We have one week on the books now which means we have real stats, real data, real footage. Things we thought were true proved to be untrue and things we didn’t think would happen, happened (looking at you James O’Shaughnessy). But guess what? All the questions haven’t been answered yet. In fact, there might be more questions now. So pay attention as I tell you what we need to pay attention to in week 2.
All times below are Eastern Standard Time
Giants @ Washington Football - Thursday 8:20 PM (Recap)
Giants - In week 1 Sterling Shepard played 95% of snaps - this week he ran a route on every single pass play they ran. We still need to see what the offense looks like when Evan Engram returns but no question that is good.
Washington - It’s officially time to be concerned about Antonio Gibson. On four pass blocking plays, he’s now let in pressure twice. JD McKissic has eight so far and has let in zero pressure. Gibson was RB142 of 154 in this category last year.
Patriots @ Jets - Sunday 1:00 PM
Patriots - Damien Harris looked great last Sunday - up until the point he fumbled the game away. Running backs coach Ivan Fears said that this “hasn’t been a problem for him before” which could be interpreted as he won’t lose touches over it but, with Rhamondre Stevenson waiting in the wings, Harris will need to pay extra attention to ball security.
Jets - Last week Corey Davis and Elijah Moore play the vast majority of the snaps with Braxton Berrios playing a limited snap share out of the slot. But that was with Jamison Crowder sidelined with COVID. This week will offer pivotal information for fantasy - is Elijah Moore the full time flanker? Or will he come off the field in favor of the established veterans Crowder and Davis?
Broncos @ Jaguars - Sunday 1:00 PM
Broncos - This team left a lot of questions. With Jerry Jeudy out, is it KJ Hamler or Tim Patrick you want for fantasy? Or neither? Will either running back be able to separate themselves (33 snaps each last week). Do the Broncos use Albert Okwuegbunam in more two tight end sets?
Jaguars - The usage for James O’Shaughnessy was oddly damn near perfect last week. He was top five in snaps at wide receiver, pass blocked zero times, ran over 40 routes. If that happens again, he may be a viable option - which no one really saw coming.
Bills @ Dolphins - Sunday 1:00 PM
Bills - The big story here was Zack Moss being inactive after having essentially and even work load last season. If this continues, Devin Singletary could be a very nice asset. Especially where you got him.
Dolphins - One question we’ve had got pushed into the future - despite coming off of his suspension, Will Fuller will not be playing this week with no explanation as to why. DeVante Parker was looking like the top pass catcher for the team so this opens the door for Jaylen Waddle or Mike Gesicki to establish themselves as that second target.
49ers @ Eagles - Sunday 1:00 PM
49ers - If you have never played the “Kyle Shanahan Running Back Roulette Game”, you are in for a treat. The “hot hand” this week also isn’t the winner of the game, as Shanahan has been known to change his mind on the spot. Could be Elijah Mitchell this week then Trey Sermon next week and Kerryon Johnson the week after before Jeff Wilson comes back from IR. Have fun and good luck!
Eagles - Anytime you draft a running back, you have the creeping concern that another running back will take part of that job (or all of it). Well, your fears came true to a certain degree with Kenneth Gainwell taking some work and scoring a touchdown. Sanders had a good game himself but not every game is going to have enough work for a split backfield to produce. He needs to fight to take that full role.
Rams @ Colts - Sunday 1:00 PM
Rams - I was off Tyler Higbee this offseason. Last year he blocked on 21% of his pass plays plus I had Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods as the top targets on this team which would have capped his upside. Even Gerald Everett blocked on 17% of his pass snaps last year which was also too much for fantasy relevance. But guess what? Complete change in usage. Higbee only blocked on 7% of pass snaps AND he was the second target, over Robert Woods. Let’s see if that holds up.
Colts - Zach Pascal is an easy man to doubt as he’s the “extra guy” who plays special teams and comes in when someone is hurt. Well, someone is hurt - TY Hilton won’t be playing at least half the season. And it’s not a coincidence that Pascal scored two touchdowns as he played 69 of 76 snaps and ran routes on 45 of 48 pass plays. With Michael Pittman dueling with Jalen Ramsey, let’s see if he can do it again.
Raiders @ Steelers - Sunday 1:00 PM
Raiders - With Josh Jacobs already ruled out for this week, Kenyan Drake gets a chance to show what he can do. But more interesting to me is the battle for second target behind Darren Waller. Both Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs played big snap shares but neither really cemented themselves as the second target on the team.
Steelers - Najee Harris was the only running back to play every single snap. I don’t care who you are or what the situation is - that means upside. James Robinson was able to be a top 10 back on the very worst team in the league last season.
Bengals @ Bears - Sunday 1:00 PM
Bengals - Last week Ja’Marr Chase led the team in snaps with a 90% snap share while Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd both played 74% (though Higgins did leave the game briefly as he was dehydrated). PAY ATTENTION to who is out there in two WR sets this week - especially in the red zone. Those two players are the ones you want and the other can be traded away. So far it feels like Boyd is the odd man out given the size of the other two players.
Bears - The battle here is Cole Kmet vs. Darnell Mooney. Allen Robinson will lead the team in targets. Whoever is the second target getter will be fantasy relevant. Both players got seven targets last week. Since Kmet can be started in a TE spot, he would have the highest upside if he can get a big target share. He played 51 snaps (22 at WR) while Jimmy Graham only played 14.
Texans @ Browns - Sunday 1:00 PM
Texans - Mark Ingram had a huge day on the ground but David Johnson quietly played 18 pass snaps to 8 for Ingram and caught a TD pass. The Jaguars are one of the few games on the slate that offers a positive game script - the Browns are 12.5 point favorites this week. Will be interesting to see how the work is split in a negative game script.
Browns - With Odell Beckham Jr. already ruled out, someone has a chance to claim that second WR chair. Donovan Peoples-Jones played the most snaps but the rookie Anthony Schwartz flashed his insane speed (he ran a 4.27 at his Pro Day). One of these players could be fantasy relevant but not likely both in a run first offense.
Saints @ Panthers - Sunday 1:00 PM
Saints - Juwan Johnson flashed his red zone prowess with two touchdowns but he only played 12 snaps. Adam Trautman on the other hand played 51 and provided steady production. Trautman is the medium floor, medium ceiling play but Juwan has the upside if he can capture a bigger snap share.
Panthers - Rookie Terrace Marshall Jr. made his debut in the slot but he came out of the game for two wide receiver sets in favor of DJ Moore and Robby Anderson. Can he force his way to relevance playing for his college coach or is he just a slot guy?
Vikings @ Cardinals - Sunday 4:05 PM
Vikings - We got the answer to last week’s burning question - how do they fill the loss of Irv Smith Jr.? And the answer was with three WR sets with KJ Osborn. Now the new question is - can there be enough volume for three WRs? Probably not.
Cardinals - Christian Kirk played double Rondale Moore’s snaps in the slot but Moore flashed his insane athleticism on three screens and a broken play. Did Moore do enough to earn a bigger role? Kirk scored two touchdowns so hard to argue he deserves a demotion.
Falcons @ Buccaneers- Sunday 4:05 PM
Falcons - Funny that I was the low guy on Kyle Pitts but I actually LIKED his usage this week. He played 37 snaps at WR which was second only to Travis Kelce (38) and TJ Hockenson (42). This week either presented a buy low opportunity or Arthur Smith has no idea what to do with this team and it is going to be a rough year. Either way, I’m interested to see what happens - they are certainly going to have to throw in this matchup as double digit underdogs.
Buccaneers - This is a question of where, not what. We know what the Buccaneers want to do in terms of who will be the out. The question is where the ball will be going. I’m interested to see if it ends up going to Mike Evans more in a favorable matchup.
Titans @ Seahawks - Sunday 4:05 PM
Titans - There was a lot of talk about Derrick Henry improving his pass catching this off-season and he came out and caught a ball on the second play which was encouraging. And that was about it for that. Jeremy McNichols plays a ton of pass snaps so maybe he can carve out a role for himself in that regard.
Seahawks - The Seahawks essentially gave Will Dissly and Gerald Everett identical usage - roughly 40 plays and 20 pass plays a piece. If no one can separate themselves, then it will be hard to consider either fantasy relevant.
Cowboys @ Chargers - Sunday 4:25 PM
Cowboys - Michael Gallup is out for multiple games so we’ll likely see a lot of two tight end sets to make up for that. Dalton Schultz got the best of Jarwin target-wise last week but they both ran a very similar number of routes. Will be interesting to see how that battle shakes out.
Chargers - This team ran 83 snaps last week which is 13 more than the league leader averaged last year (which also happened to be them which is a good sign). With less volume likely, it will be interesting to see if Jared Cook can remain relevant or if there are just too many targets going to Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler.
Chiefs @ Ravens - Sunday 8:20 PM
Chiefs - Clyde Edwards Helaire was asked to pass block twice and he let pressure in on both plays. Darrell Williams also pass blocked twice and he let pressure in once. If you are hoping CEH maintains a full snap share, you should be paying close attention to how he performs when asked to protect the most important asset in the entire league - Patrick Mahomes.
Ravens - This question is obvious - it’s the running backs. Ty’Son Williams got the bulk of the work in the first half but committed a number of mistakes that led to decreased usage. They have Latavius Murray and now also Devonta Freeman. The winner of this battle (if there is one) will have a valuable role for fantasy football.
Lions @ Packers - Monday 8:15 PM
Lions - Thanks to a late onside kick, a fumble, and general inability by the 49ers to run the clock down in a blowout, the Lions ran a league leading 92 snaps. With that many plays, it’s easy to provide plenty of work to both RBs. Let’s see how that split backfield fairs in a normal game script.
Packers - The Packers were an absolute dumpster-fire last week. Historically, Aaron Rodgers has been terrific coming off losses but it’s yet to be seen what kind of focus he has this year. If they can’t dominate vs. the Lions, it could be a rough year in Green Bay.