Another week, another rearrangement of the fantasy landscape. As usual, we have a new collection of unfortunate injuries to deal with, so let’s get started. Each player listed below is available in most Yahoo fantasy leagues and approved for immediate use.
Wide receivers and tight ends
Tank Dell, Houston Texans (5% selected)
Dell is an undersized receiver with live-wire speed who plays bigger than his official dimensions (5-foot-1, 165). He was ridiculously productive at the collegiate level, catching 199 passes for 2,727 yards and 29 touchdowns over his final two seasons with Houston. He was a preseason hero for the Texans, at. Dell simply cooked the Colts on Sunday, finishing with seven catches, 72 yards and one score on a team-high 10 targets.
Here’s a look at his net worth after the catch:
This is a case where training camp hype aligns perfectly with regular season results. Don’t leave it hanging when you need a receiver.
Recommended bid, assuming a budget of €100: €14
Understandably, fantasy managers have focused their attention on Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams as the breakouts in Sean McVay’s offense. But let the record show that Atwell, a speedy third-year receiver, has scored seventeen goals in the Rams’ first two games, catching thirteen balls for 196 yards. He went unnoticed during the Nacua waiver frenzy last week, but he’ll clearly remain a useful fantasy option — at least until target magnet Cooper Kupp returns to action.
Twelve of Atwell’s 13 receptions this season have resulted in first downs, as he generally sees high-yield opportunities downfield (13.4 ADOT). Even if his weekly targets decrease as the season progresses, he will likely maintain fantasy relevance as a receiver with higher variance and big play potential.
fantastic: $12
The Broncos happen to have a rookie burner with 4.38 speed who rarely plays. But when he’s on the field, he can do things like this:
Hat tip to Russell Wilson for a beautiful throw there.
Mims averaged 19.5 yards per catch over three collegiate seasons at Oklahoma, so these battles are nothing new for him. He finished with 113 yards in the breakout performance in Week 2, though he played just 16 snaps. Denver doesn’t exactly have an abundance of talent in the receiving room, so their second-round receiver has a clear chance to earn a substantial role in the future.
fantastic: $5
While the Jordan Love era hasn’t been entirely smooth so far, he has managed to deliver back-to-back 3-TD passes and his team has put 62 points on the board. So that’s not too lame. If you expected more, you’re probably a Packers shareholder spoiled by decades of Hall of Fame quarterbacking. Love has shown quite clearly that he can keep his receivers viable for fantasy purposes.
In Sunday’s narrow loss at Atlanta, rookie Jayden Reed caught a pair of touchdown passes from Love and ultimately finished with four catches for 37 yards on eight targets. Reed was a serious playmaker at Michigan State, one controversial catch wizardand he was no less impressive in the first weeks of his professional career:
The absence of Christian Watson (hamstring) has given Reed a clear path to early-season touches and the rookie has delivered results. He is definitely a player to save, if not start right away.
fantastic: $5
Other priority reception options:
-
Zach Ertz currently leads all tight ends in targets (18), making him an automatic addition at this terrible position;
-
Josh Reynolds scored a pair of touchdowns in Detroit’s loss to Seattle, catching five balls on six opportunities and playing 80% of the offensive snaps;
-
Sky Moore was undoubtedly infuriated across thousands of leagues after his opening week dud, but he rebounded with 70 yards and a spike in Sunday’s win in Jacksonville;
-
KJ Osborn has scored six goals in each of Minnesota’s first two games and essentially never leaves the field;
-
Robert Bos has already seen 19 targets for the Texans, including 12 for 131 yards;
-
Jake Ferguson He hasn’t exactly been a spacing machine so far, but he made a home run on Sunday, he’s been targeted 11 times and he’s played two-thirds of the offensive snaps for Dallas.
Quarterbacks
Let the file demonstrate this Some of us tried to tell you that Mayfield was the strongest possible candidate to become this year’s Geno Smith, if anyone would do it. He’s been skilled in the past and now he’s the guy who gets to throw to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Mayfield split Sunday, completing 26 of 34 throws for 317 yards and one score. He’s going head-to-head with Philly, a defense with a stellar reputation that also happens to have allowed over 300 passing yards to the first two quarterbacks on the schedule (Mac Jones and Kirk Cousins). If you’re looking for a streaming option, Mayfield can help.
Fantastic: $3
As we mentioned last week, Stafford strangely resembles the early career version of himself. We’ve been concerned about his elbow all summer, but arm strength certainly hasn’t been an issue in the opening weeks. Don’t let this guy step in a throw:
Stafford turned Puka Nacua into a September star, and he almost single-handedly turned the Rams into a brutal matchup for any team (including San Francisco). He has racked up 300 passing yards in each of his first two games this season. Next week he travels to Cincinnati for a Monday night game with a Bengals defense that hasn’t really shut anyone down in the opening weeks.
Fantastic: $3
Additional QB Pickups:
-
Sam Howell has given us a pair of touchdowns in each of his first two games this season and his rushing lead is well established;
-
C.J. Stroud isn’t much of a game manager, as he attempted 47 passes Sunday and finished with 384 yards and a pair of scores; it just wouldn’t feel right to recommend several Texans receivers without mentioning the team’s lightly rostered QB.
Running backs
It’s more than a little surprising that Hill remains a candidate for this position, yet somehow still remains available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues. Hill broke the plane twice in the opening week, and he gained 53 yards on 14 touches against the Bengals on Sunday. We’ve heard a lot of noise this offseason about the Ravens actually throwing to their running backs in 2023, so it feels remarkable that Hill caught three balls in Week 2. Hill and Gus Edwards are currently the full RBBC for Baltimore, so both players deserve to be included in a competitive league.
Fantastic: $16
Johnson announced his presence with authority last week in his regular season debut…
He was Chicago’s lone bright spot in an otherwise embarrassing loss to Green Bay, gaining 55 agonizing yards on 11 touches and reaching the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Johnson’s opening week performance helped him climb a spot in the team’s backfield hierarchy, as D’Onta Foreman was a healthy scratch for the Week 2 matchup with Tampa Bay. Johnson was quiet but efficient on Sunday, gaining 42 yards on six touches, catching both of his targets and playing 22 snaps while Khalil Herbert saw 32.
If you’re not going out of your way to get extra shares in Chicago’s offense… well, we totally understand that. Keep in mind that Johnson is a talented all-rounder who is moving into a more solid role.
fantastic: $12
Saquon Barkley just carried your fantasy team to victory with a 6-catch, 2-touchdown performance against the Cards, but suffered an ankle injury that is expected to sideline him for three weeks. The Giants travel to face the Niners on Thursday night, so Barkley’s backup will face a significant workload this week, albeit in a brutal spot. Breida is a perfectly capable runner and receiving threat who can be safely used in Weeks 4-5 when New York hosts the Seahawks and Dolphins.
fantastic: $8
RBs on the wire:
Team defense
Chris Jones and friends are organizing a dysfunctional Bears offense this week, so KC could very well rank as the consensus No. 1 fantasy D/ST. Expect multiple turnovers and 4-5 sacks, with a decent chance of a defensive TD. This match could be an absolute bloodbath, an all-time coaching mismatch. KC’s defense could be the most impactful addition of the week, so spend the extra $1.
Fantastic: $3
