Fantasy Football Week 2: Key Takeaways, Injuries, and Role Changes

Week 2 was a roller coaster blend of gut-wrenching injuries and wild performances from some of the league's future stars.

Injuries put a damper on any slate, and this weekend's list of dings happened to be to a bunch of fun players. It helps, then, that we have the pop performances to make us smile through the pain.

What are the biggest implications of what we saw for fantasy football? Let's dig in and dissect all the key injuries, snap rates, usages, and takeaways before outlining what they mean for our fantasy rosters going forward.

All snap-rate and average depth of target (aDOT) data is via Next-Gen Stats unless noted otherwise. A "deep" target here is a target 16-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Key Injuries to Track Entering Week 3

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa suffered another stomach-churning concussion in Week 2. Given the implications to his long-term health, fantasy football is fully secondary here. You just have to hope all can be well with him as a human in the near future.

With Tagovailoa sidelined, Skylar Thompson took over for the Miami Dolphins and struggled once again. While filling in for Tagovailoa in 2022, Thompson ranked 46th out of 47 quarterbacks with at least 100 drop backs in Passing Net Expected Points (NEP, numberFire's EPA metric) per drop back. Granted, Thompson was a rookie, but his small-sample numbers Thursday were even worse than they were back then.

In the five games that year (including the playoffs) where Thompson had 10-plus pass attempts, here were the average outputs from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Both were still usable for season-long, but it's a big downgrade from their baseline.

We'll touch more on De'Von Achane in the "Additional Notes" section, but we'll have to reset expectations on the Dolphins' pass-catchers until Tagovailoa is able to return.

Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson has said he'll "be ready to go" for Week 3 after leaving Sunday's game with a bruised quad.

Exhale, Minnesota Vikings fans.

Despite missing a good chunk of time, Jefferson still led the team with seven targets (three deep), including a 97-yard touchdown.

Through two games, Sam Darnold has averaged 0.15 Passing NEP per drop back, an above-average mark. On Jefferson's volume, we just need competency for a player to be an elite fantasy option, and Darnold has been that.

If Jefferson can't go, Jalen Nailor would get a boost after he played 92.6% of the snaps in Week 2, earning four targets, one of which was deep. He'd likely be worth consideration even if Jordan Addison is able to return.

Cooper Kupp

Already missing Puka Nacua and roughly 30 offensive linemen, it was a bit of a gutpunch for the Los Angeles Rams to lose Cooper Kupp to an ankle injury. And given Kupp was in a walking boot after the game, it's possible he misses time, making the Rams one of the most beat-up teams in the league.

The Rams' three-receiver set without Kupp in the second half was Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Whittington, and a combo of Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson. Robinson and Whittington both ran 10 routes with Atwell at 7 and Whittington at 5.

Robinson is the guy I'd trust most there, given he earned targets with Kupp and Nacua healthy last year. And it's possible the efficiency dips enough where we don't want to take stabs at the others.

The bigger question is around how much we should ding Kyren Williams due to the dip in efficiency. He had 12 carries and 5 targets while handling 8 of 12 red-zone chances on Sunday, which is good volume. But it resulted in just 52 yards from scrimmage.

The lone positive news is that left tackle Alaric Jackson is back after serving his two-game suspension. Right tackle Rob Havenstein made his debut Sunday, so both starting tackles are now healthy. The interior is still a bit of a mess, but the offensive line is better than it was.

I'd downgrade Williams a bit, but it won't be enough for him to ride the bench in season-long. He might not be a great option for DFS in tougher matchups, but against lighter fronts, he still has appeal.

Isiah Pacheco

Isiah Pacheco didn't seem too badly banged up during Sunday's game, but all the reporting since has been grim. Pacheco is set for X-rays on his ankle, which is never a good sign.

If Pacheco does miss time, Carson Steele would likely get first crack at the top job. He out-snapped Samaje Perine, 23.7% to 8.5%, in Week 2 despite losing a fumble. Crucially, it was Steele who was in for the Kansas City Chiefs' two-minute drive late, indicating they trust him.

It's worth noting that Perine did run four routes to Steele's three, so what we'd likely get here is a split backfield with neither player commanding the workload Pacheco got. But it's a Patrick Mahomes-led offense, and we want to take swipes at that.

Steele's the primary target here, but Perine's worth an add if available, as well.

Joe Mixon

Joe Mixon was able to return to Sunday Night Football after suffering an ankle injury, but it'll be worth monitoring throughout the week.

If Mixon is banged up, there likely wouldn't be one benefactor. Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale handled the early-down and late-down work, respectively, when Mixon rested at times in the second half, but then Akers lost a crucial fumble. Add in that Dameon Pierce was inactive, and we've got a couple of guys who could see volume.

Akers would be the top choice, but even his immediate outlook would be on the murkier side.

Tyjae Spears

Tyjae Spears played most of Week 2 but left late with an ankle injury. If he misses time, it'll give a big boost to Tony Pollard.

Pollard has averaged 16.5 carries and 5.0 targets per game thus far, and he has had 94 yards from scrimmage in both games. He looks to have regained his early-career effectiveness, and he's getting good usage to go with it.

The Tennessee Titans' offense isn't necessarily one we want to buy into right now. But I'd make an exception for Pollard if Spears has to sit out a game or two.

Evan Engram

Evan Engram sustained a hamstring injury during pregame warmups and couldn't play as the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Cleveland Browns. Brenton Strange played a bunch of snaps, but Christian Kirk was the bigger benefactor.

Kirk's snap rate increased to 87.3% from 71.7% in Week 1. Given he doesn't always play in two-receiver sets, taking a tight end out of the equation would naturally jack up Kirk's involvement in the offense. It just didn't lead to anything as Kirk finished with 3 targets for -1 yards.

Instead, Gabriel Davis led the team with 7 targets, making him now the team leader in targets for the season with 10. Brian Thomas Jr. is also ahead of Kirk with eight, and then Kirk has seven.

The Jags have barely thrown the ball this year, so it's hard to get a good read on what the offense will look like. Taking Engram out of the equation, though, would boost Kirk, Davis, and Thomas a bit, even if all three have serious, serious flaws.

Fantasy Football Role Changes

Marvin Harrison Jr.

We were never worried, right?

If we were, it couldn't have lasted long as Marvin Harrison Jr. produced immediately Sunday and carried it through the entire game.

Harrison had eight total targets, four of which were deep. In addition to his two long touchdowns, he actually had two empty red-zone targets, so it could have been an even bigger day.

The byproduct here was that Kyler Murray played arguably his best game as a pro, averaging 0.88 Passing NEP per drop back. That's a sicko-tier number, and he added 5 rushes for 59 yards.

Harrison will have his down games, as will any rookie. But his upside is up there with the best in the league, especially when the team gets play indoors. And we should be higher on Murray now than we were thanks to the combo of efficiency with some rushing.

As for Trey McBride, he still had a 28.6% target share on Sunday, keeping his season-long number at 28.9%. We don't need to downgrade him much. It's moreso the tertiary pieces in the passing game that get jettisoned to make room for Harrison.

Malik Nabers

You can try to discount Malik Nabers' production given it came against the Washington Commanders.

But 18 targets and a 66.7% target share?

Hot damn.

Even when you include a middling Week 1, Nabers is rocking a 41.0% target share to open the year with 2.5 deep targets and 1.5 red-zone targets per game.

I don't care how much Daniel Jones struggles; you want that on your rosters.

Nabers is an easy start in season-long. In DFS, you can likely avoid him in tougher matchups, but if we can have any sort of expectations for the New York Giants' offense, Nabers should be high on our list.

The 49ers' Offense

Even in a negative game script, Jordan Mason maintained the elite role he had in Week 1.

Mason played 80.6% of the snaps, turning 20 carries and 1 target into 104 yards from scrimmage. He had 6 of 13 red-zone chances, as well, cashing one in for a touchdown.

Mason ran 24 routes on 42 drop backs. He has just two targets through two games, but he's not definitively a non-contributor in the passing game. Thus, we should treat him as a top-level fantasy piece until we get reason to believe otherwise.

Deebo Samuel's role remained elite, as well. He had 10 targets, four of which were deep. He has four carries and two targets in the red zone through two games, meaning he's an every-week starter in season-long and someone who deserves a salary in the low $8,000 range for DFS.

The Packers' Offense

With Malik Willis starting in place of Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers leaned fully into Josh Jacobs.

Jacobs had 32 carries for 151 yards on a 67.2% snap rate. I had pumped the brakes on Jacobs as it's tougher to trust running backs in less efficient offenses, but Jacobs, himself, was able to move the ball effectively. It's hard to tell if that's sustainable, but they absolutely bulled the Indianapolis Colts here.

As expected, the pass-catchers were dust. You can't touch them until Love returns. But Jacobs, at least, is likely neutral just due to the insane levels of volume with Willis.

Travis Etienne

I had been a bit worried about Travis Etienne, thinking his lost fumble last week might hurt his role.

But then Tank Bigsby lost a fumble of his own on the game's opening kickoff, and it boosted Etienne back into a solid role.

Etienne finished Week 2 with 13 carries and 4 targets on a 70.9% snap rate. He also handled 6 of 10 red-zone chances for the team, which was the most encouraging part of his usage.

This may not be a long-term shift back toward Etienne. Bigsby looked good in the opener, and he banged up his shoulder on that fumble. Maybe some rest will get him back involved in the offense. But this game did keep Etienne in a similar role to last year for at least one more week.

Zach Charbonnet

With no Kenneth Walker III, the Seattle Seahawks featured Zach Charbonnet.

Charbonnet played 95.5% of the snaps, getting 14 carries and 5 targets. He had two of four chances in the red zone, as well.

If it weren't such a tough matchup, Charbonnet's production likely would have followed. This could allow this volume to go a bit overlooked.

If Walker misses more time, we should be willing to treat Charbonnet as a back with massive volume in an offense decent enough to buy into.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett

Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't get as big of a role shift as Charbonnet, but given his surge isn't dependent on an injury, his may have longer-lasting implications.

Smith-Njigba had a whopping 16 targets Sunday, just topping D.K. Metcalf (14) for the team lead. Tyler Lockett had just two targets despite an 80.3% snap rate.

Most importantly for JSN, though, is that six of those targets were deep. He had just 12 the entire season as a rookie, and a lack of downfield work was the biggest knock against him. If he's suddenly going to get that, we'll have to treat him much differently.

It's no guarantee that JSN maintains this new role. But Geno Smith can sling it a bit, so I'm more than willing to buy into a former first-rounder at receiver who is coming off easily the best usage of his career.

As for Lockett, he has had some upside issues since the start of last year, any way, and now his median expectation is much lower. He's a tough sell for DFS, and you'll want to make alternate plans in season-long, too.

Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman

Jerome Ford played a bunch of snaps in the Browns' opener, but this backfield was a full-blown committee in Week 2.

Ford still led in snaps, but he was at 41.5% with D'Onta Foreman snatching a 38.5% snap rate and 14 carries to Ford's 7. Pierre Strong Jr. also jumped in with a 15.4% snap rate, further spreading things out.

This would be frustrating on a good offense. This one is still very flawed, though, so this is one you want to avoid if possible.

Jalen Tolbert

With Jake Ferguson out, Jalen Tolbert may have earned a role in the Dallas Cowboys' offense.

Tolbert led the Cowboys with nine targets, all of which came before starters were pulled. Three of those targets were deep with one in the red zone.

Ferguson may miss just one game, and CeeDee Lamb will always command tons of targets. But Tolbert has the upside to supplant Brandin Cooks as the team's third pass-catcher, and that's enough to add him in season-long and weigh him as a low-salaried DFS option.

Noteworthy Fantasy Football Usage

The Lions' Pass-Catchers

Even with Jameson Williams confirming Week 1 wasn't a fluke, Amon-Ra St. Brown got an insane workload in Week 2.

St. Brown led the team with 19 targets, 6 of which were deep. That pushes his target share for the season to 31.3%.

Williams had 11 targets of his own with 3 deep and -- interestingly -- 4 in the red zone. He's now at a 25.0% target share with 3 deep targets and 2.5 red-zone targets per game.

Because of that, you're starting both these guys in season-long, and they're high-upside, high-median-expectation options in DFS, as well.

Obviously, things aren't as rosy for Sam LaPorta. He has just a 10.0% target share with no deep targets as of yet. He'll get his eventually, but we need to lower expectations on LaPorta now that Williams is a contributor within the offense.

The Saints' Pass-Catchers

The New Orleans Saints' efficiency has been obvious with back-to-back obliterations. Their fun usage for fantasy, though, has flown a bit under the radar.

Through two games, three Saints -- Rashid Shaheed (24.3%), Chris Olave (21.6%), and Alvin Kamara -- have at least a 20% target share. You just wouldn't know based on raw volume because the team hasn't had to throw at all. Shaheed and Olave both have four deep targets, as well, showing Derek Carr is actually pushing the ball downfield, as well.

Kamara's a clear-cut, every-week starter until we get reason to think otherwise.

Shaheed has the ceiling you want for DFS, and that ceiling can erase mistakes elsewhere in season-long rosters, as well. It's important not to underrate that in start-sit decisions, making Shaheed an option beyond just DFS.

Olave hasn't had a huge game yet, but he has the building blocks for one. Thus, we should keep starting him in season-long, and he could be a prime target for DFS if his salary and roster rates decline.

The Bills' Pass-Catchers

The Buffalo Bills once again effectively ran the football on Thursday night. Their run game is slick and, objectively, fun to watch.

It's hurting their pass-catchers in fantasy, though.

Through two games, Khalil Shakir is the only player with a target share (19.5%) above 15%. Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman are both at 14.6%.

The Bills won't always be able to bully their way through four quarters, so the passing volume will increase. Even then, though, it'll be tough for anybody to have a solid median expectation without more concentrated targets.

We want to tie fantasy assets to Josh Allen's arm, so I'm still holding optimism around these players. But in the short-term, it's fair to downgrade everyone due to the Bills' (justifiably) run-centric approach.

The Ravens' Pass-Catchers

Isaiah Likely's meaty Week 1 role didn't translate to Week 2.

Likely's snap rate declined to 49.2%, and he ran a route on just 17 of 36 drop backs. Mark Andrews' snap rate also declined, but he ran 24 routes and earned 5 targets to Likely's 3.

With this in mind, Zay Flowers is the only pass-catcher here with a quality median expectation. He has double-digit targets in both games and a 29.6% target share. Likely (21.1%) and Andrews (14.1%) are a good bit behind that.

If Flowers' salary remains low, he'll be a key DFS consideration in the right matchups. Andrews and Likely are season-long starters given how rough the position is, but there's risk here they'll cannibalize each other.

The Raiders' Pass-Catchers

The Las Vegas Raiders won't want to throw often, but it helps we know where the ball is going when they do.

Through 2 games, only Davante Adams (26.5%) and Brock Bowers (25.0%) have a target share great than 12.0%. Those targets aren't as valuable in a run-first offense quarterbacked by Gardner Minshew, but this is the best-case scenario for these two.

You'll still want to be cautious with this offense in DFS given their preferred approach and quarterback situation, but Bowers and Adams are at least viable there, and they're both locked-in season-long starters.

Additional Notes

• This is a film bro take, but Chris Godwin looks good and is getting really nice usage. He has a 32.7% target share in 2 games, and he had 3 deep targets Sunday. We might get glimpses of vintage Godwin throughout this year.
• De'Von Achane was an every-down back without Raheem Mostert, turning 22 carries and 7 targets into 165 yards from scrimmage. We'll have to lower expectations while Tagovailoa is out, but if Mostert continues to miss time, Achane will have one of the best volume-based roles in the league.
• Braelon Allen successfully spelled a seemingly banged-up Breece Hall in Week 2 with a pair of touchdowns. Most impressively, Allen had four targets and two of five red-zone chances. This won't hurt Hall's outlook too much, but Allen is among the best handcuff options for season-long leagues with how well he has played to start his career.
• Mike Gesicki earned 9 targets Sunday, pushing his target share to 20.6%. It remains to be seen what kind of role he'll have once Tee Higgins is healthy, but Gesicki is involved enough to be a fantasy consideration for the time being.
• Quentin Johnston scored twice on six targets and is now tied with Ladd McConkey as the Los Angeles Chargers' leading target-earner (25.0%). This is a run-first offense, but Justin Herbert is a good quarterback, so we still very much need to keep tabs on Johnston if he can re-gain confidence.
• DeAndre Hopkins remained limited in Week 2, running a route on 16 of 32 drop backs. I'd like to be in "wait until I see it" mode with Hopkins, given the slow progression.
• We won't want to buy into the New England Patriots' offense often, but Hunter Henry earned 12 targets on Sunday, giving him a 31.9% target share on the season. With how rough tight end is, that makes Henry a starter in season-long despite the passing game's limitations.
• The Dallas Cowboys' backfield became even more muddled with Deuce Vaughn getting reps early and finishing with a 13.6% snap rate. Ideally, you've got better options than anybody here until someone separates.

Gear up for NFL season! Customers who bet $5 will get a free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube & YouTube TV! This promo expires September 22nd. See here for full terms and conditions.

Curious what the odds say about next week's games? FanDuel Sportsbook's latest NFL betting odds to see the lines for each contest.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.