FFB WEEK 2: TWELVE TAKEAWAYS

Welcome back to this week's Twelve Takeaways. 

I hope you all won your fantasy football matchups. To those of you that did:
For those of you looking to right the ship, you're in the right place. 

Week 2 is officially closed out, and who would've thought that Sam Darnold would be outscoring the likes of CJ Stroud, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Joe Burrow? Just like my lower back tattoo says: 

~Fantasy Football is weird~ 

1. I wouldn't blame Tua Tagovailoa if he decided to retire. Another scary head injury this past Thursday night, another fencing response. Just a supremely unfortunate situation all around and I hope for the best for Tua and his long-term health.

With that said, I'm kinda over Mike McDaniel. 

Get a load of this guy? Bringing up Tua's future is isn't in Tua's best interest? Uhhhh buddy, his brain is currently scrambled eggs. He's laying with an ice pack on his forehead in a dark room to quell the symptoms. I'm not sure that any more football is in his best interest, but it's not my decision to make. 

Shielding your quarterback is fine, but Tua's "risk versus benefit" is an unavoidable topic moving forward, especially if he comes back and it happens again.      

2. Bryce Young has been benched and Will Levis is next. 

It's not terribly surprising, but Bryce Young will be taking a backseat to Andy Dalton. This news came roughly 24 hours after Dave Canales said he was their quarterback follow a 26-3 loss to the Chargers on Sunday. The Panthers have been utterly abysmal, the worst team in the league, and Bryce Young doesn't seem to be progressing whatsoever so it's time for a hard reset. 

Meanwhile, we're just two games in, and Will Levis is already responsible for two of the most inexplicably braindead plays I've seen in a long time. If you look at a normal quarterback they might make one, maybe two of these types of self-destructive plays in an entire calendar year. Levis has gone Looney-Tunes twice in two games on his way to QB26. 

Obviously I hope you and your loved ones aren't dabbling with Levis in fantasy, but judging from this video his leash is nonexistent as the Titans' starter.   

That reaction was in response to this hilariously dumb play and the Titans have pissed away two very winnable games.

We're not getting out of here before we acknowledge what might be the single worst wide receiver screen pass attempt in the modern history of American football by current QB31 Bryce Young:

3. Kyler Murray Perfection.

He had a handful of nutty reps just like this one, narrowly slipping out of the clutches of the defense to get rid of the ball. It was peak sneaky-Kyler behavior and he was scurrying around like a hobbit, moving and extending plays to get the ball out of his hands. It worked out for him, and he had a perfect quarterbacking rating for the first time in his career. 

It was a true QB1 performance - 17/21 for 266 yards and 3 passing TDs through the air plus 59 yards on the ground.   

4. The WHAT: Malik Willis botched a third down pass play.

The WHY: His center barfed on the football and made it slimy and gross.
Now I don't know about you, but I've never tried to throw a football that's covered in another man's vomit. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. 

You probably didn't have it on your 2024 fantasy bingo board, but Willis outscored Anthony Richardson in week 2 and led the Packers to a gritty win over the Colts. It was just 12/14 for 122 yards, a TD pass and 41 yards rushing for him, but he's 1-0 as as Jordan Love's replacement and perhaps he's found a place to settle in after being neglected by the Titans for two years.   

5. He's still got it. 
Alvin Kamara had another one of "those" games. If you'll recall, he scored 6 TDs against the Vikings on Christmas Day in 2020 and Sunday had that same feel. Sometimes with Alvin, it's like there was a very large, very strong magnetic field that pulls him to the endzone and there's no way he's not getting there. 

20 carries for 115 yards, 2 catches for 65 yards, and 4 total TDs. It was a 40+ fantasy point output and he was the runaway RB1. 

The Saints are off to an unbelievable start, scoring 91 points in their first two wins with a point differential of +62. Beating the brakes off of the Panthers wasn't a huge shock, but doing the same thing to the Cowboys (44-19) was a statement win.  

6. The Jaguars are not a serious franchise.  

What a steep regression we're witnessing. Trevor Lawrence is currently just 1.2 fantasy points ahead of Bo Nix at QB20. 

The Jaguars are 0-2, so things could be better there. At least they "renamed" the Jaguars stadium after Trevor Lawrence on a day that he was 14-for-30 for 220 yards and no touchdowns. 


7. Patrick Mahomes is not a top fantasy quarterback. 

I said it last week, I'll say it again. 

He's a fantastic real-life quarterback and the Chiefs won again, but he's unreliable in fantasy. Both things can be true. 

Stop fighting it. Just free yourself and accept it.  
Not even 15 fantasy points this week, folks. He's currently QB12. 18/25 for 151 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. He would've had at least one more interception but penalties saved his ass again (he's had 17 interceptions taken off the board by penalty since 2018). The Chiefs are also losing Isaiah Pacheco for a minimum of 4 weeks, so the offense will have to adapt to that in some capacity. 

Take this information and process it however you see fit, but believe it or not, there are other options (Derek Carr is rostered in something like 8% of leagues). I implore you, don't be held hostage in fantasy just because he's won two Super Bowls consecutively. 

8. The Steelers have their quarterback and should trade Russell Wilson to the Dolphins. This would be a win-win across the board. The Steelers can beef up elsewhere and the Dolphins don't have to start Skylar Thompson. 

Justin Fields has looked solid so far and the Steelers one of nine unbeaten teams. More importantly, it's largely been good with flashes of great peppered in. And this is all just two games in with a new team following a noncommittal training camp period after being tossed aside like an orphan puppy in Chicago. 

Let's temper expectations a bit: He's just QB24 and he's only accounted for 1 TD so far this season. 

On the flipside, he looks the part, he made several extremely high-level plays that were called back due to penalty on Sunday, and his running ability makes him an intriguing bench stash option. 9. Baker Mayfield is QB1 through two weeks and the revenge tour is officially on. He was basically left for dead after 2021, spun around in limbo for 2022 and landed with in Tampa in 2023. Since then, he's been on fire and has the Bucs off to a strong 2-0 start with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Baker was sacked 5 times on Sunday (4.5 of those by Aidan Hutchinson) and they still beat the Lions in Detroit. He's off to an MVP-caliber start and I'm enjoying his revival. 

10. The Anthony Richardson Experience is incalculable and unhinged. 

We all suspected it'd be a project with Richardson, and he's still the youngest starting QB in the league, but this was gross. 

This guy's the definition of "feast or famine". On any given week it could be "nice Anthony" or "nasty Anthony". Unfortunately, this week fantasy owners had their crops poisoned by the plague that was "nasty Anthony". 

The accuracy and decision-making issues reared their ugly heads and he completed just 50% of his 34 pass attempts for 204 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs. Fantasy owners are gonna have to have goldfish brains with AR5 and forget about this one, keeping in mind that he could go for 40 fantasy points next week.  

His ceiling remains as high as anyone in the league, but throws like this one need to go away.

11. Tank Bigsby got JACKED UP on a kickoff return.
 12. Nick Sirianni put on a losing masterclass and then threw his quarterback under the bus.
I'm starting to think Nick Sirianni is cooked and his rift with Jalen Hurts is becoming problematic. It's a puzzling thing to say at the postgame press conference after you just orchestrated a meltdown for the ages, especially considering Saquon WAS wide open on the 3rd and 3 pass play call.  

As for the game itself and the decisions made therein, I'll never understand it. It's hard enough to score points and win in the NFL, why anyone would ever stare down a chip-shot field goal on the game's opening drive and just say "no thank you, I'm good" is beyond me. Sure, Saquon should've caught that pass, but Vic Fangio going full prevent defense with almost 2 minutes left in the game was all Kirk Cousins needed to carve them up like a Thanksgiving turkey. It was a comedy of errors and the Eagles had the game won multiple times but somehow found a way to lose. 
 

WEEK 2 WIN THE WAIVER WIRE sponsored by Olive Garden:

Thank you to our new sponsor, Olive Garden, for believing in us here at the Fantasy Football Boys Fantasy Football Department. 

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  • Demarcus Robinson - Okay, NOW it's time to spend on Rams receivers. Cooper Kupp might be hitting the IR, so all the WR1/WR2 targets are going to be vacated in this Rams offense. They also may or may not be playing from behind quite a bit, considering their two best offensive players are injured, so there should be passes aplenty. 
  • Carson Steele - Isaiah Pacheco has hit the IR. Steele lost a fumble last week, but he'll have looks as their RB1 for the time being. Yes, I know, Samaje Perine is in there and complicates things and he's the more experienced of the two, but he's largely used as a 3rd down option and receiving back. Carson Steele will handle the bulk of the early-down workload this week if you're looking for a stretchy-RB2/Flex void to fill. 
    • If there happens to be a Kareem Hunt homecoming, use your brain - alter your bid accordingly. 
  • Quentin Johnston -   
Another year, another Quentin Johnson waiver recommendation. I don't care - It's here, it's happening. 

The breakout is upon us. He's been unlocked by Jim Harbaugh, the code has been cracked. TWO touchdowns in week 2 and if he's not careful, he might just be Justin Herbert's favorite target and WR1 by week 6.
  • Foster Moreau - Two things: 1. The Saints offense is hotter than a hoochie-coochie, 

and 2. Moreau has played 77% and 80% of the snaps so far, compared to Juwan Johnson's 35% and 41%. Moreau had 4 catches on 4 targets and a TD in week 1 and had another TD called back in week 2 on an illegal man downfield call. You know what they say, you gotta get some of that Saints offense while the gettin's good. 
  • Derek Carr - I touched on this earlier, but yeah, if he's available, why not? He's currently QB2 and not by putting up 30 pointers, but with consistency. Two straight 20+ fantasy point outputs to start the season and frankly, that's all anyone has ever needed out of their quarterback.   
  • Braelon Allen - The young bruiser logged a pair of touchdowns on Sunday and he's quickly become a valuable handcuff to Breece Hall should anything befall him. 
  • Darnell Mooney - Kirk Cousins has officially elevated him. He's a deep threat - he hauled in 3 of 7 targets for 88 yards and a TD on Monday night to help beat the Eagles on their home turf. 
  • Bucky Irving - Rachaad White dealt with a tweaked groin this past Sunday, and he's averaging 1.96 yards per carry (putrid). Irving has looked more explosive than White regardless of injury, but if White is limited or can't go, then he's a must-add. 
  • Antonio Gibson - As run-happy as the Patriots have been so far, Gibson should still see consistent carries moving forward, even if Rhamondre Stevenson remains 100% healthy. He had 11 carries for 96 yards last week in a backup role.
  • Mike Gesicki - Burrow's new favorite target. Has more looks through 2 weeks than Ja'Marr Chase (13 to 11).  

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