Week 2 Flex Rankings: Puka Packs a Punch

The NFL season is a week old, and there is already plenty to unpack. We have seen season-ending injuries, multiple top-50 overall fantasy picks go scoreless, and three Los Angeles Rams (none of whom are named Cooper Kupp or Cam Akers) finish as top-30 players in half-PPR flex rankings. Are we having fun yet?

Week 2 is often the trickiest for fantasy managers to deal with. After months of analysis and speculation, we finally have actual game footage to study. But how much stock should we put in Week 1 results? Puka Nacua became the fourth player in NFL history to catch at least 10 passes and have over 100 receiving yards in his NFL debut. Will he be the next Anquan Boldin (overall WR4 in 2003) or Keke Coutee (overall WR106 in 2018)? To be fair to Coutee, he only played in six games as a rookie, but you get my point. If a player has an outlier of a performance in November, we generally do not think much of it. However, what we saw this past weekend is all we have to go off of. What constitutes an outlier and what constitutes the beginning of a trend?

That is in part what I will try to differentiate with my Week 2 Flex rankings. I have ranked nearly 300 players, so fantasy managers in leagues of all sizes should be able to make sound roster decisions. These rankings are based on half-PPR scoring, so adjust as you see fit. As always, feel free to comment below or on Twitter with any specific questions you have regarding your lineups.

Running Back Notes

J.K. Dobbins was a favorite of many fantasy managers, particularly those in the Zero RB crowd this season. Dobbins has averaged nearly six yards per carry in his career and was poised to be the lead back in a revamped Baltimore Ravens offense. However, Dobbins tore his Achilles on Sunday, ending his season. That means it may be time once again to board the Gus Bus. Gus Edwards should see most of the work in Baltimore’s backfield for the foreseeable future. Justice Hill ran for two scores in Week 1, but he profiles more as a complementary back. I am not in a rush to insert either into my starting lineup this week. Both are outside my top-75 Week 2 Flex options, though I would prefer Edwards over Hill if forced to choose one.

When reports suggested during camp that Kenneth Gainwell would be featured in the Philadelphia Eagles offense, most (myself included) did not necessarily buy it. Well, Week 1 certainly seemed to justify those rumblings. Gainwell earned 18 touches, while D’Andre Swift had just two, and Rashaad Penny was a healthy inactive. However, Gainwell is now out for Week 2 due to a rib injury. That should leave Swift and Penny to carry the load against the Minnesota Vikings. Considering their lack of involvement last week, it is difficult to trust either one, even in a decent matchup. Swift has more upside and is a capable receiver. That makes him the preferred option among the two for me. But this is another situation where I would prefer to wait it out. The last thing a fantasy manager wants is a player who fails to reach expectations in a Thursday night game.

Wide Receiver Notes

Tee Higgins and Drake London failed to record a single fantasy point in Week 1. And people who rostered Kadarius Toney thought they had it bad… I am not worried about Higgins at all going forward. That may seem obvious. But you would be surprised at how panicky some fantasy managers get early in the season. Higgins finished fourth in air yards among wide receivers last week. He and Joe Burrow will have better days. I am not quite as confident in London. The Atlanta Falcons ran just 52 offensive plays last week. We also know how much they like to run the ball when given the opportunity. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder targeted London ust once in Atlanta’s Week 1 win. I would still start London in most formats. However, I do not feel great about it.

The aforementioned Puka Nacua earned 15 targets from Matthew Stafford in the Rams’ upset victory in Seattle. Considering the situation, it is hard not to be optimistic given what we witnessed. This was not a situation where a team was forced to throw the ball repeatedly based on the game script. Stafford threw 38 passes. Target shares approaching 40 percent do not grow on trees, regardless of the circumstances. Fellow Ram wideout Tutu Atwell matched Nacua with 119 receiving yards. The Rams have a tough draw as they face the 49ers in Week 2. However, I think it could be worth starting one or both Rams’ wideouts depending on your options. I have Nacua as a WR3 and Atwell as a borderline Flex play in 12-team leagues.

Tight End Notes

Week 1 was about as ugly as it can get at the tight end position. It did not help that Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews sat out with injuries. Still, only two tight ends scored at least 10 points in half-PPR scoring. The top five weekly scorers were Hunter Henry, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham, Blake Bell, and Harrison Bryant. Congratulations if you managed to have any of them in your starting lineups. Meanwhile, Dallas Goedert and Chigoziem Okonkwo were held off the stat sheet. In Okonkwo’s defense, he could have had a long touchdown catch if Ryan Tannehill was even remotely competent last week. I expect both to bounce back. Goedert is an every-week starter, while Okonkwo is a bit more matchup-dependent. I am leaning toward benching Okonkwo if I have a viable alternative.

As a general rule, I am not starting a tight end in my Flex spot. Once you get past the top seven or eight at the position, it often becomes a crapshoot. When it comes to fantasy football, we want volume and opportunity. Those can often be in short supply when it comes to tight ends. I only have six tight ends among my top 85 overall Flex options. Again though, keep in mind your league settings when setting your lineups. My overall Flex rankings are based on half-PPR scoring. If you are in a league that uses tight end premium scoring, starting a tight end in the Flex spot could be a reasonable strategy.

Week 2 Flex Rankings

Got a beef with Mick’s Week 2 Flex Rankings? Well, you should know that Mick has repeatedly appeared at or near the top of the Fantasyros accuracy rankings, but by all means feel free to throw some shade in the comments below.