He caught two of four targets for 20 yards and will eventually be in fantasy-lineup consideration as he works himself back into shape.

• Vikings RB Aaron Jones left Sunday night’s game with a hamstring injury, and his availability for next week is in doubt. Jordan Mason led the Vikings with 12 of 18 RB opportunities and should have a strong role if Jones misses time.

• J.J. McCarthy had a rough second start, passing for 158 scoreless yards and turning the ball over three times. TE T.J. Hockenson, drafted to be a fantasy starter, has just 4-27 receiving through two weeks. It’s tough to trust any Minnesota players outside of Mason and Justin Jefferson in fantasy lineups at the moment.