Well, friends, the NFL wasted no time kicking us repeatedly in the nether regions. It felt like either your team sucked (Bengals) or got hurt (Jets). Your team underperformed (Bills), or you just got reminded that you can’t ever have nice things (Vikings). I guess the rest of you are maybe just San Francisco fans. As crazy as it sounds, even through all the pain, I loved every minute of it!!!

The weekly article started like week one of the season, largely disappointing. As I mentioned last week, opening weekend is always weird, and you have to make your best guesses and try not to tilt too hard. Well, I am certainly trying!

Week 1 Hits

Raheem Mostert, RB MIA

Mostert wasn’t the smash success I had imagined. With the help of his first rushing touchdown of the season, he did manage to crack the ten points required to sneak into the “hits” category. His fantasy performance was rescued by finding paydirt. The Dolphins were on an all-out air attack against the Chargers. Mostert only had ten rush attempts and two targets. He is a risky flex play as things stand.

Michael Thomas, WR NO

Thomas ended up with 11.1 fantasy points last week, which wasn’t amazing, but it didn’t kill you either. He was targeted eight times and hauled in five receptions for 61 yards. It will be interesting to see how things develop with the new-look Saints offense, especially once Alvin Kamara gets back from suspension.

Week 1 Misses

Diontae Johnson, WR PIT

I can’t lie; I feel hard done by having to put Johnson on this list. The Steelers looked absolutely AWFUL against the 49ers, but I feel fairly confident Johnson would have had at least ten points had he not got injured in the third quarter of the game. Ah, well, such is fantasy life. As things stand, he finished with three receptions for 48 yards, i.e., 7.8 fantasy points. Sadly, with his hamstring injury, it could be several weeks before we need to decide whether we trust number 18 in our lineups again or not.

Breece Hall, RB NYJ

Full transparency, this is the happiest I have been about being wrong all week. I always wanted Hall to hit the ground “running” (pun intended). I didn’t think he would have so much juice back already! Hall looked great for the Jets. In what turned out to be a rollercoaster of emotions for the New York Jets, Breece was undoubtedly a bright spot for their offense.

Hall put up 127 yards on only ten carries. There was an 83-yard long run in there, but that is the sort of explosiveness you expect from him. Logging a top-12 performance on his first game back while splitting time with Dalvin Cook is incredibly positive. It could be wheels up for Hall if he maintains his healthy status.

Christian Kirk, WR JAC

This is the one that really hurts. There is being wrong, and then there is recommending the WR96 on the week as a solid flex option. OUCH! Mr Kirk managed one reception on three targets for a measly nine yards against the Colts. I am quite honestly flabbergasted. Christian only played 42 snaps on Sunday. By comparison, Zay Jones played 61, and the man of the hour, Calvin Ridley, played 56. As disappointing as the week was, Kirk is a buy-low target. I can’t imagine the chemistry that was so obvious from last year just disappearing completely after one game.

Recap

There you have it; after Week 1, it’s a sad, sad 40% hit rate. On a positive note, much like Kirk, the only way is up from here! As a reminder, I use the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) as my weekly guidelines. I will pick wide receivers and running backs outside their top 24 to discuss. I will give a couple I like and maybe one or two I don’t and brief reasons. Hopefully, these studs give you more than ten PPR points, and they will all end up in next week’s article’s “hits” section!

Week 2

Tyler Allgeier, RB ATL (RB30 FantasyPros ECR) ⬆️

I am surprised that the “RB2” for Atlanta is this low, given his performance and usage in week 1. Allgeier was the RB4 last week in PPR settings, and it wasn’t JUST because of touchdowns (though he did have two of those). A stat line of 15 rush attempts for 75 yards and three receptions is what has my ears perking up. He played 26 snaps to Bijan’s 31 and received five more rush attempts.

I think Bijan is a far superior talent, but Arthur Smith loves running the ball more than most of us love our families. The matchup against Green Bay doesn’t scare me away. The Cheeseheads gave up 122 yards rushing to the anemic Chicago Bears offense last week. I am happy to lock Allgeier in as an RB2 or flex option in Week 2.

Zay Flowers, WR BAL (WR27 FantasyPros ECR) ⬆️

Few things excited me as much as the arrival of Zay Flowers SZN! I am a HUGE Zay Flowers guy (he was my WR2 in this class). I was over the moon to see such an instant impact. Flowers played the second most snaps of any WR for the Ravens in his debut. He also received ten targets vs. the rest of the WR corps combined six targets. Given the unfortunate injury to Dobbins and the matchup against the wounded Bengals, I expect plenty of targets for Zay this weekend.

Jamaal Williams, RB NO (RB25 FantasyPros ECR) ⬆️

J Willy had a fairly disappointing week one against the Tennessee Titans. He did get more involved as the game went on. Eventually, he finished with 18 rush attempts for 45 yards and two receptions for seven yards. It is important to note Williams completely dominated the backfield touches for the Saints. Kendre Miller still has not practiced in full, and Alvin Kamara is still not back from suspension. We should still get a healthy dose of Jamaal in Week 2.

The matchup is very juicy on paper. The Panthers gave up the most fantasy points to the running back position in Week 1. Granted, they were playing the Atlanta Falcons. I still believe Jamaal will be a serviceable option if you struggle at RB in Week 2.

Puka Nacua, WR LAR (WR37 FantasyPros ECR) ⬆️

I know; all we have heard about is Nacua’s 42% target share last week. It feels a little “on the nose” to include him on the list, but at WR37, I had no choice! It was a stunning performance from a Week 1 rookie—one of those performances that makes you wonder if it is sustainable. Plus, the Rams do have to take on the 49ers this weekend. San Francisco made the Steelers look like a high school junior varsity team last week, so I get it.

I will say that Sean McVay’s abilities as a playcaller give me far greater confidence than Matt Canada’s. Matthew Stafford is also a good couple of tiers above Kenny Pickett, as things stand.

I am not expecting 15+ targets and a top-10 WR performance from the rookie. There is a real chance he remains a focal point of the Rams’ attack. Cooper Kupp isn’t back, and the depth chart has few other options. I would take the chance of throwing him into my flex this weekend. Nacua-na Matata!

Conclusion

Those are the picks for Week 2. I hope the fantasy gods smile on you and all your start-sit decisions are perfect!

If you want to chat fantasy football, you can always find me on X / Twitter @FFEvanlution. You can also check out my year-round dynasty fantasy football podcast (@DynastyDebates) on all major podcast listening platforms!