NFL Player News

Jack Del Rio did the same, for unknown reasons, although both candidates were ex-NFL head coaches with longtime track records proposed to serve under Zac Taylor, who turns 36 later this offseason. Neither Capers nor Del Rio would’ve been an especially inspiring hire, anyway.

The Cardinals offense was rolling in Week 2, starting with some Kyler Murray magic. While he barely looked for Marvin Harrison Jr. last week, Murray threw a pair of touchdowns his way this week in the first quarter. His third touchdown was off a scramble where he extended the play and found Elijah Higgins for the score. As a rusher, Murray was impactful as well, just under 12 yards per carry on five rushes. The game got out of hand in favor of the Cardinals early, leading to Clayton Tune finishing the game, though Tune fumbled and did not attempt a pass. Murray’s dual-threat ability cements him as a QB1 option for Week 3 against the Lions.

Ekeler’s role remained unimpressive in this game. He saw 11 touches to Brian Robinson’s 18. However, just like in Week 1, Ekeler was impressively efficient on his limited workload. He averaged 10.3 yards per touch last week and held strong at 7.7 YPT versus the Giants. Ekeler is the clear backup in this backfield, but the light workload will help him maintain strong efficiency numbers after a dismal 2023 season had many questioning how much he had left in the tank. Ekeler ranks as an RB3 heading into his Week 3 matchup with the Bengals.

The addition of Brock Bowers to the Las Vegas offense has pushed Mayer, a former second-round pick, to the periphery. He has just three receptions through two weeks and is not on the fantasy radar heading into Week 3.

Otton was targeted twice, but had no catches. Tampa Bay had only 19 pass attempts, though one of them was an incompletion that bounced off Otton’s hands in the end zone. He was asked to block for some of the game as the offensive line needed help with Aiden Hutchinson, who had five sacks. Even if Otton had caught the short touchdown, he’s hardly viable in an offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and two pass catching running backs. Tampa Bay will face the Broncos at home in Week 3.

Meyers led the Raiders in receiving yards last week on the back of a 33-yard reception, but he still saw just three looks in total. The lack of a long gain made his lack of volume much more glaring in Week 2. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers has already blown by Meyers in the pecking order for targets in Las Vegas, out-targeting the veteran wideout 17-8 through two games. Meyers will top out at at WR5 fantasy ranking heading into Week 3.

Mattison scored once on nine touches in Week 1 and got his second touchdown on the year on just four touches this week. Zamir White has easily out-touched Mattison in both games, but the Raiders staff seems to trust the latter near the goal line and on passing downs. Mattison will be a touchdown-or-bust RB5 for his Week 3 matchup with the Panthers.

Rachaad White briefly left the game in the first quarter with a groin injury, but came back after only missing a few plays. Irving would be next in line to take advantage if White were to miss time. He’s cut into White’s rushing workload as it is as White only out-carried Irving 10-7 against the Lions. White had the only running back target, but Tampa Bay ran so few plays it’s hard to draw much from this usage. Irving is already playing a decent amount, but would need an injury or official demotion for White to become a top 24 running back. Not much has changed with his role going into Week 3’s home matchup with the Broncos.

White out-carried backup Alexander Mattison 9-4 in this game. Mattison didn’t see a target while drew four looks. Despite being the clear RB1 in the backfield, White had a one-yard score vultured by Mattison in the second half. The backup runner caught a touchdown pass last week and White is still looking for his first score of the year. White loose grip on a low-value backfield makes it impossible to trust him for fantasy purposes. He’s at risk of slipping out of the RB3 ranks if he posts another dud in Week 3 versus the Panthers.

It was a “20 percent target share,” with the bad news being Justin Herbert attempted just 20 passes. Quentin Johnston hauled in five of them for 51 yards and two scores, putting him ahead of McConkey after the rookie won the Week 1 battle. The real takeaway is that no Chargers wideout is posting impressive box scores despite back-to-back wins to begin the season. This is the Jim Harbaugh offense we feared/expected. Props to Harbaugh on its real-life effectiveness, but it’s not to produce positive fantasy results until a good team actually pushes the Bolts. That is unlikely to be the Steelers next Sunday.