Key Fantasy Football Takeaways from NFL Week 2

Writing this with two games left for Week 2 – Saints vs. Panthers and Browns vs. Steelers. Through two weeks of football we are truly learning a lot about all NFL teams, and the personnel within them that directly relate to Fantasy Football. Plenty of football to go, but Week 2 was very important when it came to what was sticky from Week 1 and what may have been an asterisk. Snap percentage, targets, touches, production and Fantasy Football scoring can fluctuate week to week but finding the consistencies can be key. I left Week 2’s games feeling much better about my personal Fantasy Football teams.

Below are notes for every team from Week 2. I try to highlight what I feel is important to know for the Fantasy Football world. This article drops weekly, and is a one-stop for readers as I simply do all the recap work for you. The scoring mentioned is points per reception leagues (PPR). Here is what happened in Week 2.

Fantasy Football Takeaways from Week 2

Arizona Cardinals

• Quarterback Joshua Dobbs had a much better day, throwing 21/31 for 228 yards and a touchdown. This translated much better for Marquise Brown, who had under 10 Fantasy Points in Week 1 but scored a touchdown in Week 2 that led to 17.4 points.
• James Conner continues to operate as a workhorse running back. Conner played 72% of the snaps and ran the ball 23 times for 106 yards and a score.
• Through two weeks, Zach Ertz has totaled 18 targets and his 56 yards in Week 2 was Fantasy productive. Ertz should be rostered.

Atlanta Falcons

• Desmond Ridder completed one more pass (19) than he even attempted (18) last week. 237 passing yards and even on the touchdown to interception ratio one to one.
• Bijan Robinson paced Tyler Allgeier in both snap percentage (72% vs. 44%) and total touches (23 vs. 16). Robinson had a consecutive 20+ Fantasy week guided by 124 rushing yards and four receptions for 48 receiving yards.
• Drake London scored 18.7 Fantasy Points more than his 0.0 last week. Six receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown.
• Kyle Pitts opened up Week 1 with two catches for 44 yards. Week 2, Pitts again had just two catches for 15 yards. Hard to trust him in lineups.

Baltimore Ravens

• Lamar Jackson got back on Fantasy track, scoring over 20 Fantasy Points. 24/33 for 237 passing yards for two touchdowns. 54 yards with his legs. Reassuring after a bad Week 1.
• Nelson Agholor ended up with six targets, and caught five of them for 63 yards and a touchdown. Personally I will not be interested enough with the other weapons available for Jackson.
• In his season debut, Mark Andrews led the Ravens in targets with eight. Andrews caught five for 45 yards and scored. This aligns with expectations for a top three Fantasy tight end.
• 10 carries for 62 yards and a rushing touchdown for Gus Edwards. Justice Hill totaled more touches (14) but was not efficient.
• Four receptions for 62 yards for Zay Flowers, who I feel looks great to open the year. Rashod Bateman only drew three targets. Odell Beckham Jr. left the game with an ankle injury.

Buffalo Bills

• Last week, Josh Allen tossed three interceptions but this week tossed three touchdowns. 274 passing yards and a highly efficient 83.8 completion percentage (31/37).
• Gabe Davis caught six of his seven targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. This quadrupled his Week 1 Fantasy Points.
• Big day for James Cook, who rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries. Cook has caught four passes in back to back weeks. 225 total yards through two weeks.
• Both Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid continue to both get involved. Knox had a touchdown on five targets and Kincaid finished with 43 receiving yards on six targets.

Chicago Bears

• Thankfully, we witnessed a more typical DJ Moore game in Week 2 vs. the two catches for 25 yards he had Week 1. Six receptions on seven targets for 104 yards.
• Justin Fields has been disappointing for Fantasy in back to back games now. Three rushing yards in Week 2 is not very Fields-like, but he did rush for a touchdown in this one. Three interceptions in two games
• The running back snap percentage and touch count was Khalil Herbert 60% / eight touches vs. Roschon Johnson 42% / six touches. Both backs were efficient on the ground but the game script impacted either touching the ball a ton.
• Darnell Mooney left the game early with a knee injury. Chase Claypool earned eight targets (just three catches). Cole Kmet earned six targets.

Cincinnati Bengals

• Monster Tee Higgins performance after scoring zero points in Week 1. Eight receptions on 12 targets for 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 28.9 Fantasy Points.
• Joe Burrow played better in Week 2 vs. his terrible Week 1, but still under expectations. 27/41 for 222 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Burrow tweaked his calf in this one, so monitor that.
• 13 carries again in Week 2 for Joe Mixon, who has totaled under 100 total rushing plus receiving yards in back to back weeks.
• Ja’Marr Chase is also not living up to expectations so far this year, scoring under 10 Fantasy Points in back to back weeks. Five catches on eight targets for 31 yards. Back-to-back weeks totaling under 40 receiving yards. Awful start for who I felt was the 1.01 this year.

Dallas Cowboys

• Big bump in CeeDee Lamb’s volume and production. Week 1 the Cowboys winning 40-0 had an impact across the board for Fantasy Football. Lamb caught 11 of his 13 targets for 143 yards. 25.3 Fantasy Points.
• Tony Pollard had another solid Fantasy week with 19.9 points. After averaging 5 yards per carry in Week 1, he averaged just 2.9 in Week 2 but his seven receptions guided him to Fantasy production.
• Dak Prescott tossed 255 yards and two touchdowns. 31/38 (81.6%) was very efficient.

Denver Broncos

• Russell Wilson threw for 308 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Wilson also rushed for 56 in this one.
• Brandon Johnson caught two passes, with both being touchdowns. Likely as one week wonder. Same sort of stat line for rookie Marvin Mims who caught two passes with one of them being a touchdown, but totaled 113 receiving yards.
• Another week under 10 Fantasy Points for Javonte Williams, who totaled 14 touches and played 45% of the snaps for the second week in a row. Patience may be key with Williams, who tore his ACL last season.
• Courtland Sutton finished with 66 receiving yards. Jerry Jeudy was targeted five times and played 68% of the snaps upon his return from his hamstring issue. Buy-low now on Jeudy as he gets healthier.

Detroit Lions

• Josh Reynolds totaled 80 receiving yards in Week 1, then stepped up his Fantasy scoring in Week 2 with a team high 23.6 points. 66 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Waiver wire target.
• Jared Goff had a solid outing in the Lions’ overtime loss. 28/35 (80%) for 323 passing yards and three passing touchdowns along with an interception.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown exited the game due to cramping in the fourth quarter. Six receptions on seven targets for 102 receiving yards.
• David Montgomery out-touched Jahmyr Gibbs 17 to 14, despite leaving the game in the third quarter with a bruised thigh. Montgomery scored yet again. It was encouraging to see Gibbs’ role in the passing game, catching seven passes. Keep an eye on Monty’s injury.

Green Bay Packers

• Jordan Love has only completed 29 passes the last two weeks combined, but has scored over 20 Fantasy Points in back to back weeks. Back to back games with three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.
• Rookie Jayden Reed had a big day, with two of his four catches resulting in touchdowns. Reed should be on waiver radar for this week.
• AJ Dillon took over as the lead running back with Aaron Jones out. Dillon had 16 touches but totaled just 63 yards. Not sure Dillon is the handcuff we have always thought he was.

Houston Texans

• Huge Nico Collins performance, who caught seven of his nine targets for 146 receiving yards and a touchdown. Collins has had two solid Fantasy weeks, making him a weekly FLEX play at least.
• CJ Stroud had a solid day, scoring over 20 Fantasy points after being tagged questionable last week. Stroud threw 30/47 for 384 passing yards and two touchdowns.
• Rookie Tank Dell took advantage of Noah Brown’s placement on the injured reserve. Dell caught seven of his 10 targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. Dell will likely be a waiver name this week.
• Robert Woods continues to see solid targets. In week 1 Woods earned 10 and in Week 2 nine. Much more productive in terms of a veteran presence vs. tight end Dalton Schultz who has not done much for us yet.
• Dameon Pierce has had back-to-back weeks under seven fantasy points. Pierce has played exactly 45% of the snaps in both weeks. This is concerning.

Indianapolis Colts

• Last week, Deon Jackson was the Colts’ RB1 and was highly inefficient with his workload. This week, Zack Moss returned to action and was the opposite as the lead back. 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown along with four receptions. 20.7 Fantasy Points which should mean being a waiver priority for running back needy teams.
• Anthony Richardson was likely on his way to a monster game rushing for two touchdowns prior to exiting the game in the second quarter. Gardner Minshew stepped in and threw 19/23 (82.6%) for 171 yards and a touchdown.
• Michael Pittman Jr. took a step back in his Fantasy scoring but did not have a terrible week. Eight catches on 12 targets for 56 yards. Pittman has totaled 23 targets through two weeks and is the only wide receiver to trust for Fantasy right now on the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• After a terrible Week 1 scoring 1.9 Fantasy Points, Christian Kirk went off for 21.96 points in Week 2. Kirk caught 11 of his 14 targets for 110 receiving yards.
• Evan Engram also took a step in the right direction, catching six of his eight targets for 57 yards. Zay Jones pulled a Week 1 Drake London / Tee Higgins scoring zero.
• Really bad Fantasy week for Trevor Lawrence who completed 22/41 passing attempts and had zero touchdowns. Down Calvin Ridley week who probably should have scored and only caught two of his eight targets. Buy Ridley after this performance.
• Travis Etienne dealt with cramps in the fourth quarter. Unproductive day for Etienne as well. D’Ernest Johnson had one carry and one target while rookie Tank Bigsby did not touch the ball, which is important to note.

Kansas City Chiefs

• Patrick Mahomes was very Patrick Mahomes, throwing 29/41 (70.7%) for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
• Skyy Moore had a solid outing, catching three passes for 70 receiving yards and a touchdown. Kadarius Toney bounced back from the drops and caught all five targets for 35 yards.
• Following missing Week 1, Travis Kelce returned and played 64% of the snaps. Kelce caught four of his nine targets with one of them (of course) being a touchdown.

Los Angeles Chargers

• Keenan Allen was one of the Fantasy Football highlights of the week as the best scoring player. Eight receptions on 11 targets for 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Allen has earned 19 targets through two games.
• Back-to-back weeks above 20 Fantasy Points for Justin Herbert, who threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns. 41 passing attempts is the high volume that keeps us encouraged for the weapons in this offense.
• Mike Williams had a solid eight for 83 stat line on 13 targets. Rookie Quentin Johnston, who many thought would impact Williams, has only totaled three catches in two games.
• Joshua Kelley took on the lead running back role with Austin Ekeler out but was a bad start for the week. 13 attempts for 39 rushing yards for 3.9 Fantasy Points after a 15.1-point week last game.

Los Angeles Rams

• Puka Nacua continues to be one of the best storylines in football as a fifth-round rookie balling out. Nacua set the NFL record for the single-game reception total by a rookie with 15. Nacua was targeted a massive 20 times and finished with 147 receiving yards and 30.1 Fantasy Points. A monster game against a tough 49ers defense.
• Cam Akers has been involved in trade talks and was a healthy scratch in Week 2 after 22 touches in Week 1. Kyren Williams led the backfield with 14 carries for 52 rushing yards and a touchdown along with six receptions for 48 yards and a receiving touchdown.
• Tutu Atwell does not get the love he deserves, being in the shadow of Nacua. Atwell finished the game catching seven of nine targets for 77 yards after finishing Week 1 with 119 receiving yards.

Las Vegas Raiders

• Davante Adams left Sunday’s game due to a possible concussion. Adams still managed a much better Week 2 catching six of his eight targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. 20.4 Fantasy Points.
• Josh Jacobs finished his second game in a row with nine-ish Fantasy Points. Jacobs rushed for negative two yards, but scored some insurance points due to five catches. Rough start for Jacobs this year.
• Jimmy Garoppolo finished the game 16/24 for 185 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. This performance had a lot to do with what no player outside of Adams scored 10 Fantasy Points.

Miami Dolphins

• It was Raheem Mostert as the Dolphins’ highlight for this week. Mostert rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 18 rushing attempts. No other running back on the roster saw more than three rushing attempts.
• Tyreek Hill caught five of his nine targets for just 40 yards but did end up scoring. Jaylen Waddle left the game due to a concussion but finished with 86 receiving yards. Waddle has averaged 19.5 and 21.5 yards per catch through two games.
• Down Fantasy week for Tua Tagovailoa after a great Week 1, but he still threw for 249 yards in Week 2. aA one-to-one touchdown to interception ratio did not help his Fantasy scoring.

Minnesota Vikings

• Back-to-back weeks for Kirk Cousins throwing 44 times at a 70%+ completion percentage. 344 and then 364 passing yards with six total passing touchdowns in two weeks. Highly encouraging for the pass-catchers.
• Big TJ Hockenson performance, catching seven of his eight targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
• Justin Jefferson has finished both Week 1 and Week 2 with 150+ receiving yards and 24 and decimal Fantasy Points. Jefferson caught 11 of his 13 targets in Week 2 and has totaled 25 through two weeks.
• Jordan Addison has caught a touchdown in back-to-back weeks with 16.1/16.2 Fantasy scores. Alexander Mattison touched the ball 11 times and scored just 4.9 points.

New England Patriots

• Back-to-back weeks with Hunter Henry scoring a touchdown and finishing with 50+ receiving yards. 16.6 and 17.2 Fantasy scores through two weeks has been huge.
• Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries for a touchdown as well as caught three passes. Ezekiel Eliott touched the ball just five times and at a 2.6 yards per-carry rate.
• After a huge Kendrick Bourne week, it was Devante Parker who led the wide receiver room in Fantasy. Parker caught six of his eight targets for 57 yards after missing Week 1. JuJu Smith-Schuster has failed to score eight Fantasy Points yet.

New York Giants

• Major bounce-back game for Daniel Jones who led all quarterbacks this weekend in Fantasy scoring. Jones threw 26/37 for 321 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Jones also carried the ball nine times for 59 yards and a score on the ground.
• It was unfortunate to see Saquon Barkley suffer an ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. We will have to monitor this news. Barkley rushed the ball 17 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes with one of those also resulting in a touchdown.
• Isaiah Hodgins scored, which helped him to a 14-point week. Darren Waller looked more like his former self with a six-catch, 76 receiving-yard game on eight targets. Waller tied Barkley for the team lead in targets, which aligns with my projection he would lead the Giants in the category this year.

New York Jets

• Garrett Wilson was taken to the locker room with some sort of injury in the fourth quarter. Wilson scored 16.3 Fantasy Points due to 83 receiving yards and a touchdown. The issue beyond those stats is that he caught just two of his eight targets.
• Tyler Conklin caught five of his six targets for 50 yards in this one. Allen Lazard went his second week in a row under seven Fantasy Points.
• Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook combined for nine total touches against a tough Dallas defense. The result was under one Fantasy Point for each of the Jets’ running backs, which is a nightmare to look at.
• Zach Wilson threw 12/27 (44.4%) for 170 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. We have to be mindful that the Dallas defense is great, but also mindful that if the Jets want to compete this year they may be dialing quarterback numbers as we speak.

Philadelphia Eagles

• Kenneth Gainwell was out for Thursday Night, which meant D’Andre Swift stepped into a major role. Balled out upon opportunity. 28 rushing attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown. Three catches. 27.1 Fantasy Points. I have always been a believer in the talent, and should Swift continue on as the lead back and stay healthy we will have major Fantasy implications.
• Jalen Hurts had a much better Week 2 and delivered his typical upside in Fantasy scoring. 18/23 (78.3%) for 193 passing yards and then both a touchdown and interception. Two rushing touchdowns elevated his day.
• DeVonta Smith after a solid 17.7 Fantasy Points in Week 1 scored 23.1 in Week 2. Four catches on five targets for 131 yards and a touchdown. AJ Brown had a disappointing day catching four passes for just 29 yards.

Seattle Seahawks

• Tyler Lockett was the standout in the wide receiver room for Week 2. Lockett caught eight of his 10 targets for 59 yards and two touchdowns. 25.9 Fantasy Points was a major difference from the three he scored in Week 1.
• Geno Smith also had a big jump in Fantasy production in Week 2. 32/41 (78%) for 328 passing yards and two touchdowns through an overtime win. 20 rushing yards on top of those numbers.
• DK Metcalf caught all six targets for 75 yards after exiting the game and returning due to a rib injury in the first half. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught five of his six targets for just 34 yards in Week 2. JSN has yet to have a big day, but matching Metcalf in back to back weeks in targets is encouraging.

San Francisco 49ers

• Christian McCaffrey had yet another great rushing day after finishing with 152 in Week 1. 116 rushing yards in Week 2 with another rushing touchdown. McCaffrey has totaled just six catches in two games but has been tearing it up with his legs.
• Deebo Samuel had a solid day, catching six of his nine targets for 63 yards. Deebo also rushed the ball five times for 38 yards and a score.
• Quiet days for both Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle who finished with 7.3 and six Fantasy Points. Aiyuk earned six targets and Kittle only three.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Mike Evans continues to tear it up and make those who faded him in rankings (I am guilty) look silly. 18.6 Fantasy Points last week and then 29.1 Fantasy Points in Week 2. Evans caught six of his eight targets for 171 receiving yards and scored his second touchdown of the season.
• Bounce-back week for Rachaad White who was super inefficient in Week 1. White finished Week 2 with 22 touches, rushing for 73 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown. Five receptions for 30 yards on top of that. 21.3 Fantasy Points after 6.9 last week.
• Chris Godwin has scored 10.1 and 10.8 Fantasy Points through two weeks with 51 and 58 receiving yards. Eight targets was a good sign in Week 2, but we have yet to see Godwin deliver lineup value this year.

Tennessee Titans

• Ryan Tannehill threw 20/24 (83.3%) for 246 yards and a touchdown. Tannehill added another score with his legs which made for a solid Fantasy week.
• Derrick Henry rushed the ball 25 times for 80 yards (3.2 yards per carry) and scored a touchdown. 18.5 Fantasy Points was a step in the right direction, and three catches is a plus.
• Nick Westbrook Ikhine scored more Fantasy Points (11.5) than Treylon Burks (10.6) and DeAndre Hopkins (eight). Hopkins led the group with five targets on the day.

Washington Commanders

• Brian Robinson continued to see workhorse numbers with 20 touches, and he did a ton with it. 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns along with 42 receiving yards on two catches. 28.9 Fantasy Points. Robinson is a player I faded that I am pivoting hard on. Antonio Gibson had just five touches.
• Sam Howell threw 27/39 for 299 passing yards and two touchdowns. Over 20 Fantasy Points is encouraging for future streaming weeks based on matchups.
• Terry McLaurin had a much better week, catching five of his six targets for 54 yards and a touchdown. Jahan Dotson earned five targets but caught only three for 22 yards.