Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

It's time for the fantasy semi-finals which means if you've made it this far then congrats to you, just one more win away from making it to a championship matchup. Even though you've made it this far it's not time to skip out on adding depth to your team off the wire or to consider streaming players with favorable matchups over others on your team with unfavorable matchups. Good Luck!

Note: %owned is based on Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick (SF) - 36% owned - Kaepernick should rebound nicely this week with a matchup against a Falcons team allowing the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.  Look his way if you need a streamer.

Running Back

Kenneth Farrow (SD) - 4% owned - After Melvin Gordon was injured early in the Chargers matchup against the Panthers, Farrow became the go-to running back rushing 16 times for 55 yards and catching 6 passes for another 23 yards.   It's looking likely that Gordon will miss at least one week which means Farrow should be a volume RB2 play.

Kenneth Dixon (BAL) - 44% owned - It looks as though Dixon has finally broken away as the clear lead back in Baltimore after getting 19 touches compared to Terrence West's 6 against the Patriots. He put up a solid fantasy performance with the touches as well rushing for 39 yards and catching 8 of 11 passes for another 42 yards and a touchdown.

Honorable mentions: Matt Asiata (MIN) - 44% owned, Adrian Peterson (MIN) - 45% owned

Wide Receiver

Dontrelle Inman (NE) - 23% owned - Inman has passed up Travis Benjamin as the number two receiving option behind Tyrell Williams and has played well recently getting 239 yards and 3 touchdowns over his past three games. The Chargers have a great matchup this week against a poor Raiders pass defense where I expect Inman to be an upside WR3.

Adam Thielen (MIN) - 19% owned - Thielen has been putting up consistent WR3 numbers this season and draws a nice matchup this week against a Colts team that the Vikings should need to air the ball out more than usual.

Honorable mention: Ty Montgomery (GB) - 37% owned

Tight End

A bit of a cluster of possibly available tight ends this week so I'll list a few in order of how I like them;

Ladarius Green (PIT) - 56% owned

Jermaine Gresham (ARZ) - 4% owned

Dennis Pitta (BAL) - 37% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Similar to Tight Ends I'll list a few defenses I like to stream this week in order;

Buffalo Bills (BUF) - 61% owned

Miami Dolphins (MIA) - 55% owned

Houston Texans (HOU) - 44% owned

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! It’s a new season and hope springs eternal yet again. You get to wipe the slate clean on last year, whether good or bad, and everyone starts from 0-0. With a new season comes a new crop of rookies, the most volatile of fantasy assets. I’ll be here each week to help you parse through what to expect from the first-year players – Is their playing time trending up or down? Are there injuries ahead of them on the depth chart? Is their matchup good or bad? I’ll dig into that each week and give you my recommendations.

If you’re new here, each week I’ll group the rookies into five categories: Rookies you know you should start, borderline rookies I’d lean toward starting, borderline rookies I’d lean toward sitting, rookies you already know you should sit, and then I’ll throw in some deep league sleepers, stashes for the future, or cheap DFS options for the week. Keep in mind that different leagues have different scoring rules, different numbers of teams, and different roster setups. It’s important to read what’s written about each player and apply it to the context of your own league rules and scoring rather than just going off the header they’re grouped under. At the end of the day, it’s ultimately your decision who you start and sit, and you should make the best choice for your own specific circumstances. I’m just here to provide a little extra info to help you make those decisions.

Fair warning for week 1…it’s going to be a little boring. The smart approach with rookies in week 1 is to be conservative, so there aren’t many rookies I’d recommend starting this week. In week 1 of 2023, there was just 1 rookie QB who finished in the top-20 (Anthony Richardson), 2 rookie RBs in the top-30 (Bijan and Roschon Johnson), 4 rookie WRs in the top-40 (Puka, Jordan Addison, Rashee Rice, and Zay Flowers), and 2 rookie TEs in the top-20 (LaPorta and Luke Musgrave). That’s just 9 total rookies who posted useful week 1 fantasy performances. Your best bet with guys who aren’t clear starters is to take a wait-and-see approach before plugging them into lineups.

A couple of housekeeping notes for the players listed below – All players listed under the same header at the same position are listed in the order that I would play them this week. All usage rates (snap share, target rate, air yardage share, etc.) are from the MB Fantasy Life Utilization Tool from Dwain McFarland, and all references to fantasy points and points allowed rankings are based on half-PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Let’s get into week 1…

Rookies You Already Know You Should Start:

WR Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI (Wk. 1: @Buf.): You didn’t draft Marv in the 2^nd round to sit him on the bench in week 1. He’s an every-week starter until there’s a reason for him not to be. The matchup isn’t an easy one. The Bills did lose Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer from their secondary last year, but the starting outside corners this year (Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas) were top-10 corners in PPF coverage grade in 2023 and should keep this a competitive group. Harrison should still see a huge target share as the clear WR1 and should be started with confidence even in this tough matchup.  

WR Malik Nabers, NYG (Wk. 1: vs. Min.): Just like Harrison, you likely didn’t draft Nabers to sit him. He’s going to be the Giants’ clear-cut WR1. Unlike Harrison, he’s saddled with Daniel Jones throwing him the ball. He does face a Viking defense that allowed the 6^th-most WR points per game last season, but the Vikes also brought in two new faces to start at corner – Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin. Gilmore is two weeks shy of 34 years old, and Griffin was cut by a playoff contender mid-season last year. It’s not a matchup to fear, and Nabers should see plenty of one-on-one opportunities against a Brian Flores defense that blitzed on a whopping 51.5% of opponent plays last year. Nabers should feast if Jones can stay upright long enough and be on target enough to find him.  Those are big ifs, but volume alone should make Nabers should be a solid WR2 option in week 1.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Towards Starting:

QB Jayden Daniels, WAS (Wk. 1: @TB): The simple explanation here with Daniels is that rushing production is valuable in fantasy football. Daniels is likely to run a lot, and basically every running QB who faced the Bucs last year found the end zone on the ground (Josh Allen, Desmond Ridder x2, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, and Gardner Minshew all hit paydirt). The Bucs also boast a blitz-happy defense that leaves them vulnerable on the back end. They ranked 3^rd in the NFL in blitz rate in 2023, and as a result they allowed the 2^nd-most 20+ yard completions in the league and the 4^th-most passing yards. Daniels’ mobility will buy him time to exploit those coverage lapses when the Bucs bring the blitz. The weapons are dicey after Terry McLaurin, but I still think Daniels finds his way to a top-12 fantasy finish in his NFL debut in a matchup that seems to play to his strengths.

WR Xavier Worthy, KC (Wk. 1: vs. Bal.): This is more of a gut call than anything, but I have a feeling the Chiefs manage to get Worthy lose for a deep ball in the opener. Patrick Mahomes felt handcuffed last season by defenses that played 2-deep shell coverages and forced him to try and pick them apart underneath. He had his worst season as a passer, and in the offseason said, “We didn’t really play football the way we wanted to play all year long…It wasn’t fun.” The team went out this offseason and brought in a couple of burners in Worthy and Hollywood Brown who should be able to take the top off those 2-deep shells and make football fun for Mahomes once again. Hollywood Brown is ruled out this week, so Worthy should be on the field enough to have a floor that won’t kill you if he doesn’t hit a big play, but I think the Chiefs are eager to show off their speedy new weapon and put fear back into opposing defenses that they haven’t felt since Tyreek Hill left for Miami. Worthy is a boom-or-bust WR3 for me this week.

WR Brian Thomas Jr., JAX (Wk. 1: @Mia.): Thomas is a very tempting option this week for fantasy lineups, especially since Jalen Ramsey is trending towards missing this game for the Dolphins, but there’s a lot of boom-or-bust in Thomas’ game. He specialized in vertical downfield routes, and unlike Xavier Worthy, his low-volume deep threat teammate, Gabe Davis, is going to play this week. I still think Thomas is worth the risk this week as a fringe WR3 against a Miami defense that allowed the 11^th-most WR points per game last year. This recommendation is a bet that BTJ is better at earning targets than Gabe Davis. The volume in this offense is still going to funnel to Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, but Thomas could post a usable week on just a few catches if things go his way.

TE Brock Bowers, LV (Wk. 1: @LAC): Bowers battled a foot injury throughout camp but looks to be good to go for week 1. The limited camp reps aren’t a great sign for rookie entering his first pro game, but the Raiders still list Bowers as a starter on their official depth chart, and I think he’s quickly going to become one of Gardner Minshew’s favorite targets. Bowers spent 3 years on a powerhouse Georgia team, playing alongside WR teammates like Ladd McConkey, Jermaine Burton, and Adonai Mitchell. Bowers led the Bulldogs in receptions and receiving yards in all 3 seasons he was there. Once you get past the top 7 or 8 tight ends, most of the remaining options are touchdown or bust choices. Bowers is one of the few outside the top-8 with the skills to pile up targets and provide value without finding the end zone. He’s not going to supplant Davante Adams as the top passing game target, but he could move up to #2 quickly. I wouldn’t be afraid to roll with Bowers in week 1 if you don’t have one of those top TE options, especially in PPR formats.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Towards Sitting:

QB Caleb Williams, CHI (Wk. 1: vs. Ten.): If you’re stuck starting Caleb in a 1-QB league, he probably won’t hurt you this week, I just think there are enough proven QBs with good matchups this week that I wouldn’t consider Caleb a top-12 option. I do think Williams is the real deal, and that the Bears have found their franchise QB, and I’d be happy to start him in superflex formats in week 1, but when you stack up his matchup side-by-side with guys like Jayden Daniels, Jared Goff, and Tua, I just prefer those guys over Caleb for this week. Caleb could certainly prove me wrong – the Titans ranked 24^th in pass defense DVOA last season. If you’re deciding between Williams and another fringy QB1 option this week, trust your gut.

QB Bo Nix, DEN (Wk. 1: @Sea.): I wouldn’t consider Nix in 1-QB formats, but he’s certainly on the radar in superflex leagues after earning the starting nod for week 1. A year ago, this would’ve been a great spot to trust a player like Nix as your QB2. At Oregon Nix specialized in stressing defenses horizontally rather than vertically. It’s a skillset that meshes well with the offenses Sean Payton ran for Drew Brees at the end of his career and would’ve been great against a bad Seattle defense that ranked 28^th in pass defense DVOA in 2023. Unfortunately for Nix, the Seahawks went out and hired Mike McDonald as head coach in the offseason. McDonald is known for his complex coverage disguises that should be a nightmare for a rookie QB to diagnose. 4 different rookies started at QB against the Ravens in the last 2 seasons (Kenny Pickett, CJ Stroud, Desmond Ridder, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson). None of them reached 11 fantasy points in those starts. Turnovers could also be a concern for Nix as McDonald and new defensive coordinator Alan Durde both come from teams with defenses that excelled at taking the ball away. McDonald’s Ravens led the NFL in takeaways last season, and the Cowboys (with Durde as D-line coach) led the league in takeaways in 2021 and 2022.  I’d look elsewhere for a QB2 this week if you have options.

WR Rome Odunze, CHI (Wk. 1: vs. Ten.): Odunze could very well prove me wrong and post a strong debut game, but I think early in the season Rome’s target share is going to take a backseat to proven vets DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, similar to how Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a backseat to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett a season ago with this same offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron). You could argue that Keenan Allen’s excellence in the short area of the field is a better fit for the role JSN played last year than Odunze’s skill set, but for at least week 1 I’d rather defer to the veterans. I’d treat Odunze as a WR4 with upside this week.

WR Ladd McConkey, LAC (Wk. 1: vs. LV): McConkey opens the year as the Chargers starting slot receiver, but this Raiders/Chargers tilt is tied for the lowest Vegas point total of the week, and the Chargers’ new coaching staff loves to take the air out of the football and pound it on the ground when they can. The Raiders were in the top-10 in the league last year in zone coverage rate, so McConkey should have plenty of chances to find soft spots in coverage. He ranked 2^nd among this year’s rookie WR class in yards per route run vs zone coverage last year (per Roto Underworld), so it’s a matchup that favors him. I just don’t think there will be enough passing volume or enough downfield targets for McConkey to give you much more than a 5-50 kind of stat line. He’s a viable WR4 option in PPR formats, but I wouldn’t hope for much more than that in week 1.

WR Keon Coleman, BUF (Wk. 1: vs. Ari.): The Buffalo Bills pass catching pecking order remains a bit of a mystery as we enter week 1. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are out, and Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Mack Hollins are in alongside returnees Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid’s TE volume seems like it should be stable, but the WR room is a little more in flux. Coleman’s size and 1^st-round draft capital says he should emerge as the alpha WR of the group, but on the initial depth chart he’s been listed as 2^nd string behind Hollins. I still expect Coleman to be on the field a lot in week 1, but the fact that he may play less than a full complement of snaps has me erring on the side of not starting him this week, even in a good matchup with a bad Cardinals’ defense.

Rookies You Already Know You Should Sit:

QB Drake Maye, NE (Wk. 1: @Cin.): Unless you’ve been living under a rock throughout the preseason, you know that Jacoby Brissett is slated to start at QB for the Pats in week 1 despite Maye playing well in camp. With that said, Maye shouldn’t be floating around on the waiver wire in any superflex or 2-QB leagues. If he’s available in your league, or if the person who drafted him gets impatient and drops him early in the year while Brissett is starting, don’t be afraid to pick him up. He's at the top of a short list of backup QBs who can become a starter without an injury in front of them. The Pats’ offensive weapons are uninspiring, but Maye could provide enough value with his legs to make up for the lack of receiving weapons. He’s not a true Konami code QB, but he averaged 550 yards and 8 TDs per season on the ground in his two seasons as starter at UNC. He could be an every-week QB2 once he takes over the starting job.

RB Trey Benson, ARI (Wk. 1: @Buf.): Benson has all of the skills necessary to develop into an NFL lead back, but the Cardinals’ coaching staff has been adamant that James Conner is their workhorse entering the season. Conner played at least 63% of the offensive snaps in every single win and one-possession loss that he was active for last season and was over 70% in half of them. I’d assume Benson will play most of the snaps that Conner doesn’t, but a 30-35% snap share likely isn’t going to make him very productive when Conner is healthy. Buffalo was a middling run defense last year, so I wouldn’t count on a big day on limited touches for Trey. The good news for Benson is that Conner has played more than 13 games just once in the last 6 years, so he should see some spot starts along the way.

RB Blake Corum, LAR (Wk. 1: @Det.): Corum enters the season as the Rams’ RB2 behind Kyren Williams. Williams played over 80% of the offensive snaps in 7 of the 12 games he played in last year. I’d expect that to change this year with Corum around to take more of the workload off Kyren’s plate, but this isn’t going to be a 50-50 split early on. It’s still Kyren’s backfield. Corum might be able to work his way into 30-35% of the snaps early in the season, but this week the Rams face a Detroit defense that ranked 1^st in run defense DVOA last year, allowed the fewest RB fantasy points per game, and could have an improved front 7 after adding Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader in the offseason. It’s a terrible matchup to roll Corum out there when he’s playing limited snaps.

RB Tyrone Tracy, NYG (Wk. 1: vs. Min.): Tracy was a popular rookie sleeper pick early on in camp because he basically has just Devin Singletary in front of him on the depth chart, but as usual, Singletary managed to hold off his more highly touted competition and seems in line to enter the season as the clear RB1 for the Giants. Singletary has led his team’s backfield in touches in every single year of his career, beating out more highly touted players like Frank Gore, Zack Moss, James Cook, and Dameon Pierce along the way. Tracy may just be the next guy to add his name to that list. I’d expect Tracy to be playing somewhere in the range of 25-30% of the offensive snaps this week, which just isn’t enough to trust him in lineups.

RB Carson Steele, KC (Wek. 1: vs. Bal.): Steele is a fun story after coming out of nowhere to run over defenders in the preseason and bully his way into the Chiefs’ RB2 role, but Kansas City’s addition of Samaje Perine likely means Steele will be limited to a few snaps spelling Isiah Pacheco on early downs. The Ravens ranked 7^th in rtoefense DVOA last season, so I wouldn’t count on those few snaps amounting to much fantasy production in week 1.

RB Dylan Laube, LV (Wk. 1: @LAC): Laube is one of my favorite late dart throws in PPR formats this year. He plays for a Vegas team that has a Vegas win total of just 6.5 wins and should be trailing (and therefore throwing) often, and a starting QB in Gardner Minshew who has targeted running backs on 19.5% of his career passes. The Raiders’ starting RB Zamir White is a 2-down grinder who has 32 total receptions since the start of his college career. Laube’s primary competition for the 3^rd-down role is 31-year-old Ameer Abdullah, who has hit 40+ targets in a season just twice in his career. There’s a real chance Laube takes that 3^rd down role early in the year and runs with it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’s going to get the first crack at it this week. He’s currently listed as the team’s RB4 on the depth chart as the Raiders head into a matchup against a Chargers team that allowed the 3^rd-most receptions and 2^nd-most receiving yards per game to running backs last year. He would’ve had a great chance at a splashy debut if he already had the 3^rd down role.

RB Braelon Allen, NYJ (Wk. 1: @SF): Allen appears to have cemented himself as the RB2 for the Jets this season, but Breece Hall is going to see the vast majority of the opportunities, and this 49er defense allowed the 4^th-fewest RB points per game last season.

RB MarShawn Lloyd, GB (Wk. 1: @Phi.): Lloyd will likely serve as Josh Jacobs’ primary backup for much of the season, but a hamstring injury has limited his practice time in the last couple weeks and likely means Emanuel Wilson will serve as the team’s RB2 in the opener. If you drafted Lloyd, monitor his usage in this game, but I think he’ll be limited to just a few snaps. Both he and Wilson are listed as questionable this week, so it could be a heavy Josh Jacobs week.

WR Xavier Legette, CAR (Wk. 1: @NO): Leggett could play a meaningful role for the Panthers early in the season, but I think a wait-and-see approach is best for this offense. The WR depth chart after Diontae Johnson is a question mark, but I’d expect Adam Thielen to be on the field more often than not, so Leggett will probably be at best splitting snaps with Jonathan Mingo in week 1. The Panthers’ passing game was a mess last year and the Saints allowed the 9^th-fewest WR points per game in ‘23, so betting on a rookie who *might* be the WR3 in week 1 seems like a bad bet.

WR Jermaine Burton, CIN (Wk. 1: vs. NE): Burton was a popular sleeper pick after putting up gaudy numbers against 3^rd & 4^th stringers in the preseason, but recent reports from beat writers have dumped cold water on the excitement. The Athletic’s Paul Dehner speculated that the Bengals could treat this as a redshirt season for Burton and that he may be as low as 6^th on the WR depth chart to open the season. “The bottom line is he can’t be running the wrong route as often as occurred in practice and preseason games (even on plays he made),” Dehner wrote. “The Bengals won’t put him out there – or even make him active on gameday – until they feel comfortable he’s preparing in meetings, will be in the right spots and can be trusted by the quarterback.” Burton apparently has a long way to go to be relevant as a rookie.

WR Ja’Lynn Polk, NE (Wk. 1: @Cin.): Polk enters the season as the WR4 on the Patriots’ depth chart, behind Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas, and KJ Osborn. There’s nothing about that group that says Polk can jump into a starting role early in the year, but there likely won’t be enough production to go around early in the year with Jacoby Brissett at QB. Keep Polk benched until the Patriots show us they can put up stats in the passing game.

WR Roman Wilson, PIT (Wk. 1: vs. Atl.): Wilson was expected to be an important part of the Steelers’ offense after he was picked in the 3^rd round in April, but a sprained ankle suffered in camp took away valuable practice time. He’ll open the season as the WR4 behind both Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin. Arthur Smith’s low volume passing attack makes him a less-than-ideal stash option in redraft leagues.

WR Jacob Cowing, SF (Wk. 1: vs. NYJ): Cowing could’ve been staring at some early season opportunity between Brandon Aiyuk’s holdout and a horrible incident where teammate Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest, but Aiyuk is now re-signed, and that window might’ve slammed shut for now. The 49ers depth chart seems set with Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk, and 3^rd WR Jauan Jennings starting. If Aiyuk loses any week 1 snaps due to the rust of not practicing throughout camp, I’d expect those to go to veteran Chris Conley rather than Cowing. If Cowing doesn’t earn some playing time before Pearsall returns, I wouldn’t expect much from him all year.

TE Ben Sinnott, WAS (Wk. 1: @TB): Sinnott could take over as the starting tight end in Washington before long, but for week 1 he’s listed at 3^rd on the depth chart behind both Zach Ertz and John Bates. It shouldn’t take long to vanquish Bates, but with Ertz it just depends on how much juice the 33-year-old vet has left. I’d be taking a wait-and-see approach with Sinnott in week 1, even against a Tampa defense that allowed the 4^th-most TE points per game a year ago.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, CAR (Wk. 1: @NO): Sanders is likely the best tight end on the Panthers’ roster, but he opens the year as the TE3 behind Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas. He’ll earn a bigger role as the season progresses, but there’s no reason to put him in lineups yet.

Other notable rookies who open the year buried on the depth chart or hurt: QB Michael Penix Jr., ATL, RB Jonathan Brooks, CAR, RB Will Shipley, PHI, RB Kimani Vidal, LAC, RB Isaac Guerendo, SF, RB Blake Watson, DEN, RB Isaiah Davis, NYJ, WR Ricky Pearsall, SF, WR Brendan Rice, LAC, WR Javon Baker, NE, WR Malachi Corley, NYJ, WR Devontez Walker, BAL, WR Troy Franklin, DEN, TE Erick All, CIN, TE Cade Stover, HOU

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

RB Ray Davis, BUF (Wk. 1: vs. Ari.): Davis enters week 1 as the Bills’ RB2, but it’s an RB2 role that could come with some high-value touches. The Bills haven’t been keen on trusting the undersized James Cook in goal line situations – Cook carried the ball just 5 times last year from the opponent’s 5-yard line or closer. Backup Latavius Murray handled 12 such carries despite having only a third as many total rushing attempts as Cook. If Davis takes over that same Murray role, he’s going to have some touchdown upside in this game where the Bills have the highest Vegas implied point total of the week. The Cardinals ranked 30^th last season in run defense DVOA and allowed the 5^th-most rushing TDs in the league. There won’t be a ton of volume for Davis this week unless this game turns into a blowout, but there’s a real shot at finding paydirt.

RB Bucky Irving, TB (Wk. 1: vs. Was.): Irving isn’t getting much of a look in redraft leagues – he’s being drafted outside of the top 50 RBs – but he probably should be getting more love. The coaches have been raving about his work ethic in camp, and the established starter, Rachaad White, was one of the least efficient running backs in the NFL last year. White ranked 40^th out of 48 qualified backs in yards per attempt last season. He was much more effective as a receiver, but if Bucky can be effective on the ground he could replace White as the 1A back in this committee. Coach Todd Bowles said the running back rotation is going to be handled week-to-week based on who has the hot hand. It’s open to interpretation if he meant the rotation behind White, or if he’s including White in that statement. Given how ineffective White was on the ground last year, I think there’s a real opportunity for Bucky to lead the Bucs in rushing this season. He shouldn’t be sitting on waiver wires in 12-team leagues.

RB Jaylen Wright, MIA (Wk. 1: vs. Jax.): The Dolphins had two of the best running backs in fantasy last season in Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. The pair also both have extensive injury histories and Wright is an explosive runner. The Dolphins love speed, and Wright fits the bill, running a 4.38 forty-yard dash. He’s exactly the kind of back that can put up efficient production in the Dolphins’ offense if he gets the opportunity. Now he just needs the opportunity. I don’t expect it to come in week 1, but he should be stashed in most formats.

WR Jalen McMillan, TB (Wk. 1: vs. Was.): McMillan has won the starting WR3 job for the Bucs in camp and gets rewarded with a week 1 matchup against arguably the worst CB group in the NFL. Rookie Mike Sainristil looks like he’ll start at nickel and could be an upgrade to the group, but the Bucs plan on playing Chris Godwin as their primary slot receiver. That means McMillan will be squaring off with Benjamin St. Juste or Emmanuel Forbes most of the time, and both players ranked outside the top-90 cornerbacks in the NFL in PFF coverage grade last year. The Commanders ranked dead last in pass defense DVOA and allowed the 2^nd-most WR points per game in 2023. McMillan will still be at best 3^rd in line for passing targets behind Mike Evans and Godwin, but this is a matchup where that could lead to a top-40 finish at the position.

WR Adonai Mitchell, IND (Wk. 1: vs. Hou.): All signs are pointing to Josh Downs missing week 1 against the Texans, and that means Adonai Mitchell is likely to be a full-time player in the opener. Mitchell was a mercurial prospect at Texas, sometimes looking like the best player on the field (even better than 1^st round pick Xavier Worthy), and other times looking disinterested. If Mitchell can be the best version of himself more consistently, he could be a star in the NFL. Michael Pittman has established himself as the Colts’ WR1, but Pittman has thrived on shorter passes and has never ranked in the top-70 WRs in average target depth according to Roto Underworld. There’s a legitimate chance that Mitchell is better suited for the true alpha role than Pittman – he just needs to step up and take it from him. There’s a ton of risk of a bad game here – high passing volume is never a certainty with A-Rich starting at QB, and Pittman is the more proven target - but if Downs doesn’t play, a boom week for Mitchell could make him a top-24 finisher for the week. The Texans have beefed up their defense this offseason, but they ranked just 23^rd in pass defense DVOA a year ago.

WR Luke McCaffrey, WAS (Wk. 1: @TB): It remains to be seen what McCaffrey’s week 1 role is going to look like, but the Commanders’ week 1 depth chart manages to list him as both first string and second string at the same time. At this point it appears that all of McCaffrey, Olamide Zacchaeus, and Dyami Brown will play some snaps alongside Terry McLaurin, but it’s anyone’s guess how those snaps will be divided. With Kliff Kingsbury as OC, we could see a lot of 3- and 4-wide sets and higher passing volume than you might expect with a mobile rookie QB. McCaffrey should be the guy running the higher percentage short routes out of this WR group, which could open the door for him to have some sneaky PPR upside in this one. I wouldn’t expect a high ceiling but wouldn’t be shocked if he posted double-digit PPR points.

TE Theo Johnson, NYG (Wk. 1: vs. Min.): Johnson is listed as the TE2 on the Giants’ week 1 depth chart, but reports throughout camp were that he was the best tight end on the team. He’s a physical freak – he stands 6’6”, weighs 259 pounds, and ran a 4.57 forty-yard dash. He’s exactly the kind of athlete you’re looking for when targeting sleeper tight ends. He’s no more than a touchdown dart throw in week 1, but he’s a guy with a lot of upside if you’re weak at tight end and looking for someone to stash.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you sort through your lineup decisions and find your way to a win this weekend. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@Shawn_Foss) if you have any questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, and always make sure to apply what’s written in the context of your own league rules and roster. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week if you have any guys who are questionable and do a final pre-game check to make sure you don’t start any inactive players. As always: Good luck, trust your gut and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! As usual, the opening week of the season was full of surprises and disappointments. It was a bad week to be a star tight end (the top 6 tight ends by ADP all failed to score more than 8 PPR points), it was a bad week to be a rookie running back (only two rookie backs played 10+ snaps), it was a bad week to be Marvin Harrison Jr. (1 catch for 4 yards), but it was a good week to be a kicker attempting long field goals (kickers league-wide made 21 out of 23 attempts from 50+ yards).

It was also a good week to be Xavier Worthy, Brian Thomas Jr., Jayden Daniels, Jalen McMillan, or Ladd McConkey, who all found the end zone. My biggest piece of advice after week 1 is to not overreact to surprising fantasy point totals. Focus on the player’s usage rather than how many points they scored because touchdowns can be fluky. A player like Alec Pierce isn’t going to score 2 long touchdowns every week on just 3 targets, so we shouldn’t overreact to his point total. Quality volume is the name of the game, and that’s the lens I’ll be using as we get into what to expect in week 2.

A couple of housekeeping notes for the players listed below – All players listed under the same header at the same position are listed in the order that I would play them this week. All usage rates (snap share, target rate, air yardage share, etc.) are from the MB Fantasy Life Utilization Tool from Dwain McFarland, and all references to fantasy points and points allowed rankings are based on half-PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Let’s dive into week 2…

Rookies You Already Know You Should Start:

QB Jayden Daniels, WAS (Wk. 2: vs NYG): Daniels’ passing performance was less than exciting if you started any of his pass catchers in week 1, but his usage was excellent if you started the rookie QB. He racked up 88 yards on 16 carries, including 8 designed rushing attempts, and found the end zone twice on the ground. Ladies & gentlemen, that’s over 20 fantasy points before you count any passing stats. Of course, he’s not going to run for 2 TDs every week, but his rushing production is going to give him a floor that puts him in the top-12 QBs more weeks than not. He should be treated as a QB1 every week, and especially this week against a bad Giants team that ranked 27^th in FTN’s pass defense DVOA a season ago.

WR Malik Nabers, NYG (Wk. 2: @ Was.): One week into their NFL careers, Nabers is off to the best start of the big 3 WRs in the 2024 draft class. Rome Odunze and Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t set a high bar for him to clear after combining for just 15 yards last Sunday, but Nabers cleared it with ease, finishing with 5 catches for 66 yards on 7 targets, good for PPR WR32 for the week. He ran an absurd 50 routes, 10 more routes than any of his teammates, and although Wan’Dale Robinson led the team in targets, Nabers is the clear alpha WR1 on this team. An interesting tidbit about Nabers’ debut: He ran 7 routes on plays where he went in motion pre-snap and was targeted on 6 of those plays. He had just 1 target on the other 43 routes run. I’m sure it’s something the Giants are aware of and will look to do more of in week 2. The biggest plus for Nabers this week is that he gets to face off with arguably the worst pass defense in the NFL. Washington allowed the most WR points per game and ranked 31^st in pass defense DVOA a year ago, and in week 1 this year they allowed the 2^nd-most WR points and ranked dead last in pass defense DVOA. This is a game where Nabers’ floor could be higher than his final line from last week. He did pop up on the injury report mid-week with a knee issue, so have a backup plan ready, but if Nabers is good to go, start him with confidence.

WR Marvin Harrison, Jr., ARI (Wk. 2: vs. LAR): Week 1 for Harrison could only be labeled a massive disappointment. He earned just 3 targets in his debut despite leading the team with a 95% route participation rate, and he finished with just 1 catch for 4 yards. When asked about Marv’s lack of involvement, QB Kyler Murray said he trusts in OC Drew Petzing, and that it isn’t his job to force the ball to Harrison. That tells me that Harrison probably wasn’t the first read in many of the plays that Petzing called. I’d expect that to change a bit this week. The Cardinals didn’t draft Harrison where they did to not use him. Speaking of where Marv was drafted, you didn’t draft Harrison in the 2^nd round of your fantasy drafts to sit him on the bench. I know week 1 was painful, but I’d advise rolling with him again this week against a Rams’ defense that allowed the 7^th-most WR points in week 1. I understand if you’re not willing to do that, but the targets are going to come.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Toward Starting:

WR Xavier Worthy, KC (Wk. 2: vs. Cin.): Worthy made a splashy debut last Thursday, finding the end zone twice and piling up 68 scrimmage yards on just 3 touches. The resulting top-10 finish for the week was great, but the underlying usage is what we were afraid of. Worthy’s long speed is going to be valuable to the Chiefs in opening up underneath routes for Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, but it probably won’t result in a ton of targets for the rookie himself, so he’ll need to keep making splash plays to help your fantasy team. I think he will keep it up for week 2 at least. The Bengals allowed the 2^nd-most completions of 20+ yards in the NFL last season, and corner Cam Taylor-Britt may have poked the bear this week when asked about Worthy, saying “He can run straight…He can’t do much else, so that’s about it.” That’s the kind of bulletin board material that often backfires on the person providing it. I like Worthy’s chances of making Taylor-Britt eat his words this week and hitting the boom side of his boom-or-bust profile.

WR Keon Coleman, BUF (Wk. 2: @ Mia.): We entered week 1 not really knowing what to expect from the Buffalo receiver rotation, but coming out of week 1, it looks like Keon Coleman is the WR1. Coleman led the team with a 90% route participation rate (no other WR was above 70%), and he had a team-high 5 targets that he turned into 4 catches for 51 yards. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but week 2 could see a better performance against a Miami defense that allowed the 11^th-most WR points per game last year and struggles against Josh Allen. Since the start of the 2022 season, Josh Allen has played 40 games against teams that are not the Miami Dolphins (playoffs included). In those games, he’s thrown for 300+ yards 10 times, and 350+ yards twice. In that same time frame, he’s played the Dolphins 5 times. He’s topped 300 yards against them in all 5 and put up 350+ yards in 3 of them. I don’t necessarily expect quite that many passing yards this year with a whole new WR group, but this feels like a week where the passing game could boom, and Coleman could be a big beneficiary of that. I’d treat him as an upside WR3.

TE Brock Bowers, LV (Wk. 2: @ Bal.): At first glance, Bowers’ final stat line of 6-58-0 doesn’t jump off the page at you, but with so many of the top tight ends underperforming in week 1, it was good for a top-5 finish for the week, and the underlying usage was phenomenal. Bowers was in a route on 78% of the team passing dropbacks, and he earned a team-high 7 targets against the Chargers. I mentioned last week that Bowers led Georgia in receiving every year he was there, and it looks like he’ll waste no time pushing for a similar role in the NFL. I don’t expect him to overtake Davante Adams and lead the team in targets, but he should be #2. The defensive matchup this week is a tough one. The Ravens ranked 1^st in pass defense DVOA last season and allowed the 9^th-fewest TE points per game. They had a hard time slowing Patrick Mahomes in week 1 but should fare better against Gardner Minshew. Even in this tough matchup though, I think Bowers is a top-10 TE play this week.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Toward Sitting:

QB Caleb Williams, CHI (Wk. 2: @ Hou.): Caleb’s debut performance did not go according to plan. He missed some throws he should make; his vaunted receiving weapons didn’t help him out very much, he finished with a pathetic 3.2 yards per attempt, and to make matters worse, he lost Rome Odunze to injury in the process. The Bears’ defense managed to bail Williams out and help the team to a win, but Caleb needs to play better. I expect improvement this week against a Houston defense that allowed the 11^th-most QB points per game last season and had the 6^th-lowest pressure rate in the league last week, but without Odunze I have a hard time viewing Caleb as more than a lower-end QB2 in this one. On the plus side, there should be passing volume with the Bears nearly a touchdown underdog.

QB Bo Nix, DEN (Wk. 2: vs. Pit.): Until a couple of 4^th quarter drives last Sunday, Nix was having an even worse week than Caleb. As I expected, he struggled with Mike McDonald’s complex coverage disguises and threw two costly interceptions. Bo managed to put together a solid TD drive in the final minutes to make the final score look close and finish as the QB16 for the week, but he had just 3.3 fantasy points entering that final drive. There are things to like here – Bo showed that he can provide rushing production even though the Broncos aren’t calling designed runs for him (5-35-1 on the ground on 5 scrambles), and Sean Payton was willing to let him drop back and throw more than 40 times in his first game. Unfortunately, his matchup isn’t any easier this week. The Steelers dominated Kirk Cousins in week 1, generating the 8^th-highest pressure rate in the league and holding Cousins to the 5^th-lowest QB score of the week. If Nix doesn’t find the end zone with his legs again, he’ll have a hard time matching his week 1 output. I’d treat Nix as a fringe QB2 this week.

RB Bucky Irving, TB (Wk. 2: @ Det.): Irving was the most impressive of the rookie backs last week, putting up 76 scrimmage yards on 11 touches while most other rookie backs didn’t play even 10 snaps. 8 of those 11 touches occurred in the second half while the Bucs were up by multiple scores. I wouldn’t count on that happening again this week against Detroit, where the Bucs are a touchdown underdog. Starter Rachaad White has been wildly inefficient as a runner (3.6 ypc last season, 2.1 ypc in week 1), leading to speculation that Irving may eventually steal some of his workload, but the Bucs love what White provides in the passing game. Rachaad was 2^nd on the team in the opener with 6 catches and 75 receiving yards. I don’t expect a drastic shift in rushing workload in week 2, and the Lions are a stout run defense anyway. They ranked first in run defense DVOA a year ago and allowed the fewest RB fantasy points per game, and they limited the Rams’ backfield to the 7^th-fewest fantasy points in week 1. Don’t expect a repeat of week 1 for Bucky in this matchup. It’ll be a win if he breaks 30 scrimmage yards.

WR Ladd McConkey, LAC (Wk. 2: @ Car.): McConkey’s usage looked pretty much how we expected it to in week 1. He was 3^rd among Chargers’ WRs in route participation rate, playing mostly in the slot, but he was their most-targeted pass catcher, putting up 5-39-1 on 7 targets. The problem for McConkey is his 5.3-yard aDOT. With that kind of usage in the short part of the field, he’s going to either need volume or a touchdown to turn in a quality fantasy day, and I’m just not convinced they’ll need to throw much to beat the Panthers. The Chargers want to run the ball as much as they can, and the Panthers are going to have a hard time giving them compelling reasons to throw it. If you trust the Panthers to keep this game competitive, McConkey is a reasonable WR3 option. If you expect a blowout, you’re praying for a touchdown if you start him.

WR Brian Thomas, Jr., JAX (Wk. 2: vs. Cle.): Thomas finished his debut as a top-20 PPR WR, but I’m not counting on a repeat performance in week 2. Thomas’ fantasy day was buoyed by a touchdown catch, but my concern for the Jaguars’ pass catchers is that the team seems to be more run-heavy this year than in previous years. They ran 50 offensive plays in week 1, and 26 of them were rushing plays, including 12 for Tank Bigsby. That run-heavy approach could’ve been matchup related – the Jaguars were up by 2 scores early in the game, and running the ball limits how many possessions the explosive Dolphins’ offense gets – but it’s still a little troubling. T-Law didn’t throw fewer than 29 pass attempts in any game last season, so 21 in the opener isn’t a great sign. Thomas’ 4 targets last Sunday actually tied for the team lead. The Browns were an elite pass defense last year, so I tend to trust that they’re better than they looked in week 1 against Dallas. I’d err on the side of sitting Thomas this week in a bad matchup so we can get a better idea of whether the Jags’ low passing volume is a trend or just a week 1 fluke.

WR Adonai Mitchell, IND (Wk. 2: @ GB): I’m not sure any single player left more fantasy points on the field in week 1 than Mitchell. The rookie pulled in just 1 catch for 2 yards on 5 targets in the opener, but he and Anthony Richardson just missed connecting on deep targets that could’ve gone for TDs not once, not twice, but thrice. It’s a great sign that Richardson likes to push the ball down the field, but it’s not a great sign that Richardson has had more success doing it when he’s throwing to Alec Pierce rather than Mitchell. Josh Downs returned to practice Wednesday, and if he’s active this week, Mitchell will likely be relegated to competing for WR3 snaps with Pierce. Given how Pierce performed in week 1, I’m not sure Mitchell would get any more than a 50/50 split, if he even gets that. Green Bay isn’t a great pass defense, ranking 26^th in pass defense DVOA a year ago, but they didn’t let opponents take the top off. The Packers allowed just 3 completions of 40+ yards all season. If Downs plays, I’d keep Mitchell parked on the bench. If Downs sits, Mitchell becomes a volatile WR4 option.

WR Jalen McMillan, TB (Wk. 2: @ Det.): McMillan pulled in just 1 of his 3 targets last week, but he made it count, securing a 32-yard touchdown to start the 4^th quarter. His other two targets both also looked like they might go for touchdowns if Jalen had managed to haul them in, so he narrowly missed out on a massive day. It was promising to see he’ll be used as a full-time receiver in this offense (he was in a route on 88% of the team passing dropbacks), but 3 targets on 30 routes and a high aDOT screams boom-or-bust. He’ll be a low-volume WR3 behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and while that resulted in a nice TD catch in week one against arguably the worst secondary in the NFL, it’s not guaranteed to happen again in Detroit. The Lions allowed a league-high 69 completions of 20+ yards last season, but they also went out and signed Carlton Davis and drafted Terrion Arnold to improve their starting CB spots. Cooper Kupp still had a field day against them last week, but they’re certainly better than the Commanders. McMillan is a boom-or-bust WR4 option in Detroit on Sunday.

WR Xavier Legette, CAR (Wk. 2: vs. LAC): Legette’s usage in week 1 was promising. His 59% route participation was lower than you’d like for a fantasy starter, but he led the team in catches and targets, and saw an impressive 37% share of the air yards for the week. All of that usage only led to 7.5 PPR points though, and the Chargers look like a much-improved defense in 2024 under Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter. The Chargers ranked 27^th in pass defense DVOA a season ago, and ranked 8^th in week 1. Of course, that could be because they faced Gardner Minshew, but I’m not sure Bryce Young is a tougher QB to defend at this point. Legette is probably in line for similar usage this week, which makes him a WR4/5 option.

WR Luke McCaffrey, WAS (Wk. 2: vs. NYG): McCaffrey was 2^nd on the Commanders behind Terry McLaurin in week 1 with a 71% route participation rate, but his upside is capped by Jayden Daniels’ unwillingness to push the ball down the field (could be a scheme issue rather than QB issue), and his penchant for scrambling. Daniels dropped back 34 times in week 1, and attempted just 24 passes, and the 3 passes that went in McCaffrey’s direction totaled negative-2 air yards. He finished with 3 catches for 18 yards on those targets. McCaffrey gets a favorable matchup this week against a Giants’ defense that allowed the 5^th-most WR points per game last year, but the Washington passing game is a work in progress, and I don’t expect a breakout game for the rookie this week.

Rookies You Already Know You Should Sit:

RB Tyrone Tracy, NYG (Wk. 2: @ Was.): Tracy was one of just two rookie running backs to play 10+ snaps in week 1, but his 14 snaps amounted to just 3 touches and 7 yards. The Giants get a much better matchup this week against a bad Commanders’ defense, but I wouldn’t have enough trust in Tracy to plug him into lineups.

RB Ray Davis, BUF (Wk. 2: @ Mia.): There was a lot of excitement about Davis potentially playing the ‘Latavius Murray role’ in the offense behind James Cook, where he would see goal line opportunities in addition to change-of-pace work. Instead, he played just 6 snaps and served as the 3^rd-string running back behind both Cook and Ty Johnson, and the only Bill to handle a rushing attempt inside the 5-yard line was Cook. Davis still has some work to do before you can plug him into the lineup.

RB Trey Benson, ARI (Wk. 2: vs. LAR): Like Ray Davis above, Benson opened the season one spot lower on the depth chart than we were hoping for, handling RB3 duties behind workhorse James Conner and Emari Demercado. Demercado played more in passing situations, while Benson spelled Conner on early downs. Even if he had all the backup work behind Conner, he likely still wouldn’t be getting enough work to be a viable fantasy starter. Demercado and Benson combined for just 6 touches in week 1.

RB Carson Steele, KC (Wk. 2: vs. Cin.): Steele’s role in week 1 played out pretty much as I expected it to. He was merely an early down change of pace back when Isiah Pacheco needed a breather. The rookie played just 4 snaps and handled 2 rushing attempts while Samaje Perine played 8 snaps in passing situations. A couple carries isn’t enough for fantasy relevance, even against a mediocre Bengals run defense (they ranked 28^th in run defense DVOA a season ago).

RB Isaac Guerendo, SF (Wk. 2: @ Min.): Guerendo served as the RB2 for the 49ers when Christian McCaffrey was a surprise inactive on Monday night, but it’s not a role that makes him fantasy relevant, even if CMC misses another game or two. Jordan Mason was fantastic as the fill-in RB1 last week, piling up 147 yards and a TD, and his change-of-pace back was Deebo Samuel. Whenever CMC is out, the 49ers lean more heavily on Deebo out of the backfield. Samuel carried the ball 8 times on Monday night while Guerendo was limited to just 3 snaps.

RB Blake Corum, LAR (Wk. 2: @ Ari.): Corum’s time will come. He’ll eventually work his way into the RB2 role behind Kyren Williams, but for now he’s running behind Ronnie Rivers as well. Corum didn’t play a single snap in week 1 and will be limited to kick return duties for the time being. Don’t get impatient if you drafted Corum but know that he probably won’t play a very meaningful role in these first few weeks.

RB Braelon Allen, NYJ (Wk. 2: @ Ten.): Allen logged 8 snaps in week 1, but many of those came late in the game after the Jets had fallen behind and pulled Aaron Rodgers from the game. This backfield wholly belongs to Breece Hall, and Allen is just hoping for scraps. The Titans are a tough matchup for running backs even when they do get opportunities. I don’t expect Allen to get many of them.

RB Marshawn Lloyd, GB (Wk. 2: vs. Ind.): Lloyd was inactive in week 1 with a hamstring injury, and there’s a good chance that even if he’s good to play this week, he may serve as the RB3 behind Josh Jacobs and Emmanuel Wilson. This Colts’ defense got dismantled by Joe Mixon in week 1, and Jordan Love is out with injury, so the Packers will likely lean on the ground game. If all 3 Packer backs are active, I wouldn’t expect more than a handful of touches for Lloyd. Josh Jacobs did pop up with an injury as well this week, but it doesn’t sound serious. I’d expect him to be in line for his usual workload.

RBs Audric Estime & Blake Watson, DEN (Wk. 2: vs. Pit.): I was going to talk about Estime playing just 3 snaps in the opener, but if you missed the news, he was placed on IR on Wednesday and will miss at least the next 4 games. That means Blake Watson will step up into the RB3 role going forward, but I don’t expect him to find substantial playing time. Jaleel McLaughlin was terribly inefficient in week 1, tallying just 28 total yards on 15 touches, but he was hardly the only inefficient Bronco in the opener. I wouldn’t expect a drastic change in playing time in the backfield for week 2. Watson could be worth a stash in deep PPR leagues though in case that inefficiency continues.

WR Ja’Lynn Polk, NE (Wk. 2: vs. Sea.): Polk didn’t start in week 1, but he played essentially a starter’s share of the snaps. He was in a route on 62% of the team’s passing dropbacks, but that led to just 1 target that he caught for 6 yards. The New England passing offense is going to be conservative as long as Jacoby Brissett is under center, and the Seahawks’ defense looked stellar in week 1 – they ranked 2^nd in pass defense DVOA for the week. I wouldn’t count on Polk breaking through this week.

WR Roman Wilson, PIT (Wk. 2: @ Den.): It’s still unclear whether Wilson will make his NFL debut this week (he’s getting in limited practices as of Wednesday), but he’d be a lackluster fantasy option even if we knew he was being inserted right into the starting lineup. With Justin Fields at QB, the Steelers attempted just 23 passes in week 1, and half of the targets went to George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. Wilson would be splitting the other half with the running backs, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, and the backup tight ends (we all know how Arthur Smith likes his backup tight ends). Wait until we see what Roman’s usage looks like before starting him.

WR Jordan Whittington, LAR (Wk. 2: @ Ari.): The Rams’ WR room took a big hit in week one when Puka Nacua suffered an injury that will land him on IR and sideline him for at least 4 weeks. Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson figure to be the biggest beneficiaries of the available playing time, but Whittington could see a bump as well. He technically only played 2 offensive snaps in the opener, but he did have a goal-line TD run get called back due to penalty. One goal-line rushing attempt isn’t enough reason to start him this week, but you could see his role grow during Puka’s absence. Whittington put up gaudy numbers during the preseason when the 1^st and 2^nd stringers were sitting and impressed the coaches.

WR Rome Odunze, CHI (Wk. 2: @ Hou.): If you missed the news, Odunze sprained his MCL last weekend and is considered week-to-week. He’s almost certain to miss this week’s tilt with the Texans.

WR Malachi Corley, NYJ (Wk. 2: @ Ten.): Corley didn’t run a single route in week 1, and there’s not much reason to expect a drastic change in week 2. If anything, the competition for playing time will get tougher after a strong opener by Allen Lazard and with Mike Williams getting healthier. There’s no reason to fire up Corley.

WR Jermaine Burton, CIN (Wk. 2: @ KC): The Bengals were without Tee Higgins in week 1 and Burton still didn’t come close to cracking the WR rotation. He played behind all of Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, and Charlie Jones, and ran just 1 route in week 1. Tee Higgins looks to be on the wrong side of questionable again this week, but Burton likely isn’t going to pick up much playing time as a result.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, CAR (Wk. 2: vs. LAC): Sanders was on the field a lot in week 1, running a route on 69% of the Panthers’ passing dropbacks, but he was targeted just once, and he was 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage on that target. Even though he’s playing starter’s snaps, this is a broken passing game where he’s an afterthought in the target pecking order for now.

TE Ben Sinnott, WAS (Wk. 2: vs. NYG): If Sinnott is going to play a major role in the Commanders offense this season, it’s going to happen later in the season than we’d like. He played behind both Zach Ertz and John Bates in week 1, running just 3 target-less routes. There’s upside here, especially with the Commanders’ scheme focusing on short passes for Jayden Daniels, but you’re going to have to be patient and wait for his playing time to come up.

Deep League Sleepers and Stashes:

RB Jaylen Wright, MIA (Wk. 2: vs. Buf.): Wright was a healthy scratch in week 1, but that almost certainly won’t be the case in week 2 with Raheem Mostert already ruled out for Thursday night’s game and De’Von Achane questionable as well. Jeff Wilson Jr. served as the RB3 in the opener, and he has more experience in this offense, but Wright’s big-play ability makes him the more enticing fantasy option. We know the Dolphins love game-breaking speed, and Wright has plenty of it. If Achane plays, look for Wright to only log a handful of touches, but there’s a chance he could break any one of them for a big play. If Achane sits, I’d expect Wilson to get the start, but would expect Mike McDaniel to be willing the ride the hot hand if Wright gets it going. If Achane sits, I’d see Wright as an upside RB3 option this week.

Update: De’Von Achane is active for Thursday night

WR Devaughn Vele, DEN (Wk. 2: vs. Pit.): The Broncos passing game was an ugly slog of short passes, but a lot of those short passes found their way to Vele, and he did a great job of hauling in the targets that came his way. The rookie had 8 targets with just a 2-yard average target depth, but he did catch all 8 passes for 39 yards and finish the week as a top-30 PPR WR. It’s clear Bo Nix and Sean Payton like Vele, and Denver’s pass-heavy approach should make him a viable PPR WR3 in a lot of weeks.  The Steelers do boast a strong pass defense, so I wouldn’t be too aggressive about getting Vele into the lineup this week, but he should probably be rostered in most 12-team PPR leagues.

TE Theo Johnson, NYG (Wk. 2: @ Was.): Johnson’s week 1 usage was a big surprise after the Giants’ listed Daniel Bellinger as their starting tight end on their final depth chart. Johnson was in a route on 76% of the team’s dropbacks while Bellinger was in a route on just 16%. Johnson is the starting tight end. This week isn’t a great matchup to plug Johnson in – the Commanders get shredded by wide receivers but allowed the 10^th-fewest TE points per game a year ago – but he shouldn’t be sitting on waivers in deeper leagues, especially 2-TE or TE premium leagues. Johnson is an impressive athlete and had an 18% air yardage share in week 1 on his 4 targets. You’d prefer he had a better QB throwing him the ball, but there are some spike weeks in Johnson’s future with his physical traits and playing time.

TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, DAL (Wk. 2: vs. NO): Spann-Ford is really only a name you need to be familiar with in the deepest of TE-premium leagues. Cowboys’ starter Jake Ferguson suffered a sprained MCL late in Dallas’ opening win against the Browns, and it was the UDFA rookie Spann-Ford that was 2^nd on the team in tight end routes run, and not 2023 2^nd-round pick Luke Schoonmaker. Both will likely factor in while Ferguson is sidelined (a sprained MCL should keep him out for a few weeks), but if I had to pick one to target, I’d rather add Schoonmaker than Spann-Ford. It's likely the rookie saw extended snaps in the opener due to the lopsided score. Schoonmaker is a better athlete, has more sure hands (PFF credited Brevyn with 9 drops in 2023 despite catching just 25 passes), and more pro experience. I’d treat Schoonmaker as a streaming TE2 option and Spann-Ford as a stash to watch this week if you need immediate TE help in deep leagues.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you sort through your lineup decisions and find your way to a win this weekend. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@Shawn_Foss) if you have any questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, and always make sure to apply what’s written in the context of your own league rules and roster. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week if you have any guys who are questionable and do a final pre-game check to make sure you don’t start any inactive players. As always: Good luck, trust your gut and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! It’s been an eventful first two weeks. If your fantasy squad hasn’t been bitten by the injury bug yet, count yourself lucky. The list of fantasy starters who have missed and will miss time is lengthy – Tua Tagovailoa, Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker, Joe Mixon, AJ Brown, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, Evan Engram, Jake Ferguson – for some teams it’s been a bloodbath, but injuries to proven fantasy studs usually means rookies you wouldn’t have dared to start before are now in consideration. I’m here to help you parse through the rookies if any of them are on your radar as injury fill-ins.

Week 2 saw breakout games for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers continuing to rack up targets for Las Vegas, Braelon Allen finding the end zone twice, and Caleb Williams and Bo Nix taking baby steps forward. There’s a lot more in store for week 3, so let’s not waste any more time recapping what you already know.

A couple of housekeeping notes for the players listed below – All players listed under the same header at the same position are listed in the order that I would play them this week. All usage rates (snap share, target rate, air yardage share, etc.) are from the MB Fantasy Life Utilization Tool from Dwain McFarland, and all references to fantasy points and points allowed rankings are based on half-PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Let’s tackle week 3…

Rookies You Already Know You Should Start:

QB Jayden Daniels, WAS (Wk. 3: @Cin.): Daniels has yet to find the end zone through the air this season, and it hurt his fantasy output last week when he finished as just the QB18, but what we’ve seen across the NFL has me even more convinced that Daniels should be treated as a weekly top-12 QB. Passing production is down league-wide, Daniels’ rushing production gives him a nice floor each week, and he’s executing well within what he’s being asked to do in this offense. Through 2 weeks, the rookie has completed 75.5% of his passes and hasn’t turned the ball over. If he keeps doing that, we’re going to see better passing days in the future. This week he faces a Cincinnati defense that has allowed just 136 passing yards per game, but they also rank just 15^th in FTN’s pass defense DVOA stat and have given up 32 and 29 rushing yards to Jacoby Brissett and Patrick Mahomes, respectively. If those guys are running for 30-ish yards, Daniels has a decent chance to break 60 on the ground. You’re not going to find many QBs with more upside than Daniels offers on a week-to-week basis.

WR Marvin Harrison, Jr., ARI (Wk. 3: vs. Det.): I hope all of you Marvin Harrison Jr. drafters out there didn’t panic and bench the rookie after his week 1 dud, because week 2 was sensational. Harrison put up over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns in just the 1^st quarter against the Rams last Sunday en route to an overall WR1 finish for the week, and it should be just the beginning of a fantastic career. He gets a favorable matchup in week 3 against a Detroit defense that has given up a 20-point WR fantasy game in each of the last two weeks. I wouldn’t count on quite the same kind of blowup game this week, but Harrison should have a WR2 floor against a young Detroit secondary that’s still finding it’s way.

WR Malik Nabers, NYG (Wk. 3: @Cle.): Nabers wasn’t quite as explosive as Marv in week 2, but he wasn’t far behind, finishing the week as the WR3 after putting up 10-127-1 on an absurd 18 targets (a 67% target share!!). After facing the Commanders’ barely there secondary, he’s going to find the sledding to be much tougher against the Browns in week 3. You still can’t sit him given the kind of volume he’s seeing, but I’d expect this week’s performance to be closer to his week 1 output than his week 2 output. Cleveland ranked 2^nd in pass defense DVOA last season and allowed the 4^th-fewest WR points per game. They’ve been a little worse than that through 2 weeks this year (10^th in DVOA, 15^th-most WR points allowed), but Daniel Jones isn’t on the same level as the two QBs the Browns have faced this year (Dak & Trevor Lawrence). Nabers should be treated like a solid WR3 this week with upside for more.

TE Brock Bowers, LV (Wk. 3: vs. Car.): It’s taken just two weeks into his rookie season for Bowers to reach auto-start status. The guys we expected to be the studs of the position – Kelce, Andrews, LaPorta, Kincaid – have all underwhelmed through two weeks. Meanwhile, Bowers has been a focal point of the Raiders’ offense, racking up 16 targets so far in an offense that should continue to lean pass-heavy. This week he gets to face a Carolina defense that coughed up TDs to Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson in week 1 and should continue to struggle on the defensive side of the ball even if Andy Dalton improves their offense. Bowers has posted back-to-back top-5 finishes to start his career, and should be treated as a safe bet to finish highly again this week.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Toward Starting:

QB Caleb Williams, CHI (Wk. 3: @Ind.): This is only applicable to superflex leagues, but I like Caleb Williams to post his best game as a pro this week against a terrible Colts’ defense that is without their best pass rusher (DeForest Buckner). If you’ve been looking at box scores, you know the Colts have coughed up over 150 rushing yards to both Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs this year, but did you know they also rank just 29^th in pass defense DVOA for the season? This is a defense that can be beat in multiple ways, and I don’t expect the Bears’ RBs who have totaled just 85 rushing yards in 2 games to duplicate the rushing efforts we saw from Mixon and Jacobs, so Caleb will have chances to pick on them through the air. Williams looked sharp on the opening drive last week before the Texans started blitzing, and I expect the Bears to have better answers for the blitz in this one against an Indy team that has a lot less pass rushing firepower than the Texans. I think Caleb has a real chance to post 250 and 2 scores in this game.

RB Bucky Irving, TB (Wk. 3: vs. Den.): With Rachaad White suffering a groin injury last week in Detroit, Irving could be in line for a bigger workload in a game where the Bucs are a touchdown favorite against a Denver team that has allowed the 11^th-most RB points so far. If White misses this game, or you get a sense that he’s going to see a limited workload as a result of his injury, Irving has potential to finish as a top-24 back in a favorable matchup. Bucky has handled just over a third of the running back snaps and carries so far this year, and if you throw away Irving’s 31-yard TD run in week 1, he’s STILL averaging a yard and a half more per carry than Rachaad this season. If White is going to be less than 100% this week, the Bucs should give the rookie a real chance to lead the way. If White is going to be limited, I’d treat Bucky as an RB3 with upside. If White’s out, Bucky is an RB2.

WR Ladd McConkey, LAC (Wk. 3: @Pit.): McConkey’s week 2 output was less than stellar in a game against Carolina where the Chargers just didn’t have to throw much. Things get a little tougher this week with LA a 2-point underdog to the Steelers, so game script should be much more neutral, and McConkey should be able to avoid Joey Porter Jr.’s coverage in the slot. Quentin Johnston should draw Porter’s coverage instead. Porter has mostly erased the opposing team’s WR1 in the first 2 weeks (Drake London: 2-15-0 on 3 targets, Courtland Sutton: 1-26-0 on 4 targets), but slot receivers have had a lot more success against Pittsburgh. Ray Ray McCloud put up 4-52-0 on 7 targets in week 1, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey tallied 4-50-0 on 5 targets in week 2. McConkey is a better receiver and has a better QB than either of those two slot guys. I’d treat 4-50 as the floor here, which makes McConkey a viable WR3 this week.

WR Rome Odunze, CHI (Wk. 3: @Ind.): If you read what I wrote about Caleb Williams above, you know I like the Bears to have as much success throwing the ball as they have all year, and that yardage has to go to someone. Keenan Allen is expected to be sidelined again this week, so Odunze and DJ Moore should be on the field for nearly every play. The Colts’ secondary has been in shambles, allowing a 78.3% completion rate and nearly 10 yards per completion. This is setting up as a spot where Odunze could have a breakout game, but part of me worries about whether OC Shane Waldron will let it happen. With Keenan Allen out last week, it was a perfect opportunity for the Bears to showcase Odunze, and instead they were scheming up looks for Gerald Everett and DeAndre Carter. Waldron was very slow to trust 1^st-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba last year too, so I’m hoping this isn’t a trend. I still like Odunze as an upside WR4 this week if you can stomach plugging in a player with less than 4 PPR points per game in the first 2 weeks.

Borderline Rookies I’d Lean Toward Sitting:

QB Bo Nix, DEN (Wk. 3: @TB): If you’re in a pinch this week in a superflex league, you can probably get away with starting Nix, but I’d view him as an option at the tail end of the top 24 QBs for the week. Volume has been the best signal for Nix’s fantasy value through 2 games – he’s attempted 38.5 passes per game - but his paltry 5 yards per attempt means that volume isn’t even adding up to 200 passing yards on average. At a quick glance, this looks like a great matchup on paper. The Bucs have allowed the 3^rd-most QB points per game so far, but 53.4% of the fantasy points they’ve allowed this year were rushing points for Jayden Daniels in week 1. Neither QB they’ve faced has thrown a touchdown or reached 11 points of passing production against them. The Bucs rank 13^th in pass defense DVOA and should continue to make things tough on Nix through the air. Nix’s rushing upside and passing volume provide some hope for him to produce a quality QB2 performance where you could plug him in if you need to, but I would temper expectations.

RB Carson Steele, KC (Wk. 3: @Atl.): The Chiefs learned this week that they’ll be without RB Isiah Pacheco for possibly up to 2 months, leaving a huge void in their offense. They went out and signed Kareem Hunt on Tuesday, but he’ll likely take a couple weeks to get ramped up, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still on IR, leaving the backfield to Steele and Samaje Perine in the meantime. There’s been a lot of speculation about what this backfield will look like without Pacheco, and I think it’ll be messy once Hunt is ramped up and CEH returns, but it should be fairly predictable until then. Steele has out-snapped Perine 6 to 0 in short down & distance situations, and Perine has out-snapped Steele 9 to 1 in long down & distance situations. The only long down & distance snap Steele played was one where he took a handoff up the middle to better position the Chiefs for their game-winning field goal last Sunday. We should see a standard division of duties in this backfield where Steele handles the bulk of the early down work, and Perine handles most of the passing down work. There will be some slight deviation from that to avoid being too predictable, but by and large, that’s how it should go. Being the lead rusher for the Chiefs always carries some TD upside with it, but I wouldn’t expect a huge yardage total against an Atlanta defense that has allowed the 6^th-fewest RB points per game this year and 5^th-fewest last year. Treat Steele like a TD-dependent flex option.

WR Brian Thomas Jr., JAX (Wk. 3: @Buf.): Thomas has rewarded fantasy managers who were willing to roll the dice on him the first two weeks, logging WR18 and WR27 finishes in the first two games despite tallying just 4 targets in each. If you want to roll those dice again, I wouldn’t fault you. You only need BTJ and T-Law to connect once or twice to give you a useful fantasy day with the downfield targets he’s been seeing, but this Buffalo defense has made life tough on top receivers so far. They held Marvin Harrison Jr. to 1 catch for 4 yards in the opener and had mostly contained Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle last week even before Tua exited the game with a concussion. Neither receiver made it to 50 scrimmage yards. I don’t feel great about the prospects of Thomas connecting on more big plays in this one.

WR Keon Coleman, BUF (Wk. 3: vs. Jax.): Coleman was frustratingly targeted just once in the Bills’ win last week over the Dolphins, but there are some reasons for optimism here. He led the Bills’ receivers for the second straight week with a 90% route participation rate, and his low target total was as much a result of the team’s low passing volume as anything. Josh Allen attempted just 19 passes in a game that wasn’t competitive early and got less competitive when Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion. The Bills are solid 5 and a half-point favorites this week, but I don’t see this game being quite as non-competitive. The Jaguars’ pass defense has had a clear weakness through the first two weeks of the season – the right side of the field. They rank 28^th in the league in pass defense DVOA on throws to the right, with both their right CB Montaric Brown and his safety help over the top struggling. Coleman has spent about half of his snaps this year lined up to the right, so he should see plenty of opportunities against that weak right side. The Bills passing game is going to spread the ball around quite a bit, but Coleman should get enough work to be worth consideration as a WR4. The only reason I’m hesitant to recommend starting him is the floor we saw last week.

WR Xavier Worthy, KC (Wk. 3: @Atl.): Cam Taylor-Britt wrote a check with his mouth last week that I did not expect him to cash on Sunday, but he more than backed up his Xavier Worthy trash talk, holding the rookie to just 2 catches for 17 yards and making an incredible one-handed interception in the process. Worthy was supposed to be the burner that gave Patrick Mahomes the ability to push the ball down the field again and beat 2-deep shell coverages, but two weeks in, Mahomes is doing more dinking and dunking than ever. Mahomes’ 5.1-yard aDOT this year would be easily the lowest of his career. You already know Worthy isn’t going to be a high-volume target for Mahomes – he’s totaled just 7 targets and 2 rushing attempts through 2 games – so you need splash plays and TDs to get value from him in your lineup. Mahomes’ conservative approach, and safety Jessie Bates looming over the top in coverage have me thinking this won’t be a great week to trust Worthy to make a big play. The Falcons have allowed just 2 completions of 20+ yards through 2 weeks.

WR Xavier Legette, CAR (Wk. 3: @LV): The Panthers have made the move to bench Bryce Young this week in an effort to try and fix their broken passing game that totaled just 255 yards in the first two weeks (35 of which have gone to Legette). Dalton is at least a competent NFL QB, but he’ll be dealing with the same scheme, same o-line, and same pass catchers that Bryce had to work with. I do expect some modest immediate improvement this week, especially facing off against a Vegas defense that ranks 23^rd in pass defense DVOA, but if you’re willing to take a chance on Dalton feeding Legette this week given what we’ve seen from the Panthers in the first two weeks, you’re braver than I am.

WR Adonai Mitchell, IND (Wk. 3: vs. Chi.): Mitchell’s usage through two weeks has teased the upside he has in this offense with cannon-armed Anthony Richardson at the helm, but it just hasn’t turned into production so far. He’s earned 9 targets that have traveled on average more than 18 yards down the field, but he’s pulled in just 2 of them for 32 yards. Meanwhile, fellow deep threat Alec Pierce has pulled in 8 of 10 targets for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. All signs point to Josh Downs being active this week. Michael Pittman isn’t going to be the one to lose playing time to get Downs on the field, so that means one of Pierce or Mitchell will, and given how the first two weeks have gone, I’d expect it to be Mitchell. He’ll likely still be involved and could see a couple targets, but his route participation rate should drop below 50% after being right around 70% for the first two weeks. His only path to fantasy relevance this week is to score a TD, preferably a long one.

Rookies You Already Know You Should Sit:

RB Ray Davis, BUF (Wk. 3: vs. Jax.): The box score will show you that Davis touched the ball 10 times in week 2, and that might get you excited about his growing role, but I regret to inform you that not much changed from week 1. Davis is still splitting backup work with Ty Johnson, and 6 of his 10 touches came in the 4^th quarter with the Bills up by 3 touchdowns. The value proposition with Davis was that he would get valuable goal line carries, but through two weeks, the Bills have run 7 offensive snaps inside the 10-yard line – 1 incomplete pass to Keon Coleman, 3 rushes by James Cook, and 3 rushes by Josh Allen. There’s not a lot of fantasy upside in getting a handful of rushing attempts with no goal line work even in a good matchup. The Jaguars have been a middling RB defense so far, allowing the 14^th-most points per game to the position.

RB Jaylen Wright, MIA (Wk. 3: @Sea.): Wright got his first taste of NFL action last week, and it didn’t go according to plan. He totaled just 4 yards on 5 carries with Raheem Mostert sidelined, and the Dolphins lost their QB in the process. Mostert is practicing this week as of Wednesday, so it’s possible Wright will go back to being inactive on gameday, but if he’s active, I wouldn’t expect much more opportunity than he got last week. If the Dolphins want to be competitive without Tua, they’re going to have to lean on De’Von Achane as much as possible, so I wouldn’t expect more than a handful of touches for Wright against what has been a much-improved Seattle defense. There’s always a chance Wright breaks a big play, but the floor here is zero points.

RB Trey Benson, ARI (Wk. 3: vs. Det.): Benson got a little extra work in week 2 with the Cardinals surprisingly blowing out the Rams, but he was largely ineffective with the extra carries, putting up just 10 rushing yards on 11 totes. He should be back to his normal workload this week – just a handful of touches – against a Detroit defense that ranks 9^th in run defense DVOA and has allowed the 2^nd-fewest RB points per game.

RB Isaac Guerendo, SF (Wk. 3: @LAR): The 49ers got some bad news this week that WR Deebo Samuel is dealing with a calf strain and is likely to miss a couple weeks, but that news could provide a small bump to Guerendo’s playing time while he’s out. The 49ers use Deebo as the change of pace back more often when Christian McCaffrey is out, so Deebo’s absence means they’ll be forced to use Guerendo when Jordan Mason needs a breather. I don’t foresee a ton of playing time this for Isaac unless the game gets out of hand – he was out-snapped by Mason last weekend 24 to 1 – but I’d be surprised if he’s limited to just a snap or two again.

RB Tyrone Tracy, NYG (Wk. 3: @Cle.): Tracy’s snap share stayed stable from week 1 to week 2, checking in right around 20% again last Sunday, but he was limited to just 1 touch against the Commanders after handling 2 carries and 2 targets in the opener. He’s not going to help your fantasy squad much with fewer than 5 touches.

RB Blake Corum, LAR (Wk. 3: vs. SF): On paper, it looks like Corum saw a huge leap in playing time last weekend, carrying 8 times for 28 yards after not playing a single snap in week 1. If you look closer, you’ll see that all 8 of those carries came in the 4^th quarter with the Rams trailing 41-10. He didn’t play a snap before LA was in a 31-point hole. The uptick in touches isn’t a change in Corum’s role. Keep him parked on the bench.

RB Marshawn Lloyd, GB (Wk. 3: @Ten.): Lloyd returned in week 2 from a preseason hamstring injury that sidelined him for the opener, but he left the game with a new ankle injury that could sideline him for week 3. He’s already sharing backup work with Emmanuel Wilson behind bell-cow back Josh Jacobs. The new injury just further cements that he shouldn’t be in lineup consideration this week.

Update: Lloyd was placed on IR and is out until at least week 7

WR Ja’Lynn Polk, NE (Wk. 3: @NYJ): Don’t be fooled by the TD Polk scored last week. He still was targeted just 3 times and is an ancillary weapon in a low volume passing attack. The Pats face the Jets this week, who have been off to a sluggish start on defense but ranked 3^rd in pass defense DVOA a season ago. I wouldn’t count on Polk finding the end zone again this week.

WR Luke McCaffrey, WAS (Wk. 3: @Cin.): McCaffrey continued to operate as one of the Commanders’ clear top-3 WRs last weekend in terms of playing time, but figuring out who gets the opportunities in this offense after Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz looks like it’ll be a weekly crapshoot. McCaffrey was targeted just once last Sunday while Dyami Brown, Olamide Zacchaeus, and Noah Brown were each targeted 3 times. When the ceiling case for McCaffrey is likely 4-5 targets, you should be looking elsewhere for your starting WRs. He doesn’t get the kind of deep targets that can result in strong production with that volume.

WR Jacob Cowing, SF (Wk. 3: @LAR): Deebo Samuel is expected to miss a couple games with a calf strain, but I wouldn’t expect Cowing to see much of an increase in usage as a result. Ronnie Bell and Chris Conley have both been running ahead of Cowing as the team’s WR4 and 5, and I’d expect that duo to play the majority of the WR3 snaps this week, though I expect we’ll see fewer 3-WR sets and more Kyle Juszczyk than normal while Deebo is out.

WR Roman Wilson, PIT (Wk. 3: vs. LAC): Wilson was inactive again in week 2 as he works his way back from injury. He missed significant practice time in the latter weeks of training camp prior to missing the last two weeks, so I’d expect there to be a ramp up period of at least a few weeks once he’s able to suit up before we’ll see him utilized in anything close to a full-time role. He could be active in week 3, but he shouldn’t be in your lineup.

WR Malachi Corley, NYJ (Wk. 3: vs. NE): Corley ran his first route of the season last week and caught a pass for 4 yards on that play. He did not run a 2^nd route. Malachi remains buried on the Jets’ depth chart for now.

TE Erick All, CIN (Wk. 3: vs. Was.): All posted a quietly positive game last week in his first extended NFL action, tallying 4 catches for 32 yards against the Chiefs, but it’s not production I would count on repeating itself in week 3. The Bengals made a point to avoid going after Kansas City’s stingy outside corners and attacked them with the tight end position after watching Isaiah Likely shred their secondary in week 1. Four different Cincy tight ends logged route participation rates of over 25% in week 2. In fact, All’s 27% rate was the lowest of the 4, and his 4 targets were just 4 of 16 total tight end targets for the Bengals on Sunday. This week’s opponent, the Commanders, are much more vulnerable at cornerback than KC. The Commanders have allowed just 1 catch for 5 yards to opposing tight ends through 2 weeks, while coughing up 18+ fantasy points to 3 different wide receivers in that span. This should be a big week for Ja’Marr Chase, and not for the Cincy tight ends.

TE Theo Johnson, NYG (Wk. 3: @Cle.): I was optimistic about Johnson after week one when he earned 4 targets and logged a 76% route participation rate, but the Giants made two changes in week two that make me much less bullish on Theo in the immediate future. The first is that they decided to keep their tight end in to block more often to help protect Daniel Jones. Johnson ran 38 routes in week 1 and logged just 8 pass blocking snaps. In week 2, those numbers were 16 routes and 12 pass blocking snaps. The second thing the Giants did was realize that they should be throwing to Malik Nabers as much as humanly possible. Nabers had a 67% target share in week 2. We won’t see that absurd number every week, but I expect the ball to go to Nabers often enough that there just isn’t enough leftover receiving work for Johnson to be a start-able fantasy tight end.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, CAR (Wk. 3: @LV): The Panthers’ passing game could get a much-needed shot in the arm this week with the switch at QB to veteran Andy Dalton, but Tommy Tremble’s week 2 return from injury means Sanders probably won’t benefit much. Sanders did see his target total double from 1 in week 1 to 2 in week 2, but his playing time went in the opposite direction with Tremble active. Sanders’ route participation rate dropped from 69% to 51% while Tremble earned a 45% share and 4 targets against the Chargers. Anything’s possible if this passing game looks drastically different with Dalton, but I’d bet against Sanders, who has totaled just 12 yards on 42 routes run.

TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, DAL (Wk. 3: vs. Bal.): Spann-Ford played ahead of Luke Schoonmaker in week 1, but that changed in week 2 with starting tight end Jake Ferguson sidelined. Both players logged uninspiring route totals, but Schoonmaker ran 15 routes to just 12 for Spann-Ford, and the 2^nd-year tight end out-targeted the rookie 6 to 1. Schoonmaker is the only Dallas tight end who should be in fantasy consideration if Ferguson is out again.

TE Ben Sinnott, WAS (Wk. 3: @Cin.): Like it or not, this is Zach Ertz’s job until further notice. Sinnott has run just 3 target-less routes in each of his first two NFL games.

Deep League Sleepers and Stashes:

RB Braelon Allen, NYJ (Wk. 3: vs. NE): I know, this is probably a week late and going to feel like point chasing after Allen piled up 56 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs last Sunday, but I’m listing him here because I don’t think his usage was a fluke or was a result of Breece Hall being banged up. In week 1, we only saw Allen in garbage time vs the 49ers, but in week 2, he played a full drive in the 2^nd quarter and mixed in regularly in the 2^nd half in a game that never had a margin of more than 7 points, and he made the most of the opportunities. I’m not saying that Allen is going to usurp Breece Hall at any point this season, but rather that I think there could be room for both to be fantasy relevant. Nathaniel Hackett was the OC and Aaron Rodgers was the QB in Green Bay in 2021 and 2022, when Aaron Jones was finishing as a top-12 RB and teammate AJ Dillon was finishing in the top-30, and I think we could see something similar play out here with Allen as that RB2. I don’t love the matchup this week with New England boasting a solid defense so far (allowing the 11^th-fewest RB points per game), but Allen shouldn’t be sitting on waiver wires, and he’s likely going to be instrumental in getting through bye weeks for some teams, and he could have RB1 upside if anything happens to Breece.

WR Jalen McMillan, TB (Wk. 3: vs. Den.): There haven’t been a ton of targets for McMillan through two weeks, but his targets have consistently been downfield, and he could see some extra looks come his way this week with Mike Evans likely to draw shadow coverage from Pat Surtain Jr. Surtain limited DK Metcalf to 3-29 on 4 targets in week 1, and George Pickens to 2-29 on 4 targets last week, and Baker Mayfield hasn’t been the type of QB to force the ball into coverage in his time in Tampa. That should mean Chris Godwin’s hot streak to start the year continues, but also that Jalen McMillan should set a new season-high in targets. McMillan leads the team in routes run and should tangle mostly with 2^nd-year pro Riley Moss, who has allowed 9 completions for 94 yards on 13 throws into his coverage. Those 9 completions account for 29% of all completions against the Broncos this season. If you’re in a bad spot at WR this week due to injuries, McMillan is a guy who isn’t projected to score a lot of points but is set up for a potentially strong week. 

WR Devaughn Vele, DEN (Wk. 3: @TB): In case you forgot about Vele, the rookie hauled in 8 receptions in week 1 before sitting in week 2 with a rib injury. He’s practicing in a limited capacity as of Wednesday, and his matchup this week with Tampa could be a decent one. The Bucs rank just 23^rd in pass defense DVOA the short passes, and if he’s active, Vele should once again feast on short throws in what has been a high-volume passing game (77 attempts through 2 weeks). I wouldn’t count on Vele breaking 50 yards, but he should dink and dunk his way to a respectable PPR game if you’re in a pinch.

WR Jordan Whittington, LAR (Wk. 3: vs. SF): After significant injuries to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp in the last two games, Whittington suddenly finds himself in a prominent role in an LA offense that still boasts Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. I wouldn’t plug him into lineups this week in a tough matchup with the 49ers. Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson are going to be the top 2 WRs in this offense for now, and Whittington will split WR3 snaps with Tutu Atwell until he separates from him, but we saw the Rams give Whittington volume in the preseason and they’ve tried to get him a couple manufactured touches in the regular season as well. There’s room for him to climb the depth chart if he makes the most of his opportunities, and he shouldn’t be sitting on dynasty waiver wires outside of the shallowest leagues.

WR Jermaine Burton, CIN (Wk. 3: vs. Was.): This is probably moot if Tee Higgins is able to return this week, but Burton has some sneaky potential in this matchup if Higgins is sidelined again. Burton is still just an ancillary role player in this offense (he ran just 8 routes last week), but he’s shown the ability to be a deep threat in college, in the preseason, and again last week when he caught a deep ball for 46 yards, and now he gets to face off with the worst pass defense in the NFL. The Commanders have given up 18+ points to 3 different receivers in the first two weeks of the season and have allowed 7 completions of 20+ yards. Ja’Marr Chase is probably going to post a blow-up game this week, but this is a spot where Burton could do some real damage on just 8-10 routes run if a couple deep balls connect.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you sort through your lineup decisions and find your way to a win this weekend. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@Shawn_Foss) if you have any questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, and always make sure to apply what’s written in the context of your own league rules and roster. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week if you have any guys who are questionable and do a final pre-game check to make sure you don’t start any inactive players. As always: Good luck, trust your gut and have fun. It’s just a game.