Week 2 Fantasy Football Recap
21 September 2020 Fantasy Football
Well, what an absolute mess week 2 was for fantasy owners around the world. The lack of preseason conditioning and preparation showed on the field as fantasy relevant players went down like flies in the early slate, which left DFS owners who spent big on these players scraping the bottom of the barrel. Even leagues with IDP’s were hit tremendously hard. Here’s a list of the injuries sustain in week 2.
QB – Jimmy Garopollo
QB – Drew Lock
RB – Saquon Barkley
RB – Raheem Mostert
RB – Christian McCaffrey
RB – Cam Akers
WR – Parris Campbell
WR – Devante Adams
WR – Sterling Sheppard
WR – Breshard Perriman
DE – Nick Bosa
And these are just the fantasy relevant players. Not even mentioning guys like Anthony Barr, Brandon Linder, Malik Hooker and Solomon Thomas. Needless to say, the injury bug was out in Week 2. However, we here at 4th and Jawn will have you covered all week on injury updates and fantasy relevant fill ins, but that’s an article for another day! We’re here for a week 2 recap so let’s go.
TNF
Bengals 30 @ Browns 35
Top Scorer: RB – Nick Chubb – 25.8 Pts
Biggest Surprise: RB – Kareem Hunt – 23.1 Pts
QB – Joe Burrow – 24.5 Pts
Biggest Dud: WR – AJ Green – 2.9 Pts
Can I have two biggest surprises? Of course I can, this is my column. With the Browns utilizing their two headed monster, Hunt and Chubb showed that both of them can eat on the field and in the fantasy world. What a dynamic duo these two make. Cincinnati, although not the stingiest of defenses, had no answer for either of them and Baker Mayfield (15.3 Pts) even managed to get Odell Beckham Jr (17.4 Pts) involved in the offense with a TD catch. Though Odell’s production came at the expense of fellow receiver Jarvis Landry (4.3 Pts) it was nice to see the Odell of old get involved. With the Bengals, Joe Burrow managed an extremely nice day on Thursday, connecting with Tyler Boyd (16.4 Pts) in several occasions. Though, my biggest question mark doesn’t lie on the 2020 #1 overall pick, rather the connection he’s built (or lack there of) with star wide receiver AJ Green. With just 5 targets, 3 catches and 29 yards in a game where Joey Ice threw the ball 60 times, it’s hard to imagine AJ Green finding much relevancy in the fantasy realm this season and beyond. Joe Mixon did have some tough sledding against the Browns front 7, he still managed 20 touch, which will (hopefully) make for a successful low-end RB1, high RB2 this season. After losing CJ Uzomoah for the season, look for tight end Drew Sample to be a waiver wire addition this week.
Giants 14 @ Bears 17
Top scorer: RB – David Montgomery – 20.2 Pts
Biggest Surprise: QB – Mitchell Trubisky – 14.2 Pts
Biggest Dud: QB – Daniel Jones – 7.7 Pts
In a defensive slug fest, this was the game that Saquon Barkley fantasy owners were hoping to avoid this season. The dreaded ACL injury to one of fantasy’s top 3 running backs is something that is hard to recover from as a fantasy owner. The third year back took a handoff to the right side and was hit and landed awkwardly on his right knee and every owner collectively put their face in their hands. These are the owners who need to be watching for our waiver wire special (dropping every Wednesday for those wondering ?) to try to fill that void at the running back position. Daniel Jones had another stinker of a game. He has now played in 15 games as an NFL quarterback and has turned the ball over in 13 of them. Fantasy relevancy? Goodbye. The biggest surprise though? Mitch Trubisky seems to be catapulting into relevancy. The numbers may not be all that beautiful but he’s got upside as a streaming option, currently sitting as the QB10 after two weeks.
Falcons 39 @ Cowboys 40
Top Scorer: QB – Dak Prescott – 39.4 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – CeeDee Lamb – 15.5 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Todd Gurley II – 6.1 Pts
If you were a fantasy owner of any players in this game, this is the type of game you want to see. This game was an absolute SLUGFEST until the end. Dak Prescott leading a comeback from down 20-0 and putting up a 40 bomb in your lineup in the process. The Cowboys have no shortage of weapons and this is why I predicted Dak Prescott to finish as QB3+ this season. The Falcons looked to be cruising to an easy win when Rayne finally started hooking up with his weapons. One of those being somebody that I thought wouldn’t be fantasy relevant this early in his career, CeeDee Lamb. Yes, Lamb is as explosive as anybody but, I thought it would take longer for the rookie to have such an explosive game. The rook turned 6 receptions into 106 yards and led all Cowboys receivers in both categories. But the biggest failure of this game? Todd Gurley failed to take advantage of a favorable matchup, even in a game where we saw his team put 39 points and 380 yards of total offense. Calvin Ridley continues to be a must start every week, managing another two touchdown performance.
Lions 21 @ Packers 42
Top Scorer: RB – Aaron Jones – 44.6 Pts
Biggest Surprise: QB – Matthew Stafford – 16.6 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Adrian Peterson – 4.1 Pts
In what was a closely contest battle in the first half, fantasy owners were overjoyed by the play of the Packers in the second half. In particular, Aaron Jones busting off another big time touchdown run and the resurgence of Aaron Rodgers after the Packers drafted his heir-apparent in Jordan Love. In another absolutely MONSTER game, Aaron Jones solidifies himself as a true RB1 in fantasy football right now totaling 236 yards and a three touchdown performance. After two weeks Jones has totaled 60 fantasy points and amassed four total touchdowns on just 34 carries. On the flip side, Davante Adams’ injury needs to be monitored. Another soft tissue injury (hamstring) for the Packers’ star receiver that he’s had issues with in his career. On the other side of the ball, Matthew Stafford looks to be nothing more than a streaming option this season, which is really all I’ve ever seen him as. He had an okay day but I expected more from the Lions’ franchise QB, going up a Packers D/ST that is never fantasy relevant. The big issue for me was that of running back Adrian Peterson. Seen as a sneaky play against a mediocre Packers’ run defense, the ageless wonder was only able to gain 41 yards, was vultured in the red zone by backfield mate Kerryon Johnson, and did not see a target on the day. Peterson must be moved into low-end RB3/flex plays for all lineups.
Vikings 11 @ Colts 28
Top Scorer: RB – Jonathon Taylor – 19 Pts
Biggest Surprise: TE – Mo Alie-Cox – 15.5 Pts
Biggest Dud: QB – Kirk Cousins – -1.5 Pts
Unless your name is Dalvin Cook, avoid every single Vikings player you can in fantasy. Kirk Cousins is the epitemy of “average-at-best.” Rookie Justin Jefferson lead the team in receiving yards with 44. Adam Thielen saw 8 targets and managed to haul in 3 of those passes. Kirk Cousins had 111 yards, 0 TD’s and 3 picks to solidify his -1.5 point performance. Yes, you read that right. NEGATIVE ONE POINT FIVE! On the flip side, Phillip Rivers had an average day with 214-1-1 but I want to highlight the young tight end Mo Alie-Cox. This is someone I spoke about on the 4th and Jawn kickoff show (shameless plug, 9:30 AM EST every Sunday) in the absence of Jack Doyle. The second string tight end finished his day with 6 targets, 5 receptions and 111 yards in his first career start. Additionally making his first start Jonathon Taylor amassed almost 20 carries BEFORE halftime on Sunday. Taylor finished his day with a modest 26-101-1 line and was the top scorer for the game. Side note, don’t play any Colts pass catchers outside of Alie-Cox. Rivers looks shot in the pocket and is not getting any younger.
Bills 31 @ Dolphins 28
Top Scorer: QB – Josh Allen – 37.5 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Stefon Diggs – 25.6 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Devin Singletary – 8.1 Pts
Actually a pretty good game from fantasy relevant players like Gesicki (24 Pts), Parker (13.8 Pts) and Fitzmagic (25.4 Pts) it was the Bills offense who stole the show on the road in Miami. For those of you who said Josh Allen couldn’t repeat his success from last season, can you please identify yourselves? Allen passed for 417-4-0 and hooked up with Stefon Diggs and John Brown on several occasions throughout the day, both recording touchdown receptions. Look for both receivers to continue to be fantasy relevant and Brown to be a sneaky/cheap DFS option in week 3. With a passing game working and a shootout between division rivals, Devin Singletary was the odd man out on the Bills offense, posting an abysmal 10-56-0 line, leaving fantasy owners wondering his value at this point. Singletary should be a package trade candidate for win-now owners and a buy-low candidate for owners in a comfortable position, given the Bills’ success on offense. Miles Gaskin again led the way for the Dolphins backfield, posting 11.2 Pts while leading the running back by committee. Although Gaskin is posting good numbers given his usage, avoid the trio involved in the fins backfield.
49ers 31 @ Jets 13
Top Scorer: RB – Raheem Mostert – 17.7 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Braxton Barrios – 14.9 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Tevin Coleman – 4.8 Pts
Honestly, I don’t even want to do a recap for this game. The injuries were so disheartening to watch. Not only was it bad in-game, it was bad before the game even started. A Jets team that was already down Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder pregame, lost Breshard Perriman in game. A 49ers team that was down Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, lost Jimmy G and Raheem Mostert in game. Raheem Mostert did have an 80 yard touchdown before exiting the game but ended with just 12 yards outside of that, which opened the door for a Jerrick McKinnon massive gain, finishing with a 3-77-0 line, but what I want to focus on is Tevin Coleman. A guy that was hand selected to come in from Kyle Shanahan’s offense in Atlanta managed to turn 14 carries into 12 yards and 2 catches for 28 yards. Huh? That’s your guy? Anyways, if your name isn’t Raheem Mostert in this backfield, I’m not touching you in fantasy. On the Jets side, Braxton Barrios (who?) was the lone bright spot for them, pulling in 6 catches on 8 targets for 59 yards and the teams lone score. The Jets are not fantasy relevant. Don’t add anyone thinking “this is a good play.” It’s not. Stop it.
Jaguars 30 @ Titans 33
Top Scorer: QB – Ryan Tannehill – 26.7 Pts
Biggest Surprise: RB – James Robinson – 20.5 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Derrick Henry – 8.4 Pts
No one drafted Derrick Henry in the first round for 8.4 points. Yes, he had an okay day. Your team puts up 33 and you can’t fall into the end zone one time? COME ON MAN! Although, I have to admit, this was a game I was watching very closely after #TheStache made the comeback last week, I was pleasantly surprised with how the game went. My start of the week, Jonnu Smith, put up 22.4 points in an impressive showing, Gardner Minshew, my top streaming option for the incoming bye weeks, continued to play well for fantasy purposes, and James Robinson finally broke out! However, Ryan Tannehill stole the show today. The Titans QB managed a 239-4-0 day in a run first offense built around this weeks dud, Derrick Henry.
Rams 37 @ Eagles 19
Top Scorer: TE – Tyler Higbee – 25.9 Pts
Biggest Surprise: QB – Jared Goff – 23.4 Pts
Biggest Dud: TE – Zach Ertz – 6.7 Pts
Ugh, do I even have to write about this? The Eagles defense got massacre, Goff hit his first 12 throws, Darrell Henderson lead the Rams backfield (12-81-1), and the Eagles offense (outside of Miles Sanders) is in complete disarray. Start Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp every chance you get, Darrell Henderson should be a waiver claim this week, and bench every Eagle not named Miles Sanders.
Broncos 21 @ Steelers 26
Top Scorer: RB – James Conner – 20.1 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Diontae Johnson – 19.2 Pts
Biggest Dud: QB – Drew Lock – -1.2 points
First and foremost, I hate giving Drew Lock the biggest dud of the game because of a shoulder injury but, there was not a single player in the game that underperformed my expectations. Courtland Sutton was average while playing through and injury, KJ Hamler saw limited opportunities based on his season premiere, Jerry Jeudy exited early due to an injury and Noah Fant had a good game despite the injury to Lock. With the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger looked like the Ben of old, totaling 311 yards 2 and 1, with his touchdowns coming to Chase Claypool (waiver add) and Diontae Johnson who both had nice days as well! James Conner padded your fantasy scores with a good set of runs late in the game and cemented himself as the games’ top scorer.
Panthers 17 @ Bucs 31
Top Scorer: RB – Leonard Fournette – 26.6 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Robby Anderson – 14.4 Pts
Biggest Dud: QB – Teddy Bridgewater – 9.1 Pts
As unsurprising of a score as there was this week, the Bucs won in a runaway but, what was surprising is, the top scorer of this game. After a 1,000 yard season with the Jaguars, Leonard Fournette was cut, passed through waivers, and signed with the TB12 and the Bucs. In Bruce Arians’ air raid offense, it seemed like an odd fit for Fournette. Here we are though, two weeks later and watching the horseman do it again in Tampa. Although Robby Anderson and DJ Moore seem to form a VERY fantasy friendly duo, it’s hard to even imagine their ceiling with check down Teddy at the helm. Teddy is the definition of average. He’s carolina’s version of Alex Smith. He’s not the type of QB to drive you down the field with two minutes left to win the game but he’s also not going to throw that game sealing interception either. For fantasy purposes, Teddy is an afterthought. The last thing regarding this game, after having a somewhat quiet day (for him), Christian McCaffrey did exit early with an ankle injury. We will keep everyone up to speed on that throughout the week as well.
Washington 15 @ Arizona 30
Top Scorer: QB – Kyler Murray – 32.1 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Terry McLaurin – 23 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Peyton Barber – 0.1 Pts
Wow, what a difference a week can make in fantasy football. Just a week removed from a 17 carry, 2 touchdown effort from Peyton Barber, we see him completely fall out of the gameplan, in favor of Antonio Gibson (11.7 Pts), and mustar just one carry for one yard. Oh, how the turns table, or something like that. Dwayne Haskins played a respectable game on the field, which did not translate to fantasy success but he’s been a good game manager for the Football Team. The benefit of Haskins improved play? Terry McLaurin. Scary Terry hauled in 7 receptions on 10 targets while totaling 125 yards and blessing fantasy managers with a touchdown as well on the leagues #1 pass defense just a week ago. McLaurin should be a locked and loaded start every week player at this point. On the inverse, Kyler Murray is showing that he was deserving of the hype surrounding him in the preseason, connecting with his favorite target Denadre Hopkins on another touchdown pass and adding two rushing touchdowns as well. Look for this connection to continue to grow in the coming weeks and be a fruitful fantasy duo for years to come with Hops recent extension.
Chiefs 23 @ Chargers 20 (OT)
Top Scorer: QB – Patrick Mahomes – 28.5 Pts
Biggest Surprise: QB – Justin Herbert – 23.4 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 10 Pts
A shocker of a game, the Chargers played a fantastic game to even be in this position. On the right arm of Justin Herbert, the lesser LA team managed to make this a seriously competitive game, which is great for football and not so great for fantasy owners. The obvious players managed to still have big days. Patrick Mahomes (see above), Tyreek Hill (19.3 Pts), Travis Kelce (19.5 Pts), Keenan Allen (13.1 Pts) and Austin Ekeler (16.8 Pts) all managed to make fantasy owners at least content with their output in week 2 but, the glaring issue is with Clyde Edwards-Helaire. After a rookie premiere that set him in the history books, CEH came back to earth with a menial 10 point performance, that left fantasy and DFS owners alike, in a state of awe, wondering if week 1 was merely a mirage or if week 2 was the outlier game. My bet is on the latter. CEH is too talented and behind too good of an offensive line for this game to not be an anomaly. Lock CEH into your lineups in week 3 and don’t look back.
Ravens 33 @ Texans 16
Top Scorer: QB – Lamar Jackson – 17.6 Pts
Biggest Surprise: WR – Brandin Cooks – 12 Pts
Biggest Dud: RB – JK Dobbins – 6.6 Pts
As long as I’ve been playing fantasy sports, I can’t remember a game that totaled 49 points between the two teams that was so bad for fantasy owners. Lamar Jackson is lock and loaded as a QB1 but what an atrocity this was against a pretty mediocre defense. The best part about this game was the 15 points that the Ravens D/ST gave you. Be weary of starting any Ravens running back. JK Dobbins and Mark Ingram look to be in a legitimate timeshare and Gus Edwards mixes in as well. For Houston, more of the same mediocrity. However, Deshaun Watson underperformed based on his DFS line and rightfully so given the athleticism on the Ravens Defense.
Patriots 30 @ Seattle 35
Top Scorer: QB – Cam Newton – 34.6 Pts
Biggest Surprise: See above
Biggest Dud: RB – Sony Michel – 1.9 Pts
In one of the more exciting games on the Sunday slate, the Patriots gave the Seahawks everything they wanted in 12 territory. Seattle’s opening drive ended in a pick-6 by Devin McCourtey. Russell Wilson (33.4 Pts) is one of the best QB’s in the league for a reason though. After the early interception, DangeRuss hooked up with receivers DK Metcalf (17.2 Pts), Tyler Lockett (16.2 Pts), David Moore (12.3 Pts), and Freddie Swain (8.6 Pts) and running back Chris Carson (18.3 Pts) to total a 289-5-1 stat line. The Seattle offense continues to be an offense that manages to just produce mass points when called upon. Look for David Moore to be a hot name on the waiver wire this week. Cam Newton was not to be shown up though. Super Cam found his new favorite target, Julian Edelman (21.9 Pts), early and often. This connected accounted for almost half of Cam’s 397 passing yards. Though Cam did have a costly interception, he made up for it with his two rushing touchdowns on back to back scoring drives. He seems to have found a comfort in the Bellicheck offense and look for the connection to WR N’Keal Harry (11.2 Pts) to continue in the coming weeks.
Still to come:
Saints @ Raiders
This game is hard to pick for me. The Raiders’ home opener in their new stadium, in addition to losing top target Michael Thomas for 2-4 weeks, seems like a recipe for disaster for the Saints to me. I think Drew Brees will look to Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook early and often on passing plays, with A LOT of Alvin Kamara mixed in as well. Something about this game screams “upset” to me. I guess we will see.
So as much as I lamented this week in fantasy football for the big guns, my start/sit and low budget adds paid off big time. Hopefully you all take the time to read this recap and see the magnify glass that I have my players under. With this year full of uncertainty there’s is only one thing certain and that is, it’s going be a crazy 2020 NFL season, which means an even crazier fantasy season. Stay locked into 4th & Jawn and my Twitter (@bsokowoski) for all your fantasy updates.