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Arizona Cardinals
Darrel Williams out-touched Eno Benjamin 9-8 after James Conner left.
Conner suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter and was unable to return. From there until the end of overtime, Williams and Benjamin were entrenched in a backfield-by-committee. Benjamin was the only backup to get any work in Week 1, so he may have a slight edge over Williams for the upcoming week, but it’s unlikely that either back emerges as more than an RB3.
Atlanta Falcons
Drake London was targeted on 39 percent of his routes.
His target rate is up to 31 percent on the year. Kyle Pitts, on the other hand, is at 18 percent. London posted an 8/86/1 line versus the Rams. Pitts put up his second 2/19 line of the season. After two weeks, London looks like the star of this team.
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson rushed nine times for 119 yards and a touchdown.
He also threw for 318 yards, making him the only player to ever perform the double bonus (300/100) twice. After seeing just two designed runs in Week 1, that number jumped to six in Week 2. Jackson also scrambled just as many times as he did last week despite being pressured fewer times. Writing off the Jets game as an anomaly, Jackson looks like he’ll make a push for QB1 overall this year.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills lead the NFL in pass rate over expected.
There were rumors throughout the offseason that Buffalo would not be the analytics-forward, pass-crazy team they have been in previous years. They lost their offensive coordinator and drafted a Day 2 running back for the third time in four years. Those fears were a false flag operation designed to get Bills’ pass-catchers at a discount. Buffalo is the top passing game to target and it’s not particularly close.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey rushed for 100 yards but went for just 26 yards through the air.
McCaffrey has receiving totals of 24 and 26 yards so far. Excluding games he didn’t finish, the last time McCaffrey was held under 30 receiving yards in consecutive contests was in 2017. He does at least have eight receptions so far. McCaffrey has run a route on 69 percent of Baker Mayfield‘s dropbacks, so the sky isn’t falling. Still, we’re a long way away from the 1,000/1,000 season CMC gave us in 2019.
Chicago Bears
The Bears completed fewer than 10 passes for the second consecutive week.
The 2022 Bears are one of just three teams to “accomplish” that feat two times in a season in the past four years. The other two teams were the Cam Newton Patriots and Ryan Finley/Brandon Allen Bengals. All Bears pass-catchers can be kept on the bench.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow took six sacks.
The Bengals have failed to create as many big plays as they did last year, but the mistakes that were masked by 50-yard receptions at the hands of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are still present. After two games, Burrow has taken 13 sacks, thrown four interceptions, and lost one fumble. He is averaging 4.6 net yards per attempt. For the receivers, this isn’t a huge deal. The team has run 170 plays, giving them plenty of opportunities to rack up stats. For Burrow and Mixon, who needs to get into the end zone to have a big day, the offensive struggles will continue to be a problem.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
The Browns now lead the league in rushing yards and are second only to the Eagles in rushing touchdowns. Until Deshaun Watson‘s suspension is up, Cleveland’s identity will be establishing the run behind an elite offensive line. It looks like they will have a fantasy RB1 and RB2 on the roster until late in the season.
Dallas Cowboys
With a win on Sunday, Cooper Rush is 2-0 as a starter.
In his career, Rush has averaged 7.7 yards per attempt with a 4.3 percent touchdown rate. I don’t want to paint Rush as this team’s savior. FanDuel has their odds to make the playoffs at No -170. But Rush looked capable of piloting a non-tragedy offense. He has also locked in on CeeDee Lamb. The third-year receiver has 22 targets in two games. We can trust Lamb as a WR2, though the rest of the offense is suspect at best.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos committed 13 penalties for 100 yards.
That was on both sides of the ball, but the point stands. They currently lead the NFL in delay of games, false starts, and total offensive penalties. On their seven plays at third or fourth and one, the team has converted two times, one of which came on a defensive penalty. Two were fumbles and one was a delay of game that knocked them out of field goal range. This is more than bad luck, but it also seems like something a coach lacking experience will figure out over time. I’m holding out hope for Denver, though it may ultimately drive me insane.
Detroit Lions
The last time the Lions exceeded 35 points in back-to-back games was in 2011.
In the 2011 season, Matthew Stafford topped 5,000 yards and 40 scores. Detroit now has an alpha receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown and one of the league’s most explosive backs with D’Andre Swift. Jared Goff is far from elite, but he’s a capable distributor behind the Lions’ offensive line. This is a team we should at least be leaning on in DFS, and Goff was some life as a streaming QB2.
Green Bay Packers
AJ Dillon saw more carries and as many targets as Aaron Jones.
Jones stole the show versus Chicago with a touchdown and 132 yards at 8.8 yards per carry. Dillon was tasked with grinding out the tough yards which resulted in him out-carrying Jones 18-15. Even though Jones boat-raced Dillon in fantasy points, this was a similar split to Week 1. Jones will only have a slight lead over Dillon in my Week 3 fantasy rankings.
Houston Texans
Rex Burkhead did not see a carry.
After a Week 1 that saw Burkhead lead the Texans’ backfield in carries and targets, his time appears to be over. Dameon Pierce turned 15 carries into 69 yards while Burkhead’s only touches came on a pair of receptions. Pierce is only a two-down back, but that’s more than we could say after his debut.
Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan had never thrown three interceptions and been sacked five times in a game before Week 2.
Ryan has had plenty of brutal games, but this combination of inaccuracy and caving to pressure is hard to overlook. The 37-year-old quarterback also struggled in Week 1, throwing one touchdown and one interception in a tie versus Houston. He threw 50 passes in that game. Chris Ballard‘s record of acquiring past-their-prime quarterbacks is marching toward 3-0.
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson out-carried Travis Etienne 23-9.
Robinson also saw just one fewer target than Etienne, who was looked at three times through the air. In a game that was over by halftime, the Jaguars amassed 37 carries for 96 yards. Robinson has more than doubled his first-round teammate in carries through two weeks. It’s clear Etienne is only there as a change-of-pace option right now.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nine different players caught a pass for the Chiefs.
To be fair, Patrick Mahomes told us this would happen. The good news is Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all ran a route on over 80 percent of Mahomes’ dropbacks. Mecole Hardman continued to work as the team’s WR3, though that position was rotated between multiple players. We want to keep betting on the players who are running the most routes and fade the long shots to Justin Watson going forward.
Las Vegas Raiders
Mack Hollins led the Raiders in receiving yards.
Hunter Renfrow paced Las Vegas in catches (seven) and targets (10). Derek Carr looked Davante Adams’ way seven times, but the two only connected on a pair of passes, one of which was a touchdown. Adams should still see an elite target share, but Renfrow and Darren Waller are a better duo than he ever played alongside in Green Bay. My top tier of receivers is just Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson.
Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler has as many red zone targets as Zander Horvath.
He also has as many red zone carries as Sony Michel, who has the team’s only rush attempt inside the five-yard line. Ekeler is an elite weapon in the passing game, but the Chargers have made it a point to feature other backs and in the red zone.
Los Angeles Rams
Cam Akers out-carried Darrell Henderson 15-10.
Akers also saw the only three targets thrown to running backs, though Henderson was more efficient per carry and scored the team’s one rushing touchdown on the day. This backfield is a nightmare to decipher. I would avoid both as anything other than RB3/4s.
Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa threw six passing touchdowns. You read that correctly.
After taking a three-score deficit in the first half, the Dolphins abandoned the run entirely. They ended with 50 pass attempts to 18 rushes. Tagovailoa reached 469 passing yards. This was the third time in NFL history that two teammates reached 170 receiving yards in the same game. In a Week 3 outing versus Buffalo, expect more fireworks.
Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook is averaging 5.5 targets per game.
If this number holds, it will be a career-high for the three-down back. His previous highwater-mark was 4.5 targets per game. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has also made it a point to get Cook more reps at positions other than running back. Per Pro Football Focus, 19 percent of Cooks snaps have come from the slot, out wide, or inline. That rate is double what he saw in 2021.
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson set a career-high in routes (23).
Stevenson placed behind Damien Harris and Ty Montgomery in routes last week. Montgomery got hurt in that game and was inactive for Week 2. The second-year running back only saw two targets on his 23 routes, but he was effective as a pass-blocker. It’s possible that he remains the third-down back even once Montgomery is healthy.
New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave saw 334 air yards.
Jameis Winston targeted Olave 13 times, many of which were deep shots to a receiver with a step on the nearest corner. Olave only brought down five balls because Winston rarely found his mark in Week 2. Better days should be ahead for the rookie.
New York Giants
Daniel Jones had a QBR of 37.3.
Jones did not throw an interception and completed 65 percent of his passes, so such a low QBR is telling of how his day really went. Like Week 1, Jones relied on completing short passes to avoid making mistakes, though he was still sacked three times. The New York offense looks dreadful for everyone other than Saquon Barkley, who touched the ball 24 times.
New York Jets
The Jets threw on 69 percent of their plays.
New York was either trailing or tied with the Browns for all but 22 seconds of this game. The deficit reached 13 points at its peak. That should be the norm for them, but it means plenty of passing and a fast pace. That formula worked out well for Garrett Wilson, who posted an 8/102/2 line in this game.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts has thrown a touchdown pass on 1.2 percent of his attempts.
Though we can expect Hurts and the Eagles to put up plenty of scores on the ground, the third-year passer is playing too well for a 1.2 percent pass rate to be even close to what he will end the season at. Hurts currently leads the NFL in yards per attempt and the Eagles have a pass rate over expected above the league average. Savvy fantasy managers should be sending out offers for Philly pass-catchers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Najee Harris ranks last in the NFL with -41 rushing yards over expected.
Harris is tied with Chase Edmonds, though the latter has reached that mark on fewer carries. The second-year back saw 20 touches in Week 1, but his rushing efficiency has been brutal. He isn’t a tackle-breaker or a speedster, so Harris will continue to struggle behind Pittsburgh’s middling offensive line.
San Francisco 49ers
Jeff Wilson out-carried Tyrion Davis-Price 15-7 before the 49ers’ final drive.
The game wasn’t completely over the last time San Francisco had the ball, but the 49ers were up 13 points against an offense that hadn’t even gotten a field goal on the board. To make matters better for Wilson, Davis-Price has a high-ankle sprain and will be out for a few weeks. Jordan Mason, the team’s RB4, will now serve as his backup. Expect a strong workload for Wilson going forward.
Seattle Seahawks
Travis Homer played on 45 percent of the Seahawks’ snaps.
That was more than Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker. Penny led the way with six carries while Walker was second on the team with four. Homer mainly played on passing downs. On an inept offense, this is a backfield to avoid.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers passed on 47 percent of their early downs.
That number was 36 percent in Week 1. The Bucs only have one starting offensive lineman from their 2021 season currently playing and their receiving corps is in shambles. They have gone into their shell and it’s unclear when the fun Bucs will return.
Tennessee Titans
Malik Willis ran four times on 11 snaps.
The Titans were bludgeoned by Buffalo in Week 2, giving the team a chance to take a look at Willis. It wasn’t a great debut to his professional career, but he did do what fantasy managers wanted him to. This is also consistent with his preseason tape. In the exhibition games, Willis scrambled 11 times on 71 dropbacks while seeing three designed runs. Superflex and dynasty managers should be keeping tabs on Ryan Tannehill‘s performance over the next few weeks.
Washington Commanders
Curtis Samuel has 20 targets and five carries through two weeks.
Samuel has led the Commanders in targets in consecutive weeks. It’s hard to believe he is the top receiver on a team with a first-round wideout and Terry McLaurin, but here we are. My money is still on McLaurin to emerge as the top option, but Samuel could stay ahead of Jahan Dotson.