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Was week 1 a little rough on your fantasy team? Did you fall to your knees asking why me? I’m here to pull you up by your bootstraps and save face in week 2. I’ll be putting my reputation on the line every week as I choose an entire fantasy team of lower-ranked players to score over a certain threshold of points, players that I trust. I’ll then choose another fantasy team of highly ranked players to score under a certain threshold of points, players that will bust. You’ll find a tally of my hits and misses throughout the season on each weekly article to make sure I’m holding myself accountable, and so all of you can call me bad names on Twitter.
Week 1 Results
Overall it was a good week with 8 wins and 4 losses, but it wasn’t perfect. Brandon Aiyuk could’ve had a big game if not for hurricane-like conditions and Olave was somehow behind Jarvis Landry and Michael Thomas in the pecking order. Jaylen Waddle had a long touchdown to save his day and Freiermuth ended up receiving the most targets of his career after Najee Harris was limited in the game. Now that we have some actionable information it should be easier to make these calls going forward.
Season Record: 8-4
Fantasy Trust Circle: Week 2
I must choose a quarterback outside of the top 12 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score over 20 fantasy points in a standard 6 point per passing touchdown format.
QB: Trey Lance (Week 2 Forecast: 210 Passing Yards, 85 Rushing Yards, 3 Touchdowns)
The choir of people chanting for Jimmy Garoppolo will quiet down after Trey Lance exploits this matchup with the Seahawks. He’ll be in the safety of Levi’s Stadium with his lead running back, Elijah Mitchell, now on IR. They’ll lean on him more in the running game in the coming weeks. Russell Wilson just threw for 340 yards on this defense and Lance has comparable weapons and better running ability.
I must choose two running backs outside of the top 24 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score over 16 fantasy points in a PPR format.
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson (Week 2 Forecast: 60 Rushing Yards, 5 Receptions, 40 Receiving Yards, 1 Touchdown)
I was out on the three-headed monster that was the Patriots’ backfield in week 1, but passing-downs back Ty Montgomery was just put on IR. That raises the floor and ceiling of Stevenson and Damien Harris, and Stevenson has the leg up to be the receiving back of the two. The Steelers defense is tough but they lost all-world linebacker T.J. Watt for a long time which helps. It’s going to be an ugly game with little points but Stevenson will catch enough balls to be a fantasy starter.
RB: Travis Etienne Jr. (Week 2 Forecast: 35 Rushing Yards, 5 Receptions, 65 Receiving Yards, 1 Touchdown)
Week 1 was surprisingly the James Robinson show for the Jaguars as he came back from a torn achilles after just 9 months and looked like the Robinson of old. What was missed is Etienne drew 2 more targets and had a higher route participation. We would be talking about Etienne’s big game if Lawrence hadn’t overthrown him in the end zone and he didn’t drop a walk-in touchdown grab. This week the Jaguars should be in a trailing game script against the Colts where Etienne can shine.
I must choose two wide receivers outside of the top 24 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score over 18 fantasy points in a PPR format.
WR: Allen Robinson (Week 2 Forecast: 6 Receptions, 75 Receiving Yards, 1 Touchdown)
This is the squeaky-wheel game for Robinson, who ran a route on 96% of the Rams’ dropbacks but only saw 2 targets in week 1. Sean McVay will scheme up some touches for Robinson so he can keep the veteran motivated. He should avoid Falcons’ cornerback and best defensive player A.J. Terrell on enough plays to make him a worthwhile play.
WR: Brandon Aiyuk (Week 2 Forecast: 5 Receptions, 110 Receiving Yards, 1 Touchdown)
I’m going back to the well with Aiyuk in week 2 after terrible weather conditions changed the game plan for both teams last week. Aiyuk ran a route on 100% of the 49ers’ dropbacks in week 1 and has a tasty matchup against the Seahawks this week. Deebo will be leaned on more in the run game with Elijah Mitchell out, opening up targets for Aiyuk.
I must choose one tight end outside of the top 12 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score over 10 fantasy points in a PPR format.
TE: Tyler Higbee (Week 2 Forecast: 6 Receptions, 65 Yards)
Higbee ran the third-highest percentage of routes per dropback at the tight end position in week 1 and received a hefty 11 targets. Stafford’s elbow is worrisome and the running game was ineffective so he’ll be looking for some short, easy targets in this game.
Fantasy Busts: Week 2
I must choose a quarterback inside of the top 12 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score under 20 fantasy points in a standard 6 point per passing touchdown format.
QB: Tom Brady (Week 2 Forecast: 280 Passing Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interceptions)
The Saints have been Brady’s kryptonite since moving to the Buccaneers and one of his top options, Chris Godwin, will be out for a few weeks. Brady didn’t look sharp in week 1 even though they routed the Cowboys. Marshon Lattimore always seems to lock down Mike Evans, so it’ll be up to Julio Jones and Russell Gage against a tough defense. I’ll bet on the Saints.
I must choose two running backs inside of the top 24 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score under 14 fantasy points in a standard 6 point per passing touchdown format.
RB: Najee Harris (Week 2 Forecast: 40 Rushing Yards, 3 Receptions, 15 Receiving Yards)
I would be scared as hell to start Harris this week against a stout Patriots’ defense, coming off an injury in preseason and week 1, and generally being ineffective when he was out there. You should look elsewhere if possible until he shows that he’s healthy and ready to average more than 2.3 yards per carry.
RB: James Conner (Week 2 Forecast: 35 Rushing Yards, 4 Receptions, 20 Receiving Yards)
Conner owners were bailed out by his rushing touchdown because he was a non-factor for most of the game. Eno Benjamin ate into his usage more than many predicted and Arizona looked lifeless on both sides of the ball. PFF gives Arizona the worst run blocking advantage in week 2, so it could get even uglier.
I must choose two wide receivers inside of the top 24 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score under 14 fantasy points in a standard 6 point per passing touchdown format.
WR: Ceedee Lamb (Week 2 Forecast: 6 Receptions, 55 Receiving Yards)
Cooper Rush. That’s it, that’s the take. Seriously though, when Rush started his lone game last year Lamb had a nice 112 yards against the Vikings’ terrible secondary. This is a different team this year with a leaky offensive line, no second receiver to take the pressure off of Lamb, and they’re going up against a solid Bengals’ secondary. He could be peppered with targets as they’re playing from behind, but those targets will not be pretty.
WR: Diontae Johnson (Week 2 Forecast: 6 Receptions, 45 Receiving Yards)
If you can tell from my trusts and busts, this game could be a little one-sided. Trubisky looked rough in his first start since 2020 and he has another tough defense to contend with in the Patriots. The Steelers scored 16 points on offense in a game that went the full overtime. They may not even score that many in week 2.
I must choose one tight end inside of the top 12 of FantasyPros consensus week 2 rankings to score under 10 fantasy points in a standard 6 point per passing touchdown format.
TE: Kyle Pitts (Week 2 Forecast: 3 Receptions, 45 Receiving Yards)
I know we were salivating over Pitts in drafts this year, but, in my humble opinion, he looks like a boom/bust TE1 with a very low floor. This is going to be another bust week with a terrible matchup against the Rams. He has a -50% matchup advantage according to PFF, which is even worse than last week against the Saints. Mariota ranked just behind Mitch Trubisky in PFF passing grade in week 1, so it’s going to be, politely, an uphill battle.
RANKINGS | WEEKLY | DYNASTY |
