There were only 35 passing touchdowns across the entire league in Week 1. That’s down two total touchdowns from the season prior and an average of 21 touchdowns from the four years prior to that. None of the elite tight ends were, well, elite. The Pittsburgh Steelers won a game by kicking six field goals. The Chicago Bears won a game despite just 93 passing yards and 23.5 Quarterback Rating in Caleb Williams’ debut. There’s a lot to take in and digest from Week 1. It’s important to do to accurately identify risers and fallers, and properly place a player on the Week 2 hot seat.
I can name far more Week 2 risers and fallers than I’m going to in this piece. The players below are a mix of obvious studs and some others you may justifiably still have reservations about heading into Week 2. I’m including this particular group of players because I think they’re more important to discuss than others. Before we dive in, let’s review my Week 1 risers, fallers, and hot seat selection that I named before last weekend:
Risers: Tee Higgins (pre-injury), Chuba Hubbard, Jaleel McLaughlin
Fallers: Christian Kirk, Isiah Pacheco
Hot Seat: The Atlanta Falcons offense
Week 2 Risers, Fallers, and a Player on the Hot Seat
Week 2 Risers
Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
I’ll start the Week 2 risers list with one of the top performers from the opening weekend. Isaiah Likely’s 26.1 fantasy points are the 10th-most by any player at any position from Week 1. The tip of his foot stepping out of the back of the end zone overturned a 10-yard touchdown at the end of the game that would’ve put him at 34.1 points, as well. That would’ve been the highest score of the weekend. It’s more likely than not that this is Isaiah Likely’s best game of the season. However, there’s reason to believe it’s the start of a major breakout and there’s more where that came from.
The Baltimore Ravens’ offense operated out of 12 personnel (two tight end sets) on 52.7% of their plays in Week 1. That’s a higher rate than any game in 2023. While I do expect Mark Andrews to bounce back this season from a lackluster Week 1, it’s important to note both he (38) and Likely (35) ran more than 30 routes in Week 1. They rank second and fourth in routes run amongst all tight ends with only seven players at the position running more than 30 routes in their respective matchups.
While I have Isaiah Likely leading the way amongst Week 2 risers, it’s possible he cools off in Week 2 specifically. The Ravens host the Las Vegas Raiders in their home opener and should have a much easier job reestablishing their identity as a run-heavy team. Derrick Henry only ran the ball 13 times in Week 1. Either way, Likely is a good investment if you acquired him on the Week 2 waiver wire. The Ravens haven’t had a wide receiver log 900+ receiving yards over the last two seasons and, looking at their current group, Likely doesn’t have a ton of legitimate competition for targets.
Now Presumed Lead Running Backs in Previously Suspected Split Backfields
I know this isn’t one specific player on the Week 2 riser list, but it’s just easier to group these running backs together. Based on their usage and production in Week 1, there’s more confidence in starting these running backs week-to-week and as soon as Week 2. That’s Tony Pollard, Zack Moss, and D’Andre Swift specifically for this discussion. Here’s how each of their respective backfields shook out in Week 1.
Tennessee Titans
- Tony Pollard: 61% snaps, 16 carries, 4 targets, 94 total yards, 18.4 PPR points
- Tyjae Spears: 45% snaps, 4 carries, 4 targets, 32 total yards, 7.2 PPR points
Pollard is now more than 20 months removed from a broken leg that ended his 2022-23 season. He signed a three-year/$21.75 million deal this offseason. After one game, it appears the Titans paid him to lead this backfield more often than not.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Zack Moss: 65% snaps, 9 carries, 4 targets, 61 total yards, 14.1 PPR points
- Chase Brown: 33% snaps, 3 carries, 3 targets, 23 total yards, 5.3 PPR points
The production is by no means inspiring from either Moss or Brown. It’s the usage we are looking at here, though. After a lot of hype for Brown’s speed, receiving upside, and ability to generate explosive plays, he took a backseat to Moss. This, by the way, in a game the Bengals found themselves down 13-0 and ultimately fell 16-10 to the Patriots in Cincinnati.
Chicago Bears
- D’Andre Swift: 70% snaps, 10 carries, 1 target, 30 total yards, 2-point conversion, 5.0 PPR points
- Khalil Herbert/Travis Homer: 4 carries, 14 total yards, each scored 1.0 or less PPR point
Again, nothing really to see here from a production standpoint. Swift’s role is clear and obvious as the lead back of the Chicago Bears, however, despite Khalil Herbert and Travis Homer also on the roster. In a disastrous showing from the Bears offense as a whole, Swift leads the way by far in snaps, rush attempts, and also finished with a 61% route participation in the passing game. Only 10 total running backs had a route participation rate of 60% or more in Week 1. Better days are ahead.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
I’ll gladly admit how incorrect I was about Dobbins. His lengthy injury history, including a Week 1 Achilles tear last season, still scares me. Yet, he looked like a legitimate lead back to start this season. Though Gus Edwards (11) had one more carry than Dobbins (10) in Week 1, Dobbins rushed for 135 yards to Edwards’ 26. If you drafted and didn’t start Dobbins in Week 1, or just got him on the Week 2 waiver wire, it’s hard to imagine sitting him in Week 2. Dobbins and the Chargers head to Carolina to take on a Panthers team that allowed 180 yards rushing in Week 1 to the New Orleans Saints, including a 15/83/1 rushing line from Alvin Kamara. I don’t know how long Dobbins will hold up, so start him while he’s hot!
Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys
It’s unclear how long tight end, Jake Ferguson, is going to be out following a Week 1 knee injury. As of mid-week, Ferguson claims his pain is now “a zero” on a scale of 1-10 after initial believing he tore his ACL. Assuming Ferguson is out for the Cowboys’ home opener, Brandin Cooks is a Week 2 riser as the obvious second target in Dallas’ receiving game. Cooks’ stock is up regardless after logging 22.5% of Dallas’ Week 1 target share. He caught four of his seven targets for 40 yards and a touchdown. Cooks should be on rosters everywhere and arguably as popular in starting lineups if Jake Ferguson misses Week 2.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
It’s now clear that head coach Dan Campbell was telling the truth. Early on in the off-season, Campbell described Williams as “a man on a mission” noting significant improvement and a larger role ahead. It was on full display in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football. Williams’ first-ever NFL game in the month of September was a breakout party. His five receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown on nine targets leads all Lions in every receiving stat. Williams is just 23 years old and over two years removed from a January 2022 ACL tear. He adds a new layer to Detroit’s offense and has incredible upside as most fantasy football teams’ WR3 or flex heading into Week 2. This isn’t a “one game wonder” performance.
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
If you have Deebo Samuel, you’re starting him. That’s a given. He’s on the Week 2 riser list because starting him in his current situation is even more exciting than when you drafted him. With Christian McCaffrey working back from a calf injury, Deebo Samuel is back to mixing into San Francisco’s run game. If you recall, in his 2021 career-best season, the year before the Niners traded for McCaffrey, Deebo logged a career-high 59 carries for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
On Monday Night to close out Week 1, after news that McCaffrey would be inactive, Deebo once again mixed into the run game logging eight carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. In fact, despite having a Jordan Mason touchdown run called back due to a Deebo Samuel holding penalty, the 49ers then let Deebo finish off the drive scoring the touchdown himself! Jordan Mason still led the team with a whopping 28 rush attempts and did ultimately find the end zone himself later on. If McCaffrey misses any more time this season, or he returns to a more limited workload, Deebo Samuel should elevate to a weekly top-12 wide receiver if he continues his role out of the backfield.
Check out all of our Week 2 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Week 2 Fallers
Once Presumed Lead Running Backs in Potentially Split Backfields
Obviously, this list of Week 2 fallers is a play on the above list of Week 2 risers when it comes to backfield usage. This list consists of Javonte Williams, Travis Etienne, and Rachaad White. We can’t make a definitive ruling on these backfields just yet, but after one game, there are some red flags that make these players fallers in Week 2 rankings.
Denver Broncos
- Javonte Williams: 52% snaps, 8 carries, 2 targets, 23 total yards, 3.3 PPR points
- Jaleel McLaughlin: 35% snaps, 10 carries, 5 targets, 28 total yards, 5.8 PPR points
At a glance, you can see how close in playing time and workload McLaughlin is to Williams. In fact, Williams logged just one second-half touch in Week 1. It was a rush attempt that went for no gain. Even after Jaleel McLaughlin lost a fumble on the Broncos’ second drive of the second half, he was back out to receive the first carry on the next drive. After a seemingly strong preseason, it’s clear based off of just one regular season game that McLaughlin is very much in the plans for Denver’s offense this season. With the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town, I can’t imagine starting Javonte Williams in fantasy football lineups unless absolutely necessary in Week 2.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Travis Etienne: 70% snaps, 12 carries, 3 targets, 59 total yards, 11.9 PPR points
- Tank Bigsby: 32% snaps, 12 carries, 0 targets, 73 total yards, 7.3 PPR points
Despite Etienne seeing the field much more than Bigsby, the two logging the same number of carries stands out. Not to mention, without any targets, Bigsby obviously generated more, and all of his, yards in the run game with an impressive 6.1 yards per carry average. To the naked eye, Bigsby ran harder and more confidently than Etienne. The elephant in the room is the lost fumble by Etienne into the endzone late in the third quarter on a near touchdown from 15 yards out. From that point on, Bigsby logged five touches to Etienne’s three. It’s just one game, but based on this one game, Etienne is a Week 2 faller and Bigsby is a high-upside stash for the time being.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Rachaad White: 70% snaps, 15 carries, 6 targets, 106 total yards, 16.6 PPR points
- Bucky Irving: 30% snaps, 9 carries, 3 targets, 76 total yards, 9.6 PPR points
I’m not as worried about Rachaad White as a Week 2 faller as the above two, but this backfield could get messy as the season progresses. White’s 2.1 yards per carry average stands out in a bad way. That’s on the tail of a busy 2023 season of 272 carries though with a 3.6 yards per carry average that poses questions about his efficiency. White is still an excellent pass catcher which helps the case for him. However, despite being a rookie against a lackluster Washington Commanders defense, Irving ran well enough (6.9 yards per carry) to stash in case he sees an expanded role.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
I didn’t include White in the above running back fallers group because there were some questions about him as the clear-cut lead back in Vegas heading into the season. Based on Week 1 alone, there are now more questions. White logged 15 touches (13 carries, 2 receptions) for 46 scoreless yards. Meanwhile, Alexander Mattison logged 62 yards and found the end zone on just nine touches (5 carries, 4 receptions). Head coach Antonio Pierce emphasized utilizing a “hot hand approach” moving forward. Especially if the Raiders find themselves playing from behind, in Week 2 specifically against the Baltimore Ravens, Mattison’s receiving ability on display in Week 1 should give him the upper hand.
The Green Bay Packers’ Passing Game
It’s hard to imagine starting any Green Bay Packers wide receiver in Week 2. Yes, even Jayden Reed who erupted for 138 yards and a touchdown on four receptions in addition to a 33-yard rushing touchdown on a lone rush attempt. All of the Packers receivers are fallers in fantasy football, however, after losing Jordan Love to a knee injury at the end of their Week 1 matchup with the Eagles. It’s not a season-ending injury for Love, but he’s set to miss a few games. The sooner he’s back, the better for this entire group.
In Love’s place will be Malik Willis. He was traded to the Packers at the end of August by the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 seventh-round pick. Willis has just three career starts since 2022, all in that rookie season. In those starts, he completed just 25 total passes on 49 total attempts. Willis never surpassed 100 passing yards, didn’t throw a single touchdown, and threw three interceptions. The Packers receivers are a far better group than anything Willis had in Tennessee, but he’s a complete liability heading in Week 2 at sustaining any sort of floor for this offense through the air.
The Week 2 Hot Seat
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
There isn’t another non-injured first-round pick from 2024 fantasy drafts generating more concern right now than Ja’Marr Chase. Yes, he ultimately played in Week 1 after a contract hold-in this summer. I can even understand if he wasn’t exactly in game-ready shape for that matchup. And sure, he did catch all six of his targets for 62 yards and scored 12.2 PPR points. But do you truly feel good about it?
I do think Ja’Marr Chase will ultimately live up to his first-round draft capital this season. However, I’m putting him on the Week 2 hot seat because he and the Bengals are heading to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. It doesn’t sound like Tee Higgins is going to play. That makes Ja’Marr Chase the obvious top target for Joe Burrow once again. It’s a tough matchup, but Chase needs to show up or legitimate panic will ensue. Despite missing all of training camp, Chase did still managed a 20% target share in Week 1 that hopefully gets an uptick in Week 2. It’s worth noting Andre Iosvias matched Chase’s target share. He should at least be stashed on someone’s bench in leagues of 10 or more teams.
This game is equally as important for the Bengals as it is for Chase’s standalone value. A loss drops Cincinnati to 0-2 on the season. This is complete speculation, but I can’t help but wonder what a continuous losing season means for Chase, who’s without a contract extension, and even Higgins, who’s only under contract for this season on the franchise tag. Above all else, there are additional questions about the health of Joe Burrow’s wrist. Luckily, the Bengals get to play the Washington Commanders in Week 3 for a “get right” game, but if Ja’Marr Chase and the offense have a poor showing against the Chiefs, the Week 2 hot seat will get hotter heading into that matchup.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!