Fantasy football preview for Week 3

Week 2 was absolutely wild around the NFL and fantasy football. There was plenty of ugly football, amazing football and a ton of injuries. Things continue to change in the fantasy football world and with so much happening Sunday, let’s take a look at what stood out from Week 2 and how we can apply it to Week 3 and beyond.

Injuries | Fantasy football Week 2

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game, and they were very evident over the course of Week 2. We are going to have to monitor these injuries heading into Week 3 and believe me, there are a lot of them.

Let’s take a look.

• Darrell Henderson suffered a rib injury in the fourth quarter of the Rams gameand did not return. Prior to his injury, Henderson was once again operating as a workhorse running back, handling the majority of the carries, snaps and routes, rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while adding three receptions. Sony Michel filled in as the every-down back in Henderson’s absence and would be a viable flex option if Henderson can’t play in Week 3, even against the vaunted Tampa Bay front seven.
• Diontae Johnson suffered a knee injury on Pittsburgh’s meaningless final play Sunday. Johnson was once again the team’s leading receiver, seeing 12 targets, giving him double-digit targets in 12 of his last 15 games where he’s played the majority of the snaps.
• Tua Tagovailoa and Carson Wentz suffered injuries, leading to backup quarterbacks in Miami and Indianapolis playing meaningful snaps. Tagovailoa suffered a rib injury and while X-rays were negative, it sounds like he is dealing with bruised ribs. It appears he avoided a serious injury, but Tua could miss some time. Jacoby Brissett would take over, though I’m sure the Deshaun Watson rumors would heat back up. Wentz, meanwhile, was dealing with an ankle injury and with the Colts down by a field goal late in the game, the veteran couldn’t get in the game.
• Dalvin Cook was in and out of the game against the Cardinals Sunday. He left early and returned but late in the contest, Cook was down in some pain and appears to be dealing with an ankle sprain. It doesn’t seem like a high-ankle sprain, but it is absolutely something to keep an eye on.
• For the 157th season in a row, the 49ers backfield is dealing with injuries. After already losing Raheem Mostert for the year, San Francisco watched Elijah Mitchell suffer a shoulder injury on Sunday, though he did return. Meanwhile, Trey Sermon took a huge hit on his lone carry of the game and is now in the concussion protocol, while JaMycal Hasty is dealing with an ankle injury. It seems very likely Kerryon Johnson will be activated from the practice squad, while Mitchell should see the bulk of the carries, assuming he checks out clear.

DJ Moore looks like a WR1

DJ Moore has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season. After going for 6-80-0 in Week 1, he followed it up with an 8-79-1 effort on 11 targets Sunday. Through two weeks, Moore has a 28% target share and is the clear top wide receiver on this team. Carolina is using him all over the field, unlike last year where he was more of a downfield target. In 2020, Moore’s average depth of target was 13.7 yards, but through two weeks in 2021, that number has dropped to 9.5, while Moore is running a very nice combination of short, intermediate and deep routes. He is dominating targets over Robby Anderson and Terrace Marshall and now gets matchups with the Texans and Cowboys over the next two weeks.

The Mike Williams breakout season is here

Through two weeks, Mike Williams has one more target than Keenan Allen, seeing double-digit looks in both games. He followed an impressive Week 1 performance with another great game Sunday, hauling in seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. He’s now found the end zone in both games and is being used differently, giving him a more consistent target share. In 2020, Williams was among the league leaders in aDOT (15.8 yards), but so far in 2021, that number has dropped to around 10 yards. Williams is being used more in the intermediate parts of the field and even scored his touchdown on Sunday on a quick screen pass where he made a play after the catch. In Joe Lombardi’s offense, Williams looks like a very strong WR2 in fantasy.

Welcome back, Courtland Sutton

In Week 1, Courtland Sutton wasn’t really part of Denver’s offense, catching just one of his three targets for 14 yards. However, that was against James Bradberry, while Jerry Jeudy was active. In his first game with Jeudy out of the lineup, Sutton emerged as the clear top option in this passing offense, catching nine balls for a career-high 159 yards. Sutton saw 12 targets, good for a 35% target share on the day, constantly making plays deep down the field. He had well over 200 air yards on the day, and with Teddy Bridgewater playing some very good football right now, Sutton should be able to post low-end WR2 numbers for the time being. The Broncos get a friendly matchup with the Jets in Week 3, followed by Baltimore’s depleted secondary in Week 4.