Another Sunday slate has wrapped in the NFL season, giving us plenty of data to digest as fantasy football managers. As always, there were studs and duds throughout the weekend, with plenty of notable names resurfacing, while other surprising prospects either exceeded or failed to meet our expectations.
Week 1 gave us a lot of point totals that went under and it was clear offenses were still trying to shake off the rust, especially most of the high-profile starters who didn’t play meaningful snaps in the preseason. Week 2, however, saw nearly every game go over the expected point total, creating a lot of dramatic, high-scoring shootouts with tons of fantasy production to be found.
Matt MacKay is back with his latest analysis on some of the best and worst performances that happened in Week 2. Using half-PPR scoring, let’s find out which players delivered for fantasy teams and which ones failed to produce in a Week 2 edition of fantasy football studs and duds.
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Studs
Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – WAS)
Credit Washington’s first-year OC, Eric Bienemy, with upgrading the play-calling in Washington. As a result, the Commanders have appeared to entrust second-year running back, Brian Robinson Jr., with a full workload as the RB1 in Washington’s offense. It’s a young team but Robinson dominated touches in Week 2, handling 78 percent of carries en route to two rushing touchdowns, good enough to be the overall RB1 after Sunday’s slate in Week 2. As long as Robinson continues handling a significant portion of touches in the Commanders’ backfield, he’s a locked and loaded RB2 with RB1 upside.
D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI)
We finally got to witness the D’Andre Swift experience against Minnesota in Week 2, as the versatile running back went from 0.5 fantasy points in Week 1, to 25.6 in Week 2. Swift took advantage of the holes the Eagles’ offensive line created against the Vikings, finishing with 31 touches for 181 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. This resulted in the overall RB2 finish, so playing behind the best offensive line, the sky is the limit for Swift. Fringe RB1 with top-five upside moving forward.
Mike Evans (WR – Buccaneers)
Baker Mayfield as QB1 has turned out to be a good thing for Mike Evans. All the chatter surrounding Evans’ contract overshadowed how dominant he can be when he’s receiving over a 25 percent target share. Evans has four more targets than Chris Godwin (WR – Bucs), plus he’s scored touchdowns in back-to-back games to open up the 2023 season. He’s a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside in PPR formats rest of season.
Puka Nacua (WR – Rams)
Rookie wideout Puka Nacua has already set historical records by recording 25 receptions on 35 targets in his first two games. This ridiculous volume may end at some point, but at the rate Nacua is playing, expect Matthew Stafford (QB – Rams) to continue targeting his current WR1 in an underrated and rebuilt Rams offense. Nacua drew a 39 percent target share in Week 2 against a stingy 49ers defense, so in softer matchups moving forward, even with the return of Cooper Kupp (WR – Rams), Nacua is a mid-range WR2 in PPR formats.
T.J. Hockenson (TE – Vikings)
It became clear after the 2022 trade deadline just how much Kirk Cousins (QB – Vikings) loves throwing the football to T.J. Hockenson. Hockenson has 17 targets, which is eight fewer than star wideout Justin Jefferson (WR – Vikings), but five more than any other Minnesota skilled player. Hockenson scored two touchdowns during the Vikings’ loss to Philadelphia, but with a juicy matchup against the Chargers in Week 3, Hockenson remains a top-three fantasy tight end.
Daniel Jones (QB – Giants)
After six quarters of zero production and many starting to question Daniel Jones’ contract extension, the Giants’ franchise quarterback mounted a comeback from 20-0 at halftime, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for a third on the road against the Cardinals in Week 2. The confidence and momentum gained from this comeback, despite facing the lowly Cardinals, reminds us that Jones’ rushing upside makes him a weekly starter in one quarterback fantasy leagues until further notice.
Duds
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – Jaguars)
Despite handling 66 percent of carries for Jacksonville in Week 2, Travis Etienne only produced 40 rushing yards against Kansas City at home. He saw a meager 7.3 percent target share, hauling in two receptions for two receiving yards and finishing with zero touchdowns. It resulted in an RB32 finish, leaving fantasy managers frustrated after a hot start against the Colts. A plus-matchup against Houston in Week 3 makes Etienne a mid-range RB2 with RB1 upside, don’t panic too much, as the Jaguars were in negative game script for most of Week 2.
Alexander Mattison (RB – Vikings)
After gaining a lot of steam this offseason due to perceived opportunity, Alexander Mattison has been far from elite. In fact, other than his touchdown in Week 1 against the Buccaneers, the Vikings’ RB1 has done little from a fantasy football context. Eight carries for 28 yards and three receptions for 11 receiving yards on six targets is not good enough for PPR formats. Mattison is a mid-range RB3 heading into a Week 3 matchup against the Chargers.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals)
Once again, we find Ja’Marr Chase on the Dud list. Cincinnati’s offense got going late, but it was all Tee Higgins (WR – Bengals), as Chase managed five receptions for 31 yards on eight targets. Whether it’s Joe Burrow’s (QB – Bengals) lingering calf injury, Chase’s attention from opposing defenses, or simply a slow start, fantasy managers should keep the alpha wideout in lineups as a WR1 entering a Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
A.J. Brown (WR – Eagles)
Another alpha wideout fantasy managers used high draft capital on is A.J. Brown. He saw most of the passing production go to DeVonta Smith (WR – Eagles) in a plus-matchup against the Vikings in Week 2, despite out-targeting Smith. His production slipped from 7-79 on ten targets in Week 1, to 4-29 on six targets in a better matchup, so there’s reason to be concerned rostering Brown in a run-centric offense. Continue rolling Brown out as a volatile low-end WR1 with upside entering a Week 3 matchup against Tampa Bay.
George Kittle (TE – 49ers)
What looked like a plus-matchup for George Kittle in Week 2 turned out to be a dud, as the star tight end recorded three receptions for 30 yards on three targets. It’s been a slow start for Kittle coming off of a groin injury, but with so many mouths to feed in the 49ers offense, fantasy managers could be in store for more disappointing performances. Week 3 brings the New York Giants to Santa Clara, where we could see Kittle finally have his breakout game. Keep him plugged as a low-end TE1.
Trevor Lawrence (QB – Jaguars)
Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback regressed significantly from Week 1 to Week 2, but facing Kansas City’s defense, led by the return of Chris Jones (DT – Chiefs), played a huge role in this outcome. Lawrence didn’t record a single touchdown, losing a fumble and only grinding out 18 rushing yards while taking four sacks. A Week 3 matchup against a bad Houston run defense should keep Lawrence as a top-ten fantasy quarterback.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.