Big Takeaways From Week Two

The second week of the NFL season is in the books and we were treated with yet another great set of games. There were large comebacks, big upsets, and some outstanding fantasy performances. Everything we could want in an action-packed NFL weekend. In this article today I will be discussing some of the more important fantasy football storylines from Week Two. Additionally, I will be taking a look at the near-term fantasy potential of the players involved, as well as their dynasty prospects where pertinent. In doing so I hope to help you answer some of the biggest questions we have been left with after this past week, and how to take advantage in your fantasy lineup. 

Trey Lance Season-Ending Ankle Injury

This is devastating for managers who likely drafted him early on in fantasy drafts recently. He broke his ankle which will require surgery ending his 2022 season. It is unfortunate as the offense was beginning to show life prior to him exiting against Seattle. Regardless, Jimmy Garoppolo will be taking over as the signal caller for the 49ers. While Lance does have significantly higher upside, Garoppolo’s familiarity with the scheme actually raises the fantasy value of the players in this offense in the near term. George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk have all had sustained success with him as their Quarterback. This could mean up and down performance like in the past, however, given their thin Running Back room they should be passing more than in years past. 

For Trey Lance, this unfortunately pushes his development back another full year. This is tough for a player who has only played one full season between the college and professional levels. Obviously, Lance can be dropped in season-long formats but he is still a very intriguing dynasty prospect. Given the capital spent to acquire Lance, he will absolutely be the starter next season save an incredible playoff run on the back of Garappolo. Nonetheless, even though he hasn’t played much this will likely be his final year to audition for the long-term job. He’s still young but has a remarkably low amount of game experience given his age. Due to the injury, I’ve moved him behind players like Trevor Lawrence and Russell Wilson in my dynasty rankings. 

Garrett Wilson Breakout Performance

Garrett Wilson had an incredible performance this past Sunday catching 8 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was the clear favorite target of Joe Flacco, and Elijah Moore shouldn’t be the presumptive WR1 in the offense going forward. While this isn’t an indictment on Moore, Wilson has outproduced him the first two weeks of the season. Both are fantastic athletes with elite college profiles, however, Wilson is the more prototypically sized NFL player. It should be noted though that Zach Wilson should be returning from injury in the near future. This could change the dynamic of the receiving room as it is unclear who he will have immediate chemistry with. Still, this pairing should be regarded as 1A and 1B options this season, and both slide in as top 36 options for me this week. 

The Los Angeles Ram Running Back Situation

It’s very tough to gauge what exactly is going on in the Los Angeles Running Back Room. Despite Darrell Henderson being the clear RB1 in Week One, Cam Akers had 15 rushing attempts compared to 10 for Henderson this past week. Henderson did have more total yards with a touchdown. and looked like the better Running Back when you watched the two play. Regardless, the coaching staff clearly wants to get both backs involved in the offense which is a nightmare for fantasy managers. Neither can be trusted as more than low-end RB2 options in Week Three, with Henderson remaining my preference for at least another week. If this is a committee, Henderson will still be a great value as he was going very cheap in fantasy drafts. He lacks the upside though that many saw after week one. While Akers doesn’t appear close to taking the reigns of this backfield either and will be a midtier RB3 for me next week. 

Tua Tagovailoa’s Monster Performance

Tua Tagovailoa is beginning to silence the doubters that included myself this offseason after the finest performance of his career this past weekend. Tagovailoa passed for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns on his way to completing a remarkable comeback that began with him being down 28-7. It came against one of the better teams in the league and the Dolphins are 2-0 to start their 2022 campaign. The success Tagovailoa is having bodes well for the fantasy prospects of the offense moving forward too. Many wondered if Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle could both be fantasy viable with him as their Quarterback. There should be no doubt after the first two weeks as no tandem in the NFL has more fantasy points so far this season.

Tyreek Hill should be in the weekly top 5 Wide Receiver conversation for the remainder of the season, and Waddle should be a top 15 option as well. The offense is highly concentrated on these two, as each has had a high target percentage these first two weeks. Nothing should change about this going forward and they’re both plug-and-play starters. Given the struggle of other Quarterbacks this season, Tagovailoa is beginning to push himself into the QB1 conversation as well. I’ll likely have him as a top 15 option again this week, but one more performance like that and I won’t have him ranked that low again.