Surprises and Disappointments From Week 2 Fantasy Football: Malik Nabers, Russell Wilson and Giants Erupt
Adam Ronis breaks down the biggest surprises and disappointments from Week 2 of the fantasy football season.
After a rough start to the season, the calls were coming for the Giants to bench Russell Wilson. He responded by passing for the most yards on the week in what turned into the fantasy game of the week between the Giants and Cowboys. That was only one of the many surprises from Week 2 in fantasy football, so let's dive into just that—along with the disappointments.
Surprises from Week 2 Fantasy Football: The Giants, Kenneth Walker, Quinshon Judkins, and More
Wilson went 30-for-41 and passed for 450 yards with three TDs and one INT and rushed for 23 yards on three carries. His interception came towards the end of overtime, allowing Brandon Aubrey to kick a 46-yard field goal in a 37-34 win. Not only did Wilson allow Malik Nabers to feast with nine catches for 167 yards with two TDs on 13 targets, but Wan’Dale Robinson showed he can also win deep, catching eight passes for 142 yards with a TD on 10 targets.
The Giants backfield was a surprise as well, with Cam Skattebo playing more snaps than Tyrone Tracy and playing a bigger role. Skattebo rushed 11 times for 45 yards with a TD and caught two of three targets for 14 yards, while Tracy had five carries for 15 yards and caught four of five targets for 36 yards.
On the flip side of this game, the Cowboys have shown in two straight games that the backfield belongs to Javonte Williams. While the two TDs carried him in Week 1, he looked better against the Giants with 18 carries for 97 yards with a TD and had six catches for 33 yards. Miles Sanders only had seven touches for 19 yards, and rookie Jaydon Blue was a healthy inactive for the second straight week.
The Seahawks backfield created another migraine this week. While Zach Charbonnet played 55% of the snaps, Kenneth Walker played only 36%. This time, Walker had the better day with 13 carries for 105 yards and a TD with a 13-yard catch. Charbonnet had 15 carries for 10 yards with no targets. Walker looked better and should be the one to start in fantasy.
Quinshon Judkins made his NFL debut and wasn’t expected to play much. Instead, he led the backfield. He rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries and caught all three targets for 10 yards. Jerome Ford had six carries for 31 yards and caught five of six targets for 23 yards and Dylan Sampson had four carries for six yards and caught three passes for 13 yards with a touchdown. Judkins is going to be featured in the offense, but the league is still investigating him and a suspension is possible.
The easy call was that Daniel Jones benefitted from a favorable matchup in Week 1 against Miami and that he would fall back to Earth against the Denver defense. Not so fast! Jones had another good game, going 22 of 34 for 316 yards with a TD and scoring on a rush as well.
The Mac Jones-Spencer Rattler turned out well for those in Superflex leagues. Jones filled in for the injured Brock Purdy, throwing for 279 yards with three TDs, and Rattler had 207 yards with three TDs. Jauan Jennings was a game-time decision with a shoulder injury and showed he was fine with five catches for 89 yards with a TD on 10 targets.
Bhayshul Tuten is the clear backup to Travis Etienne after Tank Bigsby was traded. Tuten looked good with eight carries for 42 yards and caught two passes for 32 yards with a TD. He should be owned in all leagues.
Rhamondre Stevenson isn’t going away so easily and those with TreVeyon Henderson need patience. Stevenson had 11 carries for 54 yards and caught all five targets for 88 yards. He played 39 snaps, Henderson 19 and Antonio Gibson 10. Henderson had three carries for 10 yards and caught both targets for 30 yards. Gibson had five carries for 27 yards and caught a 1-yard pass. Drake Maye had 10 carries for 31 yards with a TD.
Troy Franklin emerged in a big way for the Denver passing game. He led the team with nine targets and caught eight passes for 89 yards with a TD. Once again, Evan Engram was barely involved in the offense. He played 42% of the snaps and caught one pass for 12 yards.
Disappointments from Week 2 Fantasy Football: Derrick Henry, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts With Floor Games
It was another awful week for Mark Andrews. He caught one pass for two yards on three targets and dropped a pass in the end zone. He played the most snaps of any skill player on offense, so playing time wasn’t an issue. Browns safety Grant Delpit said during the week, “Not hard,” when asked about how hard it is to bring down Derrick Henry. Apparently, Depit was right. Henry had 11 carries for 23 yards and had a fumble.
The Jets offense was one of the top ones in the NFL in Week 1, and they were one of the worst this week. Justin Fields went 3 of 11 for 27 yards and five carries for 49 yards and left the game with a concussion. Breece Hall rushed for 29 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for nine yards.
The Bills offense was a letdown after putting up 41 points in Week 1. The Bills were never challenged by the Jets and led 20-3 at the half. Josh Allen likely had his worst game of the season, going 14 of 25 for 148 yards and rushing for 59 yards on six carries. Allen didn’t score. Eight different players caught a pass for Buffalo, which is why expectations need to be tempered on a Keon Coleman breakout. Allen attempted 46 passes in Week 1 and only topped 40 once last season. With the ball spread out and a low-volume passing game, Coleman had three catches for 26 on three targets.
It was another week of limited touches for RJ Harvey. He rushed five times for eight yards and caught one of his two targets for 16 yards. J.K. Dobbins is the lead back. He had 14 carries for 76 yards with a TD and caught a nine-yard pass. Dobbins played 46% of the snaps, Harvey 32% and Tyler Badie played 22%.
After getting 16 targets in Week 1, Hollywood Brown couldn’t do the same against the Eagles. He had five catches for 30 yards on five targets.
The Eagles offense was a disappointment for the second straight game. Jalen Hurts only passed for 101 yards and rushed nine times for 15 yards with a score. A.J. Brown had five catches for 27 yards on eight targets and DeVonta Smith had six targets, catching four passes for 53 yards. While the Eagles will focus on the run, it will get better for the receivers.
After getting 54 targets in the first four games with Michael Penix, Drake London had four against the Vikings, catching three passes for 49 yards. The Falcons ran the ball 39 times and only attempted 21 passes.
After a big week one, Marvin Harrison Jr. had two catches for 27 yards on five targets. The Cardinals led 27-3 before the Panthers made it a game. Kyler Murray only completed 17 passes.
Brian Thomas Jr. hasn't built a rapport with Trevor Lawrence. Last week, Lawrence was off target, and Thomas caught one of seven targets for 11 yards. This week, Thomas had several bad drops and caught four of 12 targets for 49 yards.
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