The folks in the Roto Street Journal Hype Lab were really on one to start the season, warning you about the Hype of players like Blake Corum (who might as well have been inactive) and Calvin Ridley (Will Levis somehow looked worse than Trevor Lawrence) and told you to invest in the lack of Hype in the fantasy world on players like Cooper Kupp.
With the first whole week of football behind us, let’s look at the meters and see which players are getting Hype from the fantasy community and if this is the Hype we should be confidently buying into.
Before we look at the meters, it is also important to note that Week 1 of the 2024 fantasy season was weird. You had a great week if you make money on buying against stock in the fantasy world, especially with receivers. The reason behind this could be a shorter preseason, faster defenses, or many other reasons, but what matters is that many players had a bad week.
Hopefully, the lack of production from all players will help you step back from the ledge.
WEEK 2 FANTASY FOOTBALL HYPE METER
DE’VON ACHANE (MIA-RB)
I could explain to you in many ways why it is that De’Von Achane is so damn good, but Wolf already did that back in July and tried to make sure you drafted him in your league, saying he “has the upside to be the No. 1 RB in fantasy.”
In the Dolphins 20-17 win against the Jaguars, Achane checked multiple boxes to help fantasy owners relax in their draft investment in him. He saw less than 50% of the team’s RB carries only 52% of snaps, watched Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill go for over 100 yards receiving, and still finished with a rushing touchdown and seven receptions for 76 yards.
Even more scary is how the Dolphins are willing to use Achane. One of the biggest hits that Achane had against his value was the team’s apparent preference to use Raheem Mostert in the backfield during goal-line carries during the 2023 season.
Luckily for Achane owners, it looks as though the Dolphins may be rewarding his offseason bulk-up and giving him first crack at goal line opportunities.
If you are the Achane owner in your league, strap in for a fun season with this player. If you are not, see if there is an opportunity to point out the inefficiencies of his rushing on the ground (10 rushes for 24 yards) and hope that you might be able to buy him before the Hype gets too high.
LADD MCCONKEY (LAC-WR)
Many folks were excited to see how the Los Angeles Chargers passing game would look under new Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman and new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. With the departure of the top three targets for the Chargers in 2023 (Keenan Allen with 150, Austin Ekeler with 74, and Gerald Everett with 70), fantasy players are hoping to get a glimpse into how fifth-year QB Justin Herbert would distribute his passes, something we may have gotten an idea of in the Chargers Week 1 win.
Ladd McConkey led the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, receptions for first downs, and the sole touchdown catch for the Chargers. As mentioned before, it was a gross week for most receiving stats. However, it was his usage that really impressed experts in the fantasy community.
With the emergency of JK Dobbins as a healthy, legit running back, defenses will need to pay more attention to the backfield than previously imagined. Due to McConkey’s low productivity, he can still be bought in most leagues and could be a legit WR2/Flex for your team moving forward. Buy in before the Hype really takes off.
TANK BIGSBY (JAX-RB)
If you approached me last week with the opportunity to put my life savings on which “Tank” would outproduce the other in week 1 of the football season, I would be homeless. Tank Bigsby stepped into the 2024 season after an incredibly disappointing rookie campaign, posting up 132 yards on 50 carries for the entire season and seeing the backfield of the Jacksonville Jaguars be held solely by Travis Etienne. Head Coach Doug Pederson mentioned this as something he wanted to change heading into Bigsby’s second season.
Bigsby may have taken that opportunity and shown that he can be trusted to be a solid RB2 for the team this season. Bigsby matched Travis Etienne’s carry attempts while outproducing him by 29 yards, including an impressive 26-yard run while backed up in their own endzone.
As with Ladd McConkey, the folks in the Hype Meter labs are not seeing a cataclysmic rise in Hype for Bigsby. Still, the level it has risen to has a lot of confidence behind it. Investment in Bigsby on your bench looks to be a worthwhile endeavor, and you may be able to capitalize off a rise in Hype in future weeks if he continues to produce.
DALTON KINCAID (BUF-TE)
Can I get a loud “woo!” if you were happy with your tight end’s production in week 1?
*crickets*
Yeah… that is what I expected. Most analytically and scientifically, I can put it… Tight ends are weird at the start of the fantasy season. Just look at last year’s start to the fantasy season for the top 14 finishing tight ends:
Freaking out over production from your tight end after Week 1 is a surefire way of driving yourself insane. To reiterate a previous point from my Week 1 Hype Meter after TNF, it is not the time to blow your FAAB on someone like Isaiah Likely after one week of production. If you bought into the TE1 from Week 1 of 2023, you’d be investing in Hunter Henry, who finished the season as TE14.
This point especially applies to second-year TE Dalton Kincaid. Although Kincaid finished with a disgusting line of 1 reception on two targets for 11 yards, it was not due to a lack of playing time or routes run.
The tight end position was underwhelming coming out of week 1. However, Kincaid has shown that he can play this position at a high level, and Dawson Knox‘s lower usage should quiet fears of a split at the TE position for the Buffalo Bills. Buy low if you can and hold on if you already have Kincaid on your team.
