I have made a great number of football-related trades in my life. Most of them were in dynasty leagues, others in redraft. The most fruitful transaction of 2022 so far was spending six hours on Saturday in the hot California sun getting months’ worth of neglected yard work done so I could park my keister on the couch for 11 hours on Sunday. I’m sure glad I did; I was sore. I missed plenty of the college football action, but to be able to touch some dirt and get a sweat going was therapeutic. The cool-down swim and shower beer afterward were euphoric.

The house was mine on Sunday. My wife had some bonus play to spend at the casino and my daughter had plans with her Nana and Pop-Pop. Kickoff Sunday was exactly how I had always dreamed it would be. No distractions, responsibilities, or burdens. I braised a beef chuck roast for the deluxe nachos platter that I didn’t need to share (except for with my dogs). I cheered for my guys and cursed them all the same. By the time the Buccaneers finished off a resounding victory over my hapless Cowboys, I was numbed by the exhilaration of it all (and the beers). It was a good day.

The storylines that resulted from that all-day Zen have me tingling to chase that nirvana once more in Week 2. We already have a WR on pace for over 3,000 receiving yards. A star RB put forth a vindicating, vintage performance. Head coaches are already lying to our faces about injuries. Speaking of which, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses across the NFL; a good number of fantasy-relevant players got dinged up or found other ways to attach question marks to their future fantasy prospects. Here are the top NFL storylines for Week 2, as it pertains to fantasy football.

Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) Might Break All the Records

The Minnesota WR had himself a freaking day…and it could have been even better. A third touchdown of the first half was barely missed when Jefferson’s second foot tapped off the other, instead of inbounds on the turf. Otherwise, he might have broken the slate beyond all repair. We can live with 9/184/2 lines. My preseason prediction of a 2,000-yard Triple Crown for Jefferson is off with a thunderous launch. It is very early, but his 17-game pace is currently sitting at 3,128 receiving yards (a record). The former LSU star was running wide open all day, even against a normally-stellar Packers secondary. I hope he puts up 200-plus yards and scores on every drive this week at Philadelphia on Monday night.

Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG) is More Than Back

Saquon told us he was going to “go crazy” this year. With a passion and resolve in his tone that gave me goosebumps, he delivered on his promise from the absolute jump. The Giants’ offense was still atrocious, save for the presence of a superhuman at RB who packed them down the field like Luisa from the movie “Encanto.” 2022 Saquon Barkley is like if 2018 Saquon Barkley learned to harness his superpowers and now fully understands them. His journey to this peak form has been arduous and rife with obstacles and setbacks, but they have forged Barkley into an even stronger version than we could ever imagine. I saw this coming when I predicted he would be a top-5 RB in fantasy points per game this season. Now that my suspicions are fully confirmed, I can’t wait to root for the man for the rest of his career. That’s saying a lot for a lifelong Cowboys fan.

Everyone Should Worry About the Foot of Najee Harris (RB – PIT)

Nobody likes being lied to, but fantasy managers especially hate when head coaches stand in front of the media and spew B.S. right into our living rooms. The Steelers stayed mum about a Lisfranc injury to their bell cow RB Najee Harris throughout the preseason until he was spotted limping in the final preseason game when he probably shouldn’t have even been on the field in the first place. Harris proceeded to leave the game versus the Bengals in Week 1, with initial reports of it being a dreaded high ankle sprain. While fantasy players were scrambling to blow their FAAB on his backup Jaylen Warren, the Steelers and Harris himself released a statement that “tests on his foot were normal” and that the star RB was going to be “good to go” for New England in Week 2.

I’m not a medical expert, but if my RB is unable to rejoin his team in a wild overtime thriller against their hated rivals and is spotted wearing a walking boot postgame, he is hardly ever “good to go” anywhere seven days later except to get a new ice pack. I do not think the injury is serious enough to jeopardize Najee’s availability for the long-term, but I am concerned for both his effectiveness behind a horrendous offensive line and the likelihood he aggravates the injury and misses significant time as a result. Warren might be the waiver add of the season already.

The Dallas Cowboys Should Consider Tanking

After a thoroughly embarrassing offseason for “America’s Team,” they were the only NFL team to not score a touchdown in Week 1. Dak Prescott looked terrible in his 2022 debut before injuring his throwing hand in the fourth quarter. The fantasy community at large is in the doldrums, especially if they roster CeeDee Lamb. Jerry Jones is not placing Prescott on the IR, with hopes that he can rejoin the team in “four weeks or so.” Most are saying this is a six to eight-week injury, which is par for the course when dealing with the mercurial and belligerent Jones. This team is not going anywhere in 2022, especially after their showing on Sunday in primetime.

The team could (and might) look to acquire a QB in trade to bridge the gap. This would signal optimism that the Cowboys have playoff aspirations that Cooper Rush would derail as the interim starter. My opinion is that none of the available QBs are good enough to make this team a winner. The injuries along the offensive line have rendered an already-thin roster transparently meek. Any cliched chants of “this is our year” should have been muted with Tyron Smith‘s preseason injury. The Cowboys are already woefully coached and organized, which crosses another year off the calendar of hopes that the championship drought is nearing an end. It’s better to rebuild going into a very strong 2023 draft class than pretend that a mediocre-at-best team is only a healthy QB away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.