NFL Preseason Week 2 is in the books, so it is our duty to overreact about everything from a fantasy football point of view. Be sure to check out our 2021 Fantasy Football Rankings & Big Board and our Fantasy Stock Watch for increased detail throughout the rest of preseason and beyond.
QUARTERBACKS
Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson arrived this week. The No. 2 overall pick picked apart the Packers’ second-team defense to the tune of 128 yards and two scores on 9-of-11 passing. We’ll talk more about his favorite target below, but Wilson has great OROY odds (+750) and should destroy his QB27 ADP. He’s one of fantasy’s top risers, right now.
Trey Lance set to start sooner rather than later?
Jimmy Garoppolo has done nothing to “win” the 49ers job, Kyle Shanahan just seems more comfortable to start the veteran Week 1. However, Shanahan gave Lance a major opportunity to play with the starters, meaning he could be closer to starting than we once imagined. Lance, our QB13 (+11 vs ECR) is a Konami Code weapon once he takes over.
#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said after tonight’s game that Jimmy Garoppolo remains the clear starter at QB.
When asked if he can name Garoppolo as the Week 1 starter, Shanahan declined. “I’m not making that announcement. Nice try, though.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 23, 2021
Silly Matt Nagy is sticking with Andy Dalton
Justin Fields gives the Bears the best chance to win and most importantly, he gives a fantasy boost to the Bears’ weapons. Yet, Matt Nagy is still riding with the Red Riffle and won’t even mention Fields in the same breath. Pathetic.
“We need to see him in the regular season,” Nagy told reporters about Dalton.
Other QB notes:
- Broncos beat writer, Mike Klis, said Broncos HC Vic Fangio “sounds like he’s ready to make a QB decision in the next couple days. Hard to believe it won’t be Teddy Bridgewater.”
- Mac Jones looked very good against the Eagles and he could be Patriots QB1 sooner rather than later
- Ben Roethlisberger completed 8-of-10 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and could be a late-round steal at his bargain price tag. Pair him with Fields, Lance, or Wilson and you’ve got yourself a QB depth chart.
- Tua Tagovailoa continues to ascend (16-of-23, 183 yds, 1 TD) even with limited weaponry
RUNNING BACKS
Myles Gaskin starts, remains in a committee
Following last week’s disaster, Myles Gaskin started and scored twice against the Falcons’ backup defense. He led the running back trio in snaps and made some nice plays, especially in the passing game. Still, he only secured 19-of-37 first-team snaps and out-snapped Salvon Ahmed by six snaps. Gaskin is the clear talent of the three, yet it doesn’t seem like he has control of the backfield. The increased snaps and touches was nice, but Gaskin will likely lose goal-line snaps to Malcolm Brown and early-down snaps to Ahmed. Gaskin could return value after last week’s rankings drop.
Najee Harris is the definition of a workhorse
We didn’t necessarily go out on a limb by labeling Najee Harris our rookie RB1. Yet, we were higher on him post-draft than 99 percent of the “experts” and currently resides at RB13 in Tier 3. Harris played 15-of-16 first-team snaps and had seven total touches. Focus more on the volume than the lack of an elite offensive line.
Don’t overpay for Michael Carter
The Jets’ rookie played a whopping zero first-team snaps and was third in the pecking order behind Tevin Coleman (10 first-team snaps) and Ty Johnson (9). Carter could make some noise later on, but his current RB30 price tag is a bit much. On the other hand, you could invest basically nothing to snag Coleman or Johnson.
JK Dobbins stuck in committee with the Gus Bus
There’s no doubt that JK Dobbins is the premiere talent of the group. However, Gus Edwards is a consistent and reliable back who can play all three downs at a high level. Edwards owned third-down and did more with his carries than Dobbins, which led to a 10-to-eight snap advantage for the Gus Bus. It might be time for The Wolf to drop Dobbins a few spots on his rankings.
Stay the hell away from the Texans’ backfield
Hand up, I was wrong. I bought into Phillip Lindsay as the Texans’ RB1 last week. The team split up their first-team snaps in Preseason Week 2 with Mark Ingram (6), Phillip Lindsay (4), and David Johnson (3). Gross. Stay away.
Rams RB2 position
We thought Xavier Jones had the Rams’ RB2 spot on lock. Now, it looks like rookie Jake Funk has evened things up after trailing Jones by only one first-team snap this week. Furthermore, Funk racked up 37 yards on only six carries — highlighted by two electric runs. I’d probably lean Jones if I wanted to handcuff one with Henderson, but the team could still add a veteran.
Other RB notes
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire left the game with a sprained ankle and Darrel Williams exited with a concussion, leaving Jerick Mckinnon as the team’s lone “dependable” back at the moment
- Javonte Williams played 15-of-26 first-team snaps, but Melvin Gordon still sidelined
- Chase Edmonds is 1A (7-of-9 first-team snaps) to James Conner’s 1B
- Devin Singletary started and led the Bills’ backfield in first-team snaps (21-of-33) in Zack Moss’ return from injury
- Damien Harris led the way (8-of-17 first-team snaps), but Sony Michel and James White cut into his first-team snap count
- Devontae Booker is Saquon Barkley’s handcuff
- Qadree Ollison is the clear RB2 in Atlanta
WIDE RECEIVERS
Corey Davis target hog SZN
As noted above, Wilson is borderline obsessed with Davis. The veteran cashed in on a monster 2020 season and Wilson is targeting Davis ad nauseam. Davis has ran 13 routes during the preseason and Wilson has targeted him 10 times. Elijah Moore will eat into his target share, but the chemistry between Wilson and Davis is clearly a thing.
“He’s a great player,” Wilson said after Saturday’s game. “I just have a lot of trust in him and all his one-on-one routes that he’s gonna get open.”
Mecole Hardman roller coaster
Mecole Hardman led all Chiefs’ wideouts in first-team snaps, played in every formation, and played over Byron Pringle in 2-WR sets. He will likely be behind Demarcus Robinson in 2-WR sets during the regular season, but it looks like Hardman will be on the field for 3-WR sets, which is a staple of the Chiefs’ offense. Up and down and around we go again on the Hardman roller coaster.
Rondale Moore SZN
The electric rookie tied Christian Kirk with nine first-team snaps and out-snapped AJ Green with DeAndre Hopkins in street clothes. Moore is a play-making beast out of the slot and he fits Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme like a glove. He was targeted five times and rushed the ball once over the weekend. Moore is a steal at his current ADP and currently sits at WR56 (+12 vs ECR) on our Big Board.
Other WR notes
- Jakobi Meyers led the Patriots’ WRs in first-team snaps and caught all three targets for 56 yards and a score — late-round steal
- Dyami Brown played half of the first-team snaps and could sneak into 3-WR sets alongside Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel
- Josh Palmer is slowly rising around Jalen Guyton and could end up being one of Justin Herbert’s top targets
- Take a flier on Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones. He’s in a war for the WR3 spot with Rashard Higgins and has made play after play in camp and the preseason.
TIGHT END NOTES
- Tyler Kroft was on the receiving end of two Zach Wilson touchdown passes and could be a solid streaming option or late-round flier
- Tua continued to look Mike Gesicki’s way and will likely be a boom-or-bust, fringe TE1 option
- Dalton Schultz and Blake Jarwin are in a gross tight end committee and will both be useless until one makes a move
- Logan Thomas played all 23 first-team snaps and can be relied upon as a TE1 this season
