Fantasy Football Takeaways: Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL season is complete outside of the Monday night doubleheader which contains many high-end fantasy options. Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen headline the games with a trio of big-name receivers in A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs ready to assist in your Monday miracle. 

On the flip side, this week was another hectic one with multiple injuries and inactives that created some opportunities. As we prepare for Monday’s matchups, let’s take a peek at yesterday’s slate and what to take away from it. 
 

Amon-Ra St. Brown is that dude!

All offseason, there were question marks about who would emerge as the top Lions pass-catcher with everyone healthy. St. Brown has done just that. For the second week in a row, he led the Lions in all the significant receiving categories. He saw 12 targets for the second straight game, but this week he exploded for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, he saw two carries for 68 yards. He’s currently sitting as WR3 in PPR scoring barring any performances Monday. 

His 12 targets were three times more than the next wide receiver (D.J. Chark, 4), and five more than T.J. Hockenson (7) this week. We can safely say that Jared Goff trusts St. Brown, and for a good reason, as he set an NFL record with eight straight games of eight receptions or more going back to last year. He is a must-start going forward in all fantasy formats. 

It is time to worry about the Broncos offense 

For the second week in a row, the Broncos offense looked anemic. Russell Wilson has yet to pass for more than two passing touchdowns in a week and has only completed 57.15% of his passes. He currently sits as QB25 in fantasy scoring, and this is bad news for those who drafted him high this offseason. Additionally, Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon have not been overly productive. In Week 1, Williams managed a top-12 finish in PPR scoring, but this was on the back of 11 receptions. 

This week, Williams may squeak inside the top 24, and Gordon will be lucky to be a top-36 option by the night’s end. The Broncos did have another 100-yard receiver, though, for the second week in a row. This time it was Courtland Sutton‘s week, after Jerry Jeudy suffered a shoulder injury early in the game. More concerning is the fact that the offense failed to score more than 16 points for the second straight game. This is starting to become more of a trend than an outlier.

Jakobi Meyers continues to be steady eddy 

As one of the more boring names in fantasy, Jakobi Meyers continues to go under the radar yearly. This makes him one of the best values in fantasy football. He proved that this week, as he led the Patriots for the second week in a row in both targets and receptions. He posted 9 receptions for 95 yards on 13 targets. Nelson Agholor did eclipse him in yards and scored the only touchdown for the wide receiver group, but Meyers was the motor of the passing game. He is currently a top-20 wide receiver on the week with 18.5 PPR points. If this holds up, it would be the second straight week as a top-20 PPR wide receiver – even without finding the end zone. If you roster him in any PPR format, he has become a must-start in your weekly lineups until proven otherwise.

Two top-24 running backs in New York? 

For the second week in a row, the Jets running back room showed up for their fantasy managers. Last week, we saw both Breece Hall and Michael Carter finish as top-36 fantasy options in PPR scoring. Last week, Carter led the way as RB14 with 17 PPR points, while Hall finished as RB33 with 10.1. This week, Hall led the way as RB14 (currently) with 13 points, while Carter sits as RB21 with 10 PPR points. These finishes have been led largely by their receiving work, as Carter has 12 receptions for 67 yards and Hall has 7 receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. 

It looks like the backfield is going to be a committee for a majority of the season, but it is producing solid fantasy performances, and this trend doesn’t look like it will end soon. It’s likely they both have a chance to finish inside the top 24 by the season’s end. However, it has been a down few weeks for the running back position, so proceed with caution here. 

Maybe lighting does strike twice? 

After making the move from Kansas City to Miami, many people worried Tyreek Hill would take a step back when it came to fantasy production. This has been far from the truth in the first two weeks of the season. Currently, Jaylen Waddle and Hill are both inside the top-three PPR scorers. This is driven by their historic explosion in Week 2, as both players finished north of 170 receiving yards and had two touchdowns each with 11 receptions apiece. This resulted in two 40-plus point fantasy weeks in PPR scoring, the first time in history we have seen this. 

It is unlikely they repeat this weekly, but it is clear that the Dolphins offense can support multiple high-end wide receiver options. It is early, but it seems safe to say that these two electric talents will finish in the top 12 this season if this trend continues. As an extra note, Tua Tagovailoa will be a huge benefactor of this, so don’t be surprised if he finishes as a top-15 quarterback. 

In Cooper we trust! 

It was not overly pretty, but Cooper Rush led the Cowboys to victory over the Bengals this week. He also helped keep our fantasy teams afloat. A significant amount of targets went to Noah Brown, but CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard had respectable days. Brown finished with 20.1 PPR points and is currently a top-15 wide receiver on the week. Additionally, Lamb produced a top-24 finish with 15.1 points, as he caught 7-of-11 targets for 75 yards. It seems like the Cowboys’ playmakers are not dead for fantasy in the absence of Dak Prescott. The upside is likely capped, but I think we can feel fairly comfortable starting these players in the coming weeks – especially as they face the Giants and Commanders in the coming weeks.