On Mondays, I focus on the biggest fantasy impact for each Sunday team. There's a lot to cover, so let's get started.
Falcons -- Saturday's post: "Does Kyle Pitts belong on the bench?" Sunday: At various times throughout his career, Pitts has been entirely droppable. Despite being the overall TE2 last year, he had eight performances with less than 8.0 fantasy points. This is his reality, and even when the team's QB situation "improves," he hasn't demonstrated that he can be even a weekly TE streamer with Drake London on the field.
Panthers -- Saturday: "Is Tetairoa McMillan a safer start than teammate Jalen Coker? Strange to wonder this after only one game. But it was quite a game." Sunday: McMillan won the target battle 10-9. Coker won the reception battle 8-5. They finished almost neck-and-neck with 15.1 and 14.6 fantasy points. Coker is on track to being one of the biggest WR bargains . . . if this offense is for real.
Bears -- Caleb Williams' hamstring injury was one of Sunday's biggest stories. On a side note, when he exited halfway through the fourth quarter, Chicago's supposedly top-2 WRs (Luther Burden and Rome Odunze,) had combined for only two catches for 22 yards. On the final drive with backup QB Tyson Bagent, they combined for 4-53. Could this help open the floodgates for Burden and Odunze, regardless of who's under center?
Vikings -- Saturday: "With Jordan Mason sidelined, is sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne rosterable in most leagues? My sense is 'not yet.'" Sunday: Aaron Jones largely put this team on his back, though in fantasy circles, his 10.5 points was barely adequate at best. DeeJay Dallas out-touched Claiborne 3-1. Jones is the unquestioned bell cow, and there's no obvious handcuff.
Titans -- Saturday: "Once again, Carnell Tate vs. Wan'Dale Robinson, plus 'will it even matter?" Sunday: A nearly incredible upset led by a highly efficient backfield that was nevertheless fantasy-irrelevant. Tate out-targeted Robinson 5-1. The latter might be one of the most-dropped non-injured WRs this week. The former's value is hanging on because of his draft capital.
Eagles -- Saturday: "DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley will get into their groove. The bigger question remains Makai Lemon vs. Dontayvion Wicks." Sunday: First, Barkley's in-game injury leaves us wondering no only "what-if," but also, "could this impact him going forward?" He'll have an MRI this week. And Wicks looked terrific. If he'd come out of the blue, I'd be more wary. But again, we saw what he did in Green Bay when teammates were hurt, and he's clearly a must-roster wideout with decent streamability.
Patriots -- Saturday: "The receiving corps minus A.J. Brown is a giant question mark. But the bigger fantasy pressure point in my opinion concerns TreVeyon Henderson's usage, which realistically could be as little as seven touches and as much as 15." Sunday: Doubs' 63-yard reception will make him more valuable entering Week 3, so managers should be wary of his still-low floor. And Henderson capitalized when Stevenson lost a fumble (as he has more than just about any active NFL running back), out-touching Stevenson 16-7. I've been pushing Henderson as a huge bargain for three months; yesterday might end up being the turning point.
Steelers -- It wasn't all Aaron Rodgers' fault, but his year-by-year decline since his final campaign in Green Bay has been undeniable. Last year he could barely feed one wide receiver. Assuming Michael Pittman returns soon, I couldn't imagine starting any Pittsburgh WR for the foreseeable future.
Jets -- Adonai Mitchell's 12 targets coincided with rookie Omar Cooper getting placed on injured reserve. It's a step in the right direction for a team that hasn't had a fantasy-relevant #2 WR in a while.
Packers -- Saturday: "MarShawn Lloyd vs. Chris Brooks, with the 'will it even matter' caveat." Sunday: Both ran poorly against a defense that gave up 4.9 YPC to Tennessee last week. Lloyd's touchdown gave him double-digit points. But any "lead" RB who gets only 26 yards on seven touches in a close game is not (yet) trustworthy. Steelers cast-off Kaleb Johnson ate up some yards and also coughed up the ball. That backfield is a mess. And of course, incredibly scary moments for Jayden Reed, who reportedly (by his own words) is on the mend.
Buccaneers -- One of the worst losses in recent Tampa Bay history. Somehow this team is averaging a healthy 23.0 points per game. I believed Baker Mayfield would snap back against his former team. It doesn't seem reasonable -- and certainly didn't help a lot of managers -- that Tez Johnson would lead this team in receiving yards, while Cade Otton would lead the way in receptions. Emeka Egbuka is on pace for only 94 targets, while Chris Godwin is on pace for 60. The first suggests streamability at best, while the second suggests "stay away for now."
Browns -- Saturday: "If you're still holding onto Quinshon Judkins or Harold Fannin, hopefully they'll snap back. But this is why I faded all Browns players this summer." Sunday: Judkins had 9.8 points, while Fannin had 10.4. I suppose that's good, relatively speaking. The bigger story is that rookies Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion seem locked in with Deshaun Watson. It all comes down to whether Watson can be consistently middling at minimum.
Ravens -- Saturday: "With Zay Flowers doubtful and Ja'Kobi Lane on injured reserve, which receivers will step up? A year ago, I would have tagged Rashod Bateman as a nice flyer. Not anymore." Sunday: Well, Bateman crushed it -- only his second double-digit outing since Week 1 last year. Added context: he had been averaging less than 4.0 fantasy points per game during that span. So yesterday either was the start of a season-long conversation about Bateman's streamability, or a blip in an otherwise underwhelming recent stretch.
Saints -- Saturday: "Devaughn Vele presumably has season-long value as New Orleans' #2 wideout. He's on the cusp of weekly streamability." Sunday: He got it done, solidifying his standing in an incredible upset victory.
Texans -- Saturday: "Who will operate as Houston's #1 WR with Nico Collins out? There are three realistic candidates: Kayshon Boutte, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson." Sunday: None of the above. CJ Stroud targeted his longtime TE early and often, as Dalton Schultz showed he can still be "the guy" when needed. Also notably, the backfield looked horrendous, though Woody Marks' passing-game chops "won" the day. David Montgomery was a massive sell-high RB a week ago; now it's nearly too late.
Bengals -- As expected, Mike Gesicki plummeted back to earth. In his place, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins did a lot. This is the normal order of things: aged tight ends who break out at the expense of a top-tier WR duo don't generally remain relevant.
Broncos -- In hindsight, it makes sense that Bo Nix fed Jaylen Waddle repeatedly. The fact that he had more targets than all other Denver WRs combined seems a little unsustainable. Somewhere in between Weeks 1 and 2, Waddle will fill a role. The question remains whether he'll be consistently startable. Also, JK Dobbins' career-long injury woes continue, opening the door for rookie Jonah Coleman, who seized the opportunity. This is how three-headed backfields transform overnight. Whenever Dobbins and RJ Harvey are healthy, it's anyone's guess who will be the 1A.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "If you drafted Brian Thomas, did you feel excited, indifferent, or resigned?" Sunday: The good news is that he got eight targets. The bad news is that he posted the same line from Week 1: three catches for 40 scoreless yards. He now has 20 drops on 235 career targets, which is an uncomfortably high 8.5%.
Chargers -- Saturday: "I still firmly believe that Quentin Johnston will finish in the top 35, while Tre' Harris is a better-than-50/50 bet to finish in the top 50. Of course, this assumes L.A.'s offense gets on track." Sunday: A complete disaster through the air, and here's the bigger problem: their next seven games are @Bills, @Seahawks, Broncos, @Chiefs, @Rams, Texans, and @Ravens. I discuss this on today's podcast. There could be huge fantasy implications if they don't turn things around soon.
Raiders -- Tre Tucker took control through the air . . . as only he can? That's true in Vegas, where no wideout stepped up this summer or in Week 1. While 27-year-old journeyman Cody White will get attention after two TDs, Tucker took a step toward becoming the Raiders' #1 WR.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "Is Jake Ferguson droppable in 12-team leagues?" Sunday: Yikes, whiffed on that. Ferguson's targets (four) and yardage (43) weren't remarkable, but he scored twice, and that's all you need to be a top-10 TE. Will it continue? Well, it realistically can't. But in a plus offense, he's probably one of the better TD-dependent tight ends.
Commanders -- Jayden Daniels' injury is another one of Week 2's biggest fantasy stories. While backup Marcus Mariota played well, his lone TD and two-thirds of his passing yards occurred while down 17 points in the fourth quarter. It's fair to say that Mariota would be a net negative on Stefon Diggs and the beleaguered Terry McLaurin.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Marvin Harrison Jr. is in a similar boat with Brian Thomas: two recent first rounders who've occasionally flashed, but who haven't (yet) fully delivered." Sunday: In his last four games, Harrison has a 2-47-0 receiving line on eight targets. In that same stretch, Michael Wilson is at 17-262-2. Something seems to be wrong that goes beyond simply poor play or "not getting enough looks."
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Jadarian Price vs. George Holani vs. (maybe) Emanuel Wilson." Sunday: Price ran well but lost a fumble and got hurt. Wilson took over and looked solid, just as he has in each of his other three NFL seasons. This doesn't make Wilson startable in Week 3, but it almost surely makes Price (if healthy) benchable.
49ers -- Mike Evans' fourth-quarter exit and DeMarcus Robinson's more serious injury is a painful reminder of the Simpsons episode where nearly every MLB ringer failed to show for the title game. Except most of those players were in their prime. San Francisco rolled the dice on the oldest group of skill players imaginable. They're now down at least four WRs since camp. 31-year-old emergency addition Khadarel Hodge is tentatively the #3 wideout. 30+ year-olds have 42 of the Niners' 45 receptions. That's an insane stat.
Dolphins -- Saturday: "Should managers be concerned about De'Von Achane? I was down on him this summer, but not *really* down on him." Sunday: He collected 12.3 points. If you drafted Achane and knew right now that he'd keep delivering 12.3 points per week, would you accept it? Or would you roll the dice that the preseason RB6 could deliver numbers much closer to preseason expectations? I would take the 12.3.
Chiefs -- Saturday: "Add Xavier Worthy to the Brian Thomas / Marvin Harrison Jr. conversation. At what point would managers decide to throw in the towel? Or . . . is this an ideal moment to invest in Kansas City's #2 WR?" Sunday: A satisfactory 13.5 points, including a touchdown. Worthy remains a TD-dependent WR in a great offense. Probably more importantly, Kenneth Walker once again dominated . . . and received 30 touches. He now has 56, putting him on pace for 476. His previous high was 255 in 2022.
Colts -- Saturday: "Daniel Jones arguably played his best football last season before getting hurt. Any sustained diminishment this season could wreak havoc on his receivers' fantasy values." Sunday: He had 162 passing yards entering overtime before connecting with Laquon Treadwell on a 48-yarder. Overall, it was an improvement. And yet this isn't close to the Jones-led passing attack we saw last year. Alec Pierce's injury could make things tougher -- though it could also elevate Josh Downs to must-start territory.
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