Not only did Sadiq not make a huge impact on the field, but he also played fewer snaps and ran fewer routes than Mason Taylor. Sadiq is an incredibly athletic and talented rookie, but he’s also 21 years old and is going to need a while to adjust to the NFL game. His role will likely increase for the Jets as the year goes on, but he figures to be inconsistent in the early part of the season.
Ward’s two scores on the ground doubled his previous career total, though he is now sitting on one passing touchdown through eight quarters. He is at least not turning the ball over, and has taken “just” five sacks. He has been so far unable to heat up his connections with offseason additions Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson, but he found Elic Ayomanor for two critical gains vs. Philly. Cutting out the negative plays was an absolutely essential first step for Ward, but he has yet to supplement them with big gains or consistent chain-moving. That included botching a Hail Mary in the fourth quarter this afternoon. Ward won’t be much of a superflex option for next week’s road date with the Giants.
Robinson had three catches for 34 yards early on in this one, but appeared to hurt his ankle on a 19-yard catch in the second quarter. He tumbled down at the three-yard line and was unable to get up and get into the end zone. After he was touched down, he limped off the field and was taken into the locker room on a cart. He’s been listed as questionable to return.
Branch’s primary duties still come on kick and punt returns, but Kevin Stefanski made it a point to get him more involved this week. He was held without a catch or even a target in Week 1. Branch isn’t on the fantasy radar yet, but dynasty managers can be pleased with his role taking a step in the right direction.
Swift also lost a game-changing fumble at the Vikings’ one-yard line in the third quarter. It would have been the only touchdown of a wet, windy game had he gotten in the end zone. Instead, the Bears mustered all of three points as Caleb Williams departed in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. Swift was also actually out-gained by Kyle Monangai on the ground, but he somehow led the team in receiving. It was just a no good, messed up day for the Bears’ offense after their 59-point Week 1 outburst. Swift would be a shakier RB2 for Week 3 against the Eagles were Williams to sit, which is probably likely for at least one game.
Williams exited the Bears’ 3-9, Week 2 loss to the Vikings after suffering a hamstring injury that initially had him rolling on the ground, shouting in pain. Shortly after the game, multiple Chicago beat reporters took to social media to tell fans Williams was able to walk around the locker room without crutches, though at least two reporters noted that he appears to have a slight limp. Overall, this is an encouraging first update. Williams will undergo thorough testing in the coming hours and days to determine the injury’s severity and his potential return timeline. Stay tuned.
Dotson saw four targets for the second week in a row. He went for 19 yards on one catch last week and didn’t look any different this time around. Dotson is the team’s No. 2 receiver by routes, but there aren’t enough targets to go around after Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson all get theirs. Dotson is not on the fantasy radar for Week 3.
His first touchdown was a breathtaking back-shoulder ball that required picture-perfect foot dragging to bring in for a score — it was such a good catch that CBS play-by-play man Kevin Harlan didn’t actually believe it was a touchdown at first. He added a second touchdown out of structure when Joe Burrow drifted to the right of the pocket and lured Reed Blankenship up to create a hole for Chase. Fantasy’s WR1 is back at it again and should (obviously) be started and trusted against the Steelers in Week 3.
Higgins had a number of incredible catches in this one, including a backshoulder ball in the fourth quarter. His longest gain of the day, a 23-yarder to get the Bengals into Ja’Marr Chase touchdown range, actually happened when he was left uncovered by the Texans over the middle. Whoops. Higgins will be a WR2 against the Steelers in Week 3.
McMillan took a backseat to Jalen Coker last week. The opportunities were distributed more evenly this time around. McMillan led the team with 10 targets and a 28 percent target share. Coker wasn’t far behind with nine targets. McMillan easily led the team in yards, though Coker caught eight balls and Darren Waller popped up for a two-score game. This offense may ultimately be too spread out for McMillan to reach his full potential, but Week 2 reaffirmed his status as the team’s top dog. He will be in the WR2 mix when the Panthers take on the Browns next week.
He played 32-of-60 snaps as the Bengals have spread the ball around, letting Colvie Young (1/7 on one target) and Dohnte Meyers (0/0 on one target) also get involved against the Texans. Iosivas looks like a poor FLEX risk in Week 3 against the Steelers.
The rollercoaster ride that is “tertiary target in a Tee Higgins/Ja’Marr Chase-centric offense.” Erick All (2/5 on three targets) lead Bengals tight ends. Drew Sample (36 of 60) led Bengals tight ends in snaps. Starting Gesicki will pay off at times, but this wasn’t one of them. He’s a TE2 in Week 3 against the Steelers.
"(We) will know more in the future” were Barkley’s words after he finished the day with four carries for nine yards and an 11-yard reception. That’s because Barkley did indeed “finish the day,” but he spent over two quarters on the sideline before barely touching the ball in the second half. The fact he returned at all suggests it’s not an overly serious issue, but it could end up being diagnosed as a neck ailment, which is always a delicate situation. Tank Bigsby is shaping up as a priority waivers add in the 60-70 percent of leagues where he is not currently rostered. We will hopefully update Barkley’s status on Monday.
Darnold’s rehab is reportedly progressing well, but coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged to Olivi that the team just has to wait and see how Darnold responds to treatment next week. His potential Week 3 return is no sure thing, and QB Drew Lock is filling in admirably thus far. Darnold’s practice participation should provide clues as to his availability.
Coker erupted for 138 yards and two scores last week. While he couldn’t recreate the fireworks this time around, he confirmed his status as the team’s No. 2 receiver with a 25 percent target share that trailed only Tetairoa McMillan. Coker led the team in receptions. Even if McMillan sees more targets over the long run, Coker is firmly in the WR3 mix for Week 3 against the Browns.
Henderson was the second running back in the game after Rhamondre Stevenson, but he saw increased opportunity after an early Stevenson fumble. He scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, showcasing his burst on a 39-yard score in the first quarter. Henderson saw 16 touches to Stevenson’s seven and out-snapped the veteran 31 to 18 on the day. The 23-year-old has more speed than Stevenson and it was an encouraging sight to see him get a few red zone snaps amid the backfield split. Henderson benefitted from an early Stevenson fumble and capitalized for a long score; he will be on the RB2/3 borderline for Week 3 against the Jaguars.
He added 16 yards on his only catch, making him the third-leading receiver for the game. Perine has 42 snaps in the first two games of the season and looks like a decent stash in case of a Chase Brown injury.
Love also ran in a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it was called back because of a holding penalty. This game was played in a consistent drizzle, but the rain was not coming down hard enough to excuse why the Packers’ offense gained just 199 total yards. They committed 14 penalties and seemed incapable of making big plays, with just one play gaining at least 20 yards all day. Love took some deep shots down the field to Matthew Golden, but there weren’t many near misses to hang your hat on, and the offensive line didn’t hold up really well in pass protection. The good news is that the Packers will face a fairly mediocre Falcons defense in Week 3, so Love can be used in most fantasy leagues in that one.
Stroud looked pretty good in this game, but he had no one to throw to, the Texans had no running game (Stroud lead the team in rushing with 29 yards), and they scored six points. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln... Xavier Hutchinson failed to reel in several passes that hit him in the hands, including a would-be touchdown in the waning moments. It’s clear that without Nico Collins there’s just not enough talent on the field here to support a dead running game, and that’s what happened today. The Texans will look to rebound against the Colts in Week 3, a game where Stroud is probably on the QB2 radar for in superflex leagues.
Coming off a quiet opener (3/53/0), Smith rebounded with the third 10-catch performance of his now six-year career. A whopping four of his receptions came on what proved to be the game-winning touchdown drive in the dying moments of the fourth quarter. Smith’s score was a 22-yarder where he slipped behind the safety and a rolled-out Jalen Hurts found him on the move. The duo almost connected for another long score, but Smith couldn’t quite get both feet in-bounds in the end zone. All in all, it was excellent stuff as the Eagles now get an extra day of rest ahead of a Week 3 Monday night date with a questionable Bears defense.
The Jets weren’t able to make many big plays in this one. Geno’s longest completion was a 43-yard connection to Breece Hall that Hall caught three yards beyond the line of scrimmage and did the rest. There was not another pass completion longer than 17 yards on the day. That being said, Geno didn’t make many bad decisions and took what the Packers’ defense was giving him. The offensive line provided no push in the running game, so the Jets may need to let Geno play more aggressively if they’re going to put up more points. That could start in Week 3 against a Lions team that figures to score a lot of points.
Doubs followed up a rough Week 1 with a productive Week 2, leading the Patriots wideouts in targets, receptions, and yards. With A.J. Brown out, Doubs started and tallied the second-most snaps among Pats wide receivers for the day. The bulk of his yardage came from a pair of third-quarter chunk gains, catching a 29-yard pass early in the quarter and breaking free for a 63-yard gain later in the quarter. Between Drake Maye’s early season struggles and a spread-the-wealth approach in the passing game, the Patriots receivers’ ceilings are capped. Doubs looks like the best pass-catching option and will be firmly in the WR4 ranks for Week 3 against the Jaguars.
The team officially called it a knee injury and listed him as questionable to return. Njoku was unable to put weight on his right leg and had to be helped onto the cart. Several Chargers players came to the cart to see him off the field. It looks like his day is done, even if the team is calling him questionable. Charlie Kolar and Oronde Gadsden will see an uptick in routes going forward.
Not exactly the triumphant follow-up to Week 1’s three touchdown performance. Some of this is about Dexter Lawrence bullying the Texans offensive line. Some of it is about Montgomery not having enough secured touches in passing situations — he and Woody Marks each played 38 snaps — and some of it is that the Bengals were able to focus on the run without Nico Collins. Montgomery should bounce back against the Colts in Week 3 and be on the RB2 line, but this was a reminder of what the floor can be.