It’s only been two weeks, but we could all use a few fantasy football mulligans. And maybe we should apologize a little too.
I definitely regret passing up Alvin Kamara, who looks fantastic. And I suspect I overlooked Derek Carr, who is better than many realize. But perhaps the biggest mistake was underestimating Klint Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator cooking for the Saints.
It wasn’t headline-grabbing when the Saints beat Carolina last week, but New Orleans shocked the world on Sunday with a 44-19 rout of Dallas. New Orleans’ offense was immediately dominant, scoring on all five possessions in the first half. Kamara ended up with four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and 180 total yards, while Carr threw two scores and ran for a third.
Kubiak’s fingerprints are all over this emerging offense. He’s introduced regular pre-snap motion and play-action passing to a team that strangely ignored it last season. The Saints have also found a way to coach an offensive line that was considered one of the worst in the league all summer.
Kamara also looks like a completely different player. Remember, his longest run last year was just 17 yards and his longest catch was just 25 yards. He’s already produced a ton of splash plays for 2024, including a 57-yard touchdown catch on Sunday that went untouched. Give Kubiak an assist on that call; Kamara galloped through open space.
Carr and the passing game could have gone wild in Week 2 if Dallas had put up more of a fight. Carr attempted just 16 passes, though he still managed 243 yards on his 11 completions. Speed demon Rashid Shaheed caught all four of his targets, including a 70-yard touchdown in the first half (another tip of the hat, play action). Chris Olave (five touches, 88 yards) had a respectable day, missing a touchdown by one yard. Juwon Johnson didn’t appear in the recap, but he had a touchdown catch that was neutralized by a penalty.
Olave’s touchdown rate will likely normalize quickly; he’s too good. But this offense may not need much from hybrid Taysom Hill. He’s taken a modest 10 touches in two weeks and left in the second half with a pectoral injury. Even when Hill is healthy, this Saints group doesn’t mind using Kamara around the goal line, a departure from past offenses. The pro-Hill case has always been about expected touchdown equity, but that basket seems nearly empty at the moment.
New Orleans is expected to play in a number of high-scoring games in the future. Over the next four weeks, the Saints will face Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
Get your popcorn ready. Good times on Bourbon Street.
Several favorites disappoint
Dallas wasn’t the only heavy favorite to struggle in the early window. Baltimore lost to the Raiders in the second straight week of Survivor chaos. The Niners were outclassed and outplayed in Minnesota. And the Lions were upset, too, losing 20-16 to Tampa Bay.
It’s shocking that Detroit gave this game away. The Lions beat the Buccaneers 463-216, but they dropped too many points. Detroit scored just one touchdown and blew a likely field goal opportunity in the second quarter due to sloppiness. While Amon-Ra St. Brown (who was injured late in the game), Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs all had respectable days in terms of volume, none of them reached the end zone.
Jared Goff was largely reduced to subdued (5.6 YPA) and had a pair of crucial interceptions. David Montgomery struggled to find running lanes, though a short touchdown run saved his fantasy day. Sam LaPorta has yet to break out in 2024, stalled on eight catches for 58 yards in two games.
What’s especially frustrating about Detroit’s sluggish push is that it’s come home, where the Lions normally pile up the points. Maybe OC Ben Johnson can find some answers next week in Arizona. The Lions then return home for a Week 4 date against Seattle, and perhaps an early Week 5 bye is a good place for this group.
Better days should come. There is too much talent and continuity in this attacking group.
Booms
Let’s take a look around the competition. In other booms:
Marvin Harrison Jr.: A few days ago, Kyler Murray said it wasn’t his job to feed rookie targets. Unfortunately, Murray did that early and often in Week 2, and Harrison Jr. took advantage by burning the Rams for a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. The only reason Harrison didn’t go past eight targets is because the Rams weren’t competitive — Murray threw just 21 passes for the day. But Harrison’s 4-130-2 afternoon was the sound of a trumpet: He’s clearly arrived.
Malik Nabers: He’ll always have his work cut out for him with Daniel Jones, but Nabers certainly provided a smash play against a faltering Washington defense. And Nabers didn’t miss his chance, posting a juicy 10-127-1 line on a whopping 18 targets. All summer, the Giants talked about targeting Nabers heavily each week; it didn’t happen in the opener, but the adjustment was made. Nabers has had a rising ADP all summer, but he’s still capable of being a profitable player.
JK Dobbins: We know the Chargers want to run the ball to set up the run — that’s life with Jim Harbaugh — and Dobbins makes the plan work. Dobbins and Gus Edwards split the workload evenly in an early win over Carolina, but it was Dobbins (17-131-1) with the better final line. Not surprisingly, both were neglected in the passing game — Dobbins had one short catch, Edwards wasn’t targeted. The sledding could be tough in Pittsburgh next week, and the Chargers may be chasing a Week 4 game against Kansas City. But if Dobbins can stay healthy, he could go down as one of the 2024 answers.
Sam Darnold: Has he finally found the right head coach to unlock his latent talent? Darnold was excellent in the Week 1 win at the Giants, and the Week 2 upset against San Francisco was even more impressive, considering the opponent. Darnold has the arm strength to threaten all areas of the field, and the athleticism and grit to extend plays. As long as Justin Jefferson stays healthy — it was scary to see him go off with a quadriceps injury on Sunday — I’m going to back Darnold, who looks comfortable in Kevin O’Connell’s sharp passing scheme.
Busts
Of course we have a few busts every Sunday:
Anthony Richardson: He’s capable of making a great highlight reel on one snap and a mistake of inexperience on the next. We saw a lot of that in Week 1’s entertaining loss to Houston, but there was little to like about the Colts’ upset of Green Bay’s skeleton crew on Sunday. The Packers were able to contain Richardson as a runner for most of the day, and too many of his downfield throws were off target (especially when Michael Pittman Jr. was the option; he was just 3-21-0 on seven looks). The Shane Steichen-Richardson combo will likely still succeed, but this week was a reminder to be realistic with our timetables.
Amari Cooper: Cleveland’s surprise win over Jacksonville was mostly about defense. Deshaun Watson managed just 5.5 YPA and struggled to connect with Cooper (3-11-0, eight targets). Perhaps the Browns should steal from Pittsburgh’s blueprint — try to win games with defense and ball control, and hide the quarterback as much as possible.
Rachaad White: While he wasn’t a factor in Detroit’s win (10-18 rushing, 1-5 receiving), there’s plenty to like about him. Detroit’s defense was stellar all day (five Aidan Hutchinson sacks; only 3.0 YPC allowed) and Bucky Irving was also held to account (seven carries, 22 yards). The key for White will be to hold onto this job until the second half of the season, when Tampa Bay’s easier schedule kicks in. The tougher matchups usually come in the first half of the year.
Isaiah Probably: All week long, we’ve been wondering what the right answer was in the Baltimore tight end room. For Week 2, I think the answer was “nobody.” Mark Andrews put together a passable 4-51-0 line on five targets, while Likely came back with a 2-26-0 return on three looks. Ironically, Baltimore’s last chance to get into field-goal range on the final drive was a near miss for Likely, a pass down the sideline that was an eyelash too high. Zay Flowers (11 targets, 7-91-1) was Lamar Jackson’s first read all day, and the others were fighting for scraps.
