Hungry For More: The Fantasy Footballers’ Predictions for Week 2
We’re past the first waiver wire day of the fantasy football season, which means it’s time for the Ballers to decide who has them hungry for more – presented by Uber Eats!
Each week the Ballers will pick a player who super-sized their game in the past week and decide if they’ll continue to eat at the big guy’s table or go back to the kid’s table. Of course, I’ll give you an extra side dish or two to go along with Andy, Mike, and Jason’s main course! Let me know if you think we’re cooking up a high-end meal or if it’s more like gas station sushi!
WR – Michael Pittman Jr. (IND)
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TD |
| 8 | 97 | 1 |
Jason is heading back to Pitty City this week with Michael Pittman Jr. After being a bit of a disappointment in 2022, Pittman put together a very strong start to 2023 against the Jaguars with nearly 100 yards and a TD in the Colts’ opening game. There were plenty of doubts about what the passing volume might look like with rookie QB Anthony Richardson under center, but Pittman nearly doubled the next closest Colt in targets and was easily the most productive option the team had on the field. The tastiest part about Pittman’s Week 1 has to be his two red zone targets inside the five-yard line, something he only saw once in the last nine weeks of 2022.
There’s a good chance that Pittman can continue his hot start this week as the Colts travel to Houston. Last year, Pittman torched the Texans early in the year with a WR5 finish in their first matchup in Houston. The Texans’ defense did hold the Ravens to just 169 passing yards in Week 1, but that could have been because of the game script for Baltimore. If fantasy managers want to ride the hot hand with Pittman, he’ll hopefully be getting plenty of his work earlier in the matchup.
Week 2 Matchup @ at Houston
WR – Puka Nacua (LAR)
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TD |
| 10 | 119 | 0 |
Easily the hottest name on the fantasy waiver wire this week, Andy might be bringing the spiciest dish on the menu in Puka Nacua. With no Cooper Kupp for the Rams, the rookie saw 15 targets against the Seahawks, good enough for a target on 40% of his routes run. It might be easy to think that Nacua just worked out of the slot, but he actually was out wide for 43 of his snaps.
Duplicating his success this week may be a little more difficult for Nacua with the San Francisco defense coming to LA. The 49ers completely shut down the Steelers’ passing attack in Week 1 with two interceptions and five sacks on the day. There still may be hope for Nacua to duplicate his hot start. In two games last season against the 49ers, Cooper Kupp saw 19 and 12 targets and finished as the WR6 and WR9. While Nacua isn’t on Cooper Kupp‘s level just yet, there’s still optimism for fantasy managers to be had here.
Week 2 Matchup vs San Francisco
WR – Elijah Moore (CLE)
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TD |
| 3 | 43 | 0 |
Mike’s selection might sound like he’s bringing a poo-poo platter to the table this week, but let’s take a deeper look at Elijah Moore. In Week 1, Moore was the most productive WR for the Browns, finishing with just three receptions for 43 yards on seven targets. While those numbers are pretty bland, Moore did see a 24% target share, which matches last year’s main target, Amari Cooper. Some of the lower receiving marks could be attributed to game script since Cleveland led nearly the entire game.
Fantasy managers may get to really see what the Browns’ passing attack is capable of this week when they host the Steelers. In their opening game, Pittsburgh gave up the WR2 finish on the day to Brandon Aiyuk, so there should be plenty of opportunity to see how much production there could be for Moore in this offense. Even with a productive Amari Cooper on the other side of the field, there definitely could be a chance that Moore is a consistent flex option, especially in full-PPR leagues.
Week 2 Matchup vs Pittsburgh
WR – Jordan Addison (MIN)
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TD |
| 4 | 61 | 1 |
Call it a rookie fever, but Jordan Addison sure brought the heat for his debut with the Vikings. In his first NFL game, Addison finished as the WR17 behind 61 yards and a TD. What was most impressive about Addison’s start was him seeing a target on 19.4% of his routes run. Addison only ran 31 routes on the day and is very likely to be more involved as the season progresses.
The cooking should be a little more difficult for Addison this week when the Vikings travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles on Thursday night. Last year we saw this matchup go very poorly in Week 2 for Minnesota, and was one of Justin Jefferson’s few bust weeks for fantasy. Fantasy managers should trust the recipe here and expect more flex-worthy plays from Addison with WR2 upside.
Week 2 Matchup @ Philadelphia