Fantasy Football News and Advice: Injuries Rule the Day
Fantasy Football News: Week 2 Recap
There was plenty of scoring in Week 2, plenty of intrigue with several close games, but the story of the week is injuries to star players.
Saquon Barkley suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season. Christian McCaffrey has a high ankle sprain and will reportedly miss 4-6 weeks. Courtland Sutton also tore his ACL and the 49ers were besieged by injuries (Nick Bosa, Raheem Mostert, Jimmy Garappolo).
Here is a look around the league at storylines for each Week 2 game, including who will take on a larger role due to some of these injuries.
Cleveland Browns 35, Cincinnati Bengals 30
Joe Burrow impressed with a 37-of-61 passing night with 316 yards and three TDs. He spread the ball around and looked confident in the pocket. He struggled to find a connection with A.J. Green as he targeted him 13 times and Green caught just three passes for 29 yards. Burrow threw TD passes to Tyler Boyd, C.J. Uzomah, and Mike Thomas. Burrow looks like he could be worth rostering and could become a fantasy starter later in the season.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had a dynamic night out of the Cleveland backfield. Chubb carried 22 times for 124 yards and two TDs, while Hunt carried 10 times for 86 yards and a TD and added two catches for 15 yards and a receiving TD. Chubb and Hunt proved they can both have value in the same game and both are enticing options moving forward even while sharing the backfield.
Tennessee Titans 33, Jacksonville Jaguars 30
This was supposed to be a Derrick Henry game, but Ryan Tannehill turned in a great performance and the Jaguars were able to limit Henry in the run game. Tannehill threw only 24 times, but he racked up four touchdowns. In a game when A.J. Brown was injured, Tannehill leaned on tight end Jonnu Smith (4 catches, 84 yards and 2 TDs) and also connected with Adam Humphries and Corey Davis on TD passes. Tannehill is only rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo leagues and could be worth a look on waivers for those in need of a quarterback. He should get A.J. Brown back soon and Smith, Davis, and Humphries are capable targets. While the passing volume might not always be there, he is someone to keep in mind as a potential streaming option with a good matchup.
Gardner Minshew had another good game as the Jaguars were playing catch-up. But I want to highlight undrafted rookie running back James Robinson. Robinson was the bell-cow with 16 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown and also caught three passes out of the backfield. Robinson is rostered in 70 percent of leagues, so is likely not available on your waiver wire. Those who took a chance on Robinson as a late draft pick or early pick up look like they have a workhorse running back in a time when those are a rare commodity.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Carolina Panthers 17
Tom Brady got his first win and Mike Evans had a good receiving day with Chris Godwin sidelined with a concussion. One of the key fantasy developments, though, was the emergence of Leonard Fournette. He out-touched Ronald Jones 16-9 and rushed for 103 yards and two TDs. Bruce Arians said all offseason that Jones would be the No. 1 running back, but it appears that Fournette may have moved into the featured role. It's still a backfield worth monitoring, but it looks like there may have been a shift in roles early in the season.
News broke on Monday that Christian McCaffrey will miss 4-6 weeks with a high-ankle sprain. McCaffrey finished the game against the Bucs, so it is still unclear how the Panthers will make up for his touches with him out. Mike Davis could be in line for a larger role, but I'm not sure if that will lead to fantasy relevance for him. McCaffrey was the focal point of the Carolina offense, so with him out the Panthers could lean on their receiving core of D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Robby Anderson.
Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Denver Broncos 21
Diontae Johnson has been a target monster early on this season. He saw 13 targets on Sunday after seeing 10 in the opening game. He caught 8 passes for 92 yards and a TD. On a dynamic offense with Big Ben back healthy, it looks like a breakout season is in the cards for Johnson. Another name to keep an eye on is Chase Claypool who caught a long TD against the Broncos. He's more of a dynasty target than redraft right now, but his role could expand as the season progresses.
Denver got hit hard by injuries with starting QB Drew Lock getting knocked out of the game and now the news that Courtland Sutton will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Melvin Gordon only rushed for 3.7 yards per carry against a stout Steelers defense, but he did haul in a receiving TD. The matchups should get better for him and with so many offensive pieces sidelined, he will be heavily involved.
Los Angeles Rams 36, Philadelphia Eagles 19
Malcolm Brown was a top waiver pick up after Week 1 and he battled a finger injury in Week 2 on the way to an underwhelming performance. Meanwhile, Darrell Henderson carried 12 times for 81 yards and a TD and caught two passes for 40 yards. Cam Akers was injured in the game and it now looks like this will be a tough backfield to predict week-to-week. It looks like Henderson may have the most upside, but again that could change quickly. Henderson is only 32 percent rostered and could be one of the top pickups this week.
Miles Sanders returned for the Eagles and saw 23 touches in his 2020 debut. He is likely to be the focal point of the Philadelphia offense and should be back in lineups with confidence. Carson Wentz on the other hand looks like he is someone who shouldn't be trusted until he shows something. He threw 43 times without a TD pass and was intercepted twice. Wentz has disappointed so far and with so many solid QB options fantasy managers should look elsewhere.
San Francisco 49ers 31, New York Jets 13
Raheem Mostert had 92 yards rushing before he exited with an injury. Tevin Coleman had 14 carries for just 12 yards and Jerick McKinnon had three carries for 77 yards and a score. It's unclear how severe the Mostert injury is, but I would look to McKinnon if he is to miss time. McKinnon is a good all-around back and seems to have more upside than Coleman at the moment and will be a popular waiver wire target.
It's hard to say much about the Jets offense. Sam Darnold rarely looked downfield or had enough time to look downfield. Wide receiver Breshad Perriman exited with an injury and tight end Chris Herndon only caught one of his four targets. With Le'Veon Bell out there isn't anyone to be excited about on this offense.
Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 28
Josh Allen is on fire to start out the 2020 season. He threw for 417 yards and four TDs against Miami. He has a new target in Stefon Diggs and with John Brown and Cole Beasley still in the mix, he has a strong receiving core. Allen has always been a good fantasy option because of his rushing ability, but it appears that he has taken a step forward with his passing. He is a top of the line quarterback option and it's looking like he could be in store for a monster season.
Miami tight end Mike Gesicki was targeted a team-high 11 times and caught 8 passes for 130 yards and a TD. DeVante Parker and Preston Williams will get their share of targets, but Gesicki should remain one of the Dolphins' top receiving options. His size makes him a difficult matchup in the slot and he has the potential to have more games like this one.
Indianapolis Colts 28, Minnesota Vikings 11
Jonathan Taylor saw 28 touches for Indianapolis including 26 carries for 101 yards and a TD. He also caught two passes. Jordan Wilkins saw nine carries as the only back to spell Taylor in this one and Nyheim Hines was not a factor in this game. Taylor is locked and loaded as the primary back for the Colts and should see a heavy workload moving forward.
It was a rough afternoon for Vikings' quarterback Kirk Cousins who completed just 11-of-26 passes for 113 yards with three interceptions. Adam Thielen was targeted 8 times but caught just three passes for 31 yards. Rookie Justin Jefferson was the leading receiver with 44 yards. With Stefon Diggs no longer in Minnesota, the Vikings will rely on Thielen and Jefferson for much bigger performances than they had in Indy on Sunday. Cousins was never really a good fantasy option, but he should be avoided right now.
Green Bay Packers 42, Detroit Lions 21
It was the Aaron Jones show on Sunday in Green Bay. The running back torched the Lions for 168 rushing yards and two TDs along with four catches for 68 yards and a TD. Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon saw 8 and 5 carries respectively, but it was all Jones all day in this game. The Dillon draft pick had some fantasy analysts worried about Jones' role, but as long as he is getting 22 touches in a game he should produce at an elite level.
D'Andre Swift carried just five times for 12 yards, but did catch five passes for 60 yards. Kerryon Johnson led the Lions with 8 carries and Adrian Peterson added 7 carries. I think Swift will ultimately emerge as the back to own in Detroit, but right now it's a three-way split which is never good in fantasy.
Dallas Cowboys 40, Atlanta Falcons 39
This was the shootout of the day and the Cowboys somehow came back to win. Dallas tight end Dalton Schultz led the team with 10 targets and had a nice game with 9 catches for 88 yards and a score. Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb each topped the 100-yard mark on 9 targets and 6 catches. Lamb is emerging as a go-to option for the Cowboys and he looks like he has some star potential even as a rookie.
Russell Gage and Hayden Hurst were both heavily involved in this game. Gage was targeted 9 times by Matt Ryan and Hurst was targeted 8 times. These two may eat into the each other's production a little bit, but each look like good options aside from the obvious Falcons' threats in Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones. Both Gage and Hurst reached the end zone and have big potential in what looks to be an explosive offense.
Chicago Bears 17, New York Giants 13
Saquon Barkley exited the game with a knee injury that was confirmed on Monday as a torn ACL. He will miss the rest of the season. Dion Lewis scored a TD with Barkley out and was a threat in the passing game as well. He will likely pick up a lot of the slack along with Wayne Gallman while Barkley is out. Lewis has some appeal in PPR leagues. He is rostered in just 7 percent of leagues, but that is likely to change this week.
Bears running back David Montgomery had a nice game with 19 touches and a receiving TD. Montgomery is clearly the primary back in Chicago and should continue to produce if he approaches 20 touches per game. Tarik Cohen had 6 touches on Sunday, so he could cut into Montgomery's workload at times. But it appears Montgomery is in for a heavy workload.
Arizona Cardinals 30, Washington Football Team 15
Antonio Gibson got 14 touches and found the end zone for Washington. J.D. McKissic saw 8 carries and Peyton Barber carried just 1 time. Gibson is likely to see his role expand as the season goes on. It might be a nice time to buy low on the rookie.
Kyler Murray continued to show off his dual-threat ability and racked up 67 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns to go with his passing TD. Murray is developing as a passer but it is his rushing ability that makes him such a good fantasy option. At a loaded quarterback position, he could challenge for a top 5 finish this season.
Kansas City Chiefs 23, Los Angeles Chargers 20
Clyde Edwards-Helaire was involved again in the passing game for the Chiefs. He caught six passes for 32 yards on 8 targets and carried 10 times for 38 yards. He didn't find the end zone against a very good Chargers defense, but he could be in store for a breakout game really soon in this Chiefs offense.
Justin Herbert was solid in his first career start, but I want to focus on another rookie. Joshua Kelley was heavily involved with 23 carries for 64 yards and 2 catches for 49 yards. Kelley clearly has a nice role in the offense even with Austin Ekeler seeing a lot of work in the backfield as well. This might be a good chance to try to pry Kelley away from another team via trade.
Baltimore Ravens 33, Houston Texans 16
Not a ton to see here from the Ravens. They dominated on the ground, got a defensive touchdown, and Justin Tucker kicked four field goals. One thing of note was the fact that Gus Edwards led the team in rushing. Lamar Jackson rushed 16 times, but Edwards churned out a team-high 73 yards. Mark Ingram scored the lone rushing TD. The Ravens offense is so run-heavy that guys like Edwards and J.K. Dobbins could emerge as the season moves on.
A week after a 100-plus yard receiving game in the opener against the Chiefs, Will Fuller disappeared in Week 2. Fuller did not see a single target against the Ravens. This was a reminder of the up-and-down nature of Fuller's game in fantasy. He will have huge boom weeks, but is always a threat to turn in a dud as well. He is a difficult player to roster because of this.
Seattle Seahawks 35, New England Patriots 30
Cam Newton put the Patriots on his back and nearly led them to a win in Seattle. He was stuffed short of the goal line on the final play of the game. He ended up with 397 passing yards and a TD along with 47 rushing yards and two scores. Newton is playing at a high level with his new team and is a must start at the moment.
The Seahawks have clearly "Let Russ cook" so far this season as Russell Wilson carved up the Patriots for 288 yards and five TD passes. Wilson found five different players on his five TD passes. With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett leading the way, Wilson has a strong supporting cast and may be in line for a career year.
Las Vegas Raiders 34, New Orleans Saints 24
Emmanuel Sanders saw just three targets for one catch. With Michael Thomas sidelined with an injury, Sanders seemingly had a big opportunity but did not deliver. He was out-targeted by Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, and Jared Cook. Sanders has not found his footing yet in New Orleans. He will need to step up in Thomas' absence.
Darren Waller commanded a massive 16 targets and caught 12 passes for 103 yards and a TD. Waller is clearly the best receiving option for the Raiders and Derek Carr looked his way early and often in this game. Hunter Renfrow and Henry Ruggs III saw three targets each as Waller was establishing his dominance. Many wondered this offseason if Waller was due for some regression this season. If this usage continues, however, Waller will be a top tight end option all season.
Brian Buckey
Brian Buckey is an avid fantasy sports player dating back to his first fantasy baseball league in junior high school, with fantasy experience in all four of the major sports. Brian currently is a sports writer for The Toledo Blade newspaper in Toledo, Ohio where he grew up. Brian is a proud Indiana University graduate, with a degree in journalism and is excited to provide fantasy analysis for FantasyData.