Week 2 was only moderately less insane than Week 1, which was amazing! It can be brutal for fantasy, but as a pure and unbiased spectator, it is unadulterated adrenaline for seven hours on a Sunday. I am just loving having real NFL back every week!!! Honestly, it does take three or four weeks of the season to start getting a clear picture of who these teams are this year. Bear that in mind when you are struggling or flying high in the early season and things start to shift!
Before we jump into this week’s picks, let’s quickly look back at last week’s players.
Week 2 Hits:
Zay Flowers, WR BAL
While not quite earth-shattering, Flowers was serviceable and continues to impress as a young rookie. He hauled in four of his five targets for 64 yards and even managed a rushing attempt. Flowers played the most snaps of any wide receiver for Baltimore and received only one fewer target than target leader Nelson Agholor. Arrows are pointing up on Flowers!
Puka Nacua, WR LAR
Okay, I admit it, Nacua is the greatest wide receiver in the history of the NFL. But seriously, he did break the record for most receptions by any receiver in their first two NFL games. Really impressive stuff from the rookie fifth-rounder. His stat line is just absurd. Nacua’s 15 receptions on 20 targets for 147 yards was good enough for WR2 on the week. As if that was not mind-boggling enough, he came into the weekend as a doubt with an oblique injury! Is he the love child of Randy Moss and Jerry Rice?!
Week 2 Misses:
Tyler Allgeier, RB ATL
Allgeier is the one that surprised me the most. He looked solid in Week 1, and the rumors all week were that he would be splitting reps with Bijan Robinson. He did get 16 rush attempts to Bijan’s 19, which isn’t bad. Sadly, he only managed to turn them into 48 yards and did not get into the endzone this week. Without a single target to his name, that left us fantasy managers sadly disappointed with his 4.8 fantasy points.
Jamaal Williams, RB NO
This is now the second week in a row where a promising pick has been cut short because of injury. When you consider it’s only the second week of the season, that makes it all the more painful. Williams picked up a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the Saints’ win over the Panthers on Monday Night Football. Even more frustrating, his backup, Tony Jones, ended up getting two touchdowns! Those were Jamaal’s touchdowns!!!
Recap
It’s been a slow start to the season, and I am hoping for a big result in Week 3 to get things back on track! Breaking even at 50/50 in Week 2 has me at four hits and five misses on the season so far. Sitting around a 44% hit rate after two crazy weeks isn’t where I wanted to be. If those two injured players had stayed healthy, we could easily be looking at a six and three, which is not too shabby! I’m not here to make excuses, though, I just want to stay accountable for these picks!
As a reminder, I am using the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) as my guidelines each week. I will be picking 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 reasonings as to why. Hopefully, these studs give you more than 10 PPR points, and they will all end up in the “hits” section for next week’s article!
Week 3
Tank Dell, WR HOU (WR49) ⬆️
Nathaniel “Tank” Dell was a draft crush for me this off-season. The dude is absolutely electrifying to watch! Most people’s concerns were around size and how that would translate in the NFL. It looks like it is translating just fine so far! Dell played 79% of snaps last week, only behind long-time legend Bobby Trees. Tank also commanded more targets than either Trees or the assumed WR1, Nico Collins. Dell managed seven receptions on ten targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a rookie in his second week of NFL action!
The Jaguars feel a bit all over the place at the minute. It does seem like even a muddled Jags team will still put up some points against the Texans, however, and force Stroud to throw the ball 500+ times in this divisional showdown. I can’t wait!
Drake London, WR ATL (WR32) ⬆️
I will start this section with a disclaimer: I do love me some London. I know that Arthur Smith is one of the most annoying head coaches in all of the NFL for fantasy managers. I know there is always the possibility of a random bagel on the stat sheet because of the aforementioned Mr. Smith. However, I believe London is simply too talented of a wide receiver to leave on your dynasty bench under almost all circumstances.
This weekend’s matchup with the Detroit Lions should call for points to be scored on both sides. The Lions’ offense is too good to be shut out, and their defense isn’t good enough to scare me off of London. After a nightmare in Week 1, London bounced back with a healthy 25% target share. He also managed to find the end zone, which always helps your fantasy numbers.
Tony Jones Jr., RB NO (RB42) ⬇️
I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I am fading Mr. Jones Jr. this week. I am of a firm belief that he is one of the jaggiest jags outside of DUUUUUVALLLLL County. His fantasy score last week looks pretty juicy, but that is majorly boosted by two short-yardage touchdowns. He only managed 34 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Week 3 matchup against Green Bay is fairly decent for running backs, but I think we could see a decent amount of Kendre Miller this week. I just don’t trust Jones enough to recommend throwing him in your flex this week.
Tutu Atwell, WR LAR (WR37) ⬆️
I know we are all in awe of Atwell’s rookie teammate at the moment, and rightfully so. However, I think people aren’t truly appreciating just how impactful Atwell has been this season! After the first two weeks, he is currently the WR16 in PPR leagues. He has 13 receptions on 17 targets for 196 yards. Yes, 2023 has been a super weird year so far!
The Bengals have a solid defense, but a healthy Matthew Stafford with Sean McVay calling plays gives me the confidence I need to plug in Atwell and expect good things this weekend. Against the juggernaut 49ers defense, he still managed seven receptions on nine targets for 77 yards. I feel pretty good about throwing him in the flex this weekend.
Jordan Addison, WR MIN (WR33) ⬆️
Call me a homer if you will, but I am definitely lighting up my Addison shares in Week 3! I am not suggesting we expect touchdowns every week from the rookie. He was drafted to be a playmaker, though, so it won’t surprise me if we do get another one. I also think the Vikings desperately need a win, and the Los Angeles Chargers can certainly put up some points. It could be a shootout if we are lucky, and that could mean some tasty numbers for the Vikings receiving corp.
Currently, Vegas has a 54 over/under on this game, and I am really hoping it hits the over! Addison is still developing and hasn’t taken over a commanding role yet in the offense. I do think this is a matchup worth exploiting, and it gives you some nice potential upside in your lineup.
Conclusion
These are the giant slayers of Week 3! I hope you manage to roster at least one of these studs! If you do, I hope you have the guts to throw them in your lineups! Good luck this weekend!
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!
