Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 2
SUMMARY
Welcome to the Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 2, where QB injuries dominated every storyline. This week: Big Ben, Brees, Sam Darnold, and then Trevor Siemian, all incurred massive season-changing injuries. What does that mean for your roster? Well, if you have any of those dudes... It means "not good."
Blue chip medal
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys- Welp, that annoying dude from work is right for the first time in a decade. The Cowboys actually are back this year. That's in major thanks to Dak's incredible display. Dak threatens defenses with his legs and arm, and has massively improved as a downfield passer this year. The Cowboys are 2-0 and Dak is in clear QB1 territory.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings- Regardless of how successful the Vikings are on Sundays, one thing is clear—their offense plays through Dalvin Cook. And Cook gets results. He slashes defenses with long runs, guts them with pass-catching out of the backfield, and he's doing it all with an average line and Kirk Cousins. A true RB1.
Patriots Defense- The Pats defense came to play the first two weeks of the season. Over the last two decades, the Patriots have offensively dominated the NFL, but this is the first year where it seems like the scariest part of their team is the defense. They scored 37 fantasy points against Miami. They've only allowed 3 points through 8 quarters of football. They are the real deal. Ugh.
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs- Perhaps the safest player in fantasy football, Kelce is a walking stat machine. He's a match-up nightmare on one of the highest-powered offenses in the NFL. He scores week in and week out. And for now, he's not competing with Tyreek Hill for targets.
Loss of rank
Cam Newton, QB, Panthers- Cam looked dejected against a floppy Bucs defense Thursday. He's not using his legs to make plays. He overthrew players constantly. Now he's got a banged-up foot and is questionable to play Sunday. If you have Cam, try shipping him, it's looking like former MVP may end up on the waiver wire come the bye week.
Jordan Howard, RB, Eagles- Jordan Howard has yet to produce in an Eagles offense that is stuck in purgatory. Miles Sanders is clearly the guy in the backfield of this offense. Although Howard has been at the top of the rushing charts the last five years, this seems to be a massive step back from his time in Chicago.
Dede Westbrook, WR, Jaguars- The appeal to Westbrook was his chemistry with Nick Foles. With Foles out, his role has diminished quickly. Unless he can get on the same page with the Uncle-Rico-looking-heart-throb rookie Gardner Minshew, his upside may suffer drastically.
Duke Johnson, RB, Texans- When Lamar Miller went down for the year with a torn ACL, it looked like an opportunity for massive production from the former Browns RB. Then they signed Carlos Hyde. And Hyde has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts, while Duke Johnson struggles to get any momentum going. This is an interesting offense, especially when Watson is clicking, so all is not lost with Johnson yet—but his fantasy pulse is low and needs to be monitored.
Promotion watch
Demarcus Robinson, WR, Chiefs- Robinson absolutely exploded week two against the Raiders. He posted a ridiculous six catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He's a threat to post these kinds of boom-or-bust numbers as long as Tyreek Hill is out.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Chiefs-Robinson ain't alone. Hardman also had a stellar game and seemed to share the massively efficient passing attention of Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs score points, and these guys benefit from that. Try to get either guy on the waiver wire if you can.
Devin Singletary, RB, Bills- Singletary posted a solid ~15 point fantasy week, however, the most promising takeaway from this situation is how good the Bills look. They're 2-0. Josh Allen is slinging the rock. The defense looks stout. The more games that the Bills are ahead, the more times they're going to run out the clock by giving Singletary the ball. Trade for him if you can.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Saints- Brees is out for 6-8 weeks. So it looks like the Saints are going to turn to the young, eager Teddy Bridgewater for their quarterbacking duties. Bridgewater is stepping into one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL today. He's got Kamara, Latavius Murray, Michael Thomas, Jared Cook, and many others. He could easily put up QB1 numbers if this waiver wire gamble pays off.
Badass hit of the week
Jake Matthews
Once again, the Badass Hit of the Week goes to an offensive lineman. What can we say—we got a soft spot for the unsung big guys. It's not without merit; this massive hit opened a lane for Julio Jones to stride 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
