Nobody has a more stacked lineup of fantasy analysts and NFL team reporters than ESPN. It's the rare "backfield by committee" that is actually a good thing for fantasy football managers.
Every Tuesday, Mike Triplett will ask our NFL Nation reporters a series of burning questions about the weekend's biggest stories in order to help inform your waiver wire pickups and roster decisions.
Among the biggest questions this week are whether or not the Cardinals have a must-add rookie in their huddle and if there's actually more than one Cowboys RB you should have in your lineups on a weekly basis.
It's time to begin our weekly trip around the league, so fasten your seat belts and get ready to tour the NFL Nation!
Arizona Cardinals
Is Rondale Moore a must-add in fantasy because of his breakout potential, despite the Cardinals' crowded WR corps?
Yes, yes, yes! Moore is going to be the fantasy surprise of the season. Kliff Kingsbury loves his speed, quickness, movement -- all of it -- and will use him as much as he can. Moore has already started to separate himself from that crowded WR corps that you mentioned because of his speed.
Dallas Cowboys
Do you expect this type of 1A/1B timeshare to continue with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard all year?
I don't want to minimize Pollard's production from the Chargers game, but I don't think this backfield moves into a shared-carry situation. I think this was more likely a game-plan-specific thing against a defense that tends to play a lighter box and invites teams to run more. Pollard has some juice and can get on the edge -- perhaps even better than Elliott at this point. It was telling that he was on the field for a portion of the winning drive. However, Elliott remains the No. 1 option here, and not just because of financial matters. He's simply a better overall back. I do wonder, though, if this could become something along the lines of what the Saints had with Mark Ingram II and Alvin Kamara from 2017-19, where there are enough opportunities for both to make an impact. -- Todd Archer
Kansas City Chiefs
Will Clyde Edwards-Helaire rebound after his slow start?
He will certainly get the chance. The Chiefs won't give up on him because of his slow start or even his rally-killing fumble against the Ravens. Still, it's not too early to wonder if he will actually deliver on the potential the Chiefs saw in him last year when they made him their first-round draft pick. He hasn't been as productive as two other recent Chiefs featured backs, Kareem Hunt and Jamaal Charles. -- Adam Teicher
Los Angeles Rams
Is Cooper Kupp the clear favorite ahead of Robert Woods for Matthew Stafford, or do you expect more balance going forward?
The Stafford-to-Kupp connection has been a standout through two weeks, with Kupp producing back-to-back games of more than 100 receiving yards and a total of three receiving touchdowns. Don't be fooled! Woods remains a prime target for Stafford, who said after a 27-24 win over the Colts in Week 2 that Woods would be a player he will continue to go to. The real question among Rams targets is how they'll be divided up beyond Kupp and Woods. TE Tyler Higbee and WR Van Jefferson are both proven pass-catchers, but they are both, at best, a distant third behind Kupp and Woods in terms of targets. -- Lindsey Thiry
New York Giants
Will Sterling Shepard continue to be the better fantasy play ahead of Kenny Golladay for the foreseeable future?
No. This will go back and forth depending on the week now that Golladay has had time to get back to full speed following a hamstring injury that kept him out for a month over the summer. This week, he will have 10 days to get ready for the Falcons after playing on Thursday night. It's also not realistic for Shepard and quarterback Daniel Jones to be so incredibly efficient. Jones has completed 16-of-19 passes (84%) to Shepard over the first two weeks of the season while only hitting 7-of-14 (50%) to Golladay. It's only a matter of time before Golladay gets his fair share, considering his track record of success. -- Jordan Raanan
Philadelphia Eagles
You expressed confidence in DeVonta Smith despite only two catches for 16 yards Sunday. Why is that? And any chance Quez Watkins becomes fantasy-relevant after his 91-yard catch?
Smith is a special talent, and a quiet game against the 49ers doesn't change that. He led all Eagles receivers in both snaps and targets for a second straight week, and likely would have had a long TD catch early in the game if not for an underthrown pass by Jalen Hurts. Smith remains in line to be the team's lead receiver. Those who keep the faith will likely be rewarded for it.
Watkins is more boom or bust. If he breaks loose for an electric play like he did on Sunday, the stat line will look great. There will be quiet weeks, too, when the big play doesn't hit. The Quez-tion for fantasy players is: Do you feel lucky? -- Tim McManus
Minnesota Vikings
Should we start taking WR K.J. Osborn seriously as a fantasy option in deep or daily leagues?
The Vikings have struggled for years to find a consistent No. 3 receiver who is more than a threat to catch the occasional third-down pass or be used elsewhere situationally. It's still early, but every indication is that this job belongs to Osborn, who has the playing time and production consistent with what a WR3 looks like in the Vikings offense.
All three of the Vikings' top receivers (Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson and Osborn) caught TD passes in a 34-33 loss at Arizona, which proves that the target share from Kirk Cousins can be spread around -- and not so completely slanted towards the top two receiving options the way things had previously tended to go. The Vikings haven't been able to rely on their tight ends in Weeks 1-2 the way they had anticipated with Irv Smith Jr. out, so the expectation that Minnesota will continue to go three-wide and tap into their WR depth is a strong one.
Osborn was only rostered in 1.1% of leagues as of Week 2 and followed up on his big outing against Cincinnati by leading Minnesota in receiving yards (91) on five catches against the Cardinals. -- Courtney Cronin
Las Vegas Raiders
Henry Ruggs III is still available in 28% of ESPN leagues. Should fantasy managers start to trust that he can deliver on a more consistent basis this year?
How fun is it for Derek Carr to have a speedster like Ruggs at his disposal? "It's really fun," the Raiders quarterback said in the wake of hitting Ruggs on a breathtaking 61-yard bomb for a touchdown in Pittsburgh.
With his trust in Ruggs growing, expect Carr to give the second-year wideout more love and, as such, more opportunities. So yes, Ruggs should be a wise investment for fantasy managers.
"A lot of the speed guys, they're hurt or they can't practice, and you're like, 'I can't trust to throw it in the game.'" Carr said. "[But] he has shown over and over again in practice, so I think his mentality coming into this season -- he's bigger, he's stronger -- gave me the confidence in letting those things go to him." -- Paul Gutierrez
Atlanta Falcons
Should we expect this level of involvement from Cordarrelle Patterson every week? If so, is it enough to make him relevant in deeper leagues or daily lineups?
In PPR leagues, yes. Patterson is going to be used as both a rusher and pass-catcher. He had seven rushes and six targets against Tampa Bay -- and that kind of usage will continue throughout the season. Patterson is the clear No. 2 back behind Mike Davis, but can line up anywhere in the offense. That makes him valuable. Yes, he'll be somewhat TD-dependent and not quite worth the same value in non-PPR leagues. But, at this point, he should at least be rostered. -- Michael Rothstein
Cleveland Browns
Will any of their pass-catchers become fantasy-relevant while Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are dealing with injuries?
It's hard to see it. The Browns likely will rely even more heavily on their tight ends, and then obviously Nick Chubb and Hunt in the running game. However, one player to keep an eye on is rookie Demetric Felton. The rookie out of UCLA had a team-high 53 receiving yards and a touchdown Sunday. He also returns kicks and punts. And, he's technically a running back, so he could get touches in that capacity as well. Kevin Stefanski said Sunday that Felton's role within the offense would continue to grow. That might make him worth monitoring. -- Jake Trotter
New Orleans Saints
Can we drop WR Marquez Callaway after yet another quiet performance to make room for these other waiver options?
Only if you have to. I'm not ready to call Callaway a lost cause, considering the Saints' first two games were both such anomalies -- and for vastly different reasons. They barely had to throw at all in a 38-3 blowout win over Green Bay in Week 1 and then they could barely get a pass off while having major protection issues in Sunday's flop at Carolina. There are fair concerns about whether or not Callaway and the Saints WRs can get open consistently enough. Still, we have to expect Sean Payton to get this New Orleans offense back on track. When he does, Callaway will remain the No. 1 WR target for as long as Michael Thomas remains sidelined, which will be through at least Week 7. -- Mike Triplett
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers' defense is looking like a must-add for this week's matchup against the Texans and rookie QB Davis Mills. Could it be emerging as even more than a one-week streaming option?
I believe the fast start is sustainable. After all, 10 sacks and three picks in two games isn't happening by accident. Expect that production to continue against a rookie quarterback making his first start in a prime-time game. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow has been masterful since a slow start last season, putting players in position to make plays instead of trying to make them fit into a certain scheme.
He's maximizing the versatility and speed of players like Brian Burns and Haason Reddick, both emerging as elite pass-rushers. Those who thought Reddick's 12.5 sacks last season with Arizona were a fluke underestimated the value of reuniting him with Snow, his coordinator at Temple. It's not just these two guys, though.
It's also the inside production from players such as Derrick Brown, Morgan Fox and DaQuan Jones. It's the ability of first-round cornerback Jaycee Horn and 2018 second-round cornerback Donte Jackson to man up on receivers which is allowing Snow to throw exotic blitz packages at quarterbacks. He didn't have that luxury last year.
I said before the season that this defense has a lot of nice pieces, but that it may take time to come together. Well, they've come together fast. Add them if you can. -- David Newton