Week 2 is (almost) in the books and let me guess, your fantasy team is in shambles. It’s okay to admit it, this is a safe place. We all wish that we could go back and draft again, but it’s too late, all that can be done is to look to the rest of the season. The best thing that you can do for your team is learn to interpret the outcomes of each game. Some events might have meaningful fantasy impacts, while others might be misleading. That’s what we’ll be taking a look at today in Buzz or Bogus. Of the “trendy” headlines from NFL Week 2, which ones are meaningful and how should we react?
IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON FROM JUSTIN FIELDS
Through two weeks of the NFL season, Bears’ quarterback Justin Fields has done nothing short of struggle. Across two games, Fields has a 60 percent completion rate, 427 yards, two passing TDs, three picks, and has taken ten sacks. Not great. While these are just some of his stats, Fields hasn’t exactly passed the eye test either. Fields seems slow in processing defensive looks, leading to him to holding on to the ball and taking sacks.
Many expected that adding DJ Moore would unlock Fields as a passer (except for me). This simply hasn’t been the case, and the Bears’ passing attack has looked subpar.
Last season, Fields was able to overcome poor throwing statistics by using his legs to find fantasy success. However, Fields has struggled to run the ball this season, picking up 62 yards and a rushing score in Weeks 1 and 2. The worst part isn’t even that he hasn’t been picking up many yards. The frightening thing is that the Bears are hardly using him on the ground. In these first two weeks, Fields has just 13 rush attempts and only TWO designed runs. Not utilizing Fields’ greatest strength only hurts the Bears’ offense and those who own Fields in fantasy.
With poor overall performances, a passing attack that does not seem to be improving, and a lack of usage in the running game, panic time is here for Justin Fields.
BUZZ
JOSH JACOBS IS LOOKING LIKE A BUST
Last year’s rushing champ and fantasy RB3, Josh Jacobs, is off to a rough start. Jacobs has yet to eclipse 11 fantasy points (PPR) in a game and finished Week 2 with -2 rushing yards. No, the negative sign is not a typo. The Raiders struggled on the ground early, fell behind the Bills, and Jacobs only saw nine carries.
Although Jacobs hasn’t been performing at the expected level, some encouraging signs remain. The most promising sign is that Jacobs is still seeing an elite workload. Through two games, Jacobs has handled 85 percent of the team’s running back carries and has an 18 percent target share. Jacobs has also handled 75 percent of Las Vegas’s goal-line carries. This role is incredibly valuable, as Jacobs ranked fourth in expected fantasy points among RBs this season.
This level of usage is highly encouraging. Few running backs in the NFL have this role within an offense. In fact, only 3 RBs have a higher snap share than Jacobs. Despite being the workhorse, things haven’t quite gone right for Jacobs this year. Jacobs dealt with a slow defensive battle in Week 1 and was the victim of a brutal game script in Week 2. Jacobs will be in better situations in the coming weeks and will continue to get the necessary workload to capitalize.
BOGUS
BRIAN ROBINSON IS A MUST-START RUNNING BACK
We try to navigate the middle rounds each year and find the running back that works out because “there’s nobody else there to get touches.” The mid-round (maybe even late-round) RB who is getting huge volume is Brian Robinson.
Eric Bieniemy arrived in Washington, and Robinson is his workhorse out of the backfield. Robinson has seen 42 opportunities (carries plus targets) compared to just nine for Antonio Gibson.
Robinson is handling a large workload, and this offense has made significant improvements this season. Bieniemy has this offense humming, putting up 55 points this season. The Washington offense has regularly been in the red zone, and Robinson has capitalized, scoring three TDs this season.
A quality offense coupled with bell-cow usage makes Robinson an incredibly valuable player and a must-start heading into Week 3.
BUZZ
DAMEON PIERCE SHOULD BE BENCHED
A mid-round RB that many pegged to have RB1 upside, Dameon Pierce has not quite lived up to his potential. Pierce has 69 yards on a disappointing 2.65 yards per carry to start the season. The Texans have fallen behind early, making it difficult to get Pierce involved, but he still has not capitalized on his chances. Pierce managed just 35 total yards on 18 opportunities on Sunday.
Pierce will be the Texans’ primary weapon on the ground. Whether or not he produces is yet to be seen. Poor play from a banged-up Texans’ offensive line certainly has to do with his lack of production. Outside of the ground game, it appears that Pierce won’t be a big factor in this offense. This significantly caps his fantasy ceiling.
CJ Stroud proved to be a more than capable passer this week. The Texans will play from behind fairly often this season and turn to Stroud and the passing game. If Pierce isn’t used through the air, he will likely have some pretty concerning fantasy performances. It appears that Pierce may have to rely on touchdowns to have meaningful fantasy performances. As Adam Levitan mentioned, Houston won’t score too many points, which is troubling for Pierce.
