Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals

Total: 37.5
Line: CHI by 6.0

QBs
Mitch Trubisky:  It’s been a rough start to the season for Trubisky, though he did throw a career-high two touchdown passes last week. He’s looked good at times throwing with pinpoint accuracy, but lacking touch on others. It appears to be a confidence/mental thing with him as a young quarterback with minimal experience, and that may be an issue against the Cardinals, who have plenty of experience as one of the older teams in the league (7th-oldest). They held Jared Goff to just one touchdown on the road last week, though he did throw for 354 yards on just 32 attempts. With the dink-and-dunk offense that Trubisky ran last week, it would be no surprise to the Cardinals to jump some routes in this game. If Matt Nagy doesn’t change things up, this could be a tough game for Trubisky, who is just a low-end QB2 who offers a floor due to his rushing ability.

Sam Bradford: He threw for 90 yards last week. Nine. Zero. On 27 attempts. Sure, it was against the Rams suffocating defense, but the Bears aren’t a major step down. In fact, they now have 10 sacks and lead the NFL through two weeks while the Rams have just two sacks. Despite being home against the Bears, the Cardinals implied team total is just over 15 points. It seems that Larry Fitzgerald may miss this game, but even if he did, it’s hard to see Bradford doing much when Khalil Mack will be matched-up against formerly undrafted free agent John Wetzel. You should actively avoid Bradford this week.

RBs
Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen: There were a lot of question marks about the Bears offense last week, as the play-calling was atrocious. Despite leading for the entirety of the game, they gave Howard just 14 carries against a Seahawks defense that was missing their top two linebackers. The offensive line also wasn’t getting much of a push, so Howard’s stat line suffered. Against the Cardinals, it’s going to get tougher as they’ve allowed just 3.42 yards per carry over their last 19 games. Granted, the Redskins and Rams combined for 65 rush attempts against them, so the volume should be much better this week. After allowing just seven rushing touchdowns in 2017, they’ve now allowed four through two weeks, though Todd Gurley accounted for three of them last week (had just 42 yards on 19 carries, though). This is the classic high-volume, low-efficiency game for Howard, but I’d bet he scores if he gets 20-plus carries this week, making him a high-end RB2. Cohen doesn’t look great carrying the ball in the offense and it’s a wonder why they aren’t using him more in the screen-game, as he has just four receptions through two games. He’s just an RB4/5-type player until we see his usage in the passing-game increase.

David Johnson: There are 18 running backs with more receptions than Johnson, including his backup. The coaching staff should be fired for not realizing who they have on their team. Johnson is a fine running back, but he’s an elite receiver and needs to be used that way. It’s like giving Antonio Brown nothing but end-arounds. They have said they are going to start lining him up at wide receiver (which should have happened long ago), so there’s some optimism. The Bears have been dominant against the run thus far, holding the Packers and Seahawks running backs to combine for just 111 yards on 36 carries (3.08 YPC), so don’t expect Johnson to suddenly get dominant on the ground. This game shouldn’t get out of hand like last week’s, so plug Johnson in as a low-end RB1 who doesn’t have the ceiling we’d like, but we have to simply hope for rational coaching.

WRs
Allen Robinson: It was good to see Robinson back in an alpha role last week, racking up 14 targets and 10 receptions for 83 yards against the Seahawks. They’re using him all over the field and his big body gives Trubisky confidence when throwing to him. His 236 targeted air yards are easily the most on the team, and in fact, the other wide receivers combined sit at just 74 targeted air yards. He’s going to see Patrick Peterson this week, though Peterson doesn’t travel into the slot, which is where Robinson runs exactly one-third of his routes. He’s also been targeted on those routes 30 percent of the time, so you don’t want to automatically sit him due to Peterson, though expectations need to be tempered this week. He’s a high-end WR3 who’ll have better weeks with how much he’s being used.

Taylor Gabriel: It’s possible that we all underestimated the role that Gabriel will have on the Bears team, as he’s the one who’s being used most like Tyreek Hill. He’s totaled 12 targets and three carries through two games and has shown explosion, though he’s yet to break anything. While Patrick Peterson occupied with Robinson, Gabriel will get Jamar Taylor in coverage. Taylor has struggled throughout his career and it’s bled into this year as well, allowing 9-of-10 targets to be completed for a massive 181 yards. This could be the game he breaks one of the long ones and it should surprise no one. He’s just a boom/bust WR5 in season-long, but he’s the type of player you toss in a tournament lineup.

Anthony Miller: He hasn’t been utilized as much as I thought he would, though he did find the end zone last week. His matchup this week is a good one, as Budda Baker is not a slot cornerback, though that’s where they have him playing. Baker is a versatile safety, but he’s a liability in coverage. He’s now allowed 36-of-48 targets (75 percent) be completed for 418 yards and three touchdowns over the first 18 games of his career. It’s hard to trust Miller and his six targets through two weeks, but he is playing nearly 60 percent of the snaps. Approach with caution as anything more than a WR5 in season-long leagues, even though he may have the best matchup on the field.

Larry Fitzgerald: We don’t know if Fitzgerald will play at this point, as he suffered a hamstring injury late in the loss to the Rams last week. He’s been targeted 15 times through two games and despite Bradford’s lackluster stat-lines, Fitzgerald has totaled 10 receptions for 104 yards. He’s going to match-up with Bryce Callahan this week, who might just be the Bears best cornerback. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but he does a great job covering the slot. Throughout his career, he’s allowed just two touchdowns in his coverage on 131 targets. We have to pay attention to the practice reports, but hamstring injuries don’t just go away on their own. Even if Fitzgerald suits up for this game, he’s just an average WR3 with minimal upside and risk of re-injury. Update: Head coach Steve Wilks came out on Wednesday and said Fitzgerald will play, though I’m not sure why he’d do that if it really is a hamstring injury. This could be gamesmanship, so pay attention throughout the week. 

Christian Kirk: Even if Fitzgerald sits, I’m not sure it does very much for Kirk, as he’d just take his place in the slot and get the tough matchup with Bryce Callahan. Still, Kirk is the only other Cardinals wide receiver to catch a pass through two games (not kidding). He’s caught five passes for just 31 yards, but he may need to step-up and be their “No. 1” this week, something he’s really not built to do. If Fitzgerald sits, Kirk pops up on the WR5 radar, but it’s not a week where you should go out of your way to play him.

TEs
Trey Burton: It hasn’t been the start that most Burton owners were hoping for, as he’s seen just 10 targets through two weeks, though his touchdown last week helped get him into TE1 territory. The Bears shouldn’t have to throw the ball much this game and the Cardinals haven’t been what you’d call generous to tight ends when it comes to yardage, but they have allowed a tight end touchdown in each of their two games this year. When Zach Ertz played against them last year (in the similar offense), he totaled 6/61/1, though it took 12 targets to get there. Burton also scored in that game, though he was the backup. With Patrick Peterson shadowing Robinson, the Bears will need to gameplan for someone else to step-up and it could be Burton, particularly in the red zone. He’s on the low-end TE1 radar with the volume concerns.

Ricky Seals-Jones: The targets haven’t been the issue for Seals-Jones this year, as he’s tied for eighth among tight ends with 12 of them (same as Rob Gronkowski, Evan Engram, and Jimmy Graham). The issue is efficiency, as he’s totaled just 36 yards on them, or 3.0 yards per target. This is bad. The Bears allowed just two tight ends to crack 50 yards last year, and if it wasn’t for Will Dissly‘s garbage time touchdown last week, they’d be looking great this year. I’m not excited to play a tight end who can’t gain yards and his offense doesn’t score points. Let someone else go down that road.

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks

Total: 41.5
Line: SEA by 1.0

QBs
Dak Prescott: It’s got to be a swift kick to the man business for Prescott to look around at the wide receivers they’ve put in front of him. When Cole Beasley leads your team in snaps, it’s a problem. Prescott currently sits as the QB26 on the season and not because he’s played poorly. The Seahawks defense would love to get Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright back this week, though both of them may be a stretch. Playing on the road in Seattle is tough for anyone to do, especially when you lack weapons. Despite all the injuries/losses, the Seahawks have intercepted five passes through the first two weeks, though they’ve also allowed five passing touchdowns. I struggle to see who Prescott will throw touchdowns to, making him just a low-end QB2 this week.

Russell Wilson: It was a brutal stat-line for Wilson prior to padding his stats in the fourth-quarter, but he somehow sits as the QB16 through two weeks despite playing the Broncos and Bears pass rushes, and being without Doug Baldwin. The Cowboys bring the pressure as well, as they rank second to only the Bears with nine sacks through two games. We saw the Cowboys limit Cam Newton to just 161 yards passing while in Carolina, but he did rush for 58 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys have a young cornerback group who did a phenomenal job against Odell Beckham and the Giants last week, so it’ll be tough for Marshall and Lockett to find space. Wilson will have to use his legs in this one, something he’s used to by now. Consider him a low-end QB1 who is suffering from a bad offensive line and limited weapons.

RBs
Ezekiel Elliott: After allowing the Broncos to rack up 146 yards on 32 carries against them, the Seahawks stepped-up without Bobby Wagner and held the combination of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen to just 43 yards on 18 carries. The Bears offensive line wasn’t able to get much push up front, something the Cowboys don’t struggle with. Elliott is going to continue to be the focal point of the offense, as he’s the only legitimate threat they have. The question will be – how much resources does Pete Carroll put in to stopping him? The Seahawks aren’t going to rack up points on anyone right now, meaning the Cowboys should be in a neutral gamescript the majority of the game, giving Elliott plenty of opportunities. He’s an RB1 every week, though it’s tough to say if he’s going to break scoreboards in Seattle’s home opener. If Wagner and Wright are out, I’d upgrade his chances.

Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny: What in the world is happening in this backfield? After Pete Carroll came out and said Carson was “clearly deserving” of more touches going forward, he finished with just six touches while Penny got 10 of them. Carroll said afterwards that Carson was worn out from special teams, but that’s a cop-out. You have to wonder if Carroll is being pressured to use their first-round pick a bit more. With Sean Lee, the Cowboys run defense has been really good, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry with him in the lineup since the start of last season. We saw Saquon Barkley continually swallowed behind the line of scrimmage and although he almost always made the first defender miss, he totaled just 28 yards on 11 carries. Knowing that the Seahawks running backs have scored exactly one rushing touchdown over their last 18 games is a joke, so it’s hard to suggest either of these running backs as anything more than an RB4, though I’d still lean Carson as the favorite. Update: Sean Lee is dealing with a hamstring injury and is questionable for the game. If he misses the game, it’d upgrade the Seahawks run-game, though it’s still hard to trust them.

WRs
Allen Hurns: It’s been one of the most predictable things to see Hurns not live up to No. 1 wide receiver status, but you couldn’t have predicted that he’d have just two catches for 29 yards through two weeks. He’s not even playing all the snaps, as they’re mixing him, Deonte Thompson, Michael Gallup, and Terrance Williams in throughout the game. The Seahawks cornerbacks outside of Shaquill Griffin aren’t very good, but unfortunately for Hurns, he’s going to see Griffin about 60-70 percent of the time. Griffin has already intercepted two passes on the year and Prescott isn’t going to force the issue with Hurns, who has just five targets to this point. He’s not playable in this matchup.

Michael Gallup: There’s going to be a time where Gallup becomes a full-time player, but dropping passes won’t help him get there. He still hasn’t cracked 29 snaps in a game and the re-signing of Brice Butler doesn’t bode well for him, as Butler knows the offense. Because of that, he’s not a recommended play, even though the matchup is great against Akeem King, a former seventh-round pick who has played just 84 career snaps.

Cole Beasley: The only one of the Cowboys receivers we know will play a majority of the snaps. He’s going to match-up against Justin Coleman for a majority of his routes, which isn’t great. Coleman has allowed just an 80.1 QB Rating in his coverage over the last three years, which is really good for a slot cornerback. He’s not elite or anything, so Beasley should still be able to rack up a halfway decent PPR game, but he’s not going to win you a tournament or anything. The Cowboys passing-game is just so unappealing right now, especially when you know they’re on the road in Seattle.

Tyler Lockett: I mentioned it here last week, but Lockett is not the speedy wide receiver that everyone thinks he is. Many said what a play on the touchdown catch last week, but it was Russell Wilson who simply dropped a dime right over Kyle Fuller, who was in very tight coverage (he’s not a fast cornerback). Because he plays with an elite quarterback, Lockett will have plays like that, but to expect them every week is going to end up poorly. The Cowboys young group of cornerbacks held Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard in check last week, and have yet to allow a wide receiver to score double-digit PPR points. With Doug Baldwin out, the Seahawks are relying on Lockett in the slot a bit more, which is where Anthony Brown has covered. He held Shepard to three catches for 24 yards last week, as Eli Manning had little time to do much. Wilson can create time for his receivers and Brown isn’t even a top-10 slot cornerback, so Lockett remains on the WR3/4 radar.

Brandon Marshall: He looks good for a guy who is 34 years old, but Marshall shouldn’t be an every-down player at this point in his career. He actually leads the team in targets (12), so you have to look at him as a potential play against the young cornerbacks of Dallas. He’s going to line-up across from Byron Jones for most of the day, which is the worst-case scenario, as Jones has played lights out this year. For the first three years of his career, he was considered to be somewhat of a bust, but he’s been moved all over the formation. Having found his place at RCB, he’s allowed just 4-of-9 targets to be completed for just 41 yards. Marshall is the best bet on this team for a touchdown, though, as Brown allowed 12 of them in 2016-2017 on 157 targets in coverage. Consider Marshall more of a boom-or-bust WR4 this week.

Jaron Brown: He’s the No. 3 wide receiver with Doug Baldwin out, so we should probably mention him. He’ll match-up with Chidobe Awuzie in coverage this week, who the Cowboys are expecting big things out of. He did a great job with Odell Beckham Jr. last week, though the game plan was reportedly to just “not let him beat you deep,” which Awuzie did a great job. His overall stats don’t look great because of this mindset, but he’s played better than most think. Brown may get some underneath stuff, but he’s just a punt-play who you hope to score a touchdown.

TEs
Geoff Swaim: The clear leader of the Cowboys tight end group, Swaim has now played 108 snaps, while the next closest is Blake Jarwin with 36 snaps. Still, he’s netted just four targets through two games and the Seahawks Bradley McDougald has played exceptional in coverage. The touchdown allowed to Trey Burton last week was essentially on a handoff, so that shouldn’t really affect how you feel about them defending tight ends. Swaim isn’t on the streaming radar this week.

Will Dissly: After trailing Nick Vannett in snaps/routes in Week 1, Dissly apparently earned himself more of a role going forward, as he ran 32 routes in Week 2 compared to just 16 for Vannett. Dissly is the better blocker of the two, so I figured his snaps may be higher, but the Seahawks have apparently moved him ahead of Vannett on the depth chart. Is it the right thing to do? I believe Vannett is the more talented receiver, but he’s very one-dimensional. Dissly will try to keep up his hot start against a Cowboys team that’s now allowed Greg Olsen (just part of the game) and Evan Engram to combine for nine targets, nine catches, 110 yards, and a touchdown. I’m not completely sold on Dissly quite yet, but if you are, the matchup isn’t a bad one.

New England Patriots at Detroit Lions

Total: 51.5
Line: NE by 6.5

QBs
Tom Brady: It’s hard to blame Brady for the loss last week, as he played extremely well against the Jaguars defense, putting 20 points on them with little help from the run-game. He’ll go against his former defensive coordinator on Sunday night, though it appears the Lions may be without their top cornerback Darius Slay, who suffered a concussion. This is bad news for a Lions secondary who is lacking the talent to stop Brady. We’ve seen both Sam Darnold and Jimmy Garoppolo throw for two touchdowns against them with Slay on the field, and that’s despite the two of them combining for just 47 pass attempts. Brady is an elite QB1 on primetime and nothing about this matchup worries me.

Matthew Stafford: The defense is going to put him in a lot of comeback situations this year, which will ultimately lead to fantasy points. This game has shootout written all over it, as the Patriots are coming off a game in which they allowed Blake Bortles tag them for 377 yards and four touchdowns. Stafford clearly has developed a bond with Kenny Golladay, which just adds to his stable of capable pass-catchers. The Patriots usually try to take away the top weapon from the opponent, but Stafford has three favorites, so it won’t work that way. Dating back to last year, the Patriots defense has shown signs of slowing down, making Stafford a QB1 play once again in Week 3.

RBs
Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel, and James White: It’s unclear whether or not Burkhead’s concussion from Week 1 led to a decrease in snaps last week, but he played just 14 snaps in Week 2, while White played 34 and Michel played 13. The offensive line wont do any of these running backs a favor, but the Lions also aren’t exactly stout up the middle. They’ve now allowed a massive 363 yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries over the first two weeks to the combination of Jets and 49ers running backs. This is where the Patriots can likely get their ground-game going. There’s risk with Burkhead because Michel is getting healthier and got his first taste of NFL action last week, but if they each get 10-12 carries, both can do work. I’m going to say that Burkhead is in the RB3 range, while Michel isn’t far behind, though they both come with risk of the other one getting more work. White was needed the last two weeks with nasty pass-rushes, but the Lions isn’t nearly as daunting as the Texans or Jaguars. He’s still going to be a solid play in PPR leagues as an RB3 with Julian Edelman out, though.

LeGarrette Blount, Kerryon Johnson, and Theo Riddick: For whatever reason, Blount actually had more snaps in Week 2, though he’s still at just 30-of-147 snaps for the season, or 20.4 percent. He’s off the fantasy radar, like we’d hoped, though he’s still going to steal goal-line opportunities from Johnson. The rookie went from 16 snaps in Week 1 to 36 snaps in Week 2, so they’re aware that he needs to be on the field a bit more. The Patriots haven’t been sharp in any area of the defense, including against the run, as Lamar Miller/Alfred Blue/T.J. Yeldon have combined for 192 yards on just 35 carries (5.49 YPC). The question is how many carries can they get up to in this game, as the Lions are expected to allow quite a few points. Because of the gamescript, they ran the ball just 16 times against the 49ers last week. Johnson is worth a look as an RB3 with his role increasing, while Riddick should play a big role in the passing game this week. He caught nine passes against the 49ers last week, and the Patriots allowed eight receptions to the Jaguars running backs last week. There were seven running backs who totaled at least 48 receiving yards against the Patriots last year, making you feel confident in Riddick as an RB3 in PPR formats, but more of an RB4 in standard leagues, though he’s got a higher floor than most.

WRs
Chris Hogan: Many have asked what the signing of Josh Gordon does to Hogan, and the short answer is… it’s not great. With Julian Edelman set to come back in two weeks, Gronkowski healthy, Gordon a much better talent, and three pass-catching running backs don’t help his outlook. But this is a game where he should take full advantage, as Darius Slay is likely to be out, leaving the Lions with the cornerback trio of Nevin Lawson, Teez Tabor, and Jamal Agnew. While Lawson isn’t a bad option to have on No. 2 receivers, he’s not good enough to handle talented players. Over his four-year career, he’s allowed a 102.0 QB Rating in his coverage, including a robust 130.2 QB Rating in 2018. Hogan should see him the majority of time, and although Brady will likely have his choice of which option to go to, Hogan would be my choice after Gronkowski. Consider him a must-play WR2 in this matchup.

Phillip Dorsett: As mentioned in Hogan’s paragraph, the Lions are likely to be without Darius Slay, making the matchup even that much more enticing. Dorsett has now seen seven targets in each of the first two games, hauling in 12 of them for 110 yards and a touchdown, meaning he should be on your fantasy radar when he matches up with Teez Tabor for the majority of his snaps. Tabor is a second-round pick from last year who has minimal playing time, as he’s seen just 20 targets in his coverage. The reason they may choose to move him around, though, is because he’s an extremely slow cornerback (4.62-second 40-yard dash). Even if they did, it would mean that he’d see Nevin Lawson, who isn’t a speed demon, either. Dorsett is most definitely on the WR4 radar this week and could surprise, though Josh Gordon clouds his outlook just a bit.

Josh Gordon: We don’t even know if he’ll play this week, but I’m under the assumption that he does considering he was out there practicing with the team on Wednesday. He’s not going to grasp the offense in a few days, but don’t be shocked if they put him out there and have him run post routes where if he’s one-on-one, Brady will toss a 50/50 ball up in the air. Knowing the lack of talent on the back-end of the Lions defense, you could do worse than Gordon as a lottery pick in Week 3. He’ll be ranked like a WR4/5, but his upside is tremendous. Just make sure you have a backup option if they choose not to activate him.

Marvin Jones: The trend continues with Jones when Golladay is on the field. Here’s the updated chart that now includes the two games in 2018:

As you can see, a lot of the high marks Jones put up last year were without Golladay on the field. Fortunately, both of them can be options this week. The Patriots typically aim to take away the opposing No. 1 option, but the Lions don’t really have that. My expectation is that Jones is shadowed by Stephon Gilmore in this game, who is most definitely their best cornerback, though he allowed a touchdown in coverage to Donte Moncrief last week. If the Patriots leave Jones one-on-one with Gilmore, he’s going to get some 50/50 balls thrown his way. Consider Jones an upside WR3 in this game. Update: It also doesn’t help that Jones was a late-week addition to the injury report with an ankle issue.

Golden Tate: If you notice, the Patriots almost never put an emphasis on stopping the slot receiver. It’s why Jarvis Landry has destroyed them throughout his career, though it didn’t help his team win games. Tate is the afterthought of the Patriots defensive gameplan and will be in man-coverage against Jonathan Jones this week. He’s allowed 107 yards and a touchdown in his coverage this year, making Tate an appealing WR2 in this matchup who might flirt with WR1 numbers. While Jones and Golladay fight for targets, Tate has his role that’s accumulated 28 targets and 188 yards over the first two weeks.

Kenny Golladay: Some are saying that Golladay is the new No. 1 option in Detroit, and it’s hard to disagree with the way he’s been used. He’s edged out Jones in targets (21-17) and has been efficient on those targets, racking up 203 yards which ranks 10th among wide receivers. He’s going to see Eric Rowe or Stephon Gilmore in coverage, though I’d expect it to be Rowe. He’s a decent-sized cornerback (6-foot-1, 205 pounds), but Golladay would have the size advantage. Rowe has struggled since the start of 2017, allowing 40-of-61 targets to be completed in his coverage for a massive 555 yards and four touchdowns. In a game that’s expected to have 55-plus points scored, Golladay is a low-end WR2.

TEs
Rob Gronkowski: The underestimated result of the Josh Gordon signing is that Gronkowski is going to have even more room to operate underneath, while Gordon stretches the field. It’s not like he needed it, but his outlook got even better. Shake off his bad game against the Jaguars and slot him in as the TE1 this week against a Lions defense that has allowed four passing scores on just 47 pass attempts this year. The Lions may look good on paper against tight ends this year, but when you play against Neil Sterling one of the weeks, that will happen. He’s going to score in this game and maybe more than once.

Luke Willson: Through two weeks, Willson has played just 54 snaps while Levine Toilolo has played 42 of them. It’s odd that he’s not more involved, but when they have Golladay, Jones, Tate, and the running backs, it’s kind of like the Rams offense where they’re an afterthought. He’s seen just two targets in the two games, as has Hakeem Valles. Willson has run more than double the routes of any of the other tight ends, though, so if you’d like to stream one of them against the soft Patriots, Willson would be the one. While there’s better options in season-long leagues, Willson makes for an interesting contrarian play in primetime tournaments.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Total: 53.5
Line: PIT by 1.0

QBs
Ben Roethlisberger: The over/under on this game was somewhat shocking considering how bad Roethlisberger has been on the road throughout the last five years. When everyone thought the Browns game in Week 1 was a good idea to play him, but I warned against it. Here’s the chart which dates back to the start of 2013:

It’s a real thing when you see a 9.1-point difference over a 75-game sample size. This is really the test, though, as the Bucs have absolutely nothing going on in their secondary, as Brent Grimes has missed the first two weeks and Vernon Hargreaves was placed on injured reserve. This has left them starting two rookies at cornerback. Those rookies have combined to allow 23-of-26 attempts to be completed for 262 yards and two touchdowns. If there was ever a week to trust Roethlisberger on the road, it’s this one, though I’m not going to say he’s a “must-play.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Look, Fitzpatrick isn’t going to throw for four touchdowns a week, but he’s in a position to succeed against the Steelers this week. They were without Joe Haden last week, but it’s hard to imagine he would’ve impacted the outcome of that game where Patrick Mahomes diced them up for six touchdowns on just 28 attempts. For those counting at home, that’s a touchdown every 4.7 attempts. The Steelers have been somewhat respectable against the run, holding the Browns and Chiefs running backs to 178 yards on 49 carries the first two weeks, so maybe Fitz-Magic strikes again. In order to hit the high numbers, he’ll need Roethlisberger and the Steelers to keep pace, but it’s hard to keep him out of the QB1 conversation this week. He’s a mighty-fine streamer in Week 3.

RBs
James Conner: Maybe Le’Veon Bell‘s road numbers have looked better over the years because of how bad Roethlisberger is on the road? We saw Conner dominate the touches in Week 1, but was then limited to just 13 touches in Week 2, though he found the end zone for the third time this year. Against the Bucs, he should be played as an RB1, as they’ve allowed four rushing touchdowns through the first two games of the season. First-round pick Vita Vea was out the first two weeks and he didn’t practice all last week, so he could be a ways away, making it another appealing game for Conner. Worst case scenario, the Steelers fall behind and he’s needed in the passing-game where the Bucs have allowed 16 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown to running backs through two games. He’s a phenomenal play in Week 3.

Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers: Despite his team dominating both weeks, Barber hasn’t done much for his fantasy owners through two weeks as he sits there as the RB41 in standard leagues and RB50 in PPR leagues. The offensive line isn’t a good run-blocking unit and it’s likely the reason Ronald Jones struggled during the preseason (was continually hit in the backfield). Despite the Browns and Chiefs running backs racking up 49 carries and four receptions against the Steelers, they’ve yet to allow more than 15.0 PPR points to a running back. It’s appealing to get a running back at home in a game where there’s 50-plus points projected, but the Bucs have scored 75 points themselves in the first two games and he’s got none, which is concerning. Still, I’ll take his guaranteed carries and plug him in as an RB3 in this game.

WRs
Antonio Brown: Now that’s he’s gotten his temper tantrum over with and had Ben Roethlisberger say he’s the best to the media, Brown should be back to his usual self in Week 3. While Roethlisberger has been terrible on the road, Brown has been able to make it work. In the 38 games that they’ve played on the road over the last five years, Brown has averaged 11.1 targets, 93.3 yards, and 0.5 touchdowns. Knowing how upset Brown was, look for him to get targeted relentlessly this week. Even if Brent Grimes comes back after missing two weeks, he has no prayer to hang with Brown. But if Grimes is out, this could be a two-touchdown game against rookie Carlton Davis who has allowed 10 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets in coverage this year. Brown is an elite WR1 play who should bounce back in a big way.

JuJu Smith-Schuster: If there’s someone who may see a dip due to Roethlisberger’s road stuggles, it’s Smith-Schuster. It’s not that the matchup isn’t good, because it really is, as he’s set to face-off with rookie cornerback M.J. Stewart. He’s yet to allow an incompletion in his coverage this year, as all 13 targets have been hauled in. He’s had tough assignments with Michael Thomas and Nelson Agholor, but Smith-Schuster is no slouch himself. In the end, it’s more of a concern with Roethlisberger who has not thrown more than two touchdowns on the road since the 11th game of 2016. You aren’t going to bench Smith-Schuster, but maybe avoid him in cash games this week. The matchup says he should be a high-end WR2, but you’re now aware of the reason to fade in DFS.

James Washington: With Justin Hunter out of the lineup, Washington played 66-of-82 snaps. He caught just 1-of-5 targets, but if you watched the game, it was on Roethlisberger who was consistently off-target on throws down the field, including the first play of the game where Washington had his corner beat down the sideline, but the ball was a few yards out in front of him. We don’t know if Hunter will be active for this game and if he is, how much it downgrades Washington’s snaps. He’s worth a bench spot in season-long leagues, but he’s more of a DFS tournament option at this point.

Mike Evans: After struggling through the 2017 season, Evans looks like a man on a mission in 2018 and it shows on the stat page as he’s accumulated 230 yards and two touchdowns through two games. Despite Chris Godwin and DeSean Jackson remaining extremely relevant in the offense, they’re the ones who’ll suffer when Fitzpatrick’s touchdown regression begins because they’ve seen 19 targets together while Evans has 19 himself. The Steelers play a lot of zone defense, so look for him to rack up the yardage in this one. As a hint, Evans averaged 9.1 yards per target against zone defense in 2017, while he averaged just 5.4 yards per target in man coverage. The Steelers have allowed three 100-yard pass catchers over the first two games, so there’s little reason to doubt Evans as a WR1 in this matchup, especially if Joe Haden misses another game.

DeSean Jackson: After playing just 20 snaps in the opener, Jackson saw his snap percentage rise from 30.3 percent to 58.6 percent against the Eagles last week. The snaps will come at the expense of Godwin and Humphries, but seeing him catch all nine of his targets for 275 yards and three touchdowns makes it necessary to keep him on the field. The zone coverage will hurt him this week, as he was the opposite of Evans last year, averaging just 6.9 yards per target against zone. It’s hard to bench him with the way him and Fitzpatrick are connecting, but he’s more of a WR4 than a must-start like some think.

Chris Godwin: He’s going to be a very good receiver in the NFL, but as of now, it’s difficult to rely on him in fantasy. Sure, he has scored touchdowns in each game, but his snap count went from 70 percent in Week 1 to just 50 percent in Week 2. The rotation between him, Jackson, and Humphries is still a fluid situation, though Godwin will emerge in the end. For now, he’s a touchdown-dependent WR5 option who is better than most in that territory, but he’s no sure thing with the limited snaps and Fitzpatrick’s pending regression.

TEs
Jesse James: He’s sitting pretty as the No. 2 tight end in fantasy football through two weeks, though we know he’ll come back down to earth, right? If you watched the game against the Chiefs, they essentially left him uncovered on way too many plays and James totaled 66 yards AFTER the catch. Keep in mind that he’s not much of a metrics guy as he runs a 4.83-second 40-yard dash. The Bucs have allowed the combination of Ben Watson and Zach Ertz to haul in 15-of-17 targets for 138 yards, though they didn’t score. With Roethlisberger’s limited road success, I’d likely look for a different streamer in Week 3, as the Bucs cornerbacks will be picked on before he looks to James.

O.J. Howard: In case you haven’t heard – Howard is going to be a top-10 tight end for the remainder of the season. He’s blown past Cameron Brate, as the snap count difference was 45-14 in Week 2, which comes after a 43-24 split in Week 1. He’s the clear-cut leader of their tight end group and he has the rare ability to take a 10-yard dump-off for a 75-yard touchdown. In fact, half of his 150 receiving yards have come after the catch. The Steelers showed a weakness to the tight end position last week, as the inexperience at safety glared its ugly head. Travis Kelce continually found his way behind the linebackers and in front of the safeties. You have to wonder if Howard can read the zone the way Kelce did, but he’s just as athletic. Knowing he’s seen just six targets through two games is worrisome, but it’s because Fitzpatrick has been so efficient, throwing the ball just 61 times over the first two games. Howard should see an uptick in targets with his uptick in snaps, making him a low-end TE1 with massive upside.

New York Jets at Cleveland Browns

Total: 39.0
Line: CLE by 3.0

QBs
Sam Darnold: Things didn’t go so well for Darnold in the second start of his NFL career, though there were some positives. He threw for 334 yards and 8.4 yards per attempt while Terrelle Pryor said the second interception was on him. He looks the part, though this week he’s going to have even less time, as the Browns bring plenty of pressure. Despite missing Christian Kirksey last week, they sacked Drew Brees three times. Keep in mind that Brees has one of the best offensive lines in football. Meanwhile, Darnold’s left tackle Kelvin Beachum has struggled to keep pass rushers in check, allowing three hurries and one sack through two games. He’s going to see Myles Garrett the majority of time, which is an issue for Darnold. He’s faced the Lions and Dolphins thus far, who don’t have the pass-rush that the Browns have, making him an iffy QB2 in Week 3. He’ll need to get the ball out quickly, though Quincy Enunwa should help with that.

Tyrod Taylor: It hasn’t been a great start to Taylor’s Browns career, as he’s completed just 52.9 percent of his passes for 6.3 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also run for 103 yards and a touchdown, salvaging his fantasy stats. The Jets didn’t look so great last week against the Dolphins, though their offense didn’t put them in a great position for much of the game. They did allow Ryan Tannehill to rush for 44 yards last week, as well as toss a couple of touchdowns. That was while at home, too. In Cleveland, expect Taylor and the Browns to be in control of this game early, which should make Taylor feel a bit more comfortable. Missing Josh Gordon is massive, as he doesn’t have a go-to wide receiver when the offensive line lets him down (no, Jarvis Landry isn’t that guy). The Jets sacked Tannehill four times last week, so expect the Browns to go with a more run-heavy approach, making Taylor just a middling QB2 on Thursday night.

RBs
Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell: After a massacre in Week 1, we had no idea how to approach the Jets timeshare. Unfortunately, we still have little clarity after Week 2, as Powell finished with 34 snaps, while Crowell finished with 31 snaps himself. Crowell out-touched Powell 14 to 10, but Powell beat him in efficiency with 80 yards and a touchdown on his touches, while Crowell managed just 39 total yards. The Browns may have looked bad against the run in Week 1, but the conditions were fit for a run-game. They bounced back in Week 2, holding Alvin Kamara to just 99 scoreless yards. After two games that should have been won, the Browns should get their first win in this game, making it tough for Crowell to rack up the touches. Don’t forget that the Browns allowed just 3.3 yards per carry last year. They will apparently be without Christian Kirksey again, but he was out last week as well. Crowell should be considered just a high-end RB4 against his former team while Powell is a low-end RB3/flex option.

Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson: After two weeks, it’s pretty clear – Hyde is the workhorse of this team, totaling 40 touches over the first two weeks, while Johnson has 11 touches, and rookie Nick Chubb has just five touches. Keep in mind that the Browns were ahead in both games, but that should be the case again when they host the Jets in Week 3. The Jets run defense isn’t a walk in the park, as the addition of Avery Williamson has paid dividends so far. Through two games, they’ve allowed just 112 rushing yards and one touchdown, though some may call it weak competition (Lions, Dolphins). The Jets were somewhat of a feast or famine team against the run last year, allowing just 11 top-24 performances (18th-most) last year, though seven of them were top-12, which was tied for the fourth-most. Bottom-line is that Hyde either scores or finishes as an RB3. I believe there’s better than a 50 percent chance that he scores, making him a middling RB2. With Johnson totaling just 11 touches through two weeks, it’s hard to trust him as anything more than an RB4, though this says nothing about his skill-set. He’ll be worth more in games they fall behind, though this shouldn’t be one of them.

WRs
Robby Anderson: Through two games, it’s pretty clear that Anderson isn’t Darnold’s favorite weapon, as he has just six targets while Quincy Enunwa has 21 and Terrelle Pryor has 11. Part of it can be attributed to the matchups against Darius Slay and Xavien Howard, but still, studs get targets. Anderson is going to be relying on that deep ball with his low target totals, and against the Browns, that may be an issue. Not only will he have Denzel Ward somewhat glued to him, but Darnold also won’t have too much time to wait for plays to develop. Anderson offers more upside than most in his range, but he’s just a boom/bust WR4-type play until we see his target numbers move up..

Quincy Enunwa: Now up to 21 targets through two games, it’s clear that Enunwa is the go-to option in the Jets passing game. His 13 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown could have been more had Darnold hit him in the corner of the end zone when he was wide open with nobody within five yards of him, but he overthrew it. The Browns have Briean Boddy-Calhoun covering the slot for them and he’s been their weak point thus far allowing a 118.8 QB Rating in coverage, though he had been solid the last few years, so it’s possible that he’s just having a rough stretch. Whatever the case, you have to keep plugging Enunwa into lineups as a WR3 who’s getting too many targets to consider benching.

Terrelle Pryor: He’s now seen 11 targets through the first two games and is on the field in 3WR sets, so we should include him here in The Primer. He’s playing against his former team and he has the best matchup of the wide receivers, as he’ll see Terrence Mitchell in coverage, the former Chiefs cornerback who has now allowed 12 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in his coverage this year. It’s important to note he went up against Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas for quite a few snaps, but he’s definitely beatable if the wide receiver is talented enough. The question is – will Pryor continue to get the snaps with Jermaine Kearse getting healthier? Pryor openly admitted that Darnold’s second interception last week was purely on him. He’s on the WR5 radar, but he’s not someone I’d feel the need to play.

Jarvis Landry: Missing Josh Gordon on the team is going to negatively affect Landry, as he’s best-suited as the 1B rather than the 1A of the offense. He’s caught just 54.5 percent of his targets, though his 14.6 yards per receptions is a career-high. The Jets cornerback duo of Trumaine Johnson and Morris Claiborne held Kenny Stills in check last week, but here’s the catch… Landry is running routes from the slot two-thirds of the time, which would match him up with Buster Skrine on those snaps. He’s a slot-only cornerback who is one to attack in matchups, as Golden Tate abused him in Week 1 for 7/79/1 in a game where Matthew Stafford was off his game. Consider Landry a must-play WR2 this week where Todd Haley should take advantage of that mismatch.

Rashard Higgins: Many will gravitate towards Callaway with the long touchdown, but Higgins was an important part of the offense last week, totaling seven targets. He did have a drop and that may have helped Callaway slightly top him in snaps, but Higgins is essentially a full-time player. The matchup this week against Trumaine Johnson is not a good one, though. He’ll see Johnson about 60 percent of the time, a cornerback who was signed to a mega-contract in free agency after playing at a Pro Bowl level with the Rams the last few years. Higgins isn’t anything more than a WR5/6 for this game.

Antonio Callaway: I was somewhat shocked to see that Callaway played more snaps than Higgins last week, but he edged him out 50-46. That’s a huge step for the talented rookie, who can make splash plays like the 47-yard touchdown catch against the Saints last week. He’s going to see the inconsistent Morris Claiborne in coverage this week, who has shown legit shutdown ability at times, while struggling others. He’s looked really good through two weeks, so it’s tough to recommend Callaway as a streaming wide receiver this week. I’d consider him a risky WR5 against the Jets. Just don’t give up on Callaway if he doesn’t perform, because as long as the snaps are there, he’ll perform in better matchups.

TEs
Chris Herndon: The Jets are using an odd number of tight ends this year, as the snap counts among their top three are: Herndon 78, Eric Tomlinson 66, Neal Sterling 50. It’s clearly not a situation where we can just predict a tight end to stream, as all of them have three or four targets. While the Browns are a terrible team at defending tight ends, it’s not a team who features a single tight end. If you’re hell-bent on starting one of them, Herndon has run the most routes, so I’d say him. It also helps that Sterling has been ruled out with a concussion.

David Njoku: Well, well, well… After looking like he had tons of competition for targets, Njoku has lost Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, and essentially Duke Johnson (who has somehow only caught three passes through two games). It’s why he’s now seen 14 targets through two weeks, and although the production hasn’t been there, it’s coming. He’s run 78 routes, which ranks third among tight ends, and that’s where opportunity meets talent. Again, he’s struggled to get on the same page with Taylor, but so have all the wide receivers. You can’t judge how the Jets are against tight ends just yet, as they’ve played against Levine Toilolo and A.J. Derby over their first two games. They were a mediocre defense at defending the position last year, so I’m comfortable playing Njoku as a low-end TE1 who is going to break-out soon.

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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.