Week 2 has come and gone but not without some more injuries to big name players as Cowboys QB Tony Romo suffered a fractured clavicle that is expected to keep him out until Week 8, Saints QB Drew Brees suffered a shoulder injury that could force him to at least the next game and QB Jay Cutler is expected to miss two weeks with an injured hamstring. With the Week 3 waiver deadline approaching let’s take a look at some players that can help fill the injury void and some players that continue to impress as they proved their Week 1 production might not have been a fluke after all.
Quarterbacks
Brandon Weeden, DAL- Weeden has been named the Cowboys starting QB with news that Tony Romo will be out for the next eight weeks. Weeden was a first round pick of Cleveland back in 2012 but struggled mightily as their starting quarterback before eventually losing his starting job during his sophomore season. With Romo injured last year Weeden appeared in five games, completing 58.5% of his passes for 303 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Weeden was an impressive 7-for-7 in relief of the injured Romo on Sunday, throwing for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles and while it’s a great sign that he was able to come off the bench and be that efficient it seems like a long shot he will be better than what he showed last year. From a pure volume stand point Weeden deserves some fantasy consideration as the Cowboys will still throw fairly often and even with the loss of Dez Bryant still have some solid receiving options in Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Jason Witten.
Luke McCown, NO- In a true “next man up” scenario McCown will likely be the Saints starting quarterback for the next few weeks which offers him a boost in his fantasy ability despite his unimpressive NFL resume. The Saints offense will likely rely a bit more on the run while Brees is sidelined but McCown still has a decent amount of offensive weapons at his disposal in the likes of C.J. Spiller, Brandin Cooks, Marques Colston and Brandon Coleman to throw the ball to. While the Saints vertical passing game might take a hit those wide receivers could benefit from more of an intermediate passing attack with less risk in PPR formats.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ- If backups Brandon Weeden and Luke McCown are too unappealing to replace some of the injuries at the QB position in Week 3 then Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick deserves a look. Through two weeks Fitzpatrick has completed 63.8% of his passes for 423 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. His efficiency in the passing game is key here and in the Jets Week 2 win over the Colts he and Brandon Marshall appeared to be in sync which is a benefit for any QB as Marshall, when focused and on his game, is one of the league’s premier wide receivers. It should be noted that Eric Decker left this game with a knee injury and will get an MRI on Monday so depending on the outcome of that Fitzpatrick could be without his No.2 guy but if you want to just play the streaming option he finds himself with a favorable match up in Week 3 against the Eagles.
Running Backs
David Johnson, ARI- Johnson once again took the backseat to Chris Johnson in Week 2 but was the more effective runner when given the opportunity and displayed his explosive play making ability when he returned the opening kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown. In Week 1 Johnson took his only touch, a reception, 55 yards for a touchdown. Coach Bruce Arians has gone on record saying he does not feel a large workload is healthy for a rookie running back but it’s hard to ignore somebody with game breaking ability and has stated that Johnson will see an increased role in the offense moving forward. Andre Ellington is expected back in the coming weeks which will once again clog the backfield but now will probably be your last chance to grab Johnson off the waiver wire.
Matt Jones, WSH- In Week 1 Jones saw just six carries against the Dolphins but averaged 4.7 yards per carry which was enough for the Redskins to give him a bigger piece of the pie in Week 2 as he carried the ball a team high 19 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Starter Alfred Morris did get 18 carries but only managed 59 yards for a 3.3 ypc. Jones was a sleeper heading into the year as he impressed during the preseason and was seen working out with the first team offenses during camp. The Redskins figure to be a run heavy team and Jones and Morris figure to see plenty of work.
James Starks, GB- Eddie Lacy suffered a sprained ankle in the Packers Week 2 contest and needed to be carted off the field which opened the door for Starks to be the Packers featured running back. Current reports are that Lacy feels the ankle sprain is just minor and think he can get on the field for the Packers Week 3 matchup on Monday night but Starts is a great insurance policy as he carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards and added four catches for 11 yards against the Seahawks.
Devonta Freeman, ATL- Starting running back Tevin Coleman suffered broken ribs in the Falcons Week 2 contest which opens the door for Freeman to be the lead back for the next few weeks. Freeman has been terrible running the ball this season, averaging just 2.0 yards per carry but he has been a factor in the teams passing attack with seven catches for 63 yards over the first two games. In PPR leagues Freeman will see the bigger boost in value due to his ability to catch the ball but he did show better rushing skills during his rookie season where he averaged 3.8 yards per carry in a limited role.
Wide Receivers
Travis Benjamin, CLE- Benjamin is a “go big or go home” type of player as he has seen just seven total targets over the first two weeks but has used his burner speed for multiple big play touchdowns. In Week 2 in particular Benjamin caught a 60 yard touchdown pass, a 50 yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 78 yards for a score. If you find yourself in a deep league and need help at WR then Benjamin is certainly and exciting man to own but understand he is likely a major boom or bust candidate each week.
Rishard Matthews, MIA- There was plenty of hype surrounding the Dolphins wide receiving core entering the season after they went and traded for Kenny Stills, signed Greg Jennings and drafted DeVante Parker to play alongside Jarvis Landry but through two weeks it has been Rishard Matthews that has stepped up into the Dolphins No.2 receiver role. Matthews has caught 10 of 13 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown so far this season which is far more than any other wide receiver not named Jarvis Landry. Ryan Tannehill figures to pass early and often this season which will certainly give a boost to whoever is featured in their passing attack.
Aaron Dobson, NE- Dobson is a deeper league play as he came out of nowhere on Sunday to catch 7-of-8 targets for 87 yards against the Bills. He certainly benefited from Tom Brady’s 59 pass attempts but it should also be noted that Dobson was a former second round pick of New England and was expected to play a bigger role in the offense in 2014 before getting injured. With Brandon LaFell out until Week 8 the Patriots could look for Dobson to fill that role given his similar size and downfield speed like LaFell possesses. The Patriots figure to throw the ball a ton this season as Tom Brady is apparently making sure everybody knows that he doesn’t need a deflated football to be the league’s No.1 quarterback and secondary options like Dobson figure to benefit from that if they can show consistency.
Tight Ends
Eric Ebron, DET- Ebron was the Lions first round pick in 2014 but he really struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. In 2015 he likes marketable better and his performance on the field has showed it as he has caught 9-of-15 targets for 96 yards and two touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. Tight end is a shallow position and in fantasy not much separates the each player after you move away from the top tier guys. If you find yourself in need of tight end help you could do a lot worse than Ebron who plays in a pass first offense and has found the end zone in each of the first two weeks.
Crockett Gillmore, BAL- Gilmore was the Ravens third round pick in 2014 but had a quiet rookie season behind Dennis Pitta and then Owen Daniels following the Pitta season ending injury. Gilmore enters 2015 as the Ravens No.1 tight end and through two games he looks like a potential breakout candidate having caught 7-of-10 targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco in the past frequently targeted Dennis Pitta while having the likes of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith on the outside but with both of those receivers no longer on the team the Ravens rely heavily on Steve Smith Sr. in the passing game. If Gilmore can show some consistency he poses a matchup problem for opposing defenses as he measures in at 6-foot-6 and 270 lbs. and should be a factor in the Ravens passing attack going forward.