Ten Things We Learned in Week 2 (Fantasy Football)
Is it really only just past Week 2? With the ups and downs, the amount of injuries, and headline news, it feels like we’re already halfway through the season. Alas, the season is still in its infancy and we have a long journey ahead of us. Footclan, I implored you not to panic after the first week and I want to reiterate that message today, but the caveat is you should start winding your internal alarm. Don’t let it ring just yet, but imagine the fantasy football landscape as a chess board. We’re moving our pawns in the first couple of weeks, but we’re starting to think about moving our knights and bishops. We’re setting up our attack so we’ll be screaming “checkmate!” at the end of the year. Let’s keep on learning and growing together by soaking in some of the most important information from Week 2.
Stay Up to Date on Injuries
Injuries are inevitable in football, this isn’t new information. What feels new is the number of underreported injuries or last-minute injuries that are throwing fantasy managers into uncomfortable scenarios. Isiah Pacheco‘s injury and move to the IR is unfortunate, but he got hurt during game action. Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Joe Mixon, Cooper Kupp – they all got banged up on Sunday. But the Christian McCaffrey debacle, A.J. Brown getting in a limited practice on Friday, then being ruled out Sunday morning, and Evan Engram getting hurt in pregame warmups caused fantasy managers to scramble Sunday morning when lineups should be mostly set. It all just feels off. The best way to counterbalance injury woes is to stay on top of the information as best you can, and there’s no better way than to lock into our fantasy injury expert Matthew Betz. Follow Betz on social media and tune in to the weekly Injury Blitz podcast as a member of the FootClan so he can help keep you informed with all the latest injury news.
Saints Go Marching In
The Saints have put up 91 total points in their first two games. Who had that on their BINGO card to start the season? Certainly not Jason, whose fire Dennis Allen in five games plan is already out the window. The Saints’ offense led by Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, and Rashid Shaheed has been lights out. And with the Eagles, Falcons, Chiefs, and Buccaneers on the schedule over the next four weeks, more points are in the cards. And don’t worry about Chris Olave, he was targeted a team-high six times and had four catches for 81 yards. He was a yard away from a touchdown. Expect Olave’s numbers to rise as the season progresses and for Kamara and Shaheed to continue to put up respectable fantasy numbers.
Baker Is Back in Business
The QB1 through the first two weeks of the season is none other than Baker Mayfield. The former number one overall pick left for dead just a couple of seasons ago led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC South Division crown last year and a postseason win over the Eagles. He’s got his 2-0 team looking sharp, with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both reaping the fantasy benefits. Mayfield was a viable QB2 option in SuperFlex leagues to start the year, but he’s looking more and more like a top-10 QB for the rest of the season.
Bryce Benched
According to Tom Pelissero, the Panthers are benching Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton this week. Dalton is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league and has eight seasons under his belt where he passed for more than 3,200 yards. In 2013, Dalton finished as the QB5 with 4,293 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. In 2016, he finished as the QB12 with 4,206 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. While I think Dalton will have streaming potential, this move is more significant for the offensive pieces on the Panthers. Diontae Johnson looked like a bust, Adam Thielen was unplayable, and Chuba Hubbard was a desperation play at best. Xavier Legette is an intriguing rookie, but couldn’t be started. Dalton improves all these players’ fantasy potential, with Johnson now capable of jumping into the WR3 category, or perhaps even higher. For dynasty managers who roster Young, the future is bleak. I’d probably hold him for now, but also would be fielding trade offers to try and unload him off the roster.
Sound the WR Alarm
There have been a handful of high-drafted wide receivers who are off to slow starts, and while it’s still early in the season, it’s time to put our antennae up. The three that stand out to me: Amari Cooper, Michael Pittman Jr., and Terry McLaurin. The player I’m least concerned about is Cooper, who has 17 targets in two games, but only five receptions. The targets give me confidence, however. Also, the injury to David Njoku means Cooper should be more involved. I’m iffy about Pittman, who has seven catches for 51 yards so far this year. Anthony Richardson has shown a propensity to throw the deep ball, but that isn’t Pittman’s strong suit. I’m the most worried about McLaurin, who had a 27.6% target share yesterday but turned it into only six catches for 22 yards. The low depth of target is concerning, as Jayden Daniels is struggling with the long ball, and Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was known for scheming up short area throws in Arizona. I’m not ready to trade any of these players yet, but the panic button is getting closer to being pushed.
Buffalo’s Backs Is Where It’s At
Last week I stated that starting the correct pass-catchers in Buffalo would be a frustrating puzzle all season long. Through two weeks that sentiment is true, as Khalil Shakir was the top receiver in Week 2 with five catches for 44 yards. It feels odd that there really isn’t an elite receiving option to pair with an elite quarterback in Josh Allen, but it looks like we’re trending in that direction for the season. The answer lies in the running back room in Buffalo. James Cook scored three touchdowns on Thursday against the Dolphins and was the recipient of Allen’s only passing touchdown. Rookie Ray Davis got 10 opportunities in what ended up being a resounding victory. Cook showed out last year, but only scored two rushing touchdowns. He’s already matched that total in two games this season. He is looking like a top-five RB this year and Davis remains one of the most coveted insurance backs in the game.
Concern for Kelce
Swifties, I come in peace, but Travis Kelce is just not the elite option he once was for fantasy football. Dating back to last season, Kelce has struggled to put up TE1 numbers and through the first two games of 2024, he has four catches for 39 yards. Sunday’s game against the Bengals marked the first time he didn’t have at least three receptions in a game since 2018 in what was Patrick Mahomes‘ second career start. At this point in his career, Kelce is built more for the playoffs and for making big-time football plays, not putting up fantasy points. He will still have elite games this season, but they will be fewer and farther between than years prior.
Jameson Williams Emerging as Lions’ No. 2
Jameson Williams truthers, it seems your time has finally arrived. After a pair of seasons filled with injuries and playing concerns, Williams is finally living up to his first-round draft capital. He finished second in receiving yards and target share against the Buccaneers on Sunday. And with St. Brown banged up, he could be seeing a healthy dose of targets for the foreseeable future. He’s clearly overtaken Sam LaPorta as the second option in Detroit, but hold on to last year’s TE1. LaPorta will still put up numbers, however his ceiling takes a hit with the emergence of Williams.
Tony, Not Tyjae in Tennessee
Throughout the offseason, we were told by the Titans’ coaching staff that there would be a 50-50 split between Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Through two games, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Spears got banged up in the second half of the game against the Jets, but even before that, he wasn’t getting a lot of runs. Pollard saw nearly 74% of the backfield rush share and 21.4% of the target share. He also got the carries inside the red zone. Pollard is looking like a draft-day steal at his ADP, while Spears belongs on fantasy benches until we see otherwise.
Joe Cool Is Heating Up
Many of us in the fantasy football business were worried about Joe Burrow‘s wrist this offseason. We were worried about Ja’Marr Chase‘s and Tee Higgins‘ contract extensions, both of which never came to fruition. The loss of Joe Mixon and Offensive Coordinator Brian Callahan scared us. That made Burrow’s ADP tumble, leading him to the seventh or eighth round of drafts. Yes, he was hurt in 2023, but he was the QB4 in 2022. He has elite wideouts and plays in a pass-first offense. He finished Sunday’s game against the Chiefs with 258 passing yards and two touchdowns. The fantasy community was probably too low on Burrow this year. A top-five QB finish is in play as long as he remains healthy.