Week 2 Takeaways

Joe Burrow Could Miss Time

And we’re talking significant time—potentially 12 weeks, assuming he’ll need surgery. He’s getting second opinions, so there’s a glimmer of hope he’ll just need a few weeks of recovery. While he’s out, the entire Bengals offense takes a hit. Ja’Marr Chase will continue to be a must-start for now, and Tee Higgins’ WR2 status could be reduced to a volatile WR3. We could see more reliance on Chase Brown, who saw 100% of the team’s backfield rushing attempts over the first two games, but he’ll likely face fewer scoring opportunities.

Rome Odunze Breakout is Upon Us

Odunze has become a clear focal point for the new Bears offense, leading them in target share two weeks in a row. His 37% share in Week 2 led to a 7/128/2 line on 11 targets. DJ Moore’s 16% target share in Week 1 and 20% in Week 2 puts him outside the Top-24 conversation going into Week 3, while we should treat Odunze as a solid WR2.

Russell Wilson Keeping Targets Tight

We expected Malik Nabers to get his, but Russell Wilson is unlocking the deep ball when given the opportunity. He had some clutch plays towards the end of the game, not only leading Malik Nabers to a 9/167/2 line, but he’s also potentially unlocking some deep-ball ability for Wan’Dale Robinson. Thirty percent and 24% target shares for Robinson through two games makes him a must-add this week.

Jaguars' Passing Game is a Mess

This one’s been a little frustrating over the first two weeks for fantasy. Trevor Lawrence continues to have ball placement issues, while both Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter are outside the Top-50 fantasy WRs over the first two weeks. BTJ had a game to forget on his own, but he’s still getting the type of WR usage we were hoping for—it’s just a matter of things clicking. Continue starting him in Week 3. After a CB injury, Travis Hunter’s route participation dropped for him to play more defense, but that should rebound next week. He’s no more than an upside flex play in Week 3 until the passing offense improves.

Jaguars' Backfield Consolidates

With Tank Bigsby traded, we’re now seeing a closer touch distribution between Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten. Etienne out-carried Tuten 14-8 and out-targeted him 3-2, with Etienne gaining 89 total yards to Tuten’s 74. The Jaguars clearly want to get Tuten the ball, as evidenced by a designed red-zone target where he made a nice move for a TD. Etienne is still the clear lead, but both backs are going to continue to be involved. Grab Tuten if he’s still available in your league.

No Ben Johnson, No Problem

I guess it was just the Packers’ defense in Week 1, because the Lions were firing on all cylinders against their former OC Ben Johnson’s Bears. The offense continues to look a lot like it did last year, with Amon-Ra as the clear target (11/9/115/3) and Jameson Williams filling in as a big-play threat. Jahmyr Gibbs led the backfield in touches, while Montgomery handled the goal-line work.

Danny Dimes is Back

After a 272-yard passing performance against Miami in Week 1, Danny Dimes passed for over 300 yards in Week 2 against a tougher Denver defense. His usage at the goal line is especially intriguing, resulting in 3 rushing TDs in 3 games. As it stands before MNF, only Lamar Jackson has more fantasy points than Daniel Jones through two weeks. He’s now in the fantasy QB1 conversation.

Quinshon Judkins Makes His Debut

Judkins got the start, but both Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson saw a significant amount of snaps alongside him. However, Judkins looked good with his opportunities, and I’d imagine this consolidates into a 2-man backfield—likely between him and Ford. Ford has been the passing down back through two weeks, while Sampson has averaged only 2 YPC so far. Judkins enters the flex discussion with potential upcoming disciplinary actions clouding over him, but he has several tough matchups on deck—starting with Green Bay next week.

Troy Franklin Sees New Role

The Colts were down manpower in their secondary, so Courtland Sutton seemed like a smash start. Indy apparently had a plan for Sutton, which led Troy Franklin to a big game. It’s worth noting, however, that Franklin’s increased usage was intentional—he went from a 65% route participation in Week 1 to a team-leading 88% in Week 2. His team-leading 30% target share led to a breakout 9/8/89/1 line, with most of his routes coming out of the slot for the second straight week. He’s now officially fantasy relevant.

New Giants' Lead Back?

A week after Tracy controlled 73% of the snaps for the Giants, Skattebo moved ahead of him in Week 2. He out-snapped Tracy 35-28, split routes 50/50, and was involved in the receiving game and on the goal line—we could be looking at him as the Giants RB to start moving forward. He was extremely efficient in college, and it seems like the coaches don’t want to waste any time getting him on the field. A couple of tough matchups on deck, though, so temper expectations.

Is it Over for Mark Andrews?

One catch in each of the last two games… one for 5 yards, one for 2 yards. Six percent and 10% target shares… with Isaiah Likely out? Not good. Zay Flowers is absolutely eating in the meantime, earning 50% and 38% target shares over the last two weeks. Flowers deserves an upgrade, while Andrews is downgraded significantly.

Patriots' Backfield Moving in Wrong Direction

At least for TreVeyon Henderson managers. Not only did Antonio Gibson get more touches than Henderson (32% snap share), but Rhamondre Stevenson had a very good game, further widening the gap between him and Henderson. Stevenson had 16 touches, most notably 5 of which came through the air, totaling 88 yards receiving. His 142 total yards make him a much more viable start moving forward, as the expectation of Henderson moving in sooner rather than later had Stevenson managers understandably hesitant. Stevenson moves into the RB2 conversation for now, while Henderson managers need to be patient with him on the bench.

Mac Jones Executes in Purdy’s Absence

279 yards and three TDs—Mac Jones got the job done. He gave CMC managers what they needed: 6 catches for 52 yards and a nice end zone target for a TD. Jauan Jennings got his 10 targets for a team-leading 26% target share. Ricky Pearsall only had 6 targets, and now, through two games, has 18% and 15% target shares—nothing to write home about. Jennings seems to be the preferred start for now as a WR3 until we see any changes in target distribution.

Kenneth Walker Wants His Role Back

Walker seems to be as frustrated as we are with Zach Charbonnet leading the Seahawks backfield in opportunity for the second straight week, as he out-gained Charbonnet 105 yards to 10 despite Charbonnet out-carrying him 15 to 13. Yes, Charbonnet gained 10 yards on 15 carries. Hopefully, this will swing the pendulum back into Walker’s favor in Week 3. If it doesn’t, this could turn into a very frustrating backfield to navigate. I will start Walker next week as a borderline RB2 with upside—I’m ready to get hurt again.

Tet McMillan Wasting No Time

It’s not easy for a rookie WR to come in, earn targets, and produce off the bat the way he has. Nine targets in Week 1 and then a 10-target, 100-yard performance in Week 2? Can’t ask for more this early in the season. Hunter Renfrow is moving in on target share, though, earning 9 targets himself and, worst of all, end-zone looks. He ran the same number of routes as Tet, so he’s becoming a usable fantasy option while Jalen Coker remains out for another couple of weeks. Tet continues to be a high-end WR3, while Renfrow is a PPR flex option next week.

Davante Adams is a Fantasy WR1 Again

Thirty percent target share in Week 1, followed by a team-leading 39% target share in Week 2, is WR1-type usage. Sean McVay knows how to keep targets tightly distributed between his top WRs, and you love to see it. Matthew Stafford’s back seems to be holding up, so continue to keep Adams in lineups as a must-start.

Elic Ayomanor Emerging Early

It seems like Elic Ayomanor’s 28% target share and team-leading 46% air yards share in Week 1 were more signal than noise, as he matched Calvin Ridley’s 6 targets this week for a potential WR2 finish, pending MNF. Cam Ward seems to trust the rookie, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares next week against a Colts defense that intentionally seemed to take away the opposition’s No. 1 WR. He’s a solid pickup on the waiver wire this week.

Jaylen Warren Taking Advantage of Opportunity

No change in Kaleb Johnson’s status, but the touch gap got even wider between Jaylen Warren and Kenny Gainwell on Sunday. Warren out-touched Gainwell 13-10 in Week 1, but that widened this week to 18-8. As a result, Warren made some big plays and looked more like the old Warren, especially in the receiving game; he had a very solid fantasy performance. There’s a chance he continues to finish inside the Top 20 just like he did in each of the first two weeks of the season.