NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 2

Things change in a hurry in the NFL.

In the early slate of seven games the swings in the fantasy Market were drastic. Games that were blowouts reversed course and ended up in a pair of wild comebacks. Players who were having miserable performances ended up posting massive fantasy output. 

There were a number of players that I felt comfortable drawing some larger conclusions about. Within 30 minutes, I was happy I didn't publish those comments, as I may have looked foolish. Ultimately, it was just another adrenaline filled day of enjoying all the ups and downs that make this the most exciting sport to follow. 

In addition to the fantasy takes, hopefully, some of these observations can also give you some ideas if you're thinking about placing some Week 3 NFL bets https://www.rotowire.com/betting/nfl/odds/week-3. Let's take a look at the Sunday afternoon action. 

Sunday Takeaways

• Maybe the Dolphins can support two top-15 receivers after all. One week after Tyreek Hill seemed to be the clear alpha, both Hill and Jaylen Waddle erupted for at least 170 yards while each scored twice. Of course it helped that they fell behind by three touchdowns early in the second half and had to become very aggressive on offense. The good news for Waddle was that he saw an incredible 19 targets after seeing just five last week. In reality, Hill probably has the higher weekly floor while Waddle may be the more volatile player.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown is clearly superman. After posting 'just' 64 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, he erupted for 184 total yards and two touchdowns against Washington. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone will be able to stop him anytime soon. He could flirt with top-15 WR status this year. 
• Christian McCaffrey was fine with 126 yards on 19 touches. but aside from a long run in the second half, he simply hasn't looked like the explosive player we've seen in the past. Maybe he's just off to a slow start, but he's yet to show the type of game-breaking production that fantasy managers paid up for on draft day. 
• Saquon Barkley posted over 80 yards, which fantasy managers certainly will take. But unlike last week when he looked dominant against Tennessee, he appeared to have significant struggles gaining consistent yardage. Regardless, he's still off to a good start but the next few weeks will likely begin to tell the tale of what we can expect to see from him this year. 
• A fight broke out in the Saints versus Buccaneers game, and Mike Evans was ejected. Before getting booted, he had one downfield catch to get him over 60 yards on the day.
• After a Week 1 goose egg, Cam Akers at least had playing time and was somewhat productive. He may not recover his draft day value, but it's also not out of the question that he doesn't eventually get back to his 2020 levels of performance either. 
• For the second week in a row, Kyle Pitts had fewer than 20 yards. But unlike last week when he saw 7 targets, he was far less involved in the offense and was a clear second option to Drake London. The targets against the Rams were 12-3 in favor of London. However, if London continues to play well, defenses may have to treat him like the alpha, which could open up opportunities for Pitts. Those who like that narrative could make Pitts a player to buy. Those currently rostering currently have reason to panic.
• I'm a bit nervous about Joe Burrow and the Bengals passing attack. After addressing their offensive line this offseason, he's been under a great deal of pressure through two weeks. Of course, he did face the Steelers and Cowboys, who have good pass rushes, so maybe this is a temporary issue. Of course, the Bengals have played with a deficit in each game, which has allowed him to at least put up some garbage time numbers. 
• Garrett Wilson dominated the Jets with 14 targets while scoring twice and going over a hundred yards. It helped that the Jets had to come back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter. The real test will be when Zach Wilson is back in the lineup. With Joe Flacco at QB, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore saw 5 fewer targets combined than Garrett Wilson, and that could change down the road. But for now, Wilson is off to an excellent start to his career.
• Amari Cooper was out-targeted by Donovan Peoples-Jones 11 to 5 last week, but Cooper came back with a vengeance. He had more than twice the number of targets than any other Cleveland player while going over 100 yards with a touchdown against the Jets. He may not be a high-end fantasy option with Jacoby Brissett at QB, but at least he's shown the ability to produce. 
• Curtis Samuel looks like he'll definitely be a thing this year. The Commanders brought him in last year with the intention of using him all over the formation as a runner and receiver. He's had 20 targets and five rushing attempts through the first two games while being very productive. And with the talent the team has at receiver, defenses won't be able to focus too heavily on him.
• This year's version of Carson Wentz is reminding me of the times when Ryan Fitzpatrick was a big fantasy producer. He'll make plenty of mistakes, but he'll be in enough shootouts to be a big fantasy scorer. He also has a good offensive coordinator in Scott Turner and a trio of strong weapons.
• After getting just 12 rushing attempts last week, Rashaad Penny had to deal with Kenneth Walker coming back into the lineup. The two split carries somewhat equally, and with the Seahawks projecting to have a bad defense, that may bode poorly for both of their fantasy prospects going forward. 
• Since the Bengals became a pass-heavy team in week 13 last year, Joe Mixon has been unable to run for 3.5 yards per carry. That trend has continued through the first two games of this season. Last week, he had plenty of volume to cash in for fantasy, but he hasn't been a consistently scoring option since Week 12 last year. 
• The Buccaneers offense is having a rough start to the season. Of course they won both of their games comfortably,  and their only goal is to be in peak form for the NFL playoffs. but it's possible that in terms of fantasy production, they may struggle for a while as a unit. And if their offensive line can't figure things out, their problems could be long term.

Injury Notes

• Trey Lance suffered an ankle injury and is expected to undergo season-ending surgery. Jimmy Garoppolo will take over the starting job.
• Jerry Jeudy left the game against the Texans with a shoulder injury and didn't return. After he left, Courtland Sutton dominated targets.
• James Conner left the game against the Raiders with an ankle injury and didn't return. While he was out, Darrel Williams and Eno Benjamin split work.
• Dalton Schultz landed awkwardly on his knee, but the injury occurred late in the fourth quarter, so there was no status update. 
• Harrison Bryant left the contest against the Jets with a head injury and didn't return. For the second game in a row, he had out targeted teammate David Njoku.