Week Two is in the books for the AFC North! We must focus on the top takeaways now that we have film and statistics to study. No longer can we rest on our offseason takes of who will succeed and who will fail. We now have an entire two weeks of NFL football to study. We can lead our team to a fantasy football title by focusing on weekly top takeaways! The fantasy season will move quickly, and in a dynasty, it is essential to acquire players before they break out or unload players before they falter.
Amari Cooper Awakening
Cooper was one of the first offseason wide-receivers dominoes to fall this past spring. After being traded to Cleveland for a string of late-round picks and pick swaps, he saw many at the position garnering big money and huge trades throughout the offseason. His hype in the dynasty community grew once the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, only for it to deflate once the suspension was announced. Cooper is one of the quieter players across the league and today quietly commanded a 37% target share and eclipsed 100 yards and a touchdown. He may have finally found his spot in this Cleveland Browns offense. We will see this Thursday in a crucial AFC North matchup.
Steelers Offense Inefficient
After spending Week One going back and forth with the AFC Champs, the Steelers struggled to get much of anything going in Week Two. The offense was inefficient in a 17-14 loss to the New England Patriots. Mitch Trubisky barely broke 150 yards through the air, and Najee Harris could only add 49 yards on the ground despite having 15 carries. If this is a sign of how 2022 will go, fantasy expectations for all Steelers will have to be severely reigned in. The only question would be if a switch to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett would improve anything.
Rashod Bateman Year Two Breakout
Many across the industry have been huge Bateman fans dating back to his days playing with Tyler Johnson at the University of Minnesota. This Sunday was the day many of us had been waiting for. In a thrilling and high-scoring loss to the Miami Dolphins, Bateman commanded seven targets which he converted into four receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. This included the 75-yard touchdown where he outran the entire defense. Through two weeks, Bateman has double-digit targets and a pair of touchdowns. A lovely way to start what may be a WR1 season for the second-year player.
Hayden Hurst Tight End League Winner?
The Cincinnati Bengals were behind most of the game in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. This should give us a pretty good picture of what this offense will look like in hurry-up mode. Hayden Hurst saw seven targets. To put that into context, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins commanded nine and ten, respectively. This follows up an eight-target performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week One. He hasn’t broken 50 yards or scored a touchdown yet, so the buzz is still subdued. Buy now while you can because once he has a big game, you won’t be able to acquire him.
Information is the most powerful tool any dynasty fantasy football manager possesses. If you can stay on top of the correct information more than your league-mates, you will come out on top. The AFC North is home to many key fantasy players. Be sure to check back with us, as we will be breaking down takeaways from every division this week. And be sure to come back next week, as we will be doing the same for all 18 weeks of the 2022 NFL season!
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