And just like that: Week 2 is upon us. Let's break down some ball!

Every week I will be going through 10 key storylines ahead of all the NFL action, focusing on key fantasy-related trends, the week's biggest mismatches, my personal rankings of every game, bold predictions, and much more.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

1. Well, those rookie QB debuts kinda sucked

Things did NOT go too well for Bears QB Caleb Williams, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, or Broncos QB Bo Nix in their respective NFL debuts. Sure, the former QB escaped with a victory thanks to some timely defensive and special teams scores, the middle QB made his presence felt in a major way on the ground (16-88-2!), and the latter … actually, yeah, I got nothing good to say about Nix. Apologies.

Anyways, each rookie was objectively really bad at throwing the football in Week 1. Among 32 qualified QBs:

  • EPA per dropback: Williams (-0.333, 29th), Daniels (+0.241, 8th), Nix (-0.306, 26th)
  • Completion percentage over expected: Williams (-19.7%, 32nd), Daniels (-3.2%, 20th), Nix (-5.1%, 22nd)
  • PFF pass grade: Williams (50.2, 25th), Daniels (36.3, 29th), Nix (41.8, 27th)
  • Yards per attempt: Williams (3.2, 32nd), Daniels (7.7, 14th), Nix (3.3, 31st)

Let's start with Williams, who couldn't get anything going against a Titans defense that wasn't exactly considered a world-beating unit coming into the season. While a dropped TD by Keenan Allen didn't help matters, the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick showed a worrisome willingness to test the middle of the field and only completed one of his seven pass attempts under pressure.

Potentially being without Rome Odunze (knee, week-to-week) won't help matters, but *hopefully* we at least see some higher-end flashes from Williams and company in Week 2 against a Texans defense that allowed several big plays to Anthony Richardson and company last week (and it could have been WAY worse). I'll set the panic meter at 4/10 for the time being; don't bail on the tantalizing upside of a truly elite prospect after just one (very) bad afternoon at the office.

And then there's Daniels, whose top-eight mark in EPA per dropback is thanks in large part to some of his excellence on scrambles. Overall, the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick converted seven scrambles into 77 rushing yards–-the highest single-game mark from pure scrambles by any QB dating back to Week 1 of last season. There have only been 14 instances of a QB racking up 20-plus fantasy points in a single game from only rushing production since 2020 … and Daniels is now responsible for one of them.

The rushing upside here will likely continue to be a godsend in fantasy land as long as Daniels figures out how to strap up his helmet more safely; just realize the early returns of the Kliff Kingsbury experience weren't great. While many hoped the preseason trends here would be rectified in the regular season, the offense continued to not use much pre-snap shift/motion (44.6%, 29th), Daniels' 5.5-yard average target depth was the third-lowest mark of Week 1, and Terry McLaurin continued to spend the overwhelming majority of his snaps simply stationed as the offense's left outside WR.

Daniels also simply just needs to be better himself, but at the end of the day (at least for fantasy purposes): There's far too much rushing upside on the table to be overly concerned about the growing pains in the passing game – Daniels is locked in as a top-eight option at the position ahead of Sunday's' UGLY NFC East matchup against the Giants.

Finally, Nix, who was lucky to have only thrown two interceptions in his debut. Now one of just three QBs to throw for 138 or fewer yards on 42-plus attempts … ever (s/o Justin Mosqueda) … truly the only good takeaway from his NFL debut was the reality that the 24-year-old rookie can SCOOT: No QB posted a faster ball carrier speed than Nix (20.05 MPH) in Week 1 per Next-Gen Stats.

Up next is a date with T.J. Watt and a Steelers defense that made last Sunday a living hell for Kirk Cousins and the Falcons. Don't be surprised if we continue to see far more bad than good from Nix and arguably the league's single-worst supporting cast–at least that's what the numbers from Week 1 told us.

2. Are any TEs going to produce this year other than Isaiah Likely?

Overall, Likely (26.1 PPR points) was the only TE to surpass the 15-point threshold in fantasy land. Hell, Foster Moreau was the only other guy over 12. The non-stop duds from highly-drafted options at the position caused many to already conclude that "Elite TE" was a terrible draft strategy for this season, but in reality nobody at the position managed to do much of anything in Week 1.

Consider: NFL TEs combined for just 1,099 receiving yards and five receiving TDs in Week 1 – those are the lowest single-week totals over the past five YEARS of action.

The most important factor when determining whether or not a dud was random or a sign of more sadness to come: Usage. Luckily for us: Dwain McFarland's handy-dandy Utilization Report Tool Suite supplies all the important data we need.

Overall, just 10 TEs ran a route on at least 80% of their team's dropbacks in Week 1–and you'll notice many of the qualifiers were the same people you drafted highly a few short weeks ago:

Hell, fellow big names like Brock Bowers (78% route rate), Dallas Goedert (77%), Pat Freiermuth (76%) and Evan Engram (73%) were also above 70%. Jake Ferguson and David Njoku looked to be well on their way to joining them before getting injured.

You accordingly shouldn't be overly concerned about the lack of Week 1 production from these guys; they were still very involved in their respective team's passing attack and *should* find some positive regression in the coming weeks.

This brings us to the main event of the TE landscape ahead of Week 2: What should we make of this Ravens situation?

A quick utilization comparison demonstrates the reality that Likely did indeed have far more fantasy-friendly usage in Week 1.

Of course, some extra context helps explain the usage. Fantasy footballer Andy Holloway made a great point after grinding some film about how Andrews was repeatedly bracketed downfield all game. PFF's Nathan Janhke helped quantify the film by noting that Andrews was indeed double-covered on a higher percentage of his routes in Week 1 than any of his other games from 2021 to 2023.

Look, Andrews deserves to be downgraded a tad; it was indeed surprising to see Likely demand so many targets and (to his credit) look so great while doing so. That said: Let's not let 60 minutes of football completely rewrite the outlook on a man who has finished no worse than the TE5 in PPR points per game during each of the past five seasons.

Ultimately, Andrews and Likely *both* look like quality top-12 options the rest of the way, and I'll continue to give the former veteran the edge in the rankings as a testament to his overall body of work. This doesn't mean TE-needy rosters shouldn't prioritize Likely on the waiver wire; we're dealing with a RARE situation of a team featuring two TEs as top-three pass-catchers–don't be surprised if the answer to which Ravens TE to start in plenty of weeks moving forward is simply, “Yes.”

Oh, what's that? You want more usage-centric breakdowns? LET'S DO IT.

3. Who are the true workhorse RBs at the moment?

There were more bell-cow RBs than usual in Week 1, as a whopping 12 different backs wound up playing at least 70% of their offense's snaps. Of course, differing offensive environments and talent levels also matter when projecting any individual RB's performance; just realize volume is usually king in fantasy football land–especially at this position.

While there are tons of variables to consider when it comes to RB utilization, simply peeping every team's top-three backs in snap rate, carries and targets will give us a good idea of who is leading which group ahead of Week 2.

So yeah, here you go!

Some notes:

WORKHORSE SZN: Jonathan Taylor, Kyren Williams, Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall and Saquon Barkley have legit every-down roles with the potential to eclipse 80% snaps on a weekly basis. Can I get a hell yeah? (Hell yeah!)

I'M HURT DOG DON'T ASK ME IF I'M OKAY: Christian McCaffrey (calf/achilles) would obviously join that group *if* healthy, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there's a strong possibility he'll also miss Week 2's matchup against the Vikings. If so, Jordan Mason will (again) profile as a legit top-12 option at the position in fantasy leagues of all shapes and sizes.

WHY INJURY GODS WHY: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (abdomen) looked like a candidate to also join that above group if healthy. Should he be sidelined for Week 2's matchup against the Patriots, Zach Charbonnet would immediately factor in as an upside RB2 at worst due to the likelihood he receives a true every-down role.

THE RB1 Y'ALL?: Browns RB Jerome Ford received some pretty damn solid usage in Week 1. At least for one week, D'Onta Foreman wasn't nearly as involved on early downs and short-yardage situations as Kareem Hunt was last year.

GOD BLESS ANDY REID: The addition of Samaje Perine did nothing to stop the Chiefs from featuring Isiah Pacheco as their bell-cow RB. Maybe the situation changes down the road, but for now Pacheco is a volume-based RB1 inside what sure looks like one of the game's best overall offenses.

JAMES GANG: A similar sentiment is true for Cardinals RB James Conner and Bills RB James Cook, who largely dominated usage over their backfield's trendy rookie additions.

BIG DOG GOTTA EAT: Ravens RB Derrick Henry isn't exactly the best RB to have in negative game-script situations due to his lack of a pass-down role, but far better days *should* be ahead inside of a Ravens offense that will likely spend plenty of time playing with a lead the rest of the season.

F*CK THESE OFFENSES: The Panthers and Raiders stand out as two backfields that are a bit of a mess at the moment and accordingly don't exactly have a "must start" RB1 in scoring environments not exactly expected to consistently light up the scoreboard. That said, I would still bet on Chuba Hubbard and Zamir White leading the way in touches more weeks than not moving forward.

TO A LESSER EXTENT, F*CK THESE OFFENSES: Both D'Andre Swift and Zack Moss looked more like true No. 1 RBs as opposed to 1A options in the opener. Better days could be ahead of each should the Bears and Bengals, you know, play reasonably okay offensive football in the future.

50/50 COMMITTEES: The Cowboys, Broncos, Lions and Commanders are featuring near 50/50 splits between their top-two RBs. Obviously there's a difference in fantasy-friendly opportunities between the offenses; just realize we shouldn't expect any party involved to truly take over any of these situations. I'd also expect the Titans to join this group more weeks than not, while the Buccaneers could as well if Bucky Irving continues to play well.

THE JAGS ARE JAGGING: A more surprising split backfield features the Jaguars, who look like they actually want to make Tank Bigsby a thing this year, and to his credit the second-year talent looked like the better back over Travis Etienne at least for one week. ETN is downgraded to more of a mid-tier RB2 for the time being.

WHAT YEAR IS IT?: Alvin Kamara remains the obvious lead RB in New Orleans; blow-out game-script is the only reason why Jamaal Williams was as involved as he was in Week 1. Kamara joins Joe Mixon as weekly borderline volume-based RB1s, while a similar sentiment is true for Josh Jacobs once Jordan Love (knee) is healthy.

ACHILLES IS AN UNDERRATED MOVIE: Kudos to J.K. Dobbins for making the most out of his opportunities in Week 1, and he even tied Saquon Barkley for the position's fastest ball carrier speed (Next-Gen Stats). Still, it'd be surprising to see Gus Bus fall completely out of the picture, and the Chargers certainly don't look like an offense expected to light up the scoreboard on a weekly basis. Think of Dobbins as more of a borderline RB2 this week as opposed to someone who needs to be in lineups.

VOLUME IS A HELLUVA DRUG IN FANTASY LAND: Rhamondre Stevenson and Devin Singletary are bell-cow options in offenses that will probably be terrible more weeks than not, but hey, solid production is possible on the rare occasions they get to play with a positive game-script–as we saw from Stevenson in Week 1.

WTF IS GOING ON IN MIAMI: De'Von Achane led all Week 1 RBs with 14 snaps in the slot or out wide and racked up a career-high seven targets; that's RB1 usage for a player of his talents … when healthy. Unfortunately, both Achane (ankle) and Raheem Mostert (shoulder) look iffy for Thursday night, meaning this ever-potent backfield could be turned over to Jeff Wilson and Jaylen Wright.

While I agree with the sentiment that the latter back offers more rest-of-season upside over the former 28-year-old veteran, don't discount Wilson at least working as the lead back for this week–he was the team's most-efficient back in Week 1 on limited touches and has a long history with Mike McDaniel dating back to their time together in Miami. At least for Week 2, I would expect Wilson to work as the 1.A option here–both he and Wright would be in the RB3 conversation should Achane and Mostert ultimately be sidelined.

4. What disappointing WRs look poised to rebound in Week 2?

There were some truly yikes-worthy stat lines from many WRs who were drafted early by fantasy managers this offseason. Round 1-2 WRs like Drake London (2-15-0) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (1-4-0) couldn't get anything going in their respective 2024 debuts, while several expected WR3-caliber options like Diontae Johnson (2-19-0), Terry McLaurin (2-17-0) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2-19-0) also busted to start the season.

Man, not a great week for Ohio State WRs, huh?

Of course, this is hardly a new phenomenon. Last year studs like Amari Cooper (3-37-0), Tank Dell (3-34-0), DJ Moore (2-25-0) and Tee Higgins (0-0-0) all scored under seven PPR points because, you know, we're dealing with a freaking one-week sample-size here.

Falcons and Cardinals head coaches Raheem Morris and Jonathan Gannon have already spoken publicly about their desire to get London and Harrison more involved next week. It'd also make sense if clear-cut No. 1 WRs like Johnson and McLaurin get "squeaky wheel" bounce-back opportunities in their respective winnable bounce-back spots against the Chargers and Giants.

We just witnessed the least-productive Week 1 in terms of total passing TDs (35) since 2018; it makes sense that normally potent WRs were accordingly duds in the box score. It's not exactly a given that everything immediately turns around, but it's telling that plenty of passing games *as a whole* were down–not just the involved No. 1 WRs.

Moral of the story? R-e-l-a-x and continue to slot expected volume-hog WR1s into your fantasy lineup. Speaking of major disappointments …

5. Just how concerning was the Bengals Week 1 letdown?

It's fair to say no offense was more disappointing than the Bengals last week when considering the matchup and expectations. Sure, losing Tee Higgins to a hamstring injury wasn't ideal, but 10 points from an offense featuring healthy versions of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase? Madness.

The Patriots certainly deserve plenty of credit, but this was once again an uninspiring effort in terms of schematic goodness from head coach Zac Taylor. Overall, the Bengals ranked 23rd in pre-snap shift/motion (56.3%) and 22nd in play-action rate (17.1%)–two areas in which they've lagged over the years and declined to improve on despite evidence that they might in the preseason.

And yet, the biggest concern comes down to the performance of No. 9. Yes, Mike Gesicki catching a well-placed end zone target and/or Tanner Hudson not fumbling just before the goal line would have helped matters. Also yes, it was borderline shocking to see Burrow so hesitant to push the ball downfield (5.9-yard average target depth, 28th). Consider: Chase had *one* target thrown 10-plus yards downfield in Week 1–just the fifth time in his career that has happened.

Ironically enough, the Bengals' biggest strength in Week 1 was their perceived biggest weakness: The offensive line deserves credit for posting top-five marks in both rush yards before contact per attempt (2.1) and pressure rate allowed (22.9%) after finishing last year as PFF's 26th-ranked overall unit.

Could it be as simple as Burrow not being fully recovered from his offseason wrist surgery? Perhaps, although he was listed as a full participant on the team's injury report all week. Regardless, it's awfully difficult to expect much of a high-end bounce-back in Sunday's matchup against the Chiefs, particularly if Higgins remains sidelined and Chase remains “sick.”

For now, I'm treating this Bengals passing game more closely to the sad state of affairs we've seen over the past two Septembers as opposed to the high-end group that has grown increasingly rare to see on the field in recent years. Fellow pocket passers like Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa and Matthew Stafford all looked considerably better in Week 1 and have superior Week 2 matchups–don't be afraid to trust them over Burrow in fantasy land should the Cincy offense continue to look poised to operate well below their best-case ceiling.

Speaking of changes in 2023 vs. 2024 usage …

6. What teams saw major differences in their pre-snap motion and play-action rates compared to last year?

The best offenses in the league regularly rank towards the top of these two factors. And it makes sense! Window-dressing helps make defenses one step slower in identifying their responsibilities and ultimately getting to the football, which accordingly helps finely-tuned athletic machines get more space to work with.

Anyways, the following offenses really ramped up their play-action in Week 1 compared to what we saw in 2023:

  • Steelers (+36%)
  • Saints (+28%)
  • Colts (+20%)
  • Jaguars (+14%)

On the other side of things, five offenses utilized play-action far less than what we saw last year, and four of them perhaps not so coincidentally had quite a few problems scoring points in Week 1:

  • Falcons (-30%)
  • Titans (-16%)
  • Bucs (-12%)
  • Raiders (-12%)
  • Browns (-11%)

Kirk Cousins didn't have a single play-action dropback in Week 1. Not a single one! He looked old, immobile and borderline frightened while working from the pocket in his first game back from 2023's Achilles tear.

The recovery timeline and reality that he was dealing with a RIGHT tear (Rodgers was his left aka non-push off foot) certainly seemed to play a large role in this. So did a matchup with T.J. Watt and company, of course.

Meanwhile, four offenses really went out of their way to feature more pre-snap shift/motion and wound up surpassing their 2023 rates by more than 25%:

  • Saints (+38.2%)
  • Buccaneers (+32.1%)
  • Seahawks (+30.2%)
  • Eagles (+25.4%)

The Saints stand out as the major winner here and Klint Kubiak accordingly deserves a lot of credit. Of course, we'll find out just how good this offense actually is this Sunday against the Cowboys, as the Panthers didn't exactly represent the world's toughest test in Week 1.

Speaking of matchups …

7. Who boasts the best and worst defenses after one week of action?

I put together the following table to highlight the best NFL defenses against the pass, run, and in terms of who is creating the most negative plays.

We'll use "Havoc" to help quantify the latter variable; this college football-centered metric measures every defense's percentage of plays in which they registered a pressure, pass breakup, interception, forced fumble, or tackle for a loss/no gain. Basically any sort of negative play.

Without further adieu: The best and worst defenses from Week 1.

The two groups who I would especially expect to turn things around in future weeks: The Lions and Eagles, who boasted top-eight HAVOC rates, but were undone by the respective excellence of Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love. Each squad spent plenty of offseason resources on their previously mediocre secondaries; don't be surprised if both pick things up in a major way as their young corners start to round into form.

Additionally, we see some rather (Ned) stark differences in how defenses performed vs. the pass compared to the run. Accordingly, the following defenses might be worth taking advantage of in matchup-based tiebreakers in fantasy land:

Groups that were much better against the run than pass:

  • Commanders (32nd in EPA allowed per pass, 7th per run): Malik Nabers Week 2 boom week anyone?
     
  • Packers (29th, 5th): Look for Anthony Richardson and company to (again) take plenty of downfield shots this Sunday.
     
  • Dolphins (24th, 3rd): Fire up those Bills pass-catchers on Thursday night football, especially with star CB Jalen Ramsey still seemingly hobbled by a hamstring injury.
     
  • Cardinals (31st, 14th): Don't be surprised if Cooper Kupp gets another 20 targets based on this matchup and the Rams' injury-riddled offensive line.

And defenses that shined brighter against the pass than the run:

  • Rams (11th in EPA allowed per pass, 32nd per run): James Conner workhorse RB1 szn continues!
     
  • Patriots (8th, 29th): Perhaps a Zach Charbonnet boom week if Kenneth Walker (abdomen) is too banged up to suit up?
     
  • Chiefs (13th, 30th): Don't be surprised if Zack Moss (again) puts together a quality box score.
     
  • Bears (2nd, 19th): Death, taxes, Joe Mixon turning in volume-based RB1 production.

Ready for some more matchup-based goodness?

8. What are the biggest on-paper mismatches in Week 1?

Every week I put together a group of charts meant to provide easy-to-decipher matchup advantages on both sides of the ball in a handful of categories. This includes combined explosive pass/run-play rates, pressure, yards before contact, pass yards per dropback, and EPA per play.

The idea is to have one metric to show a mismatch instead of always going, “Offense ranks x, defense ranks y.”

The data only includes Week 1 numbers, so take some of the analysis with a bit of a grain of salt when looking at teams that dealt with a particularly tough matchup in Week 1 (like the Ravens vs. Mahomes). Things will get clearer as we get more and more 2024 info.

Without further adieu: The week's biggest mismatches in these ever-important categories. Feel free to click on any of the below categories for a full chart.

  • Explosive passing offense: The Bills, Bengals, Buccaneers, and technically Raiders passing games appear to be set up quite well. However, the Bears, Seahawks, Patriots, and Broncos aren't looking too hot at the moment ahead of their tough respective matchups.
     
  • Explosive running offense: The Falcons, Packers, Texans, and Titans all look poised to do good things on the ground this week. Meanwhile, the Panthers, Cowboys, Rams, and Eagles in particular look to have their work cut out for them.
     
  • Pressure: The Chargers, Bears, Dolphins, and Eagles look ready to provide plenty of clean pockets this week, while the Patriots, Titans, Broncos, and Vikings could be facing more pressure than they'd prefer.
     
  • Yards before contact per carry: RBs from the Packers, Ravens, Chargers, and Bengals might have more clear runways than usual in Week 1, but the opposite is true for the Patriots, Vikings, Giants, and Commanders.
     
  • Pass yards per dropback: The best setup passing attacks look like the Colts, Buccaneers, Vikings, and technically Raiders this week, while the worst look like the Patriots, Broncos, and Cowboys.
     
  • EPA per play: Colts-Packers (but no Love), Buccaneers-Lions, and Rams-Cardinals look like the shootouts of the week. Seahawks-Patriots, Chargers-Panthers, Saints-Cowboys, and Steelers-Broncos look like the defensive slugfests of the week.

9. Ranking every game of the week from a biased entertainment perspective

I remain steadfast in the idea that no NFL game is inherently "bad." Complaining about specific matchups is ignoring the reality that relatively *bad* football is so much better than *no* football; we should NEVER dismiss any given 60 minutes of professional action on the gridiron.

With that said: Some matchups are indeed more awesome than others, so let's take a quick second to rank every matchup of the week in terms of what I'm looking forward to most through my biased lenses:

  1. CIN-KC: Burrowhead propaganda vs. the best QB alive. Just please look better than you did last week, Bengals.
     
  2. BUF-MIA: A great Thursday night football game? In this economy?
     
  3. TB-DET: Divisional Round rematch boasts the only game total north of 50 on the slate. Imagine telling someone three years ago that you're legit HYPED about watching Baker Mayfield vs. Jared Goff.
     
  4. SF-MIN: I'm … excited to watch Sam Darnold play football? Can we call him Dick Darnold now? His middle name is Richard after all. I guess the 49ers are cool, too.
     
  5. CHI-HOU: Caleb Williams can't actually be this bad, right? RIGHT? This ranking might be high, but worst case we get to see C.J. Stroud and company cook, which is always a treat.
     
  6. LAR-ARZ: Injuries are quickly depleting this Rams offense, but Stafford-Kyler is still fun. Just maybe throw the ball to Marvin Harrison a few times this week, please.
     
  7. IND-GB: The Anthony Richardson experience is must-watch television, even if it'd be a lot cooler if Jordan Love was healthy.
     
  8. NO-DAL: Defensive slugfest and we'll find out just how real some of the Saints' Week 1 offensive success really was.
     
  9. ATL-PHI: The Falcons offense went from very promising to a potential laughingstock in 60 minutes of football. At least the Eagles offense (and defense?) look good again.
     
  10. LV-BAL: This has a 30-point blowout written all over it, but hey, front-running Lamar Jackson is a helluva drug.
     
  11. NYJ-TEN: Let's watch this Jets offense against a non-elite defense and see what happens. Will Levis is also fun for better or (mostly) worse.
     
  12. NYG-WSH: Deserves to be the token bad Thursday night game. That said, maybe this matchup could be so bad that it's actually good? At least Jayden Daniels is fun.
     
  13. CLE-JAX: One of these ridiculously rich QBs will have a LOT of questions to answer after an 0-2 start.
     
  14. LAC-CAR: Mostly just looking forward to the inevitably entertaining Jim Harbaugh sideline/locker room clips that will get posted after the game.
     
  15. SEA-NE: Screams 16-13 final.
     
  16. PIT-DEN: Laughably low 36.5 game total. At least another sideline shot of Russell Wilson in full uniform and wearing eye black as the emergency QB3 will be funny.

10. Three bold predictions for Week 2

Every week I'll put my reputation on the line regarding a handful of players I believe could out-perform their general fantasy-related expectations. The majority will NOT work out–they wouldn't be bold otherwise–but will that stop me? Hell no!

Without further adieu: Let's get weird.

  • Bears WR Keenan Allen: Yes, Week 1 was a rough one for the ex-Chargers veteran. Also yes, Allen racked up a team-high 11 targets and had one potential TD overthrown and another dropped. I like the chances of this Bears passing attack more closely resembling, you know, something somewhat good against a Texans defense that was lucky to only allow a few monster plays to the Colts last week. Give me an 8-105-1 receiving line for Allen in this one.
     
  • Chargers RB Gus Edwards: Good on J.K. Dobbins for ripping off several big runs last week, but it was still Gus Bus who led the way in total carries with 11. Don't be surprised if they go a bit longer way this week against a Panthers defense that was already looking quite horrible before losing DT Derrick Brown for the season. I like Edwards to flirt with triple-digit rushing yards and find the end zone twice during a Chargers blowout victory.
     
  • Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan: The rookie hauled in his first career TD in Week 1, but honestly could have had multiple other scores that were sadly sheeshed away. The Lions LOVE to play man coverage, but didn't show too much of an improved ability to do so in Week 1 against the Rams. With most attention likely going to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, I like McMillan's chances of finding the end zone not once but twice more along with at least 75 receiving yards.

Players highlighted last week and results: Rashid Shaheed (3-73-1), Jaleel McLaughlin (28-scoreless yards), Kenneth Walker (109 total yards, 1 TD), Jameson Williams (5-121-1), Diontae Johnson (2-19-0)

Other cool sh*t for Week 2

  • Skinny Tua: Much was made this offseason of Tua Tagovailoa slimming down in an attempt to provide more off-script ability this season. Well, the early returns looked pretty damn solid, as the help of a BOMB TD to Tyreek Hill helped Tua rack up 161 passing yards on throws that took longer than three seconds to get off–more than he had in any singular game last season.
     
  • Purdy, Purdy, Purdy good: There have been just eight instances of a QB averaging at least eight yards per attempt against the Jets over the past three seasons – and Purdy is now responsible for one of them. And he did so on a non-wimpy 9.9-yard average target depth, ultimately earning the single-highest PFF passing grade against Sauce Gardner and company since 2022.
     
  • Sam Darnold was fun!: Especially on this DOT to Justin Jefferson that was one of the single-best throws of Week 1. We'll find out just how real the Vikings passing game is this week against Fred Warner and company, but at least for one week: Bravo!
     
  • Geno Smith? The running back?: He sure looked like one on this electric 34-yard TD run. Most realize Geno isn't a statue in the pocket, but his mobility has truly been a godsend for the Seahawks offense in recent years. Overall, only Justin Fields (9.5) and Kyler Murray (9.4) have averaged more yards per scramble than Geno (9.2) since 2022 (min. 15 scrambles).
     
  • Can Daniel Jones PLEASE throw downfield a bit more often?: Wild but true: Jones was PFF's second-highest graded passer on throws 15-plus yards downfield last week during his otherwise disastrous game against the Vikings. 3-for-4 for 65 yards, awesome! Too bad Danny Check-down otherwise refrained from taking just about any chances: His five-yard average target depth was only longer than Gardner Minshew (4.7) on the week.
     
  • Guess which RB had the most first-read targets?: Answer: Breece Hall, who leads all RBs in total receptions (81) since Week 1 of last season. Don't expect this to change anytime soon with Aaron Rodgers looking awfully limited from a mobility perspective on Monday night.
     
  • Zeke hurdled a guy!: Hell yeah!
     
  • Allen Lazard is currently tied for the NFL lead in TD receptions: That's it. That's the fact. Madness.
     
  • The Anthony Richardson experience: The second-year talent literally broke the Next-Gen Stats passing chart on his preposterous bomb to Alec Pierce. Otherwise, he completed 47% of his passes, missed AD Mitchell on two potential TDs, and still scored 26.1 fantasy points because cool shit usually happens across 60 minutes of football when you're one of the single-greatest athletic specimens the position has ever seen.
     
  • The second-best throw of Week 1: Probably Trevor Lawrence, who displayed some ridiculous timing and touch on this TD to rookie Brian Thomas, who might have had two scores if T-Law gave him a better chance on a deep ball that ultimately drew a DPI penalty from a toasted Jalen Ramsey.
     
  • How bad was Will Levis?: Bad enough to get Calvin Ridley featured in the unrealized air yards section of my Week 1 Sheesh Report. C'mon, man. At least this meme is an all-timer.
     
  • How many targets will Cooper Kupp get in Week 2?: My guess: 16. After all, he's poised to play the Puka Nacua role with the second-year stud sadly on injured reserve for at least the next four weeks.
     
  • Fields made some cool throws: He really did! And the ex-Bears QB is tentatively expected to start Sunday against the Broncos. Friendly reminder Fields was the QB6 in fantasy points per game during the 2022-2023 seasons. Rushing QBs are a helluva drug in fantasy land.