Dolphins: I am genuinely upset for Tua, as I hate to see any player get hurt. That said, he needs to learn to SLIDE! That injury did not have to happen, and Hamlin is not to blame. Jaylen Wright was a huge disappointment, but De’Von Achane is an absolute PPR stud. If Tua is going to be out for an extended period (which I think he is) it’s going to kill the fantasy value of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They are going to have to take 5-yard passes and make them into huge gains—not easy. Dolphins just added Tyler Huntley from the Ravens practice squad. He’s very mobile but not the most accurate.
Bills: James Cook was sensational; I can watch him run all day long. Keon Coleman has not earned Josh Allen’s trust, which means he needs to stay on the fantasy bench for now. Dalton Kincaid feels like a wasted fifth-round pick so long as Dawson Knox is active. Too many mouths to feed in Buffalo makes this a fantasy nightmare.
Giants: Had Graham Gano not gotten injured, the Giants would have won the game. Daniel Jones didn’t play great, but he was able to find his best player, Malik Nabers, who was enough to keep the Giants in the game. Devin Singletary looked shifty in his cuts, but I’d love to see Jones use him more out of the backfield.
Commanders: Jayden Daniels played just ok. I worry that he might not throw 20 TD passes this season, making him completely dependent on his legs. The Commanders designed a lot of very short throws, which doesn’t bode well for TD production. Noah Brown played and had three targets. He should emerge as the WR2. Brian Robinson was a load to take down and got stronger as the game went on.
Raiders: The Raiders were impressive on both sides of the football. They pressured Lamar all game and contained Derrick Henry more than I expected. Brock Bowers is going to be special. He had nine targets and should end the season as a top-five tight end. Davante Adams is a beast, too, but Jakobi Meyers is losing targets to Bowers, which makes him a bench stash. Zamir White out carried Mattison 9-4, but Mattison had the TD. The Raiders play the Panthers in Week 3; start Zamir for sure!
Ravens: This game exposed the Ravens lack of a WR2. Andrews and Likely are solid tight ends, but they need another WR to stretch the field. Lamar played well but took some untimely sacks. The biggest surprise was Derrick Henry not going for 100+ rushing yards. I’m not blaming Henry, though, as there was not much room to run.
Browns: The Browns are unwatchable, and Deshaun Watson really stinks. I don’t care that they won. He could not find his receivers and only connected with Amari Cooper 3 times on 8 targets. Cleveland ran the ball well considering they were without their top two OL. They really need Nick Chubb desperately.
Jaguars: Evan Engram injured his hamstring in pregame warmups and was declared out, and Christian Kirk was MIA for the second week in a row. The playcalling is haphazard, and Trevor Lawrence has no rhythm. On a positive note, Brian Thomas is going to be fantastic; get him in all dynasty formats.
Jets: The Jets were underwhelming for the second week in a row, barely escaping Tennessee with a road win. Braelon Allen was fantastic scoring a rushing and receiving TD. If he can continue like this, he is a definite BYE week fill-in and a must-add if you have Breece Hall. Aaron Rodgers looked completely out of sync, and Garrett Wilson was underwhelming with 9.7 fantasy points.
Titans: Calvin Ridley was the bright spot for Tennessee, scoring two TDs. DeAndre Hopkins only had one catch, which makes him a non-starter until he can get more reps. Tyjae Spears was injured in the game. If he is out, Tony Pollard becomes a must-start in all formats. Will Levis has flashes of being a competent QB but it might not come until Week 11. I’d much rather have Sam Darnold.
49ers: Brock Purdy threw for 319 yards, but the 49ers stalled more often than not on their drives. Jordan Mason had 100 rushing yards and a TD. If you have Mason, I recommend keeping him, as CMC will be out for another six games minimum. He could have 8 TDs over the next 6 weeks.
Vikings: Sam Darnold has been a revelation thus far. It goes to show how good coaching helps. Justin Jefferson had a long TD reception but left the game with an injury. He claims he will be ready for Week 3, but I doubt he practices until next Friday. Ty Chandler looked explosive and led the team in rushing, but Aaron Jones is definitely involved, making it a 50-50 split.
Chargers: The Chargers once again dominated with their rushing attack. They had a whopping 44 carries for 219 yards. Carolina’s run defense is horrific, but it confirms what we already knew—the Chargers will live or die with the run. Quentin Johnston had two TD catches, but I would not start him just yet. Carolina left him WIDE open, and any middle schooler could have caught those balls.
Panthers: I used to feel sorry for Bryce Young. His OL stinks, and his receivers weren’t helping much. I don’t feel that way anymore. His receivers are getting open, but he’s missing them and looking very skittish. They might need to bench him for a few weeks, as this is starting to look like a disaster. Jonathan Brooks will get all the carries he can handle when he returns from injury, as they will need a running game to give Young any shot at success.
Seahawks: Football is very surprising in that sometimes you think a game is going to go a certain way, but it doesn’t. I told everybody on Sirius and in discord not to play DK Metcalf because I thought he was going to struggle against Christian Gonzalez. Moreover, I would have told you that the entire Seahawk passing attack would have struggled, but that was not the case. Geno Smith was terrific, as was DK and JSN. It just goes to show that football surprises you in the best of ways.
Patriots: The Patriots really earned that win, and if it wasn’t for a terrific special teams play by Seattle at the end, they would have had the victory. Reminder: Stevenson is a must-start each week. Hunter Henry was also fantastic as they love throwing short little passes to him, and he’s athletic enough to take them for big gains. He may still be available in most leagues, and I would certainly pick him up.
Saints: Most people would be surprised that Derek Carr only completed 11 passes. But the Saints have done so effectively this season by passing the ball downfield for some huge gains. Alvin Kamara had 4 touchdowns and was the must-own player in DFS. Taysom Hill got injured during the game, so I’m not sure if he’s going to play in Week 3, so keep your eyes on that. Rashid Shaheed is a must-start against any zone coverage scheme defense.
Cowboys: Dallas looked atrocious, and I’m not sure how it gets much better. They’ve spent so much money on both Dak and Lamb that the rest of their team is subpar. Jalen Tolbert had a couple of great plays, including one where he ran about 20 yards to pick up a fumble, which showed great hustle. I also think that they need to get the ball to Rico Dowdle more because he’s the most electric person they have in that backfield.
Lions: It seemed like every time I turned this game on, the Lions had the ball in the red zone, and they just couldn’t score touchdowns. Jameson Williams was terrific, as was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was one of my visionary plays of the week. Kalif Raymond might be a sneaky waiver wire add, as he is the next man up in case of injury. I am worried about Sam Laporta, as he has not really been involved in the offense for the first two games.
Bucs: Baker Mayfield was my favorite quarterback coming into the fantasy draft season. Although he only threw for 185 yards and a touchdown, he also ran for 34 yards and a touchdown and showed surprising composure. He only completed 12 passes, but seven of those went to Chris Godwin, who had 117 yards and a touchdown. Godwin is going to have a breakout season in the slot.
Colts: I don’t know why more people aren’t saying it, but I’m going to shout it from the rooftops that I think Anthony Richardson is a below-average quarterback. He makes horrible decisions and tries to make up for his poor sense of the position with a rocket of an arm. He threw 3 interceptions against the Packers and really gave the Colts no chance to win. His WR1, Michael Pittman, only had three receptions for 21 yards. At this point, I’m not even sure that Pittman is a must-start each week. I debated benching him in two of my high-stakes leagues, and I really wish I did. The Colts run defense is also terrible, so you need to watch that, too.
Packers: Speaking of bad run defenses, the Packers have a bad run defense as well. They were gashed for close to 8 yards per carry, and we can take advantage of that this season. Malik Willis played better than expected, throwing for 122 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 41 yards. The Packers need Jordan Love back desperately.
Rams: This was a hard game to watch if you’re a Rams fan, as the offensive line is so injured that it’s in shambles, and Matthew Stafford had no time to throw. They were down by so much that it really wasn’t a game. Cooper Kupp got injured and didn’t even play in the second half, and if it wasn’t for a late touchdown, Kyren Williams would have had a horrible day.
Cardinals: Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 59 yards. James Conner ran for 122 yards and a touchdown and looked terrific. It was tremendous to see Marvin Harrison Jr. have a great game after a dud last week. He had 130 yards and two touchdowns and really made a huge impact in the first quarter. Trey McBride also had six receptions on 6 targets and looked every bit of the part of a top-five tight end.
Steelers: Justin Fields figures out a way to get it done. Moreover, he’s a sensational fit for the Steelers offense which just wants to run the ball and throw it play action. I do like George Pickens a lot and he will do well most weeks.
Broncos: Bo Nix has the makings of a potentially good professional quarterback, however, it’s just not going to be this season. They need to surround him with better skill players and give him more time to pass. I know a lot of people like Javonte Williams and Courtland Sutton, but I think against tough defenses, neither of those guys can be counted on.
Bengals: If Chase didn’t explode on that non-penalty call (and he was right) and if they hadn’t called that tough penalty toward the end of the game, the Bengals would have won. They still have no semblance of a running attack (Chase Brown bust?), but when Tee Higgins comes back, the passing game will improve dramatically.
Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula and will be out for at least a couple of months. Carson Steele is the logical replacement, especially in short-yardage situations. I also like Samaje Perine to be more involved as he is a dual threat both running and receiving. Rashee Rice is such a tremendous player that I wish he was used more often. With Hollywood Brown out for the season, Rice will be even more valuable. Xavier Worthy is going to have weeks where he doesn’t perform up to expectation because he dominates man coverage but struggles against zone defenses. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t play him each week it’s just that expectations need to be adjusted.
Bears: I am getting tired of all the excuses the color commentators are making for Caleb Williams. He’s been awful in the first two weeks, being bailed out by the defense. He is missing simple throws, and it’s obvious that his receivers are beginning to get frustrated. If I could, I would trade DJ Moore and/or Keenan Allen ASAP.
Texans: When deciding which Texans receiver to use, I am approaching it this way: when the Texans are playing an opponent who uses zone coverage, Nico Collins is the WR1; when they play a team that prefers man coverage, Stefon Diggs is the WR1. Tank Dell is the WR2 for either coverage scheme. Regardless, Stroud and Mixon must start.
