The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles at quarterback, but even he -- perhaps especially he -- realizes Carson Wentz is the leader of this team. Wentz returns to the starting lineup Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. That is good news for the Philadelphia offense, which has been rather stagnant the first two weeks, escaping with a low-scoring victory over the Atlanta Falcons and falling in a relative shootout against Dan Fouts ... excuse me, I mean Ryan Fitzpatrick and the suddenly potent Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Wentz figures to be
The story of Wentz returning affects more than merely his fantasy value, however. Yes, stock is up for Wentz, but this is good news for any Eagle you might be relying on for future games, from running backs to wide receivers and tight end Zach Ertz, who leads his position in catches and targets, but has not scored a touchdown. Running back Corey Clement figures to handle a larger role with Jay Ajayi sidelined due to injury, and rookie Josh Adams from Notre Dame begs to be the next Clement, an undrafted star from the Philadelphia region who emerges from the practice squad.
Keep an eye on the new wide receiver alignment as well, because Nelson Agholor was the only one in the skeleton crew Foles was targeting, and things will change with Wentz. He made everyone better last season. Agholor figures to move outside now that former Eagle Jordan Matthews has returned to handle slot duties. Agholor did not succeed in the role two seasons ago, but now, blessed with confidence, things should improve. Alshon Jeffery could play as soon as Week 4. Indeed, things are looking up for this offense. Remember, Wentz was 1-1 last season and then rattled off nine wins in a row, using all of his weapons. His return helps all.
Stock up
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: The No. 14 fantasy quarterback after two weeks actually did need a bit of help, and he gets it with the acquisition of Josh Gordon, a true, physically gifted deep threat when he suits up for games. One has to believe Patriots management will find a way for Gordon to suit up for games and make magic. Julian Edelman returns in several weeks, and Brady's offense will likely sizzle for the final three months. Those investing in Chris Hogan might not enjoy things so much, but the Patriots needed playmakers, and help is on the way. As for the running backs, rookie Sony Michel earned 10 rushing attempts in Week 2. He did not do much with them, but the game was in Jacksonville against the best defense. The fact he earned them at all is a good sign with three home games the next three weeks versus teams that do not excel in stopping the run. Get Michel if he is available.
Jacksonville Jaguars offense: OK, so you want no part of quarterback Blake Bortles, even though he is coming off a four-touchdown game against the Patriots and does have several top-10 fantasy finishes to his credit. At least pay attention to Jaguars not named Leonard Fournette. I think Fournette plays this week, and I have no reason to believe he will struggle, but he does tend to miss games, so intriguing T.J. Yeldon deserves his spot atop the most-added list at the position as a handcuff. Wide receiver Keelan Cole deserves to be added, and so does tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who scored touchdowns each of the first two games, but the one in Week 1 ended up deleted due to penalty. He still did it.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: I still would not worry in the least about Antonio Brown, a top-five fixture for fantasy managers the past five seasons. No, he is not going to force a trade to another team. Yes, he is going to have a big season, even if his quarterback continues to inspire underwhelming confidence in road contests. Smith-Schuster is so talented and outpacing Brown in receiving yards by 40 per game. That will not continue, methinks, but it does look like Smith-Schuster is a safe WR2 for now, even though this franchise has not supported a second wide receiver to that status the past five seasons. Smith-Schuster looks special.
Dan Bailey, K, Minnesota Vikings: I rarely, if ever, discuss the kickers in this space, but watching one young kicker after another painfully miss makeable kicks on Sunday, it was clear this veteran would quickly find work. He did, and with one of the top NFC teams. Bailey and fill-in Rams kicker Sam Ficken are two of the 12 most added players in ESPN standard leagues. I cannot recall ever seeing kickers, in-season, so generously being added. By the way, definitely drop Greg Zuerlein. Nobody should ever roster more than one kicker, and even if he is out only a few weeks, so what. He is out.
Stock down
Running quarterbacks: It is way too early and too small of a sample size to believe Seattle's Russell Wilson and Washington's Alex Smith are not going to add value with their legs this season. So far, however, it is noticeable they are not. They were second and sixth among quarterbacks in rushing yards last season, combining for more than 900 yards. After two games each this month, they have combined for 50 yards. Again, it is two games, but the Seahawks are far from a well-oiled offensive machine, and Washington failed to score a touchdown in a home game against the Colts. How does that happen? Let us hope these fellows get back to opportunistically running with the football.
Seattle running backs: Rookie Rashaad Penny ranks last among qualified players with 2.2 yards per carry. Peyton Barber, Carlos Hyde and Derrick Henry are the others not yet reaching 3 yards per tote. Chris Carson is doing nicely at 5.8 yards per carry but has only 13 such carries in two weeks. Coach Pete Carroll benched Carson from offensive duties in the second half of Week 2, reporting he was tired from his special teams duties. A day later, Carroll kind of reversed field on that one. Regardless, the Seahawks are a bit of a mess, though rookie tight end Will Dissly and wide receiver Tyler Lockett look legit. Doug Baldwin likely misses another game or four with his knee injury, which certainly could linger a while. Fantasy managers are not waiting for him. Penny and Carson are each among the five most dropped running backs. Wilson, quite foolishly I might add, is the No. 9 most dropped quarterback, tied with the benched Nick Foles!
Dallas wide receivers: Ezekiel Elliott is the lone Cowboy rostered in half of ESPN leagues. Think about that for a moment. OK, so Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are doing other things, but nobody is being patient here with Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup, the top two most dropped receivers. Dak Prescott is on the list for quarterbacks too. Hey, go get Fitzpatrick. He has better receiving weapons.
Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: I could not help but notice that Anderson, who finished last season as the No. 18 wide receiver in PPR scoring, has six targets in two games. That ties him with Kamar Aiken, Cordarrelle Patterson and Chester Rogers. Do you know which teams those fellows perform with? Aiken was unemployed nine days ago! Six targets is like a few drives for Antonio Brown. Anyway, Anderson is -- you guessed it! -- being dropped in ESPN leagues, but I do think rookie Sam Darnold is going to look his way soon.