Good morning.

Feeling a little rough at work this week after watching too much football on Sunday? That’s ok. It could be worse… Packers C Josh Myers literally threw up on the job:

And if your fantasy team is making you want to puke lately too, join the club. Passing is the worst its been in a decade, everybody’s injured, and Derek Carr is somehow the greatest QB alive. Nothing makes sense.

AROUND THE LEAGUE 🚨

Injuries Pile Up

🚑 Cooper Kupp is expected to miss “an extended period of time” with an ankle injury and could land on IR.

🚑 Isiah Pacheco is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured fibula.

🚑 Deebo Samuel is expected to miss “a couple weeks” with a calf strain.

🚑 A.J. Brown is expected to miss multiple weeks with his hamstring injury.

🚑 Joe Mixon’s Week 3 status is in question after injuring his ankle on Sunday.

🚑 Evan Engram is week-to-week with a hamstring injury.

🚑 Justin Jefferson is day-to-day with a quad injury.

🚑 Tyjae Spears is day-to-day with an ankle injury.

🚑 Justin Herbert injured his lower right leg Sunday, but he finished the game and recent x-rays have come back clean.

🚑 Amon-Ra St. Brown’s knee injury is not thought to be serious. He should be fine for Week 3.

😮 And in non-injury news… the Carolina Panthers have benched former 1st overall pick QB Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton. Diontae Johnson managers rejoice!

SPONSOR

WAIVER WIRE 🧐

Running Back

Chiefs RBs Carson Steele and Samaje Perine will fill in for the injured Isiah Pacheco over the next couple months. Steele is a bowling ball, with 81 of his 87 preseason rushing yards coming AFTER contact. He profiles as the team’s early down and goal line back.

Meanwhile, Samaje Perine should see the 3rd down/receiving work, making him relevant in PPR leagues. The team is also hosting 29-year-old Kareem Hunt for a visit, who’s lost a step or two, but can still be both a bulldozer and a receiving threat. He’s worth a speculative add in deeper leagues.

Jets RB Braelon Allen has elite upside as Breece Hall’s handcuff, but may also carve out his own role in the offense. The 20-year-old rookie is a beast at 235 lbs and scored two TDs on Sunday.

Vikings RB Ty Chandler “led Minnesota in rushing again on Sunday with 82 yards on 10 carries, easily eclipsing Jones. The receiving role for Chandler hasn’t developed yet, but he remains a handcuff-with-benefits who is startable in leagues with multiple flex spots.” — FantasyPros’ Pat Fitzmaurice

Texans RBs Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale could see more work with Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce banged up. Ogunbowale will be the receiving specialist while Akers will look to build on his strong preseason as the early downs back.

Wide Receiver

Rams WRs Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and Jordan Whittington should all be added this week — and you could make a case for Tutu Atwell, too. Somebody will need to step up with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both out several weeks. Robinson led the Rams in route share (78%) against the Cardinals, with Johnson finishing second (72%), per Fantasy Points, so they’re the priorities. But Whittington’s the most likely Kupp replacement in the slot, and Atwell’s speed makes him an intriguing add in his own right while we wait and see how this WR corps shakes out.

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston learned to catch!😮 He scored two TDs on Sunday and currently ranks behind only Cooper Kupp and Malik Nabers (and ahead of Justin Jefferson) in first-read share at 38.5%, per Fantasy Points. He’s always been the best athlete in LA’s receiving corps, so he’s worth a dart throw.

Browns WR Jerry Jeudy finished Week 1 as the WR33 in fantasy with a 31.4% air-yard share and a 20% first-read share, while ranking 18th in separation and 21st in route win rate. He followed that up with 73 receiving yards and a 17.7% target share in Week 2, per Pat Fitzmaurice. While Cleveland’s passing offense leaves a lot to be desired, Jeudy’s still a 1st round talent and could develop into Cleveland’s WR1 with Amari Cooper struggling early on.

QB & TE

Saints QB Derek Carr’s hot streak continues: he leads all QBs with 17 pass TDs since Week 15 of last season. No other QB has 15+ pass TDs in that span, per NFL.com’s Dan Parr. After back-to-back impressive weeks, it’s probably safe to buy into this Saints offense with OC Klint Kubiak’s new system.

Seahwks QB Geno Smith threw for 327 yards and a TD against New England on Sunday. Seattle was in 11-personnel on 87% of their pass plays and went from a neutral pass rate over expected in Week 1 to a +12% rate in Week 2, per NBC’s Kyle Dvorchak.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry “led all New England receivers in targets (12), catches (8) and receiving yards (109) on Sunday. That’s more than enough to make him a player of interest at tight end, a position of disappointment and despair.” — Yahoo’s Andy Behrens

Rams TE Colby Parkinson ranks 2nd among TEs in routes (67) and 8th in route rate (80%), per Kyle Dvorchak. With Nacua and Kupp out, someone has to catch passes in LA.

D/ST

The Green Bay Packers held the Colts to 10 points and intercepted Anthony Richardson three times. In Week 3 they’ll take on the Titans and QB Will Levis, who’s thrown three INTs and taken seven sacks in his first two games.

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Tua-less Miami Dolphins this week. They’ll instead see Skylar Thompson, a 7th round draft pick in 2022 who’s completed 57.1% of his 119 career passes, averaging just 5.2 yards per attempt with one TD and three INTs.

The Las Vegas Raiders face the Carolina Panthers. Nuff said.

POLL 📊

DEEP DIVES 🤿

First & Foreman

Stash these players on your bench before they blow up. Last week, the perfect pickups were Carson Steele and Samaje Perine.

Browns RB D’Onta Foreman (1.9%) started on Sunday and finished the game in an almost even split with Jerome Ford:

After a rough Week 1, it seems HC Kevin Stefanski went back to more of his old ground and pound ways, which could bode well for Foreman. He should see a lot of early down and goal line work.

Vikings WR Jalen Nailor (0.5%) has a TD in both games so far this season, and made noise all summer for his steady improvement. If Justin Jefferson is limited at all with his injury, Nailor’s the most intriguing next man up.

Bengals TE Mike Gesicki (2.6%) had seven receptions for 91 yards in KC and has favorable upcoming matchups against Washington and Carolina. He’s also among TE leaders in first-read target share:

Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert (4%) led the team with a 22% target share in Week 2. He ran a route on 89% of Dallas' dropbacks, up from the 69% rate he saw last week, per J.J. Zachariason. This passing attack should see better days than they did against New Orleans.

QUICK SLANTS 👀

📖 Read Nathan Jahnke of PFF’s 10 Biggest Reactions to Week 2, including insight on JSN’s first 100-yard game.

📖 Read Fantasy Points’ Week 3 Market Report for notes on all the players who stood out — whether for better or for worse.

📖 Read Chad Workman of FantasyPros’ 11 Dynasty Risers & Fallers for a dynasty slant on the latest news and performances.

🎙️Listen to The Underdog Fantasy Football Show’s Week 2 Game-by-Game Recap, where Josh Norris, Hayden Winks, and ETR’s John Daigle offer instant fantasy reactions to all of Week 2’s matchups.

📺 Watch Kurt Warner’s latest Game Tape Study videos, where he breaks down the film to show why vets like Kirk Cousins and Deshaun Watson are struggling.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Before we go, send your well wishes to Giants fans, after their team became the first in NFL history to score three TDs, allow zero TDs, and still lose.

And I thought my Browns were the only ones who invented new ways to lose…

See you Thursday.

- Marcus