Fantasy Football Player Notes

Nico Collins baby. 7 for 146 and 1 with nine targets in Week 2. 25% target rate per route this season. 5th in receiving yards (226). 5th in total air yards. A monster after the catch looking to dish out punishment. Looks like he is on the cusp of a true breakout.

Dameon Pierce continues to struggle. Through two games, he ranks dead last among all RBs in rushing EPA (-12.3). Snaps aren't there either to buoy his production. Just a 45% snap share (same as last week).
The bad/injured offensive line is giving him no help. 15 carries for 31 yards in Week 2. Zero for 4 in the red zone. And again, no role in the receiving game is a BIG concern. Just two catches on 3 targets. Ran fewer routes than Devin Singletary (36% snap share).
C.J. Stroud threw the ball 47 times for 384 yards. The receiving usage doesn't seem like it's coming anytime soon...
And the schedule just doesn't suggest things will get better. Steelers, Falcons and Saints aren't ringing endorsements of layup matchups for an RB with a sub-50% snap share and a limited receiving role. You probably just have to hold Pierce because you won't get much for him. I don't think he's going to lose his starting job, but his role is just not good enough for fantasy. Unless you can get him for dirt cheap, I'm staying away.

But Nico Collins didn't lead the team in targets - that was rookie WR Tank Dell. 7 for 72 on 10 targets. With Noah Brown on IR, Dell got to see an expanded role. 81% route participation was higher than Collins (72% same as Week 1). I love Collins, but the fact that Dell was so productive in Week 2 is eye-opening. He and Collins both scored, but Tank also had another TD wiped off the board due to a penalty.

I want to get the point across again like last week. This Texans passing offense is fun. C.J. Stroud is fearless behind a horrible OL but continues to make throw after throw. If I owned him in dynasty, I'd feel great. As soon as the OL gets healthy...watch out. Think he can make some noise as a streamer in Week 3 versus the Jaguars.