Cook jumped out to a scorching start on the ground, reaching the century mark in rushing before the half. Still, fantasy managers were left scratching their head as they watched Josh Allen account for three touchdowns from inside the five, two on the ground and one through the air. It wasn’t until a 22-yard carry that was down at the one late in the fourth quarter that the team rewarded Cook with a short-yardage touchdown, finally allowing fantasy managers their first taste of sweet touchdown copium from their first-round draft pick on the young season. Cook is likely to remain busy when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3, where he will remain a locked-in RB1.
Kincaid truly did it all in this one, routinely in the middle of the blocking scrum on long James Cook runs in addition to his work through the air. His 95 yards handily paced the team, with his first touchdown of the young season coming from 16 yards out near the end of the second quarter. Kincaid remains one of the most efficient pass-catchers in the league on a per-route basis and has worked his way into the upper echelon of fantasy assets at the position. He remains a locked-in TE1 when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3.
Coleman could be a hot name on the waiver wire following Week 2 after DJ Moore departed with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury in the first half. The third-year veteran continues to tease at untapped upside in this high-powered offense but has yet to fully break through for consistent production. Maybe that changes now as his role potentially grows without Moore. It will also be interesting to see how, if at all, his route tree changes in the absence of Moore, particularly considering the team has Joshua Palmer to operate as the field-stretching, Z-type receiver, the latter of whom caught his only target for a 43-yard touchdown on a broken coverage against the Lions. Coleman is a speculative waiver addition ahead of a much more forgiving matchup against the Jets in Week 3.
Shakir continued in a gadgety role for the Bills, primarily working the short areas of the field in addition to receiving snaps out of the backfield. That could change in the immediate future after lead receiver DJ Moore departed in the second quarter with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury. Even so, Shakir is best left on the waiver wire in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.
Knox cashed in on a touchdown grab from one yard out in the second quarter for his first score of the season. While his snaps should remain high in an offense that rotates pass-catchers at an elevated rate, his primary contribution remains his blocking prowess. He remains a player unlikely to contribute meaningful counting stats on a weekly basis and is best left on the waiver wire.
The Lions staked the Bills to a 21-point lead early in the second quarter, eventually taking a 27-10 deficit into the break. The closest they would get the rest of the game was a 10-point deficit, but the offense finally came alive in the final two frames. Goff tossed a pair of touchdowns to alpha wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and one each to Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, salvaging the poor team performance with an elite fantasy score for managers brave enough to start him on the road in the elements. The Lions fall to 1-1 ahead of a much more forgiving home matchup against the Jets in Week 3, where Goff will look to return another QB1 performance.
Gibbs was effectively the entire game plan out of the gates, scoring the team’s only first-half touchdown from 11 yards out in the second quarter. He would be used far less after the break as the Lions attempted to come back from multiple 17-point deficits, although the six receptions on eight targets and a touchdown through the air helped push his counting stats into clear RB1 territory for the second consecutive week to start the season. Fantasy managers that were lucky enough to secure the 1.01 in drafts this offseason are sure to be content with the early returns. Gibbs will once again be an elite fantasy option when the Lions host the Jets in Week 3.
St. Brown did not catch his first pass until six minutes left in the second quarter but was the primary cog of the offense after the break as the Lions worked to overcome multiple 17-point deficits. He found paint for the first time on the team’s first possession after the break before adding a second in the two-minute drill from 27 yards out. St. Brown now has 209 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions through two games an looks every bit of the elite WR1 fantasy managers invested a first-round pick into this offseason. Although volume through the air might be more difficult to come by in Week 3, St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 when the Lions host the Jets in Detroit.
LaPorta combined with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs to be the primary targets for quarterback Jared Goff on a night where relentless pressure from the Bills forced the offense to primarily attack the intermediate areas of the field. That could be the norm for this offense moving forward considering the mounting injuries along their offensive line, which are likely to be felt the most against opponents with a legitimate pass rush. That may not be the case in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets, a team that is likely to also utilize elevated rates of zone coverage. LaPorta has had stark man-zone splits throughout his career and could see less volume due to matchup. He’ll be a low-end TE1 against the Jets.
Williams continues to be primarily utilized as a deep threat in the Detroit offense, which is not the development fantasy managers were expecting following offseason reports that his route tree would be expanded in the new year. The mounting injuries along the offensive line have limited Goff’s time in the pocket to the point where Williams rarely has enough time for his routes to develop, leading to the down production through two weeks. Whether either of those two variables changes in the immediate future remains to be seen, leaving us to treat Williams as nothing more than an upside WR3 in the interim. He will be a difficult start in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets.
Maddox was injured on a play in the red zone at the beginning of the second quarter. He was helped to the sideline by trainers before being taken by cart to the locker room. Expect an update from the team in short order. His departure is another blow to a secondary already down multiple starters.
Moore departed with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter after appearing to injure his shoulder on a diving attempt in the end zone. He remained on the field for multiple minutes before being helped to the sideline with trainers. He went straight to the locker room under his own power, presumably for testing. The team has yet to release an official designation, although it appears unlikely he will return to the game. Moore was not targeted before departing as the play he was injured on was called back for an offensive hold.
Johnson mainly serves as a third-down specialist, so his absence is not hugely consequential. The Bills promoted RB Frank Fore Jr. from the practice squad. He and RB Ray Davis will back up starting RB James Cook tonight.
Losing Miller and Mahogany for this one is unfortunate, especially with C Cade Mays (wrist) on injured reserve. The Bills, however, lost DT Ed Oliver to a pre-game hip injury. This should be a high-scoring, fantasy-friendly game environment tonight. Lions CB D.J. Reed (foot) will play.
McBride should be considered good to go for the Cardinals’ Week 2 game against the Seahawks. It took a while for the team to let us know what was going on yesterday. Although there is something at play here with the back listing, the fact that the team labeled it a rest day is great to see. He’s an elite TE1.
The 33-year-old wide receiver should play in Week 2 against the Cardinals, although he is just a boom-bust FLEX starter at this point. Kupp does not need to be in 12-team lineups.
Emmanwori remains limited through two Week 2 practices, and Okada (hamstring) has not yet resumed practicing. Emmanwori seemingly has a chance to play, but Okada appears to be a long shot.
Thomas and RG Francis Mauigoa (shoulder) are both practicing in a limited capacity, putting them on track to play on Monday night against the Rams. There are no concerns here.
Eagles CB Cooper DeJean (calf/abdomen) and OLB Jonathan Greenard (pectoral) joined Carter for a limited session. Eagles S Andrew Mukuba (knee) did not practice. Fortunately, the Eagles have a winnable game against the Titans this week.
The Jaguars are seemingly just managing Thomas’ reps after their X-receiver aggravated his shoulder injury in Week 1 against the Browns. Thomas remains a volatile WR3/FLEX playing in a productive, if crowded, offense.
Meyers should be good to go for his team’s Week 2 game against the Broncos. He caught 2-of-2 targets for 40 yards and one touchdown in Week 1 against the Browns, and can be expected to play efficiently again in Week 2, albeit on a potentially stunted workload. The Jaguars field a deep wide receiver corps. Jaguars RB LeQuint Allen (hip) remained limited as well.
Black gets tagged with the dreaded mid-week limited listing. Dang. The rookie running back was a helpful contributor in Week 1, elevating him to FLEX-starter status for the 49ers’ matchup against the Dolphins’ fantasy-friendly defense in Week 2. He is now in the questionable camp, though. Hopefully, he practices fully on Friday.
Kittle’s continued limited participation is not concerning. The 49ers are likely just managing the veteran’s reps early in the year, coming off a season-ending injury. Kittle is a TE1 for the 49ers’ Week 2 game against the Dolphins.
NFL players generally play through illnesses. We expect Pineiro to be active on game day, though two absences are a bit concerning. Hopefully, he is back on Friday.
The issue is that Williams “didn’t display much craftiness in his route running during training camp this summer.” He ended up “buried on the depth chart” and played just 12 snaps in the opener. Still, Graff notes, Williams has shown an ability to “release off the line of scrimmage with ease, and run straight, deep routes for big completions.” Getting Williams more involved makes sense, but the Patriots have been reluctant to do so thus far in his career. He can be stashed on deep-leagues benches for a week or so, but positive results are not guaranteed.