Patriots QB Mac Jones completed 31 of 42 passes for 231 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Sunday night’s divisional loss vs. the Dolphins. He also added 25 rushing yards on 3 carries in Week 2. Though this performance didn’t do much for fantasy managers, it’s been a revelation to see how much New England is throwing the ball through two weeks of the OC Bill O’Brien era. It’s wise to keep expectations low for Jones looking forward to the Patriots’ next couple of games (Week 3 @ Jets, Week 4 @ Cowboys).
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill was held to 5 catches on 9 targets for 40 receiving yards in Sunday night’s win over the Patriots. Teammate Jaylen Waddle led the team in receiving with 86 yards on 4 catches in the divisional bout. It’s a familiar anecdote that Patriots HC Bill Belichick is good at tailoring a game plan around attempting to shut down an opponent’s most effective playmaker, so fantasy managers should have no reason to go away from Hill looking forward. Both he and Waddle are prime plays in Week 3 vs. the Broncos. This Miami offense has started the year firing on all cylinders.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert racked up 121 rushing yards, including a 43-yard TD, on 18 carries in Week 2 vs. the Patriots. The ageless wonder also added 6 receiving yards on his lone target in the victory. Teammate Salvon Ahmed contributed 6 touches of his own before a groin injury took him out of the contest, though this backfield was more or less the Mostert Show for the second game in a row. It’s worth mentioning that rookie De’Von Achane made his debut on Sunday night, though he only received a couple of touches. Mostert will look to continue his success in Week 3 vs. the Broncos.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson hogged backfield work in Sunday's win over Denver. The second-year man compiled 87 yards and 2 TDs on 18 attempts (4.8 YPC). Robinson added 2-42 receiving, while backup Antonio Gibson mixed in for only 5 total touches. Robinson believes this is just the beginning of a breakout season. “I know I got a lot more in the tank that I can show,” he said after the win. “I’m taking those strides week in and week out. Eventually, it’ll be all out on display.” Robinson will face a pair of tough matchups (Bills and Eagles) over the next two weeks. He remains an RB2.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa completed 21 of 30 passes for 249 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Sunday night’s win vs. the Patriots. His Week 2 stats aren’t as eye-popping as last week’s 466-yard aerial assault, though Miami had significant contributions from RB Raheem Mostert on the ground in this divisional contest. Fantasy managers can confidently start Tagovailoa again next week vs. the Broncos.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams earned 15 of 21 team RB opportunities in Sunday’s loss to Washington. Nice usage in general, although he lost out on a goal line TD to reserve RB Jaleel McLaughlin. Williams watched Samaje Perine take passing down snaps, too (23 routes run vs. 12). Denver draws a tough Dolphins D in Week 3. They just limited New England RBs to 63 yards on 20 attempts.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne handled 15 of 17 team RB opportunities in a Week 2 loss to Kansas City. Rookie Tank Bigbsy didn't see a carry or a target, as D'Ernest Johnson filled in as the RB2. Etienne tallied just 42 total yards, but the usage signals future RB1 lines. Next up is a home date with a Houston squad that allowed Zack Moss to post 18-88-1 rushing.
The Jags mustered only 9 points in Sunday's loss to Kansas City. That meant a big-time dud from QB Trevor Lawrence, who tallied just 216 passing yards on a 53.6% completion rate. He managed only 5.3 yards per attempt. “We’re better than that. We’re a better team than that … it’s kind of embarrassing,” Lawrence said afterward. Calvin Ridley (2 catches) and Zay Jones (0 catches) played through minor knee injuries in this one, but we’re not expecting any missed time. Expect a Lawrence bounce back in Week 3 vs. Houston.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb went off for 11 catches and 143 yards against the Jets. The 11 catches tied a career high. Top CB Sauce Gardner didn’t shadow him, and Dallas was wise to switch up Lamb’s alignment. We’ll see if Brandin Cooks (knee) misses another week, but regardless, Lamb will retain a top-5 ceiling for the road ahead. Next up is a matchup with Arizona.
Jets RB Breece Hall totaled only 9 yards on 6 touches against Dallas. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind in the postgame presser. “I mean, I only got four touches. That’s why we struggled," Hall said. "It is what it is. We just got down early today and just abandoned the run. That type of stuff happens. You feel like you have to get back in the game and it just slips away.” Dalvin Cook, meanwhile, handled only 5 touches for 11 yards. Look for Hall to creep closer to 12+ touches next Sunday against New England.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson delivered 2 catches, 83 yards, and 1 TD in Week 2. Wilson did most of his damage on a 68-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. He added a 29.6% target share – tops on the team. Wilson gets another tough draw this week vs. New England, but on talent alone, he's tough to keep out of fantasy lineups.
Jets LB Quincy Williams left Sunday's loss to the Cowboys with a knee injury. HC Robert Saleh after the game would only say that Williams is being evaluated. We'll see about his status for Week 3 against the Patriots.
Jaguars Edge Josh Allen left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury. We'll see about his status heading into a Week 3 home date with the Texans.
On Sunday night, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweeted that Giants RB Saquon Barkley is believed to have suffered a sprained ankle vs. the Cardinals. Schultz adds that the injury “could have been much worse,” and Barkley seems to have dodged significant damage. This news is excellent for fantasy managers who feared a prolonged absence for the workhorse back. Still, Week 3's contest vs. the 49ers is set to kick off on Thursday night. It'll be tough for Barkley to work his way back on a short week to play, but he may be available again sooner rather than later. We'll keep fantasy managers in the loop as more information becomes available.
Giants TE Darren Waller logged 6 catches on a team-leading 8 targets for 76 yards in Week 2’s win vs. the Cardinals. Veteran wideouts Darius Slayton and Parris Campbell received 6 targets in this contest, marking the second week in a row where the pair saw more involvement than their positional counterparts. The concentration of targets in New York is becoming more apparent as fantasy managers look ahead to Thursday night’s Week 3 game vs. the 49ers. Starting a Giants pass-catcher besides Waller in lineups would be bold outside of deeper leagues, though both Slayton and Campbell warrant further monitoring.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley recorded 17 carries for 63 rushing yards and 6 catches for 29 receiving yards in Week 2 vs. the Cardinals, finding the end zone twice. He appeared to sustain a foot injury late in the fourth quarter of the contest and didn't come back into action. According to a report from Pro Football Talk, he was taken on a medical cart to receive X-rays following the game. It'll be essential to follow along with practice reports in the coming days to get an idea of Barkley's availability for Week 3 vs. the 49ers. Considering their next game is on Thursday, it wouldn't be surprising to see him miss time.
Giants QB Daniel Jones completed 26 of 37 attempts for 321 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT in Week 2’s comeback victory vs. the Cardinals. He also added 59 yards on 9 carries with a rushing TD in the contest. It’s concerning that New York found themselves down 20-0 at halftime against a Cardinals team that’s broadly considered to be the worst in the NFL. Even so, the offense found life and pulled out the victory over the final two quarters. On top of the real-life success, Jones delivered a significantly better performance (30.7 points) that may see him finish as the QB1 for the week. He’ll have a tough test in Week 3 as the Giants travel on the road to face the 49ers.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown led all pass-catchers with 10 targets on Sunday, corralling 6 catches for 54 yards and 1 TD in Week 2. TE Zach Ertz once again saw major involvement, recording 6 catches on 8 targets for 56 yards. While there aren’t many reasons to be excited about this offense, it’s becoming apparent who the top receiving options are for QB Joshua Dobbs. Managers in deeper leagues in need of TE help ought to consider picking up Ertz off of the waiver wire. Both players will be intriguing options next week vs. the Cowboys.
Cardinals RB James Conner received 23 carries for 106 rushing yards and 1 TD in Sunday’s loss to the Giants. The veteran only saw a single target in Week 2 and didn’t record a catch. For the second week in a row, Conner significantly out-worked his fellow RBs with 82.7% of the backfield touch opportunities, reaffirming his status as a workhorse for fantasy managers. He’ll figure to be a quality RB2 option again in Week 3 vs. the Cowboys.
Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs completed 21 passes on 31 attempts for 228 passing yards with 1 TD and zero INTs in Week 1 vs. the Giants. He also ran the ball 3 times for 41 yards and a TD on the ground. The Cardinals were surprisingly competitive in this contest, and Dobbs may end up finishing as a QB1 this week. That said, we don’t expect this to be the norm. There’s an equally valid argument that this performance was less about Arizona being good and more about the Giants simply being bad. We won’t be champing at the bit to throw Dobbs into lineups in Week 3 vs. the Cowboys.
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