Fantasy Fallout 2.25

A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Saquon Barkley right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

COMMANDERS @ PACKERS

• Washington RB Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury late in the Commanders’ loss in Green Bay. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt should see an expanded role moving forward.
• Green Bay WR Jayden Reed suffered a broken collarbone that will require surgery. He will miss 6-8 weeks, and his absence could afford role-playing WRs like Matthew Golden and Dontayvion WIcks more snaps and opportunities.
• Packers’ TE Tucker Kraft turned seven targets into a monster 6-124-1 line. He leads the team in all major receiving categories through two weeks and is an every-week starter.

GIANTS @ COWBOYS

• Russell Wilson was cooking in Dallas, totaling 450 passing yards in a wild overtime loss. Wilson struggled in Week 1 when the Commanders were getting consistent pressure, but he was outstanding in Week 2 as the Cowboys let him get comfortable. The Giants’ next two games are against the blitz-happy Chiefs and the strong pass rush of the Chargers.
• Giants wide receivers Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson were electric, combining for 17 receptions, 309 yards, and three touchdowns. Nabers is obviously a no-brainer starter, but Robinson is the story here as he showed downfield ability and a weekly ceiling we had not seen anything close to in the past.
• It appears we have a full blown RB committee in New York, with Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. splitting the work nearly evenly. Skattebo could become the feature back here sooner than later.
• No injuries or surprising usage for the Cowboys, with all of their main players having solid games.

SEAHAWKS @ STEELERS

• Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was terrific, as always, but veteran WR Cooper Kupp had a nice game with seven receptions for 90 yards after a disappointing opening week. The two receivers combined for two-thirds of the team’s targets, a trend that we should expect to continue. 
• Seattle RB Kenneth Walker III outplayed Zach Charbonnet in Week 2. Walker may have taken control of the backfield with 118 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches, while Charbonnet managed only 10 yards on 15 carries. Walker gets a juicy matchup with the Saints in Week 3.
• Aaron Rodgers targeted six different players between four and six times. DK Metcalf is the only receiver or tight end you can trust here.
• Steelers RB Jaylen Warren pulled away from Kenneth Gainwell a bit in Week 2. Warren played 58% of the snaps (compared to 42% for Gainwell) and had 134 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches. Warren is a solid Flex starter next week against the Patriots, while Gainwell is nothing more than a bench stash for now.

RAMS @ TITANS

• The Rams offense ran as expected, with the trio of Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams accounting for 70% of the team’s offense. All three of the aforementioned players are locked-in starters regardless of matchup, but no one else on this team is startable in fantasy.
• Titans RB Tony Pollard had another “meh” fantasy output. But, make no mistake, this is his backfield, as he played 90% of the team’s snaps and handled nearly all of the running back opportunities.
• Rookie WR Elic Ayomanor made a highlight touchdown catch and finished the first half with a 5 // 46 // 1 receiving line, but he was shut out in the second half. He is a promising talent and played 73% of the team’s snaps, making him a great target if he is still available in your league.

BILLS @ JETS

• Jets QB Justin Fields left the game to be evaluated for a concussion in the second half, and he did not return. Veteran QB Tyrod Taylor came in to finish the game and appears likely to start next week at Tampa Bay. 
• As was the case in Week 1, the Jets offense ran almost entirely through RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson. The results were much worse this week, as the Bills are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and handled them very well. 
• Bills RB James Cook was the star of the show with 135 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns. 
• Ten players were targeted in the passing game for Buffalo, with no one posting a useful fantasy score. This is an offense that spreads the ball around, which means everyone except James Cook and Josh Allen are risky starts in a given week.

PATRIOTS @ DOLPHINS