Chargers RB Joshua Kelley recorded 13 attempts for 39 rushing yards in Week 2 vs. the Titans. Fantasy managers hoping to stream the young back as a replacement for Austin Ekeler (ankle) are likely disappointed by the results of Sunday’s OT loss. Kelley’s heavy involvement in Week 1 still makes him worthy of rostering in deeper leagues, but those in 10 or 12-team leagues can justify throwing him back into the waiver pool. Keep track of the injury reports this week to see if Ekeler will return for next Sunday’s contest vs. the Vikings.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert completed 27 passes on 41 attempts for 305 passing yards with 2 TD and no INTs in Week 2’s OT loss vs. the Titans. How the Chargers continue to find themselves in such close games on a consistent basis is beyond us. Fortunately, that’s more of a problem for real-life football. Even without RB Austin Ekeler (ankle), fantasy managers saw another 20+ point game from Herbert in what will likely be his second-straight top-12 finish. He'll look to continue his success next week vs. the Vikings.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney picked up a left foot injury in Sunday's win over Jacksonville. HC Andy Reid indicated that it's a minor issue, but we'll check on Toney's practice participation this week. He rebounded from his Week 1 debacle with 5 catches (on 5 targets) for 35 yards. He ran only 15 routes, though -- seventh most on the team. Toney's limited role makes him a shaky fantasy starter going forward.
Texans WR Nico Collins led the team in receiving with 7 catches, a monstrous 146 receiving yards, and a TD in Week 2 vs. the Colts. Rookie Nathaniel ‘Tank’ Dell saw the most targets (10) and racked up 7 catches for 72 yards and a TD in the contest. Robert Woods was heavily involved again, logging 6 catches for 74 yards. As long as Houston continues to play from behind on a weekly basis, there’ll be plenty of fantasy scoring opportunities for these pass-catchers. Week 3 vs. the Jaguars projects to be another game in which the Texans will have to throw a lot to keep up.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce had another disappointing outing in Week 2, racking up 35 total yards on a combined 18 touch opportunities vs. the Colts. The second-year back is still by far and away the Houston backfield leader, though. Teammate Devin Singletary only saw 5 touches, and fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale’s pair of carries didn’t make much of a dent. Fantasy managers should be encouraged by the volume that Pierce sees weekly, though tempering expectations from here on out will be vital. Week 3 vs. the Jaguars will provide Pierce another opportunity to improve.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas sustained a concussion on a 4-yard TD in the second quarter of Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. It’s his first documented concussion. We’ll track his progress through the protocol this coming week. Thomas’ absence leaves Washington with TEs Cole Turner and John Bates.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs finished Week 3 with 9 carries for -2 yards. Per Elias Sports, it's the first time since the merger a reigning rushing champ finished a game with negative rushing yards. His fantasy points turned out OK thanks to a 5-51 receiving line, aided by a big Raiders deficit. Ultimately, a Bills blowout win was always a real possibility. Jacobs should bounce back next Sunday night against a Pittsburgh squad minus DL Cam Heyward.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud tallied 30 completions on 47 attempts for 384 and 2 TDs in Week 2’s loss vs. the Colts. The rookie also ran the ball 3 times with only 1 rushing yard. Stroud has now thrown the ball at least 40 times in each of the first two games of 2023. Considering how often Houston will likely be playing from behind, he should be a useful asset in 2QB or superflex leagues as time goes along. We’re still a ways away from trusting Stroud in a 1QB format, though his performance on Sunday certainly helped his case. Next week, he and the Texans will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta caught five balls for the second straight game. After posting a 5-39-0 line in the opener, he went for 5-63-0 in the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. The rookie has now totaled 11 targets for a 15.7% share through two games. That's enough to produce as at least a low-end TE1. Expect LaPorta to be ranked as such in Week 3, when LaPorta gets a plus matchup at home for Atlanta.
Lions WR Josh Reynolds followed up a 4-80-0 line in the opener with five catches for 66 yards and two TDs in the Week 2 overtime loss to Seattle. His six targets tied for third on the team and were a 17.1% share. Reynolds is an every-down player with downfield ability in a strong offense. You could do worse as a WR4 in deeper fantasy leagues – at least until WR Jameson Williams’ six-game suspension is over.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs was again used sparingly in the running game in the Week 2 overtime loss to the Seahawks, finishing with just seven carries. He was heavily involved in the passing game, though, leading Detroit with nine targets. He caught seven of them but unfortunately managed just 39 receiving yards. And he averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on the ground. We'd certainly expect better efficiency going forward. But it's clear that the Lions want to limit Gibb's rushing volume. Even after RB David Montgomery left this one with a thigh injury, RB Craig Reynolds started mixing in on early downs. It's a frustrating situation for fantasy owners. But if Gibbs is going to get anything close to this level of target volume, he can still pay off in fantasy.
Colts WR Michael Pittman led the team in receiving again in Week 2, hauling in 8 of his 12 targets for 56 receiving yards vs. the Texans. Even without QB Anthony Richardson (concussion) in the lineup for most of the game, Pittman continued to be the focal point of the aerial attack in Indianapolis. These totals are encouraging and will undoubtedly make fantasy managers feel better if Richardson cannot suit up in Week 3 vs. the Ravens. A small note to remember from this game is that rookie WR Josh Downs has now seen 12 targets (second-most on the Colts) through the first two games of 2023. His involvement has yet to translate into useable fantasy points, though he's a name to consider speculatively adding in deeper leagues.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert garnered just 7 carries in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. He took those for a solid 35 yards (5.0 per rush), while ceding the other 4 RB carries to rookie Roschon Johnson. Chicago ran the ball just 16 times for the game, including four rushes for QB Justin Fields. Herbert edged Johnson 3-2 in targets but caught just one for 23 yards. RB D'Onta Foreman was a healthy scratch for the game, leaving Herbert and Johnson splitting all the work. But the Bears went 68.6% pass for the game, even leaning that way in the first half. If Chicago continues to enjoy playing from behind so much, Herbert will struggle to get enough touch volume to be fantasy viable.
Lions QB Jared Goff capitalized on a plus Week 2 spot at home for the Seahawks, chucking for 323 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. And he did it despite WR Amon-Ra St. Brown coming in and out of the game in the fourth quarter with cramps. Goff's TDs went to WR Josh Reynolds twice and WR Kalif Raymond. Goff has now played two solid games to open the season. He remains a matchup-based fantasy play but draws a plus Week 3 matchup at home for the Falcons. Expect to find him in or near the top 12 of our Week 3 QB Rankings.
Colts RB Zack Moss carried the ball 18 times for 88 rushing yards and 1 TD in Week 2’s win vs. the Texans. He also snagged all 4 of his targets for 19 receiving yards on Sunday. Perhaps the most intriguing stat from this game is that Moss is the only Colts RB who received a touch of any kind. It’s rare to see a back seize 100% of a workshare these days, so that’ll be worth remembering as we head into Week 3 vs. the Ravens. RB Jonathan Taylor isn’t eligible to return from IR until Week 5, and other than Deon Jackson, Moss is the only healthy back of note on this Indianapolis roster. He'll be a priority add off of the waiver wire this week.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson left Week 2’s game vs. the Texans in the second quarter due to a concussion. Before leaving the contest, he completed 6 passes on 10 attempts for 56 yards and totaled 35 rushing yards with a pair of TDs on the ground. The rookie’s early performance was strong enough that fantasy managers who started Richardson can’t be too concerned about their matchups. We’ll keep an eye on how he progresses through NFL concussion protocol as this coming week unfolds. QB Gardner Minshew (19 completions on 23 attempts, 171 passing yards, 1 TD vs. the Texans) would likely be the Colts’ starter in Week 3 vs. the Ravens if Richardson cannot play.
Bears WR D.J. Moore racked up 104 yards on 6 receptions in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. His 7 targets ranked second on the team and accounted for 24.1% of QB Justin Fields' total pass attempts. Moore also garnered 49.3% of Chicago's receiving yards. The Bears passed or took a sack (six of them) on 68.6% of offensive snaps, leaning that way even in the first half. We'll be curious to see if that split continues. The Bears' early tendency toward trailing opponents would certainly help to drive up passing volume. WR Chase Claypool led the team Sunday with 8 targets, catching three for 36 yards and Fields' lone passing TD. TE Cole Kmet finished with 6 targets, 4 receptions and 38 yards. Chicago heads to Kansas City in Week 3 before hosting the Broncos in Week 4.
After a quiet opener, Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett exploded for eight catches, 59 yards, and two TDs in the Week 2 overtime win over the Lions. He scored on a crosser from three yards out in the fourth quarter and then from 6 yards out on a catch and run to win it in overtime. Lockett worked near the line of scrimmage and averaged just 7.4 yards per catch -- likely part of Seattle's game plan without both starting offensive tackles. His 10 targets led the team and were 24.4% of the team total. This was an important bounce back from the Seahawks offense after the Week 1 dud. With upcoming matchups vs. the Panthers and Giants, Lockett is back to solid WR2 status.
Bills TE Dalton Kincaid notched 5 catches (6 targets) for 43 yards in Week 2. He matched Dawson Knox in routes run – 22 – but it was Knox who cashed in with a goal line score. The rookie saw an end zone target of his own, but it fell incomplete. Kincaid also took a hard shot to his ribs on the play. We’ll keep an eye on his practice participation this week. If he’s ready to go for Week 3 (as we expect), Kincaid will likely slot in as a fringe TE1 at Washington.
Packers rookie WR Jayden Reed saw a team-leading 8 targets in Week 2, hauling in 4 catches for 37 yards and a pair of TDs vs. the Falcons. Last week’s star, Romeo Doubs, only corralled 2 of his 3 targets for 30 yards in this contest. It’s tough to take a lot away from these first couple of games since WR Christian Watson has yet to make his season debut due to a hamstring injury. Even so, it appears as though the Packers’ passing game is fairly potent with QB Jordan Love under center. There’s reason to be excited about this group in Week 3 vs. the Saints. Watch out for practice reports in the coming days to see if Love will have his full arsenal of weapons available to him.
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