Tue Sep 17th 2024

Week Two Review

Week two in the NFL was a blast, though the schedule makers did us no favors by scheduling 10 games in the early window. It was the most games played in one window that we will have all year. It's hard to follow all of the games and players when they schedule so many games at the same time. At least it won't happen again this season.

I kept the TV on the Red Zone channel and followed all of the games on TV and through Yahoo's stat tracker like I do every Sunday. After watching all of week two, here are my dynasty takeaways.

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Dynasty Impact

Surprise!

• The Saints destroyed the Cowboys and spread fantasy goodness to all. Dynasty managers were curious to see how the Saints' offense would change under the new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak. They hoped he'd modernize the offense using more presnap motion and diverse passing schemes. I'd say we got what we wished for two games into it. They scored 47 points against the hapless Panthers at home last week, so I did not give them much credit for that, but laying 44 points this week against the Cowboys on the road was a real statement. Derek Carr has led the team to a scoring drive in his first fifteen possessions this season. It's unreal what a difference a new coach and scheme makes. The Saints have viable starters in fantasy lineups, making Derek Caar a quarterback worth starting in one-quarterback leagues again. 

Oh, No!

• The tight end position is off to a terrible start this season. Top-tier tight ends like Sam Laporta, Mark Andrews, and Travis Kelce have been outplayed by random bottom-tier guys for the last two weeks. These three tight ends have new weapons in their offenses and have not been utilized as dynasty managers expected this season. Zay Flowers is the top target in Baltimore, Rashee Rice in Kansas City, and Jameson Williams has cut into Sam LaPorta's target share. It's early in the season, but these trends look real, making these surefire starting tight ends far less reliable in starting lineups. They used to give dynasty managers a massive edge at the onesie position, but they haven't so far this year.

Ouch!

• The injury bug hit hard this week. Puka Nacua and Christian McCaffrey were placed on IR. Jordan Love was not placed on IR, but he'll miss several more weeks. Tua Tagovailoa sustained another concussion on Thursday night. A.J. Brown was ruled out for Monday Night. Isiah Pacheco broke his leg, and Cooper Kupp left the game in a walking boot. It was a brutal week for injuries, decimating dynasty rosters, and setting teams back early in the season. One of my best dynasty rosters boasts a starting wide receiver lineup of Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Puka Nacua. St. Brown was all I had left on Sunday, and I lost my game because of it. This offseason, I traded away some of my wide receiver depth in that league to acquire better running backs. Now I am too thin at receiver and will pay the price for it. I had to start Xavier Legette this week. I know dynasty managers are feeling the pain of these injuries. It's the worst part of this silly game we play.

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Stock Up

James Cooks

• Cooks was on fire Thursday night, catching a long touchdown pass and running for two more. They even gave him the goalline looks, which I thought they would trust Ray Davis this season. I have been much lower on Cooks than most dynasty managers, but his performance on Thursday demands that I move him up my rankings. His speed and big-play ability were on display against the Dolphins, and he had the second-highest-scoring fantasy game of his career with 28 points, just behind his 35-point game last season against my Cowboys. His snap count at 47% is concerning, but that may have been because the Bills had such a commanding lead early in the game. I still believe in Ray Davis, but he has a tougher battle to playing time than I previously thought. Cooks's stock is rising.

Rashee Rice

• Rice avoided criminal charges and a suspension for the time being and is making the most of his opportunity this season. This week, he scored a 44-yard touchdown and has become Patrick Mahomes's favorite target. The Chiefs have run the ball more than expected, but Isiah Pacheco's injury could allow them to pass the ball more, boosting Rice's production even more. They also lost Hollywood Brown for the season, taking away competition for target share. The Chiefs slowly developed Rice last year, making him a focal point of the passing game by the time they made the playoffs. He's hit the ground running this season, and his dynasty stock is rising quickly.

Hunter Henry

• The tight-end landscape is changing, and Henry is part of the shake-up. He was the offense's focal point on Sunday, receiving 50% of the team's targets. He had 12 targets, turning them into 8 catches for 109 yards. He was a sleeper in redraft and bestball leagues this year. I drafted him late a lot since he's the most experienced pass catcher on the young Patriots team. I figured he would be highly targeted as the most experienced and reliable player on the team. He wasn't in week one, but he certainly was in week two. I expect the Patriots to continue to feed him the rock, giving his dynasty value a late-career boost.

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Stock Down

Terry McLaurin

• McLaurin has had a terrible start to the season and has been negatively impacted by the addition of Jayden Daniels and the new offensive system. I don't imagine things getting any better for him, either. Daniels was a great downfield passer in college but has been a check-down artist so far in the NFL. That's not McLaurin's strength. They tried to pepper him in this week's game, but it amounted to 6 catches for 22 yards, which is a pathetic 3.7 yards per catch. Daniels is too quick to run, so plays do not have time to develop downfield. McLaurin is one of my favorite players to watch, and I have him on three of my nine dynasty rosters, but he will not be fun to watch this year. Until Daniel's improves as a passer, McLaurin's stock will fall.

Javonte Williams

• Dynasty managers were holding out hope that Williams could return to rookie for this season, two years removed from knee surgery, but he has only disappointed. He's averaging 2.1 yards per carry.  With Audric Estime on IR, this looks like his last chance to shore up the RB-1 role, but I don't think he can do it. Bo Nix is not doing him any favors, either. He's having a tough time adjusting to the speed and schemes of NFL defenses and can't keep the offense moving. The entire offense is a disaster. The next two weeks, they play the 23rd and 31st-ranked defenses against the run. If Williams can't improve in the next two weeks, his dynasty stock will fall even further than it has over the last two weeks.

Jerome Ford

• After dominating snaps and touches in week one, Ford saw a significant dip in both in week two. His snap count dropped from 75% to 44%, and his touches from 18 to 8. It was a neutral game script in a close game, so there's no reason to think this was a coach's decision. Ford looked great on his touches and averaged 9.1 yards per carry, but he wasn't involved enough to contribute to starting dynasty lineups. Until I see more about what the coaching staff is doing in Cleveland, I'll move Ford down my dynasty rankings.

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Young-Man Strength

Marvin Harrison Jr.

• So much for Harrisons's slow start in the NFL. He had two touchdown catches on the game's first two drives and more than 100 yards receiving in the second quarter. There was no need to panic after his one-catch game last week. He was born and bred to play in the NFL and proved it on Sunday. His first toe-tapping touchdown was a thing of beauty, and his long run after the catch on the second touchdown showed his speed and determination to score. His dynasty managers get to enjoy this for the next decade.

Malik Nabers

• To say that Nabers is the focal point of the Giants' dreadful offense would be an understatement. Nabers received 18 of Daniel Jones's 28 targets on Sunday, turning them into 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. He could have had more had he not dropped a 4th down conversion at the end of the game on the team's final drive. He's a force to be reckoned with, given his size and athleticism. Few cornerbacks can handle him one-on-one. Unfortunately for him, since he's the Giants's only weapon, bracket coverage is coming his way for the rest of the season. 193 yards receiving in his first two games is a fantastic start to his career, especially given his poor quarterback play.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

• JSN had the most productive fantasy game of his career. Geno Smith peppered him with 16 targets, which he turned into 12 catches for 117 yards. Hopefully, this game will turn the tide on the offense and give their new offensive coordinator a reason to make JSN the focal point of the offense. Tyler Lockett saw just two targets on Sunday. That's the change JSN managers want to see. The system is already taking the form of a very pass-heavy scheme. Zach Charbonnet only carried the ball 14 times and was the only running back to get carries in the game. In comparison, Geno Smith threw the ball 44 times. This is the year JSN realizes his first-round rookie draft capital for his managers.

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Old-Man Strength

Alvin Kamara

• Good grief, Kamara. Have a day! Kamara single-handedly won fantasy games for teams this week by gaining 180 total yards and four touchdowns. The 29-year-old did not look like he had lost a step in this game. He outran defenders on his 57-yard touchdown catch and bounced off would-be tacklers on all three of his touchdown runs. He looked like a 2020 version of himself when he scored six touchdowns in that year's fantasy Super Bowl week. What an incredible day. He's back, and the new coaching in New Orleans is contributing to his success.

Rhomandre Stevenson

• Stevenson has been a workhorse for the Patriots the last two weeks, with 25 and 21 carries in consecutive games. He's also been involved in the passing game, with 3 and 2 catches in the last two weeks. He's had a touchdown run each week, too. When the Patriots signed him to a new contract, I expected that they planned to use him this way. I thought their new coaching staff would employ a more run-heavy approach, and they have. Stevenson's size and power are fit for it, and he can handle the load. He's displayed strong old-man strength to start the season.

Davante Adams

• Adams struggled in the first half of the game on Sunday but was a massive part of the Raiders's comeback win against the Ravens in the second half. He ended the day with 9 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. He had a crazy toe-tapping sideline catch that sustained a drive. It was a highlight reel catch, for sure. In his 31-year-old season, dynasty managers wish he had better quarterback play, but he helped Gardner Minshew look good on Sunday, and Minshews knows who he needs to target to win games.

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Waiver Watch

Andy Dalton

• Dalton was named the starter in Carolina. If he's available in superflex leagues, he's a must-add for this week. He's a capable quarterback who has proven he can keep offenses moving wherever he has played. I'm eager to see what he can do at this stage of his career.

Jalen Nailor

• Nailor has played well the last two weeks. His playtime and target share have increased while Jordan Addison is injured. He played 93% of the snaps on Sunday. He caught a touchdown in each of the last two weeks, too. If he was not added to rosters last week, he should be this week.

Jauan Jennings

• Jennings is the clear WR-3 in San Francisco. He's on the field in three-receiver sets and plays about 50% of the snaps. If Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk get injured, he'd be the player who would benefit the most. I'd only want to add Jennings in the deepest of leagues, but he's a player I'd keep my eye on for sure.

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Dynasty Trades

Alvin Kamara <=======> Rachaad White

• This trade could not have looked worse for one team this week. The trade was made Saturday night, hours before Kamara had his breakout game and White had one of his worst. One week does not tilt a dynasty trade, but seeing the trade results after one week was funny. Both of the teams involved in the trade are competitive teams. One manager wanted to get a little younger, while the other thought Kamara could help his team more immediately. If I had to pick a side, I would say I like the White side of the trade just because he's four years younger, and I don't think Bucky Irving will ever compete for a starting role ahead of him, but it's a very even and close trade in my opinion.

Jonathan Brooks and a 2025 2nd round pick <=======> Zay Flowers and a 2025 3rd round pick

• I like both players involved in this trade, but I would prefer to have Brooks and a second-round pick more than Flowers and a third. You'll have to wait a year or more to see the trade results, but it would be worth the wait. Flowers's dynasty value is capped a bit because of the scheme in Baltimore and their running quarterback, Lamar Jackson. It's harder to find a top-tier running back than a middle-tier receiver, and Brooks can become a top-tier running back. While this trade is between the known and unknown value of players, I'd bet on Brooks's unknown potential.

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