With Week 1 in the books, it felt great to be back up and running. The Dolphins vs Chargers game was an absolute smash as the rest of the NFL seemed to be sleepwalking through their Week 1 matchups. Unfortunately, we lose some top-tier offenses to the prime-time games, and having two Monday night matchups doesn’t help either. Regardless, that won’t stop us from getting you the best plays and grinding out some sweet lineups.
Let’s ride!
QUARTERBACKS
Trevor Lawrence $6,700 (vs KC)
After an impressive debut Week 1, Lawrence returns in a big-time matchup against the Chiefs. It is by far the highest projected scoring game on the slate as two higher-powered offenses face off. The addition of Calvin Ridley has done wonders for Lawrence and the offense here. Expect a higher-scoring game with lots of Lawrence passing attempts. Feel free to game stack this barn burner.
Anthony Richardson $6,300 (at HOU)
The highly touted rookie looked very solid in Week 1. With 223 passing yards and a touchdown, it was a respectable day but not one at first glance that pops out fantasy-wise. That’s where the rushing comes in. He had great usage with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown at the goal line. Deon Jackson did nothing to garner any more usage in the future, and Evan Hull was lost to a knee injury. Richardson could be used even more in a very favorable matchup against the Texans.
Baker Mayfield $5,100 (vs CHI)
For all the preseason talk and clips about how bad Baker looked in training camp, he sure shut everyone up in Week 1. He only had 173 yards on the day, but two touchdowns and a win in Minnesota is big time. He was also a top-five QB per PFF, so maybe he’s ready for a fresh start out of Cleveland. This week with a home matchup against a bad Bears team that was just torched by Jordan Love, I love the price tag on Baker hoping to get 250 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Other intriguing options:
Justin Herbert $7,000 (at TEN), Brock Purdy $5,700 (at LAR)
RUNNING BACKS
Christian McCaffrey $8,900 (at LAR)
Obviously, we know the talent, and in terms of the top guys in play (CMC vs. Ekeler) give me the healthier running back. He has full ownership of that backfield since Elijah Mitchell had little to no usage, and he could even see an uptick in his receiving work moving forward.
Tony Pollard $7,500 (vs NYJ)
While the game got out of hand quickly, Pollard still made his mark in limited time. He is another guy with complete control over his team’s backfield with some receiving upside. Pollard also dominated in the red zone with two touchdowns, which is even more encouraging. Dallas has a great game script as big favorites over the Jets, leaning in Pollard’s favor.
Travis Etienne $6,900 (vs KC)
Despite the goal line vulture of Tank Bigsby last week, Etienne still managed to have a clear grasp of the Jags backfield with great receiving usage. Bigsby’s role could even be reduced after the huge fumble blunder that almost cost them the game, but regardless, Etienne is still dominating snaps and touches for this high-scoring offense.
David Montgomery $5,800 (vs SEA)
Montgomery is the current RB1 in Detroit, while Jahmyr Gibbs is still being eased into his rookie season. While the receiving numbers aren’t exactly where we want them, Montgomery’s snap share and usage are currently high. While dominating the backfield, he’s got a juicy matchup with the Seahawks at home, who were just pummeled by the Rams rushing attack last week.
Other intriguing options:
Austin Ekeler $8,700 (at TEN), Saquon Barkley $8,000 (at ARI), James Conner $6,200 (vs NYG), Rachaad White $5,500 (vs CHI), Joshua Kelley $5,000 (at TEN), Roschon Johnson $4,900 (at TB)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown $7,800 (vs SEA)
The Sun God got off to a rapid start last Thursday night with roughly 15 points before halftime. He cooled off in the second half with little to no work, so imagine what he could do with a full game of production. We watched Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell carve up Seattle last week, so imagine what ARSB can do this week.
Tee Higgins $6,400 (vs BAL)
Coming off a goose egg, the Bengals offense cannot play any worse than they did in Week 1. Despite the zeros across the board, Higgins had great usage numbers, playing the most snaps offensively, running 100% of routes of dropbacks, and with a 24% target share only trailing Chase. Water always finds its level, and in this extreme case of zero results from Higgins, expect a nice bounce back against the Ravens, who allowed Nico Collins and Robert Woods to put up solid receiving days with 10+ targets each.
Zay Flowers $5,000 (at CIN)
What a debit from the rookie out of Boston College. Flowers was hyped up during camp and preseason and lived up to those expectations, playing 84% of the snaps, running a route on 93% of dropbacks and leading the league with a 50% target share in Week 1. Flowers still put up elite usage numbers in a game that Baltimore dominated. A divisional matchup with the Bengals should be way higher scoring and pass-friendly, so Flowers’ overall numbers could go up. Keep an eye on Mark Andrews’ availability this week.
Nico Collins $4,800 (vs IND)
See what happens when you give some guys a competent quarterback? Collins had double-digit targets on the day against Baltimore with CJ Stroud at the helm and was over 70% in snaps played and routes run. Leading the team with a 26% target share, he’s seeing great usage in an offense that’ll be playing from behind and throwing often. The Colts aren’t posing much of a defensive threat, so expect another solid showing from Collins.
Other intriguing options:
Stefon Diggs $8,000 (vs LV), Calvin Ridley $7,200 (vs KC), De’Andre Hopkins $6,700 (vs LAC), Michael Pittman $6,300 (at HOU), Mike Evans $6,200 (vs CHI), Chris Godwin $6,000 (vs CHI), Brandon Aiyuk $5,800 (at LAR), Puka Nacua $4,900 (vs SF), Jahan Dotson $4,900 (at DEN), Romeo Doubs $4,800 (at ATL), Zay Jones $4,700 (vs KC), Rashee Rice $3,800 (at JAX)
TIGHT ENDS
Cole Kmet $4,400 (at TB)
The Bears stunk last week, plain and simple. What didn’t stink though was Cole Kmet’s early usage in this offense. He led the team in snaps (97%) and routes run (94%) and tied for the lead in target share (21%). While the Bears are likely to open it up a bit more this week (that’s a low bar to clear), Kmet is still seeing great opportunity in an offense that lacks talented pass catchers.
Adam Trautman $3,000 (vs WAS)
After a decent start to the season, I’ll expect a nice bump to Trautman’s production heading into this week. With Greg Dulcich on the shelf this week, Trautman is looking at a bigger role in the offense, building on his 72% snap share and 62% route percentage. He’s got some familiarity and favoritism in Sean Payton’s offense, with a slight expected uptick in this week’s game plan.
Other intriguing options:
Darren Waller $5,500 (at ARI), Zach Ertz $3,500 (vs NYG), Luke Musgrave $3,200 (at ATL), Kylen Granson $3,000 (at HOU)
DEFENSE
Dallas Cowboys $4,000 (vs NYJ)
The Cowboys absolutely DOMINATED the Giants in Week 1, and now get a Jets team that’s lost Aaron Rodgers and is turning to Zach Wilson under center. Sacks, turnovers, and whatnot are expected in spades here after such a hot start early in the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers $3,200 (vs CHI)
Last week, the Bucs were able to hold Minnesota in check on the road to just 17 points in an impressive feat. Now they welcome a struggling Bears offense that’s still trying to put things together. Fields is still prone to sacks and turnovers while having a crazy low average depth of target.
Arizona Cardinals $2,600 (vs NYG)
Are the Cardinals good? No, not necessarily. But they did look pretty feisty defensively and got after the quarterback. We saw how bad the Giants looked on Sunday night, and while the Cardinals aren’t exactly the Cowboys’ defense, there’s opportunity here at a low cost.
Other intriguing options:
Detroit Lions $3,000 (vs SEA)
