Monday Night Football brings us two games in Week 2. The night begins as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Houston to take on the Texans. Later, the Los Angeles Chargers square off in a divisional matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. All four of these teams feature elite fantasy football players, especially in the receiving game. Every league will have something at stake. Take a look at the biggest players and matchups to watch on Monday.
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Monday Night Football Preview for Week 2
Emeka Egbuka – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s not every day that a rookie calls his own game-winning TD play. Ohio State fans are used to seeing Emeka Egbuka do something mind-boggling on a weekly basis, and he has not lost a step since entering the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons did their best to contain him, but he caught 4 of his 6 targets for 67 yards and 2 TDs. A bigger matchup awaits him in the Houston Texans’ secondary. Derek Stingley can shut down any WR and is one of the highest-paid CBs in the league. Fellow corner Kamari Lassiter had a stellar rookie season, allowing a passer rating of 64 when targeted in 2024. Egbuka will face a healthy mix of both corners in Week 2 on Monday Night Football. You cannot justify benching him right now. A dominant performance here would put the rest of the league on notice.
Check out all of our Week 2 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings
Nick Chubb & Dare Ogunbowale – RB, Houston Texans
It feels like nearly a decade since Nick Chubb was elite. The former Cleveland Browns RB has only played 11 total games since 2023 after almost never missing time. Now in his first season with a new organization, he still may have something left in the tank. Chubb carried the ball 13 times for 60 yards in a loss to the Rams in Week 1. The volume is encouraging for a player at 30 years old. He projects to carry the ball the majority of the time Joe Mixon is out, but his ceiling is capped. Chubb was never a target hog, and that won’t change at this point in his career. A strong defense will keep the Texans in neutral or positive game script. This week against the Buccaneers should be pass-heavy, though.
Dare Ogunbowale has found a role as a pass-catcher, but he only drew 2 targets in last week’s loss. There are just far too many options on this offense to guarantee any of the RBs will feature heavily in the pass game. 10 different Texans drew a target last week, but Dare was consistently on the field on 3rd downs. If anyone could carve out a bigger role, it’s him. Ideally, the team would have a player who could combine good rushing volume and receiving work, but this backfield will just be a headache for now. Rookie Woody Marks could eventually break out, but it will take a while.
Ashton Jeanty – RB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders won 20-13 in Week 1 and led the game for nearly the entire second half. Ashton Jeanty was expectedly the lead back, carrying the ball 19 times on the team’s 24 total rush attempts. Zamir White was the only other Raiders RB to record a rush or target, but he only gained 8 yards on 3 attempts.
Volume is not going to be a problem for Jeanty, with limited competition and high draft capital. What may be concerning and frustrating for fantasy managers is his yardage totals. Jeanty only managed 38 yards on his 19 carries, though he did score a TD. Two receptions for 2 yards added a bit of a floor in half and full PPR leagues, and he could see even more receiving work going forward.
The Chargers’ front seven is not the toughest in the league, but the Raiders’ offensive line ranked dead last in Run Block Win Rate according to ESPN Analytics. It would be absurd to bench a player guaranteed elite volume, but expectations need to be tempered until we see this offense succeed in the run game. Breaking off a few big runs on Monday Night Football would be a great start, as his highest is only 9 yards so far.
Dont’e Thornton – WR, Las Vegas Raiders
While Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and even Jakobi Meyers headline the Raiders’ skill position players, don’t forget Dont’e Thornton. Towering over at 6’5, you wouldn’t expect him to be a speedster but he ran a 4.30 40-yard dash. In his first career NFL game, the rookie caught 2 of his 4 targets for 45 yards. His aDOT of 25.0 ranks 2nd in the league amongst players with at least 2 targets. Teammate Tre Tucker had similar usage, drawing 3 targets and the 4th highest aDOT at 21.0. Geno Smith and the Raiders will be underdogs in most games, and they’ll turn to players like Thornton for a big play. If volume rises a bit and he can convert a few big passes a game, he could creep into fantasy relevancy sooner than later.
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