2023 Fantasy Football Week 3 Target Report Preview: Tyler Lockett is Locked In

Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. And to earn a target, you need to be deemed “open” by the quarterback. It’s one big trickle-down effect. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent target-earners are near the top of fantasy football ADP: They can be relied on by not just their team’s offense to earn targets and produce on those targets, but that also trickles down to the fantasy managers drafting those pass-catchers and starting them in their lineups each week.

In this season’s Fantasy Football Target Report, we’ll take a weekly team-by-team look into these target earners and separate the wheat from the chaff. To properly lead into what we’ll be looking at this season, we’ll have to establish a baseline of the most important things we’re looking at with targets and other receiving metrics that paint the full picture for who we should be rostering, who we should be adding, and who we can drop. Combing the box score stats doesn’t paint a clear picture of the players we should target, roster, and start. Fantasy football rankings can only paint so much of the picture as well.

Everything we’ll be talking about here and this season in this season’s Fantasy Football Target Report will be some of the best statistics and metrics that correlate with fantasy football production. Think of targets as a page in a coloring book, just the outline yet to be colored. Coloring on that page adds context and flavor to that page. That’s what we’ll be doing with targets — adding more context than just some target totals and saying, “go add this player,” which doesn’t help anybody.

This season, we're adding a video component, so if you want to get some of the juiciest nuggets of the target report in video form, check out the Target Report Bulletpoints for Week 2!

Bye Weeks:

• Week 5: CLE, LAC, SEA, TB
• Week 6: GB, PIT
• Week 7: CAR, CIN, DAL, HOU, NYJ, TEN
• Week 9: DEN, DET, JAX, SF
• Week 10: KC, LAR, MIA, PHI
• Week 11: ATL, IND, NE, NO
• Week 13: BAL, BUF, CHI, LV, MIN, NYG
• Week 14: ARI, WAS

NOTE:

Always Start Your Studs: These are players you should be starting in all formats, regardless of matchup. Use your judgment in shallower leagues where startable players are plentiful.

Start ‘Em: Players that should be starting most weeks on your fantasy rosters.

Keep Them Rostered: Players that should be rostered in most formats but shouldn't be started unless you’re in a pinch or during bye weeks. Maybe they’re not startable due to various issues like a backup quarterback playing, a player coming back from injury, a contingent running back, or are just unproductive, consistent, or dependable at the moment. League size designations or other designations (bench stash, etc.) will be in parenthesis next to players for deeper leagues. Depending on your league, this is a general recommendation, so use your best judgment.

Example: Parris Campbell (deeper 12 & 14-team), Jerome Ford (bench stash).

Add ‘Em: Players that warrant an add due to circumstances, productivity, or metrics that show they’re being utilized heavily in their offenses. These will usually have a format in which they should be added. 

Listing a player as “12-team leagues” assumes that player also be an addition in deeper 12-team and 14-team formats as well. 

Dump ‘Em: Players that you should be dropping from your rosters. Use your judgment in deeper leagues where players with usefulness on waivers aren’t as plentiful.

Any player not listed in any of these categories for a particular team is assumed to not be rosterable in most fantasy formats.

NFL Target Report

Arizona Cardinals

With what may be the worst team and roster in the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals actually played pretty hard for three quarters until they delivered 24 unanswered points to the New York Giants on a silver platter.

Bad teams gonna bad.

The yards per target numbers for Marquise Brown (5.4) and Zach Ertz (7.0) are not great, but it’s kind of to be expected with Joshua Dobbs throwing the ball. Michael Wilson’s routes went from 91% to 56% this week to the benefit of Zach Pascal — seemingly now Arizona’s torch-bearer for the All-Exercise Team — so we can go ahead and drop him from all 12-team leagues.

James Conner still saw the vast majority of snaps (72%) and routes (44%) compared to the other running backs and actually put up a 106-yard effort plus a touchdown. Savor that because up next are Dallas and San Francisco, where Conner may not put up 106 yards and a touchdown total in two games against the NFC’s best.

Week 2 Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: N/A

Start ‘Em: Marquise Brown, James Conner

Keep Them Rostered: Rondale Moore, Zach Ertz (deeper 12 & 14-team), Michael Wilson (deeper 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Michael Wilson (12-team)

Atlanta Falcons

First, a fun exercise: an Atlanta Falcons mad lib for any time we all get mad at the Falcons for misusing the players they drafted eighth overall or higher in the last few seasons:

I cannot believe that Arthur Smith would be so [adjective] in Week [number] with how he used [good Falcons player]. It boggles the mind that he would only have [Falcons QB] pass the ball [low number] times but targeted [bad Falcons player] so many times. Arthur Smith deserves to be sent to [proper noun; preferably a famous jail] for everything he's done to this Falcons passing game over the last [number] years. Once Smith gets fired and they hire [literally any other head coach walking], then the Falcons will be relevant in fantasy football. Until then? I will be [adverb] stewing and hoping that Arthur Smith finds his way and cares about using [good Falcons player]. Also, why is Smith giving so many carries to [backup Falcons running back] when Bijan Robinson exists? Get this [pejorative] out of here!

We won’t need this for Drake London this week, who came out of his catchless cave in Week 1 to get involved with a 6-67-1 line on seven targets. That was good! Kyle Pitts (five targets, 2-15) was out-targeted by Jonnu Smith (six targets, 4-47). That was bad.

The worst part about all of this is that they’re 2-0 and unlikely to change a thing. London remains a spotty WR3. Pitts is almost unstartable, even at tight end.

At least Robinson is awesome, as he ran 78% of routes and 72% of snaps on 172 total yards, five receptions, and four receptions. Lock him into your lineups every week. Tyler Allgeier is at least passable as a low-end flex, but this backfield is trending towards Allgeier getting the low-value touches with a sprinkle of touchdown equity based on the pure volume afforded in this offense.

Week 2 Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Bijan Robinson

Start ‘Em: Drake London

Keep Them Rostered: Kyle Pitts, Tyler Allgeier (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Baltimore Ravens

The Rashod Bateman (three targets, 3-18, 59% routes) usage is pretty scary or comical. Maybe both? In a game where Odell Beckham left and only ran 62% of routes, only then could Bateman earn 90% of routes once he left the game. Nelson Agholor only ran 33% of routes but earned a whopping (and wide receiver-leading) six targets, three rushing attempts and a touchdown on those limited routes. At least Zay Flowers was plenty involved (five targets, 4-62, 87% routes) in Week 2. We have to figure some of the Agholor utilization has to bleed over to Flowers, right?

Mark Andrews made his 2023 debut with 85% routes, a team-leading eight targets, and a 5-45 line with a touchdown. All is well.

It was an even split with the Ravens’ running backs with Gus Edwards (10 carries) and Justice Hill (11, three targets), with Hill carrying more weight in the receiving game. Hill may miss Week 3 with a toe injury, which would lock Edwards into a much bigger role. The team signed Kenyan Drake on Wednesday and may activate him for this coming week because this team hates us all.

Week 2 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews

Start ‘Em: Zay Flowers, Gus Edwards (startable if Hill misses Week 3, otherwise play in deeper 12 & 14-team)

Keep Them Rostered: Odell Beckham (left Week 2 - ankle), Justice Hill (could miss Week 3 - toe; deeper 12 & 14-team), Gus Edwards (deeper 12 & 14-team), Rashod Bateman (deeper 12-team leagues)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Buffalo Bills

Not much to take away here in the passing game where the Bills trounced a less-competitive Raiders team by four touchdowns. 

Stefon Diggs (seven targets, 7-66) is good, Gabe Davis (seven targets, 6-92-1, 47% air yards) earned volume plus led the team in air yards, and Dawson Knox (five targets, 3-10-1, 64% routes) got there with a touchdown. Dalton Kincaid saw a downshift in routes from 76% in Week 1 to 56% in Week 2, but he earned more targets on fewer routes (27% TPRR), so he’s being targeted and prioritized when getting on the field.

James Cook has been what we want as a mid-round upside stab at running back, but in Week 2, while having a 17-123 line while catching all four targets for 36 yards, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey got cute and gave a bunch of touches to Latavius Murray and Damien Harris inside the 10-yard line. Both Harris and Murray scored touchdowns, which shows that Cook may not have the touchdown equity we thought he’d have after Week 1.

Cook is still an awesome RB2 for fantasy, but we’ll be some mad fantasy managers when Cook rips off huge runs, and we have Murray scoring two touchdowns on the day and Josh Allen running one in himself. Allen was bad enough as a touchdown vulture for the running backs, but adding two more backs to the equation? A bit scary.

Week 2 Buffalo Bills Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs

Start ‘Em: James Cook

Keep Them Rostered: Gabe Davis, Dalton Kincaid (borderline 12-team starter), Dawson Knox (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Carolina Panthers

This receiving corps is the stone WORST in the NFL. Jonathan Mingo (nine targets, 3-26, 97% routes) has been pretty bad in his first two games. Adam Thielen (nine targets, 7-54-1, 92% routes) is essentially a tight end running safety valve routes at this stage of his career.

I will need some capitulation on the part of Andrew Cooper for the Miles Sanders takes, as Sanders has been every single part of the dead zone running back profile drafters expected when he settled into the fifth round of most fantasy drafts. We need to adjust our priors here in this bad offense with bad skill position players with a good offensive line that’s underperforming.

(h/t Judah Fortgang)

The offense has to be perfect for Bryce Young to succeed; he’s incredibly accurate when he has an open window, but he’s never getting the open windows. Per Greg Auman, Young is averaging just 4.2 yards per pass attempt -- third-lowest ever for a QB after two games and 50+ passes, behind Billy Joe Tolliver (4.0) and Kyle Boller (3.8). When the offense is condensed and packed in, it is easier for a defense to key in. So Thielen (6.6-yard aDOT) and Hayden Hurst (4.3-yard aDOT) are running very shallow routes and Young is taking them.

I’m staying away from this offense until we see some big-time strides here.

Week 2 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: N/A

Start ‘Em: N/A

Keep Them Rostered: Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo (deeper 12 & 14-team), Hayden Hurst (deeper 12 & 14-team), Chuba Hubbard (deeper 12 & 14-team), D.J. Chark (deeper 12 & 14-team), Bryce Young (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Chicago Bears

Justin Fields has only FIVE designed runs in two games. He’s also been sacked at the highest rate in the NFL (11.7%). That seems bad. It’s on Fields, it’s on offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, it’s on everybody. You can be as athletic as you want but if you can’t process getting out of Dodge when pressure gets to you, then what are we even doing?

That lack of processing by Fields trickles down to the bottom line of his receivers. DJ Moore (seven targets, 6-104, 94% routes) had a solid day, Darnell Mooney (untargeted) only ran 31% of routes before leaving with a knee bruise, and Chase Claypool led the team in targets (8), but was inefficiency despite salvaging his day with a touchdown on three receptions for 36 yards that nobody benefitted from in fantasy.

With D’Onta Foreman a healthy scratch in Week 2, we thought this would open the door for more Roschon Johnson work and to a degree, that was true. Johnson was close with routes (39%) to Khalil Herbert (47%) and carries (Johnson 4, Herbert 7). Herbert had the clear snap percentage advantage, but it’s clear Chicago wants to prioritize Johnson getting a chunk of the game-planning going forward. 

Week 2 Chicago Bears Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: N/A

Start ‘Em: Justin Fields, DJ Moore

Keep Them Rostered: Khalil Herbert, Darnell Mooney (left Week 2 - knee), Roschon Johnson (priority contingent back), Cole Kmet (deeper 12 & 14-team), 

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: D’Onta Foreman (healthy scratch in Week 2)

Cincinnati Bengals

While there’s a ton of worry in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow’s calf, Tee Higgins isn’t a worry. Higgins — the same Higgins with eight catchless targets in Week 1 —  blew up for 12 targets and 8-89 with two touchdowns. As the kids say: we’re back.

It’s still the same concentrated passing attack with Ja’Marr Chase (eight targets, 5-31) and Tyler Boyd (eight targets, 6-52) running the majority of routes. But the concern here is Burrow because if he misses a week or two and it’s Jake Browning tossing passes to these guys? It’s a clear downgrade to the entire cohort.

Joe Mixon gets a bunch of work with 86% of all running back opportunities for the Bengals, as usual. He didn’t convert either of his two green-zone touches into touchdowns, as usual.

Week 2 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow (aggravated calf injury in Week 2), Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon

Start ‘Em: N/A

Keep Them Rostered: Tyler Boyd, Irv Smith (deeper 12 & 14-team), Trayveon Williams (14-team leagues; contingent back)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Cleveland Browns

Let’s pour one out here for Nick Chubb, who was lost for the rest of 2023 with a multiple ligament tears. Heartbreaking.

Jerome Ford ripped off a 69-yard run as the Chubb replacement, and then Pierre Strong came in with two goal-line carries and got the eventual touchdown. The Browns did sign Kareem Hunt on Wednesday, so we’ll see how this backfield shakes out for the rest of the season, but the team has already said Ford is the lead back for now. I’m inclined to agree and would highly prioritize Ford going forward.

All 32 NFL teams (including Cleveland when Ford went down in training camp with his hamstring injury) had the chance to sign Hunt (money demands notwithstanding) since free agency, and two teams (Minnesota and Indianapolis) have had him in for visits that didn’t go anywhere. The Browns also traded FOR Strong, showing that the team valued something in his skill set vs. just adding a body for depth. I can see this backfield post-Chubb being a 50/30/20 split to some degree, with Ford being the lead dog once Hunt is reacclimated

Amari Cooper (10 targets, 7-90) and Elijah Moore (nine targets, 3-36) ran routes at 84% of dropbacks, with Cooper notably gutting out his performance with a groin injury he almost missed Week 2 with. The bigger issue here is Deshaun Watson, who has been better than his stretch to end 2022 but still not great or anything close to the bill of goods Cleveland thought they were getting when they signed Watson to a $250 million guaranteed contract. He’s been taking a ton of sacks (six in Week 2), threw an interception and lost two fumbles. It’s concerning but hopefully the Raiders and Texans games in the next two weeks can get Watson and the Browns right.

Week 2 Cleveland Browns Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: N/A

Start ‘Em: Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Elijah Moore, Jerome Ford (first crack at back) 

Keep Them Rostered: N/A

Add ‘Em: Kareem Hunt (speculative add), Pierre Strong (speculative add)

Dump ‘Em: Nick Chubb (will miss remainder of 2023 - knee)

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were a two-man show in the passing game as they sacrificed Michael Gallup (two targets, 1-2) to Sauce Gardner so CeeDee Lamb (13 targets, 11-143, 93% routes) could eat and eat well. Outside of Tony Pollard’s eight targets, nobody else earned more than four targets. Both Luke Schoonmaker and Jake Ferguson caught short touchdowns, but neither particularly matters in fantasy.

Pollard saw a whopping 25 carries and a gargantuan 14 high-value touches (seven receptions, seven green-zone carries) in this one, albeit with an inefficient 2.9 yards per carry, but it was to be expected when the Cowboys carried a big lead and then got Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn involved to shorten up the game.

Week 2 Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard

Start ‘Em: Brandin Cooks (missed Week 2 - knee), Dak Prescott (borderline 12-team starter)

Keep Them Rostered: Michael Gallup (deeper 12 & 14-team when he’s not locked up by Sauce Gardner), Jake Ferguson (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Denver Broncos

I do know that when I trade up several spots in the second round of the NFL Draft to select a wide receiver, and he shows flashes of game-breaking ability like, for instance, catching a 60-yard pass in the first quarter. That’s pretty neat! 

A normal head coach would say, “hey, maybe we want to get him on the field more. We traded up for the guy; let’s get more return on this investment.

An abnormal head coach would just play Brandon Johnson (2-66-2) for 60% of routes and have him score two touchdowns on two receptions instead.

If you’re acutely tuned into all things Broncos, we’re, of course, talking about Marvin Mims, the electric rookie who ran a whopping SIX pass routes in Week 2 yet still put up a 2-113-1 line. Nothing against Johnson, but Mims needs to be playing more.

Jerry Jeudy made his 2023 season debut and ran 86% of routes without incident so we can slot him safely into lineups here. The 3-25 line on five targets is not the best, but baby steps. Jeudy will get there.

Javonte Williams (26% routes, 46% snaps) got the Antonio Gibson-adjacent split of routes and snaps with Samaje Perine (60% routes, 50% snaps), but Williams got the bulk of the running back touches, notching 73% of all running back touches on the afternoon. Jaleel McLaughlin sniped the touchdown on his lone rushing attempt, which is bad luck. Still, Williams is the one we want and we should see some ramp-up here with his workload in the coming weeks.

Week 2 Denver Broncos Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Javonte Williams

Start ‘Em: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy

Keep Them Rostered: Samaje Perine, Russell Wilson, Marvin Mims

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Greg Dulcich (placed on short-term IR - hamstring)

Detroit Lions

68 points, 800+ total yards in this one by the Lions and Seattle Seahawks as a nice encore to their Week 4 showdown last season that ended 48-45 in favor of the Seahawks. Plenty of fantasy goodness and we love to see it.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (seven targets, 6-102, 73% routes) had the quietest 102-yard outing I can remember, but hey, we’ll take it. Josh Reynolds (six targets, 5-66-2, 81% routes) is plenty viable in fantasy for now before Jameson Williams returns after his suspension.

Sam LaPorta bumped his routes up from 72% in Week 1 to 84% in Week 2, and we love to see him getting more involved. He’s an easy top-12 play going forward.

Jahmyr Gibbs (nine targets, 7-39; seven carries, 17 yards) also bumped his routes up from 25% to a whopping 60% in Week 2 while leading the team in targets in Week 2. That also was helped by David Montgomery leaving the game in the third quarter with a thigh injury, but look. If we can get Gibbs into the 6-to-8 target range and 10+ carries, we’ll be looking at Alvin Kamara-level stuff here going forward. Craig Reynolds did come in and get four touches after Montgomery left and the worry is that Reynolds may get TOO involved, but I cannot see him carrying the full Montgomery role if he remains out. Though it IS Dan Campbell and it wouldn’t fully surprise me if he did.

Week 2 Detroit Lions Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Start ‘Em: Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, David Montgomery (left Week 2 - thigh)

Keep Them Rostered: Sam LaPorta, Josh Reynolds (deeper 12-team leagues), Jameson Williams (suspended for 6 games; stash in deeper 12-team leagues)

Add ‘Em: Craig Reynolds (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Green Bay Packers

The Packers’ wide receiver group has been a bit hit or miss with Christian Watson out, so Jayden Reed (eight targets, 3-47-2, 64% routes) has rotated in and out with a bunch of players, but when Reed has run his 66% routes on the young season, they’ve been primarily in the slot at a 2 to 1 ratio of slot to outside. Reed leads the team in targets and receiving yards and is tied for the lead in receptions and touchdowns. Reed has been by far the most efficient wide receiver, with 34% targets per route run and 2.24 yards per route run.

In Week 2, he put up a massive 44% targets per route run, so even on a lesser route share than we hoped, the intent of Jordan Love and head coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur is to target him whenever he’s on the field. That 44% essentially boils down to being targeted on almost every other route he runs.

Reed is a receiver to stash away if we can because Reed has plenty of room to grow with his routes and is scheme versatile, a trait LaFleur prioritizes from his receivers. Watson will be back, and Romeo Doubs (three targets, 2-30, 79% routes - led WR in Week 2) will stay involved, but the Packers did use second-round draft capital on Reed, so he’s going to get every chance to grow with Love, who has been pretty good so far with three touchdown passes in each game as fantasy’s QB2.

AJ Dillon might not be that good, folks. He’s essentially a glacier that’s hard to bring down but has the acceleration of Bowser in Mario Kart without the top-end speed. He couldn’t take advantage of his 68% snap share without Aaron Jones and averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in Week 2. If Aaron Jones is out again in Week 3 against a tougher Saints defense, Dillon is really just a touchdown-dependent flex and an anchor on your fantasy lineups if he doesn’t score.

Luke Musgrave (three targets, 2-25) ran 86% of routes but didn’t really do anything, so there’s that.

Week 2 Green Bay Packers Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Aaron Jones (missed Week 2 - hamstring)

Start ‘Em: Christian Watson (missed Week 1 & 2 - hamstring)

Keep Them Rostered: Romeo Doubs, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, AJ Dillon

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Houston Texans

The beneficiary of a relative innocuous injury to Noah Brown, short king summer continues on with Tank Dell as he saw a noticeable routes bump from 46% in Week 1 to 82% in Week 2. Dell put up seven catches, 72 yards, and a touchdown on 10 targets. The one thing that’s in his favor going forward is the fact that Houston and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are not afraid to let rookie QB C.J. Stroud air it out, as the Texans have had 50 dropbacks in both games so far. Helping to foster that passing game growth is the Texans playing the third-most plays per game (75) and the third-highest concentration of total targets to the wide receiver position at 70%.

Dell should be running a large route as a primary outside player, where he played 70% of his snaps in Week 2. A big knock on Dell is his size: he’s 5’8, 165 pounds, but he was dominant in college at Houston with 36% and 38% dominator ratings in his sophomore and junior seasons before declaring for the NFL.

With Nico Collins (7-146-1, 73% routes - a tad low) balling out as the current WR6 in fantasy points per game and Robert Woods (6-74, nine targets, 87% routes) as the WR32, the Houston Texans are in some uncharted territory with having multiple wide receivers being viable in fantasy, but if the Texans are going to pass so heavily this season, it’s going to be fruitful for multiple pieces in this offense per week.

Dameon Pierce (45% snaps, 31% routes) is sharing a ton of his workload with elite pass-blocker Devin Singletary (35% snaps, 36% routes) and garbage time janitor Dare Ogunbowale (19% snaps, 21% routes) and that’s not good at all for Pierce’s bottom line in fantasy. Add in offensive line woes (missed four starters in Week 2), and you’ve got a running back sliding downhill fast and unable to pull himself back up.

Week 2 Houston Texans Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: N/A

Start ‘Em: Nico Collins

Keep Them Rostered: Dameon Pierce, Robert Woods, Tank Dell, C.J. Stroud (bonafide streamer)

Add ‘Em: Tank Dell (all leagues)

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson ran two touchdowns in early in Week 2 and we thought he was going to burn DFS and fantasy football to the ground as the clear “guy you needed to have”. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game due to the hit he took on his second touchdown.

Gardner Minshew came in and played game manager the rest of the way. Minshew is a much better passer than Richardson so it was a net positive for the passing game and namely Michael Pittman (team-leading 12 targets, 8-56, 97% routes) who has turned into a big-time target-earner with 23 targets in two weeks. Obviously, he’s a must-start moving forward.

Zack Moss took all but ONE snap and every rush attempt, minus the ones Richardson had earlier before he left. Moss showed some surprising efficiency with an 18-rush, 88-yard line plus a touchdown while chipping in the passing game by catching all four of his targets. Clearly, Moss is a must-start option in some capacity and it shows how much Deon Jackson is in the doghouse after two fumbles in Week 1, as he only earned one snap — on special teams.

Week 2 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Michael Pittman

Start ‘Em: Anthony Richardson (left Week 2 - concussion), Zack Moss

Keep Them Rostered: Jonathan Taylor (PUP until Week 5)

Add ‘Em: Zack Moss (all leagues)

Dump ‘Em: Deon Jackson (played only one snap on special teams in Week 2)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Zay Jones (six catchless targets, 64% routes) left this game early, so Christian Kirk (team-leading 14 targets, 11-110, 86% routes), who we touted as a declining workload player last week, saw his routes bump up and he paced the Jaguars in every receiving column. 

Perhaps I jumped the gun here with Kirk’s utilization, but it’s looking like in games where the Jaguars are in more 11-personnel (trailing and neutral scripts vs. leading scripts when it’s heavier personnel), Kirk should be on the field much more. 

Calvin Ridley (eight targets, 2-32, 76% routes) had a tough day but the Chiefs’ defense is pretty damn good apparently. Evan Engram (eight targets, 5-57, 78% routes) had a solid day, but in a game where Jacksonville scored just nine total points, better days are ahead for the entire cohort.

Travis Etienne saw 15-of-17 running back touches in Week 2 and Tank Bigsby didn’t log an offensive touch with D’Ernest Johnson factoring in for the other two running back touches. Etienne is head and shoulders above the pack here in this running game and despite a quiet game (42 total yards), is dominating this Jaguars backfield.

Week 2 Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Calvin Ridley, Travis Etienne, Trevor Lawrence

Start ‘Em: Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Zay Jones (deeper 12 and 14-team leagues)

Keep Them Rostered: Tank Bigsby (contingent play)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Kansas City Chiefs

Thank the lord for Travis Kelce (nine targets, 4-26-1, 58% routes) being back because this Chiefs’ wide receiver room is getting pretty irritating to parse. Kelce’s 58% routes should ramp up as he gets healthier, but at least there’s one set-and-forget option here. Let’s sort through these receivers:

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling (2-13, 87% routes) is bad and runs cardio.
• Skyy Moore (four targets, 3-70-1) caught a touchdown and caught a long gain, but only had a 12% TPRR on the day.
• Rashee Rice (two targets, 2-20) only ran 13% of routes somehow after being maybe the best receiver in Week 1.
• Justin Watson led the team in air yards (119) and earned five targets on 60% of routes.
• Kadarius Toney earned five targets on just 33% of routes (33.3% TPRR), so there’s efficiency lurking.

It’s one big rotation of receivers and if I was going to pin my hopes and dreams on one, it’s… Toney? Maybe? It sucks.

As for the running backs, Isiah Pacheco saw 66% of running back opportunities thanks to his 12 carries, but Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire both siphoned off 29% and 20% of routes to what ended up being little production. It’s very hard to start the latter two, but Pacheco has the most touchdown equity here, so we’ll clearly be starting him here unless we see the carries trickle over.

Week 2 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Takeaways:

Always Play Your Studs: Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes

Start ‘Em: Isiah Pacheco

Keep Them Rostered: Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Jerick McKinnon (deeper 12 & 14-team leagues), Rashee Rice (deeper 12 & 14-team)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Las Vegas Raiders

This Raiders offense is centered around two players for Week 2 and only two players: Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs.

Those are the best players, and when Jakobi Meyers returns, he’ll be a locked-in third option, but the Raiders are so poorly constructed, and their depth is beyond terrible. Also, the on-purpose decision to trot Austin Hooper (two targets, 2-20) out there on 51%+ routes over the last two weeks encapsulates just how unserious the Raiders are this season when Michael Mayer — and his one target through two weeks — exists.

Adams (eight targets, 6-84-1, 100% routes) is good, as usual. Jacobs was outright horrible, with -2 rushing yards on nine carries. The workload is there for Jacobs, but 2022 looks like a clear outlier after just two games. Lots of time to right the ship, but I’m pretty concerned overall.

Week 2 Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Davante Adams (left Week 2 - concussion), Josh Jacobs

Start ‘Em: Jakobi Meyers (missed Week 2 - concussion)

Keep Them Rostered: N/A

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Michael Mayer (may earn more of a role over Austin Hooper, but routes only bumped up marginally from Week 1 (31%) to Week 2 (36%), so unless you have deep benches, I wouldn’t be holding a TE stash in most formats)

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers were highly condensed with their passing game in Week 2, as Keenan Allen (10 targets, 8-111-2, 98% routes) and Mike Williams (team-leading 13 targets, 8-83, 89% of routes) combined for a whopping 59% of the team’s targets. For some reason, Joshua Palmer (two targets, 1-7, 64% routes) is running cardio routes at the expense of first-round pick Quentin Johnston, who could only get on the field for 21% of routes despite earning five targets (3-13). The target earning (56% TPRR) is encouraging, but we need the routes to bump up for it to be anything we can use in fantasy.

Go ahead and drop Gerald Everett; his 34% routes were eclipsed by Donald Parham’s 43%. The dream is dead.

With Austin Ekeler out, Joshua Kelley stumbled his way into 66% of all running back opportunities on the afternoon, and that was only good for 39 total yards. It was a tough matchup, but I’d make that bet again, considering the Titans’ pass funnel and the amount of high-value touches afforded to the Chargers backfield in most weeks besides Ekeler’s allotment.

Week 2 Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler (missed Week 2 - ankle), Keenan Allen

Start ‘Em: Mike Williams

Keep Them Rostered: Joshua Kelley, Joshua Palmer (deeper 12 & 14-team leagues), Quentin Johnson (deeper 12 & 14-team leagues)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Gerald Everett (we’re not doing this again)

Los Angeles Rams

The NFL scriptwriters have been on one in two games. I mean, Puka Nacua with 20 targets after 15 last week? He’s a must-start in any fantasy football league on the planet.

As we all expected, the RB2 in fantasy football behind Christian McCaffrey is… Kyren Williams? Williams has four touchdowns on the season after two games, but following a Jay Glazer report 10 minutes before kickoff, Cam Akers was a healthy scratch, leaving the backfield to Williams against the 49ers. Williams ran every snap but four in Week 2 — 95% snaps — while averaging 22.7 fantasy points in two games. He also ran a massive 87% of routes and earned 10 targets, which would look a tad better if it weren’t for Nacua earning 20 by himself. This is McCaffrey-level usage out of Williams, and with Akers likely out of the picture and nobody else behind him, we have to be bullish here.

Williams is a must-start top-12 running back going forward in all formats, even if the rushing side of the equation doesn’t come along for the ride; it doesn’t even have to. Williams has target-earning upside every single week. Consider him as CMC-lite in terms of how he’s being used in this ascending and interesting offense with a healthy Matthew Stafford, Nacua, Tutu Atwell (nine targets, 7-77, 98% routes) and a potential Cooper Kupp return. The Rams can move the ball, and Williams will be one of the main cogs.

Week 2 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Takeaways:

Start Your Studs: Cooper Kupp (IR - hamstring; eligible to return in Week 5), Puca Nacua

Start ‘Em: Kyren Williams

Keep Them Rostered: Tutu Atwell, Matthew Stafford, Tyler Higbee, Van Jefferson (deeper 12 and 14-team), Cam Akers (roster hold - healthy scratch in Week 2; trade rumors swirling and likely played his last snap for Rams)

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Miami Dolphins