The list is, obviously, insanely long.
When Aaron Rodgers went down four plays into his New York Jets career, there was incredible shock and disappointment around the world.
Aaron himself, as he wrote recently on his Instagram.
His Jets teammates, coaches, front office and ownership were also devastated.
Jets fans worldwide, a beleaguered group that has been through hell—only to have exciting hope for a few moments before having it dashed once again—started wondering if they were, in fact, truly cursed.
Those are the obvious ones, but there was an even longer list of people staring at the screen, thinking, “You have got to be kidding me.”
The NFL, of course. They hate to see any injuries, but especially to a marquee player like Rodgers. The NFLPA, who have already released a statement calling for the NFL to move all its field surfaces to natural grass. All the NFL’s broadcast partners who were looking forward to having one of the league’s biggest stars playing for the nation’s biggest market in several prime time and highly visible windows.
And then all the ancillary folks around the NFL. The ticket brokers and merchandise sellers, the vendors who sell parking and food and drink near stadiums, bar owners who expect overflowing crowds when Rodgers plays … the list of folks who were incredibly upset when it was clear Rodgers’ injury was serious and likely season-ending goes on and on and on.
It’s a list that also includes Devin Jack from Hampton, Va.
And as Devin watched on his TV as it was announced Aaron Rodgers had been ruled out, he had two thoughts. One, of course, was concern for Rodgers and hoping for the best. The second?
“Not again.”
Hold that thought.
I want to tell you about Devin Jack. Because Devin, you see, Devin is one of us.
An aerospace engineer supporting NASA in his real life, he’s smart and dedicated. He’s also obsessed. He’s in one league and one league only. It’s his sole focus as a player AND the commissioner of the Bro D U league, a 14 team re-draft league comprised of a bunch of close friends that graduated from Old Dominion University in 2009. It’s a PPR league with 6 points for touchdown passes and otherwise normal scoring, but what makes this league are the friendships. There’s the yearly draft weekend, usually at a lake house in the Outer Banks owned by one of the league members. There’s the loser punishment, where last place must do stand-up comedy at an open mic night, and perhaps most of all, there’s the group chat: an always on, full of trash talking, non-stop barrage of back and forth between the 14 friends. The group chat helps keep the league close, and at the core of the league is the friendship between Devin and fellow member Tim Feltz.
Roommates in college and roommates after college, they lived together for many years and remain very close friends, despite Devin being in Virginia and Tim now living in North Carolina.
A friendship and rivalry that has been forged and intensified by fantasy football: Tim has five Bro D U league titles to his name; Devin has one. But one of those titles, the one Tim won in 2012, came because Tim’s QB that year was, you guessed it, Aaron Rodgers. Like anyone who has played fantasy football for a long time, Devin has endured a lot of bad breaks, tough bounces and overall losses, but perhaps none as painful as 2012, when Devin, a die-hard Packers fan, lost in the finals to his good friend Tim and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Well, the most painful until Monday night.
Week 1 had already started off tough for Devin, as his first-round pick, Travis Kelce, had already been declared out and missed the Thursday night opener. Losing your first-round pick in any league is tough, but especially so when it’s in a 14 team league and it’s Kelce, who, prior to this past Thursday, hadn’t missed a regular season game due to injury since his rookie year in 2013. And yet here Kelce was, Week 1, sitting on the bench for the Chiefs and for Devin’s team, the “Ayahuascoholics.”
Yes, named after Devin’s starting QB, Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets.
There had been some mild trash talk between Tim and Devin before the game, both friends respecting the other, and given their epic battles over the years, both knew this would be another close one. Until it wasn’t.
As the early games on Sunday started, Devin’s guys didn’t show up, as Dameon Pierce, Terry McLaurin and George Pickens had relatively quiet days, along with Devin’s “Kelce replacement” on Thursday night, Sam LaPorta.
But Tim thought nothing of it. His early guys … Deshuan Watson, Brian Robinson and Marquise Brown were fine but nothing amazing. Way too early to celebrate. As Tim told me when I spoke with both guys the other day, he takes nothing for granted. He’s lost games on late-week stat corrections before. He told me, “I am not ever confident until Wednesday.”
The afternoon games come, and Tim’s team, “Baiyuked BijanChicken” continues to have all his guys put up very solid performances. Rhamondre Stevenson, D.K. Metcalf and Cam Akers are all fine but nothing spectacular. Meanwhile, Devin’s D.J. Moore does nothing, but suddenly, here comes Aaron Jones. These are the kind of things that happen when you #FreeAaronJones. Massive game for Jones, and just like that, Devin is still down, but he’s back in this thing.
With just two games left, Devin had closed the gap on Tim to just 37 points. Tim was done for the week, with Devin having two players remaining. Thirty-seven points between two players wasn’t going to be easy, but it wasn’t impossible. Aaron Jones had gotten Devin within striking distance.
And then it was time for the Sunday night game, and very quickly, Devin knew he had a lot more than a chance. Because, you see, Devin had the Cowboys defense.
Oh yeah.
As Tim says, “I turned it off in the second half.” Tim very quickly realized he was done for. He didn’t need to watch this anymore. It would just make him more upset. As Tim told me, “I care more about my fantasy team than anything else, including my real team, the Commanders” (I knew I liked Tim).
By the time Sunday Night Football game was done, Devin had not only gone from losing to Tim to being projected to win, but Devin’s 110.9 projected points were also the highest projected total for the entire league. Devin started talking trash, sending gifs of Jerry Jones winking and more.
Tim didn’t even bother watching the game on Monday night. He knew he was gonna lose, so he scheduled a dinner with a client from out of the country who wouldn’t care about the game. It was easy to understand Tim’s point of view. Ultimately, the Cowboys D/ST had scored 37 points for Devin’s team, and as the teams entered Monday Night Football, the score was:
Devin’s “Ayahuascoholics”: 93.5.
Tim’s “Baiyuked BijanChicken”: 93.56.
Tim was done. Devin’s had one player remaining, and all he needed was .07 points to win.
Devin’s one remaining player?
You know where this is going.
Aaron Rodgers.
In the epic match-up of Devin and Tim, this time Rodgers was on Devin’s team. And Devin didn’t need Rodgers to have a good game the way he did against Devin in the 2012 championship game. He didn’t even need Rodgers to have a bad game. The scoring in their league is .04 points per passing yard. He literally just needed Aaron Rodgers to complete one pass for two yards. That’s it. ONE PASS. TWO YARDS.
He didn’t get it.
Final score?
93.5 to 93.56. Tim hung onto win in the most improbable victory ever.
Watching at home, Devin didn’t believe it at first. “I thought he’d come back after a few plays. It seemed like a pretty normal tackle. But then you saw him on the cart and the picture turned to Zach Wilson, and that’s when I knew I was done.”
Aaron Rodgers had once again cost Devin a victory in a close game against his good friend and bitter rival Tim.
Not again, indeed.
The group chat blew up. Tim, you see, has this weird history in the league of constantly winning insanely close games. Getting stat corrections in his favor, multiple wins by mere decimal points, games that have serious playoff implications or even playoff games themselves—somehow, someway, Tim seems to win these close ones. Just like here, where he managed yet another razor thin victory, this time against his good buddy Devin.
Think about that. Heading into a game where your opponent is done, you have a quarterback going (honestly, any QB going), and all you need for victory is two yards passing. Justin Brown posts the score screen shot in the group chat, laughing.
“This might be the worst loss in fantasy football history.”
Everyone is piling on Devin, including Tim, who said he knew he had it in the bag the whole time. “Hey guys, it’s not luck. It’s how you play the game” Tim writes. Personally, I think Tim won because he has a Matthew Berry avatar as his team logo, but that might just be me.
At any rate, the group chat raged on into the night, and eventually, Justin posted the screenshot of their match to Twitter: “Buddy of mine about to take the worst L in fantasy football history”
Buddy of mine about to take the worst L in fantasy football history pic.twitter.com/tncwlKjofk
— JB (@OldTownCards) September 12, 2023
The tweet blows up. Someone tags me in the replies, and I retweet (re-X?) it to my followers. After that a lot of others do as well, including ESPN Fantasy and Bleacher Report, who both post it to their accounts—and as of this writing, the tweet has more than 6.7 million views and more than 61,000 likes. Amazing.
And a testament to the fact, well, that we’ve all been there.
Maybe not THIS painfully, but we’ve all had certain victory suddenly snatched away.
So I asked Devin what his plan was. And Devin had the exact right attitude. “Well, I need a new quarterback.” So, just like his beloved real-life Packers did, he replaced Rodgers with Jordan Love, who he was able to get on the waiver wire. And, as he says, he likes the rest of his team. And while the loss sucks, the attention the story has gotten has been fun for him and the league. And, you know, it’s just one week.
Devin notes that the way the schedule works, he and Tim will play each other again, very late in the season, and if history between the two of them is any indication, the rematch will have serious playoff ramifications.
It’s an absolutely brutal loss. A one in a million chance. But Devin is onto Week 2. As you should be, as well.
Whether you won or lost … it’s one week. Last year at this time … James Robinson was a top 12 RB. So was Dontrelle Hilliard. Michael Thomas, Devin Duvernay and Chosen, aka Robbie Anderson, were all top 10 wide receivers. O.J. Howard and Colby Parkinson were top five tight ends. And last year, in Week 1, the third best QB in fantasy was … Carson Wentz.
It’s ONE. WEEK.
If Devin Jack can forget Week 1, so can you.
We’re onto Week 2.
Here we go.
As part of your Week 2 prep, let me pimp some stuff out, starting with my Fantasy Football Happy Hour show and podcast that we do every weekday live at noon ET on Peacock. It’s then available on demand on the NFL on NBC YouTube page, wherever you get your podcasts and, of course, on Peacock. You can sign up for my free newsletter at FantasyLife.com—it comes out every single day and is a quick, fun and smart five minute read that gets you set with everything you need to know for the day in fantasy football, DFS and sports betting. There’s also a ton of free tools on FantasyLife.com you should check out. Finally, if you want a subscription to Peacock (where you get access to the exclusive NFL game and exclusive NFL playoff game) plus six other great premium websites, check out RotoPass.com, where your subscription lasts 12 months from whenever you sign up. So yes, it’ll be good next season when you are prepping for drafts. It’s literally the best deal on the internet.
Let’s get to it. As always, thanks to my producer Damian Dabrowski for his help throughout various points in this column.
For more of my thoughts on players, strategy, theory and nonsense, please check out Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry on Peacock live every weekday at noon ET.
Quarterbacks I Love in Week 2
Justin Herbert at Tennessee
I’ll admit, I didn’t love that Justin Herbert’s Week 1 aDOT was lower than his underwhelming 2022 aDOT. (His Week 1 aDOT was also lower than my aDOT of chucking my TV remote across the room every time Herbert didn’t throw deep.) But one game is just one game. As we just spent 2,000 words discussing, no need to panic. I still believe Kellen Moore will take the shackles off his star QB. And there’s no better opponent to do it against than the Tennessee Titans. Since the start of last season, Tennessee has allowed the most passing yards in the league, including 305 yards to Derek Carr in Week 1. Over the same time period, the Titans are allowing a league-low 3.3 YPC. That’s why teams average a league-high 39 pass attempts per game against Tennessee dating back to last season. Especially with Austin Ekeler potentially out or at less than 100 percent, Herbert will throw it early and often on Sunday, whereas I hopefully will not do the same with my remote.
Trevor Lawrence vs. Kansas City
You have to admire Kansas City’s dedication to an explosive passing game. The Chiefs put the quarterbacking wizard that is Patrick Mahomes out there every Sunday, and then their defense allows the opposing QB to do their best Mahomes impression, as well. Two for the price of one. Since the start of last season, KC has allowed the most touchdown passes in the league. And that doesn’t include dropped passes the other team takes for six, ahem. Over the same stretch, the Chiefs are also allowing passing scores at the second-highest rate. Now they face Trevor Lawrence, who looked great in Week 1, added Calvin Ridley to an explosive passing offense and quietly now has 20-plus rush yards in six of his past 10 games. T Law went for 21 fantasy points against the Chiefs just last season with a line of 29-40/259/2-0 and 26 rushing yards. I have Lawrence as a top six QB in Week 2.
Anthony Richardson at Houston
Even the most positive projections of Anthony Richardson’s rookie year were that he might start a little slow as a fantasy quarterback but should close the season in a big way. Well, in his first career start, he finished as QB5 for the week. (Insert photo of me as an old-timey cartoon with my eyes bulging out of my head and my tongue rolling onto the floor. “Ahh-oooooooo!” indeed.) Richardson led the Colts in rushing in his debut (40 yards on 10 carries) and handled two of their three goal-to-go rushes. He also was a respectable 24-for-37 throwing the ball and now gets a Houston defense that allowed a 77 percent completion rate in Week 1, the third highest. If Anthony Richardson getting his feet wet results in QB5, I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Others receiving votes: Understandably lost in the New York Giants’ Week 1 disaster was the fact that Daniel Jones ran the ball 13 times and now has 30-plus rushing yards in five of his last six games. This week, the Giants face a much easier matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, who surrendered a running score to Sam Howell in the opener … Maybe we just held the 2022 Draft upside-down and Brock Purdy was actually No. 1 overall? Makes sense to me. Purdy now has multiple touchdown passes in all seven of his full NFL games, and the 49ers have scored 30-plus points in six of those games … Last season, Jared Goff had 378 passing yards and four TDs against the Seahawks. Last week, the Seahawks allowed 334 passing yards to Matt Stafford. Last sentence of this section: You should seriously consider starting Jared Goff in Week 2.
Quarterbacks I Hate in Week 2
Dak Prescott vs. New York Jets
Okay, so maybe the Jets defense actually is like the 1985 Bears. Because the Jets D won the Monday night opener pretty much all by themselves, forcing Josh Allen into three interceptions and a lost fumble. (By the way, maybe the Jets should go all-in on this ’85 Bears thing. Maybe a 64 year-old Jim McMahon would be an upgrade. Who is to say?) Since the start of last season, the Jets are allowing touchdown passes at the lowest rate in the league and—over the same stretch—just three quarterbacks have scored 16-plus fantasy points against them without putting up a rushing score. With one of the lowest Over/Unders on the Week 2 slate, I’m moving Dak Prescott outside my top 15 quarterbacks for Week 2.
Russell Wilson vs. Washington
Sean Payton may have stopped Russell Wilson from kissing babies, but he also may have stopped him from running. Wilson had just one rush attempt in the opener. Now the Broncos get a Commanders defense that, since Week 10 of last season, is allowing the second-fewest passing yards per game and the fifth-lowest passer rating. In a game that has the lowest Over/Under on the Week 2 slate (38.5), I’m avoiding Russell Wilson unless I have no better options.
Kirk Cousins at Philadelphia
Kirk Cousins in a primetime game … on a Thursday night … on the road … against one of the better defenses in the NFL? Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. And gulp. By the way, did I gulp? Just making sure. The Eagles created pressure at the second-highest rate in Week 1, and since the start of last season, Philadelphia is allowing the third-fewest yards per completion. The issue with Cousins is that he doesn’t run. So even in a week like last week, when, in fairness, he was also on the hate list and did in fact throw for 344 yards and have two touchdowns, he also had three turnovers and finished with a pedestrian 17 points or so. There’s just not a rushing floor to help balance it out if he doesn’t throw for more than 300 yards. By the way, speaking of the Eagles, Cousins played this same Philly squad in Week 2 last year in primetime (on Monday Night Football) and put up just 8.8 fantasy points in a 24-7 loss. No, thank you. No way I’m starting my Week 2 out with Kirk Cousins atop my lineups this Thursday night. He’s outside my top 15 at the position.
Running Backs I Love in Week 2
Nick Chubb at Pittsburgh
Ja’Marr Chase said this following Cincinnati’s Week 1 loss to the Browns: “It’s frustrating because I called their ass elves, and we just lost to some elves.” Wait … is Nick Chubb considered an elf?! A 5-foot-11, 227-pound guy who runs a 4.5 40 and is impossible to tackle is elfin? Wow. If that’s the case, the North Pole must have the greatest football team of all-time. Chubb put up his fourth straight game with 100-plus total yards in Week 1, and his 13.8 percent target share was his second highest in a single game over the past four seasons. Nick Chubb adding pass-catching to his repertoire? Oh, baby. There’s a getting a chubb for Chubb joke in here somewhere, but this is a family site. Or maybe it isn’t. Point is I’m not even sure Chubb will need to catch that many passes in Week 2 against a Steelers defense that gave up 188 rush yards on 5.5 YPC in the opener and is now without Cam Heyward for the foreseeable future. I have Nick Chubb as an easy top five play at RB and a top one play at ELF.
Rhamondre Stevenson vs. Miami
Rhamondre Stevenson played on 74 percent of snaps in New England’s opener, compared to just 36 percent for Ezekiel Elliott. Stevenson also saw both snaps inside the 10-yard line and 75 percent of the snaps on third down on the way to 64 receiving yards—second most by a back in Week 1. Oh, and Stevenson did not fumble, while Elliott did. (By the way, have we checked on Zeke Elliott to make sure Bill Belichick hasn’t had him, um, disappeared?) I love that kind of usage for Stevenson in Week 2 against a Miami defense that allowed 255 total yards and two scores to Chargers backs in Week 1. Also, since the start of last season, Miami has allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to running backs.
James Cook vs. Las Vegas
James Cook handled 80 percent of Buffalo’s running back carries in Week 1. Yes, I realize that meant just 12 of 15. But with the passing game still working out the kinks, look for Buffalo to lean a little more on the run. But even if they don’t, know that Cook had six targets and a 15 percent target share in the opener. This week, the Bills face a Vegas team that surrendered 131 total yards to backs in Week 1 along with 10 receptions to backs. Considering usage and matchup, I have Cook inside my top 13 backs for Week 2.
Others receiving votes: Not only did Chicago continue their proud history of losing to whoever the Packers start at quarterback last week, but they also allowed 185 total yards and two touchdowns to the running back position. That last bit is good news for Rachaad White managers heading into Week 2. White is coming off an opener in which he got 19 touches and played on 79 percent of offensive snaps, as well as 88 percent of third down snaps. He wasn’t efficient, but he did get a lot of work. And if I had White, I’d stash Sean Tucker just in case I’m wrong here and White just flat out stinks … We all thought the (lack of a) RB depth chart in Arizona meant good things for James Conner in 2023, and Week 1 confirmed it. Conner earned an 83 percent snap rate, 79 percent of Arizona RB touches and even a 16 percent target share—good for second on the team. This week, he gets a Giants D that gave up 122 rushing yards in the opener … With Aaron Jones’ status up in the air for Week 2, AJ Dillon is in line for a big day against an Atlanta D that surrendered 167 total yards to backs in Week 1 … I’m back in on Jahmyr Gibbs. I get it. He had all these expectations in the opener, and then it was all David Montgomery (who I also like this week). But that was the season opener on the road against the Super Bowl champs. They want to ease the rookie in, and if he didn’t trip on the 8-yard line on what would have been an easy score, I think the narrative around him is a lot different. I like him to get a lot more work this week (and be very productive with it) in the Lions’ home opener against a Seahawks run defense that just got gashed by Kyren Williams and Cam Akers last week. Last chance to buy low on Gibbs ends Sunday…
Running Backs I Hate in Week 2
Cam Akers vs. San Francisco
There could be a 10-part documentary on the journey Cam Akers has taken fantasy managers on over his three-plus seasons in the NFL, and it still wouldn’t scratch the surface. Despite being listed as RB1 on the Rams’ depth chart entering Week 1, Akers got just four total snaps in the entire first half, while Kyren Williams saw an 87 percent snap rate. Then, in the final four minutes of the game, Akers got eight of his 22 carries. But over the course of the full game, Akers ran just two routes to Williams’ TWENTY-EIGHT. It’s very confusing! But what’s NOT confusing? Making start-sit RB decisions versus the 49ers. San Francisco, as it does, gave up just 41 rushing yards to Pittsburgh in Week 1. I have Akers outside my top 35 backs in Week 2.
Brian Robinson at Denver
As much as I don’t want this to be true, the fact is that Brian Robinson now has averaged less than 4.0 YPC in 10 of his 13 career games after going for just 3.1 YPC last week. Not great! Look, Brian Robinson came back from BEING SHOT, so I will never, ever doubt him, and I love him as a player. And there’s always a chance he falls into the end zone. But when you consider the Broncos only gave up 2.1 YPC in Week 1—best in the league—and that Washington has the second-lowest implied team points total on the Week 2 slate, I’m left with no choice but to be down on the matchup for one of my beloved Commanders.
Dalvin Cook at Dallas
Hopefully Dalvin Cook’s agent put something in his contract like: “Footnote 352.1(b): If, like, Aaron Rodgers somehow … I don’t know … blows his Achilles out on the first possession of the season, obvs Dalvin’s contract is void and he may sign with any other team, like, you know, one with a really good QB.” That’s how legal documents are written, right? But, if that language is NOT in Cook’s contact, then I have him on my Week 2 Hate list. Cook had 53 percent of the Jets’ RB touches on Monday night and averaged a measly 3.7 yards per touch, while Breece Hall averaged 13.4 with his touches. Cook also averaged 1.8 yards per rush after first contact, fourth lowest in Week 1 among backs with 10-plus touches. Considering the Jets have the lowest implied team points total in Week 2, and that Breece Hall likely earned even more work, I am out on Dalvin Cook against the Cowboys. He is down at RB33 this week.
Pass Catchers I Love in Week 2
Calvin Ridley vs. Kansas City
Well, apparently Calvin Ridley wasn’t rusty after 23 months off. Ridley opened the season with a team-high 11 targets and a 34 percent target share—including 50 percent of Jacksonville’s red zone targets. That kind of usage again this week could do major damage against a Chiefs team that, since the start of last season, has allowed the second-most touchdowns to wide receivers. The Over/Under of 51 for this game is the highest of Week 2, and Ridley projects to be heavily involved in the scoring. He’s a top seven WR for me.
DeVonta Smith vs. Minnesota
Last week, DeVonta Smith celebrated his first touchdown of the season and his first since becoming a father by rocking the ball in his arms like a baby. He then took the baby ball off the field with him before it was kicked through the uprights for an extra point. Very good fathering right there. Anyway, in addition to that score, Smith had 10 targets and now has 10 consecutive games with at least eight targets. This week he faces a Vikings defense that, since the start of last season, has allowed the second-most yards to wide receivers and one that surrendered two scores to WRs in the opener. Look for Smith to be rocking more footballs on Thursday night.
Keenan Allen at Tennessee
Quick! Since Week 11 of last season, what wide receiver is second to only Justin Jefferson in receptions? If you said “Keenan Allen” … you win! Very impressive. (Unless you said “Keenan Allen” because his name is bolded directly above and you were just going with basic context clues. In that case, I’m not as impressed. Sorry.) But my point being: If you have a guy in fantasy who is in sentences with Justin Jefferson? You’re doing pretty well. Allen had a Chargers-high 29 percent target share in Week 1, while the Titans, in their opener, allowed the third-most yards to wide receivers. By the way, since the start of last season, Tennessee has allowed the second-most yards and receptions to the slot. Even more reason to Love Keenan Allen in Week 2. He’s my WR14.
Zach Ertz vs. New York Giants
There has been a lot of debate about whether the Arizona Cardinals are tanking the season so they can draft Caleb Williams. Heading into Week 1, it was hard to know for sure. Then they fed the ball to a nearly 33 year-old Zach Ertz, running like a backup guard, as though he were peak Randy Moss, and I decided: “Yes. The Cardinals are definitely tanking.” Ertz’s 10 targets were the most by a tight end in Week 1. He also tied for the Arizona team lead in routes run and got 40 percent of the team’s red zone targets. Now, it’s not like Ertz was wildly efficient (6-21-0), but it’s hard to overlook that kind of volume at the tight end position. And Week 1 wasn’t a fluke either: Ertz is averaging 7.8 targets/game in his 10 full games with Arizona since the start of last season. This week, he gets a Giants defense that saw a 32 percent target share to Dallas tight ends in the opener. Ertz is a top 12 TE for me in Week 2.
Others receiving votes: Did the Baltimore Ravens finally draft a legit wide receiver? Zay Flowers got 10 targets in his debut, and his 47 percent target share was the best in the league in Week 1. He also had two rushing attempts … Justin Fields says he wants to be more aggressive in Week 2. A good way to do that? Give DJ Moore more than two targets, especially against a Bucs defense that in Week 1 allowed the second-most yards per reception to wide receivers … Puka Nacua had 15 targets in Week 1, tied with Tyreek Hill for most in the NFL. Nacua was also tied for the Rams team lead in routes. We talked him up on Fantasy Football Happy Hour the last few weeks of the preseason as Kupp’s injury concerns grew, and we knew the Rams loved him in camp. He’s the real deal. Might be time to start calling him my Little Puka Kupp … One game into CJ Stroud’s NFL career and so far Nico Collins is his favorite target. Collins had a team-high 25 percent target share in Week 1. This week, the Texans face a Colts team that allowed two touchdowns to wide receivers in the opener … Since the start of last season, the Seahawks have allowed the most yards to tight ends. However, they seem to have fixed that flaw in their defense because in Week 1 they only allowed (drumroll, please) the second most yards to tight ends. Okay, perhaps fixed isn’t quite right. So take a look at Sam LaPorta this week against Seattle. He saw 83 percent of offensive snaps in his debut and caught all five of his targets … Bills rookie Dalton Kincaid also had a solid debut. He was tied for third on the team in target share and receptions and saw the field on 80 percent of snaps. This week, he sees a Vegas team that, since the start of last season, is allowing the third highest catch rate to tight ends.
Pass Catchers I Hate in Week 2
Garrett Wilson at Dallas
Welp, remember how you were disappointed when someone sniped Garrett Wilson right before your slot in drafts this year? Now you can look back at those moments fondly instead of bitterly. The Fantasy Gods were looking out for you. Look, Wilson is obviously still fantasy relevant … it’s just that he drops from a WR1 in fantasy to a guy who has to tip poorly thrown passes to himself in order to score touchdowns. Don’t forget: Wilson has averaged just 9.2 PPG in his 10 career games with Zach Wilson as the starter (including Zach Wilson’s kinda-start on Monday night). With the bad Wilson under center, the good Wilson averages 3.9 receptions, 48.1 receiving yards and has just one touchdown in 10 games. Not exactly first round fantasy numbers. This week, the Wilson Brothers get a Dallas defense that opened the season by allowing just 41 receiving yards to wide receivers. I have Wilson way down at WR22 in Week 2. Sorry, Jets fans. As always.
Terry McLaurin at Denver
Ugh. I’m hating two Commanders in the same column. Definitely taking a shower after I’m done writing this column. But it’s really not even a Hate debate for McLaurin against the Broncos in Week 2. Scary Terry will be matched up with Patrick Surtain II, and since the start of last season, Denver has allowed the second-fewest yards to wide receivers and a league-low 10.3 yards per reception to WRs. Add to it that McLaurin’s 13.8 percent target share in Week 1 ranked way down at fourth on the Commanders and that this should be a low-scoring game (lowest Over/Under in Week 2), and I have McLaurin outside my top 25 WRs. Yuck.
Dalton Schultz vs. Indianapolis
I had Dalton Schultz on my preseason Hate list. I also had Aaron Rodgers on my preseason Hate list. Tough to say who had it worse in Week 1. Schultz was targeted on just 8 percent of his routes in the opener and was one of just four tight ends to play over 80 percent of snaps and see a target share below 10 percent. That’s like being on the Mount Rushmore of Stink. The Texans also only ran three plays in the red zone in Week 1, second worst in the league. While Schultz at least has his Achilles intact, he does not have a spot inside my top 15 TEs for Week 2.
