Jefferson caught a 30-yard pass against tight coverage on just the second play of the game, but the proceedings then quickly became a contest of wills on a rainy September day in Chicago. Carson Wentz completed all of 11 passes, though Jefferson was his leading receiver, as well as most targeted. With Kyler Murray (concussion) expected to return for Week 3 against the Bucs’ shaky defense, we will hopefully get our first extended look at the Vikings’ “real” offense.
Watson was far more accurate than he was in Week 1’s meltdown loss to the Jaguars. He was 6.5 percent over his expected completion rate and once again hit rookie WR Denzel Boston for a long touchdown. Watson navigated the pocket well and was passably accurate on short-area throws (his 3.6 aDOT is as low as it gets for a full game’s work). His Week 2 play all but guarantees he’ll hang on to the Browns’ starting QB gig for a while before Shedeur Sanders of Dillon Gabriel get another shot under center. Watson will have superflex appeal in Week 3 against a gettable Carolina defense.
Egbuka was oh-so-close to a big game but Baker Mayfield remained wildly inaccurate in this one. Mayfield connected with Egbuka for a short score in the first half — the only positive play in the pass game for the struggling Tampa offense. While Cade Otton led the Bucs with six targets, Egbuka remains the team’s clear No. 1 target who should bounce back sooner rather than later. He should remain in all lineups next week against the Vikings.
It’s another disappointing statline for a wideout held without a catch in Week 1, though it was yet another game where we didn’t get to see the Vikings’ “real” offense. With Kyler Murray out with a concussion, Carson Wentz was fed to the wolves at rainy Soldier Field. Murray is expected back for Week 3 in Tampa, and with him, hopefully finally a useable statline for the Vikes’ talented No. 2 receiver.
Freiermuth has a hold on the Steelers’ TE1 role, getting much of Aaron Rodgers’ short-yardage looks in the flat and middle of the field. The Steelers were not in the red zone all that much, so we have yet to see the 27-year-old’s utilization near the end zone. Regardless, he is consistently a top-four pass-catching option for the team, though the fantasy ceiling is low for the Pittsburgh offense. Freiermuth is a touchdown-dependent fantasy play and will be in the low-end TE2 ranks for Week 3 against the Bengals.
It was Odunze’s second quiet statline in as many weeks to begin the season. The difference this time, of course, was the Bears scored only three points after dropping 59 on the Panthers in Week 1. They did attempt 35 passes, 26 of which came from Caleb Williams before he injured his hamstring midway through the fourth quarter. If Williams misses Week 3 against the Eagles as is currently looking likely, it would be difficult to jam Odunze into the WR3 ranks.
Irving for a second straight week functioned as the unquestioned No. 1 backfield option ahead of Kenneth Gainwell, who had two rushes and three receptions on the day. Irving had a few solid runs in the first half before the Browns put the clamps on the Tampa rushing attack and forced Baker Mayfield to beat them (he did not). While somewhat surprising, Irving’s early domination of the Bucs backfield means he’ll be a high-floor weekly running back option until proven otherwise. He gets a tough matchup in Week 2 against the Vikings.
For whatever reason, Raymond again lead the Bears’ receiver corps in production, though Luther Burden did out-target him on fewer snaps. Cold comfort. Although Raymond out-snapped Burden, he was on the field 16 fewer plays than Rome Odunze. Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke charted Raymond as seeing more time in “12" personnel than his sophomore teammate. We would like to say this is bound to change going forward, but coach Ben Johnson had no problem featuring veteran Olamide Zaccheaus in 2025. Raymond is struggling to create WR4 value of his own, but he is certainly hampering Burden and Odunze’s production ahead of Week 3 against the Eagles.
Tate led the Titans’ receiver corps in snaps, catches and targets, but both Elic Ayomanor and Calvin Ridley churned up more yardage. No one had a useful day in fantasy football. Tate’s usage has been excellent through his first two NFL contests, but this severely-limited offense is predictably limiting his fantasy upside. He’s a WR4 heading into next week’s Giants road trip.
The good news: Todd Monken is intent on getting the football into the hands of the shifty rookie wideout. The bad news: Designed plays have been borderline disastrous for Concepcion, who was buried for a six yard loss on a first quarter carry. Denzel Boston — who caught his second touchdown of the season — was the only Browns pass catcher to see more targets for Concepcion on Sunday. Concepcion’s role in the low-wattage Cleveland offense leaves little room for weekly upside. He should be rostered in deeper formats though.
Judkins nearly scored a couple times inside the ten yard line, but couldn’t quite punch it in. The second-year back has a solid role if/when the Browns are able to hang with their opponents and produce sufficient neutral and positive game script. On Sunday against the Bucs, Judkins accounted for 12 of the Browns’ 15 running back carries and was targeted frequently out of the backfield as Deshaun Watson posted an aDOT of 3.6. Judkins should be a top-24 option in Week 3 against a middling Panthers defense.
The injury-married Dobbins was in and out of the Denver lineup with various injuries and finally left the contest with what was called a hamstring issue. With RJ Harvey (hamstring) inactive, Jonah Coleman took over as the Broncos’ primary back while Tyler Badie functioned as the pass catcher out of the backfield. Coleman could be a candidate for upwards of 20 touches per week if Dobbins and Harvey are sidelined next week. Coleman’s lack of pass-catching involvement will limit his upside, however.
A hamstring injury isn’t what we would have guessed from a video that showed Durant by a teammate in a delicate area. Regardless, the Cowboys have ruled out the 28-year-old corner with a hamstring injury, so we’ll if he’s able to go in Week 3 when the Cowboys play host to the Ravens.
No real surprises here as the Colts look to snap the longest active losing streak in the league, having lost their previous eight games dating back to last season. Alec Pierce could see an increase in snaps and utilization after week of healthy practices.
Mayfield, after throwing for just 216 yards and fumbling three times in Week 1 against the Bengals, was just as bad against Cleveland. He took three sacks and held on to the ball far too long on several drop backs in the second half. His only touchdown went to a wide open Emeka Egbuka from eight yards out. Mayfield missed a couple easy throws that could have gone for long gains, and overthrew Ted Hurst three times after Hurst had beaten the Cleveland secondary.
Jones was not targeted in the passing game. Jones was also announced with a knee injury in the second half, but played through the issue to earn his first 100-yard rushing effort since 2024. It was a much, much needed outing with Jordan Mason on injured reserve and the Vikings trying to grind out a rainy victory in Chicago. It’s possible Jones could need further testing this week, but the fact that he finished the game obviously suggests he will be on the right side of questionable for Week 3 against the Bucs. With neither DeeJay Dallas nor Demond Claiborne making an impact vs. the Bears, Jones will be a safe RB2 if he can get out there next Sunday.
Jaylin Noel outsnapped him 44-to-36 for the Texans No. 3 receiver role but Wayne beat Noel out by one catch, two yards, and two targets. “Man starts over again everyday, in spite of all he knows, against all he knows,” Emil Cioran once wrote. And these are the readings C.J. Stroud should get familiar with as he endures another week of this receiving corps in Week 3.
Henry was the Patriots’ primary tight end, leading all pass-catchers in targets on the day. He totaled 40 yards on three catches as part of a receiving-by-committee approach by the Drake Maye passing attack. His role is isolated despite Eli Raridon slowly taking on some more routes to open the season. Henry is a fantasy TE2 for Week 3 against the Jaguars.
The good news is that Kraft played 52 of the team’s 53 snaps and ran a route on 32 of their 34 dropbacks. The bad news is that he wasn’t commanding targets, and he also fumbled one of his catches, but the replay review couldn’t determine for sure who recovered it, so the Packers were able to maintain possession. Perhaps we should have been a little less aggressive in expecting Kraft to return from tearing his ACL less than a year ago and go right back to being himself at the start of the season. His role remains elite, but it may take another couple of weeks before he’s physically able to play like we’re used to seeing.
This is an encouraging first update on the Packers’ injured wide receiver. Reed will stay overnight at the hospital for further testing and observation, according to the team. Reed suffered a neck injury early in the Packers’ Week 2 game against the Jets and was taken to the locker room on a stretcher. Hopefully, the positive reports continue rolling in.
Hall couldn’t get anything going on the ground, and that was mainly on the offensive line, which got no push against the Packers’ defensive front. More troubling was that Hall played on 48 of the team’s 74 snaps and ceded work to Braelon Allen, including a goal-line touchdown run. Hall’s receiving ability will help him save some fantasy value, and his 43-yard reception was basically all thanks to his ability after the catch, but the offensive line and Allen may keep Hall as a low-end RB2 unless his role changes.
Strand replaced a struggling Cooper Rush in the third quarter of the blowout loss. His first career attempt was a pick-six, but it’s hard to pin much of the blame on him. He made a tight-window throw to Jahan Dotson and Devin Lloyd simply ripped the ball out of the receiver’s hands before he could secure it. Strand wasn’t awfully productive even after throwing out that play, taking two sacks while averaging a pitiful 3.9 yards per attempt. The hope for Falcons fans and fantasy managers alike is that Michael Penix will be ready for Week 3. It’s unclear whether Strand or Rush would start if Penix and Tua Tagovailoa remain out.
Raridon saw 11 snaps before exiting due to a thigh injury in the first half. He caught his lone target for 30 yards, fighting through pass interference for the grab. Raridon did not re-enter the game after leaving; fantasy managers should stay tuned to the injury report next week to see how major the issue is. If healthy, Raridon is worth rostering only in the deepest of leagues for redraft formats.
Surprisingly for Wentz, he rushed only three times for six yards. Unsurprisingly, he took three sacks and a few other big hits. It was no matter, as Wentz more than did his job as he avoided turnovers so the Vikings could grind out a rainy victory in the Windy City. With Kyler Murray (concussion) expected back for Week 3 in Tampa Bay, Wentz can be returned to the waiver wire in superflex leagues.
Mitchell led the Jets in targets while playing 61 of the team’s 74 snaps and running a route on 41 of their 50 dropbacks. Mitchell was also targeted on a deep ball that led to a defensive pass interference call and would have had another 40+ yard completion if it weren’t for a truly impressive play by the Green Bay defensive back. The Jets are getting no push from their offensive line, so the team will likely need to take to the air to use the ball. That figures to be good news for Mitchell, especially next week against a banged-up Lions secondary.