Week 2 was full of some boring first halves and some wild comebacks.
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If you, like me spend all of your Sundays flipping through fantasy football apps to check on your teams, you're just setting yourself up for a rollercoaster of emotions.
Honestly, calling Week 2 a rollercoaster feels too smooth. The NFL's second week of action was more like being trapped inside a tornado.
Jaylen Waddle Explodes After I Trade Him Away
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RELATED: The Miami Dolphins' Offseason Moves Simultaneously Put More & Less Pressure on Tua
Okay, I'm an idiot for trading Waddle. I know. But I was deep at WR and needed RBs. Granted he went away in a package that only brought me Melvin Gordon at that position, and I have regrets. The young receiver was targeted an incredible 19 times, pulling in 11 of those targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns. It truly was a big comeback for the Dolphins, and their passing game did nearly all of that work.
Waddle is going to be a big part of what may be a very good Miami team. It seems that even adding Tyreek Hill hasn't caused him to lose any targets. Now the big question will be can Miami get that passing game going and hang in games from the start. Kicking off the year against an anemic New England team and playing three plus quarters against Baltimore without doing much isn't a great start. Regardless, Waddle is going to be a big piece of the puzzle on South Beach.
Speaking of Tyreek Hill, the Cheetah had eight catches for 94 yards, including a fumble, in Week 1 against New England. But when Tua started to go OFF in the fourth quarter, it was in large part to Hill being a member of this offense. He matched Waddles output with 11 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns on his 13 targets. That's an identical number catches and a 19 yard difference. If Mike McDaniel can get these guys both going, this Miami offense is going to live up to what their defense has been managing for the past few years.
Week 3 in Buffalo will be no easy feat...
It May Be Time To Trade For Amon-Ra St. Brown
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RELATED: Bad Beats from Week 2: Colts Lose Big, While the Ravens and Browns Drop the Ball
If you can get your hands on Amon-Ra St. Brown, do it. The Lions, somehow, are no joke this year. They went toe to toe with a very good Philadelphia Eagles team in Week 1 before sucker punching the Washington Commanders for much of Week 3. While the Detroit running game looks like it has some legs, St. Brown has quickly become a go to for Jared Goff. Against Washington he reeled in nine catches on 12 targets for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He also managed 68 yards on the ground on two end around rushes.
That's two big performances in a row for St. Brown, and I'd expect those to continue as the next three games for the Lions are against Minnesota, Seattle, and New England. Three teams who should be difficult to play against, but don't seem to be able to put together enough consistency to be reliable.
The Tampa Bay Defense Took New Orleans to School
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Tampa Bay's defense has been good for a number of years. Winning a Super Bowl a couple years ago wasn't just down to a certain GOAT arriving on the Gulf Coast, you know. And this Bucs defense showed up in New Orleans ready to take no prisoners. The first half seemed very underwhelming overall, but it was due to some great defensive performances. When all was said and done, the Buccaneers managed to only allow 10 points on 308 yards. But the also forced three fumbles, recovered two of them, sacked Jameis Winston six times, picked him off three times, and found their way into the end zone for a touchdown.
No matter how well the offense does, this is a playoff bound defensive performance. They have big games coming up against Green Bay and Kansas City, so we're on the verge of learning what they're made of long-term.
On The Other End of the Ball, Mike Evans Underwhelms
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Maybe it's unfair to consider Evans a dud when he didn't even get to finish the game. But this is fantasy football, and that's exactly why he's considered a dud. He was ejected from the game in New Orleans after an altercation with Marshon Lattimore. And this led to a one-game suspension being handed down by the NFL.
Prior the the scuffle, Evans did pull in three catches for 61 yards. So that makes it even more infuriating. As the game went on and the Bucs got into more of a groove, maybe he could have contributed more? I suppose we'll never know. But despite his appeal, I don't expect Evans to find his way back onto the field when Tampa hosts Green Bay at the weekend.
DJ Chark Should Be The Sleeper of the Week, Instead He's Shooting Blanks
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RELATED: The Detroit Lions Are Favored to Win for the First Time in 24 Games
The Detroit Lions, as mentioned before, are a surprisingly very good football team this year. Whether or not Goff can take them to the promised land, or even a deep enough playoff run, remains to be seen. But the addition of DJ Chark was supposed to help spread out the weapons for him. And with Amon-Ra St. Brown getting a lot of attention, this should free up Chark.
He was targeted four times against Washington, but didn't haul in any of them. After a decent performance in the prize fight against Philly, Chark looked to be a steal for fantasy owners looking for a second flex option. But he's going to have to reawaken in the coming weeks in order to earn that slot. The question now becomes how to approach him. I'd sit him for a couple weeks and see if he can come back into his own. If he does, let's get cookin'.
You Spent A Number One Pick On...Jonathan Taylor
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RELATED: A Decade After Peyton Left Indy, The Colts Are Still Looking for His Replacement
Of course this is not likely to be a weekly thing, but my goodness it was not a good week for everyone's No. 1 pick Jonathan Taylor. The Colts got absolutely smacked by...the Jacksonville Jaguars?! A 24-0 loss is not conducive to handing the ball off, even if your guy in the backfield is meant to be the best in the game today. Taylor only carried the ball nine times for 54 yards and caught one pass for nine yards.
A tale of two weeks for the Colts running back, but the task doesn't get any easier in Week 3. If Matt Ryan can prove his worth and spread the ball around in Indy, it should open up opportunities for Taylor. But proof is not yet in the pudding. By no means are we in sell mode yet, but if the Colts are constantly playing from behind, he's not going to have the opportunities synonymous with a best running back in the league tag.
