Week 2 of the fantasy football season featured plenty of notable performances around the NFL. What should we make of them? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
Cooper Kupp shows WR1 upside
After seeing 10-plus targets for the second game in a row, it's pretty clear that Kupp is the No. 1 in Sean McVay's passing game. A week after catching 7 of 10 targets for 108 yards and a score in the win over Chicago, Kupp lit up the Colts' zone-heavy defense on Sunday for 36.8 PPR points, checking in with two more touchdown grabs and 163 yard receiving on 9 of 11 targets.
Remember, Kupp has the lateral juice to win one-on-ones from the slot, and McVay is going to scheme targets for the wide receiver. His first touchdown was a designed shot play for quarterback Matthew Stafford, with Kupp releasing up the seam from a backfield alignment. And the Rams went back to Kupp again in the red zone, with McVay dialing up a play that created a window for Stafford to throw the skinny post.
Given the volume here through two games, plus the passing game upgrade in LA with Stafford at quarterback, you can lock in Kupp as an upper-tier WR2 with WR1 upside based on the matchup. -- Bowen
Najee Harris a big bright spot in Steelers loss
His Steelers endured a huge letdown in their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but Harris' usage and performance represented one of their few bright spots. After playing every offensive snap but scarcely being involved in the passing game in Week 1, Harris played 94.6% (53 of 56) of the snaps, ran 32 routes and caught all five of his targets, including a 25-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that brought his team within two points on the scoreboard. For the day, he totaled 19.1 PPR fantasy points, second-most among the running backs from the 1 p.m. ET games. The Steelers have made it quite clear that they regard him as an integral part of the offense, and that should only continue if Diontae Johnson, injured on the game's final play, needs to miss any time. Harris next faces the Cincinnati Bengals, a favorable-enough matchup to again place him in the RB1 tier. -- Cockcroft
Derek Carr already in an early-season groove
Carr is dialed in right now. And so is the playcalling from Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. Through two weeks, in wins over the Ravens and Steelers defenses, Carr has racked up 48.18 fantasy points, throwing for 817 yards and four touchdowns -- with just one pick. He's hitting the schemed throws in Gruden's playbook and absolutely cutting it loose on the deep ball. And Gruden is one of the league's best at designing shot plays down the field. With a Week 3 matchup against the Dolphins, Carr should be slated as a QB1 in deeper, 12-team leagues. -- Bowen
Agreed, Matt. And it's actually a historic start by Carr, too, as those 48.18 fantasy points are his most through two games in any of his eight NFL seasons. -- Cockcroft
Gronk's stunning start
Rob Gronkowski is 32 and a year removed from coming out of retirement, and his 19.90 PPR fantasy points Sunday give him 48.90 through two games. Only in 2015 did he score more through his team's first two games (56.70), and while it's easy to say, "Well, it's all about Tom Brady's nine passing TDs to start the year," Gronkowski has played the integral role for Brady that he did during his prime back in New England. Gronkowski has three end-zone targets, catching two of them for scores. He has played 83.9% of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps and he's caught 12 of his 14 targets. He'll have a tougher time from a matchups perspective in Weeks 3 and 4 against the Los Angeles Rams and his former New England Patriots, but at this point, he has re-earned TE1 status. -- Cockcroft
Kyler Murray joins elite list
Though he had a pair of interceptions on Sunday, Murray again dominated, scoring a position-best (through the afternoon games) 33.10 fantasy points to give him back-to-back games of at least 30 points to begin his season. He's only the third quarterback since the merger to do that, joining Lamar Jackson (2019) and Russell Wilson (2020), and his 66.66 total fantasy points thus far are the third-most by any quarterback through two team games in history, behind only Ryan Fitzpatrick's 72.26 and Patrick Mahomes' 67.18, both in 2018. Murray continues to show elite rushing ability, a strong arm and a knack for spreading throws around with success all over the field. You can't ask for much more than this from your fantasy quarterback; he's a locked-in top-three option at minimum. -- Cockcroft
Henry runs wild in second-half comeback over Seattle
That was a classic Derrick Henry game. Look at the volume, the second-half boost and the scoring runs. Henry, who finished with just 10.7 PPR points in a subpar Titans offensive performance in Week 1, went out to Seattle and racked up a whopping 47.7 points. Henry logged 41 touches on Sunday (including six receptions), with 217 total yards and three touchdowns. Get downhill and make those defenders tackle. It adds up with Henry running the ball. Ridiculous fantasy totals for the Titans veteran. -- Bowen
Henry has now scored at least 35 PPR fantasy points in five of his past 14 regular-season games. He came just one-tenth of a point shy of matching his personal best (47.80, set in Week 14 of 2018). -- Cockcroft
Quick hitters
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: Sure, his matchups the past two weeks haven't been the best -- the Pittsburgh Steelers, now the Miami Dolphins -- but Allen's 33.86 combined fantasy points in those games are nevertheless disappointing, especially since he exceeded that score in a single game three times last season and scored 30-plus on six occasions. Allen, the No. 2 quarterback and No. 27 overall player selected in ESPN leagues, is only 3-of-11 (27.3%) on deep throws (at least 20 yards downfield) after completing 40.6% of them with nine touchdowns in 2020. -- Cockcroft
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers: With Brandon Aiyuk seeing limited playing time (again), Samuel continues to get No. 1 volume in Kyle Shanahan's offense. Through two weeks, Samuel has caught 15 of 20 targets for 282 yards. And, in this system, Shanahan will scheme targets that give Samuel catch-and-run opportunities, which caters to Samuel's ball-carrier vision and physical play style in the open field. He'll be in the WR2 mix again next week versus the Packers defense. -- Bowen
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys: Pollard is still one of the top insurance backs in fantasy football, but is he getting closer to being a viable Flex option in 12-14 team leagues? The Cowboys running back, who posted 8.3 PPR points in Week 1, racked up 23.0 points in the Week 2 win over the Chargers. Pollard logged 16 touches on Sunday (for 140 total yards), and the Cowboys are finding multiple ways to deploy him in the game plan. Something to monitor here. -- Bowen
Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans: Few people believe in the Texans' offense on the whole, but Cooks has quietly delivered at least 18.2 PPR fantasy points in back-to-back games to begin 2021, and his 21 total targets in those games suggests he should remain WR2-relevant on a weekly basis. Consider this: Since Week 5 of last season, Cooks' 249.2 PPR fantasy points rank fifth-best among wide receivers. -- Cockcroft
Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals' receiving star of Week 2, Moore led the team in targets (8), tied for the lead in receptions (7) and trailed only Murray with his 24.40 PPR fantasy points. Like Antonio Brown in Week 1, Moore did a lot despite a limited snap count, playing only 28-of-60 (46.7%) snaps yet running 22 routes to get to the aforementioned totals. He's remarkably quick, and the performance shouldn't be completely unexpected, with the primary question surrounding him entering 2021 his role/usage. Moore was a favorite late-round sleeper of mine, and he's sure to be one of the week's hottest pickups, rightfully so. He gets a dream matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars next, making him very much a WR3. -- Cockcroft
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Hurts wasn't as efficient throwing the ball in the Week 2 loss to the 49ers (12-of-23 passing, 190 yards), but the rushing totals will keep him in the QB1 mix. Through two weeks, Hurts has 17 rushing attempts for 144 yards and a score, using both designed carries and second-reaction plays when he breaks the pocket. -- Bowen
DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers: Moore is solidifying his spot as a weekly WR2 in the Panthers offensive system. You can see the ability to win the one-on-ones, and Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady will scheme both matchups and open coverage voids for the wide receiver. Moore checked in with 21.9 PPR points in the Week 2 win over the Saints, and he gets a favorable matchup versus the Texans defense in Week 3. -- Bowen
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: Carr's success fueled Ruggs' and the two enjoyed such a productive fantasy day in large part thanks to their 61-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown hookup, a pretty pass by Carr that ESPN Stats & Information noted matched the quarterback's longest touchdown pass in terms of air yards (46). For Ruggs, don't cast it aside as one of those "if not for that one big play..." outcomes, as the second-year wide receiver managed career highs in targets (7) and PPR fantasy points (22.5). He now has 60 routes and 12 targets combined to begin his season. The matchups will still have a big say as to his fantasy utility at that usage level, but recognize that he did this against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers defenses, so it's possible he could leap into the WR2 tier when he faces the league's softer secondaries (see: Chicago in Week 5). -- Cockcroft
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals: Yes, it was only his second game back following a knee reconstruction, but when facing a matchup as favorable as this was, against a Chicago Bears defense that was a mess in the secondary during Week 1, the second-year quarterback's 10.28 fantasy points on Sunday can't be characterized as anything but a disappointment. Burrow committed his three interceptions on consecutive throws in the fourth quarter, something not even touchdown passes on back-to-back throws later in the quarter could compensate for. Fortunately for fantasy managers of his receivers, he spread the ball around enough to deliver each of Tyler Boyd, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at least 13.4 PPR points. But Burrow himself still looks like he needs to shake the rust. He can't be trusted against the Pittsburgh Steelers entering Week 3. -- Cockcroft
Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers: Darnold was productive for the second game in a row, producing 18.0 fantasy points in the win over a Saints defense that is working through some injuries. Now, I still have concerns over the decision-making and his ability to read it out with speed consistently as a drop-back thrower. However, in the Panthers' heavily schemed pass game, with a solid group of offensive options in Carolina, Darnold should be viewed as an upside QB2 with the Texans and Cowboys defenses up next on the schedule. -- Bowen
New England Patriots' defense: The Week 2 correction tape will be pretty long for Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. But we kind of expected it versus a Bill Belichick defense, right? This Patriots' unit gave Wilson a bunch of different looks, and they created on-the-ball production, racking up four interceptions in the win. The New England D/ST checked in with 16.0 fantasy points today, and they'll be in my Top 5 defensive ranks next week versus a Saints offense that really struggled in the loss to the Panthers. -- Bowen
Carolina Panthers' defense: Always be prepared to react at the team defense position. Although the Panthers D/ST was the No. 29 unit selected on average in ESPN leagues, it is the only one with double-digit fantasy points (and, in fact, the only one with at least eight) in each of the first two weeks (pending the Arizona Cardinals' final score), totaling 25. The Panthers have done it with a ferocious defensive front, one that has totaled 21 quarterback hits and 10 sacks. Cast them aside if you wish, but this defense, still widely available -- only 13.3% rostered! -- next faces the Houston Texans, who could be starting a rookie quarterback (Davis Mills). -- Cockcroft