Week 2 fantasy winners and losers

19.09.2023, 19:22 espn.com

Week 2 of the 2023 fantasy football season featured some big surprises. Who were the big winners and losers? Which players received "A" and "F" grades?

Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis, and Seth Walder provides his grades. We also asked NFL Nation reporters to answer questions about what happened in Sunday's games.

Jump to a topic:Ranking winners | Ranking losersWho got an 'A' | Who got an 'F'Biggest injuries and what's nextTop questions from Week 2

1. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Evans dropped 29.1 PPR points on the Bears' defense, catching 6 of 8 targets for 171 yards and a score. Through two weeks, Evans has now caught 12 of 20 targets for 237 yards, with a touchdown reception in each game. Yes, I had real questions about Evans' fit with Baker Mayfield heading into the season, but we have to look at the production and the route structure that is creating opportunities for the veteran pass-catcher. You can play Evans as a WR2 in the Week 3 matchup versus the Eagles. -- Bowen

2. Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants: Jones led all quarterbacks with 30.7 fantasy points in the Giants' comeback win over the Cardinals out in the desert, and we saw his dual-threat ability in this one. Jones completed 26 of 37 passes for 321 yards with two scores. Decisive with the ball, Jones was reading it out fast from the pocket and finding targets at all three levels of the field. Plus, Jones added 59 yards rushing. With designed carries and scramble attempts, he can create conflict for the defense as a runner. With a tough Week 3 matchup at San Francisco, Jones will be a fringe QB1. -- Bowen

3. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams: It wasn't a one-week outburst! Nacua, with his team playing catch-up against the stingy 49ers defense, put forth an even bigger Week 2 score, 30.1 PPR fantasy points. He now has the most targets (35) and receptions (25), as well as the fourth-most PPR fantasy points (52.0), through two career games of any player in NFL history. Nacua is sure to now further shrink the 27.1% share of ESPN leagues in which he is still available. -- Cockcroft

4. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

His 28.9 PPR fantasy points were third best among receivers during the 1 p.m. ET games, but recognize that they were mostly the product of the team's catch-up circumstances -- the Bengals trailed on the scoreboard for all but about 11 minutes. Higgins scored 25.2 of his points and saw 10 of his 12 targets during the second half, contributing to more than two-thirds of quarterback Joe Burrow's fantasy point total in the game. -- Cockcroft

5. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Allen's 31.1 PPR points led all wide receivers in the early slate of games. The savvy, veteran route runner caught 8 of 10 targets in the loss to the Titans, finishing with 111 yards, in addition to adding two red zone touchdowns. We know you can bet on the volume with Allen, as he has seen a total of 19 targets over the first two weeks of the season. Schemed concepts, plus one-on-one wins there. If the red zone looks continue, however, Allen would jump into the WR1 mix. He gets the Vikings' defense in Week 3. -- Bowen

6. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions

This is why you can start Goff in deeper leagues or as a matchup-dependent streamer. Yes, Goff threw a second-half interception in the loss to Seattle, but this offense in Detroit is an ideal fit for his traits as a passer. Goff finished 28-of-35 passing for 323 yards with three touchdowns. That's good for 22.9 fantasy points. We saw the schemed play-action throws here, the deep in-breakers, plus the shot plays with max-protection. Goff will be a fringe QB1 in my ranks next week at home versus the Falcons' defense. -- Bowen

7. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

Collins turned nine targets into a personal-best 28.9 PPR fantasy points. Sure, Collins didn't lead his team in targets -- Tank Dell (10) held that honor -- and much of his production came while his team was trailing, but credit Collins for what was a sixth consecutive game with at least a 20% target share and acknowledge that his Texans might frequently play 2023 games with a fantasy-beneficial negative game script. He's the team's go-to guy in the passing game and a sneaky contender for positional top-20 seasonal production. -- Cockcroft

8. Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders

Robinson's 28.9 PPR points in the Week 2 win over Denver paced all running backs on Sunday, and we saw the traits that translate to run game production. Remember, Robinson is a downhill runner with straight-line juice and power. With volume and red zone carries, Robinson can produce numbers in the lineup. He saw 18 total carries in this one, with two red zone rushing scores. And while Robinson isn't a dynamic receiving threat, he caught two passes for 42 yards. With a tough Week 3 matchup versus the Bills, Robinson will be in the RB2/Flex range. -- Bowen

9. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

If there was worry that Zach Charbonnet's second-round selection might prove a significant hindrance to Walker's fantasy prospects in 2023, we haven't seen it yet. Walker handled 17 of the team's 22 running back carries on Sunday, including five of the six in goal-to-go situations, and has played 63% of the offensive snaps to Charbonnet's 27% in the first two games. The Seahawks have a clear preference for Walker in scoring situations, and he brings the requisite speed to make a difference between the 20s, too, as he did in scoring a solid 18.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 2. -- Cockcroft

1. Cincinnati Bengals' offense (minus the aforementioned Higgins)

Outside of Higgins' success playing catch-up, Joe Burrow and his fellow teammates on offense looked flat in the game's opening stages. Sure, it's a step forward that Burrow successfully moved the football during the second half, after failing to do so in Week 1, but 15.38 fantasy points isn't going to cut it for fantasy's fifth-most-started quarterback (87.0% of ESPN leagues). No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who scored a forgettable 9.1 PPR fantasy points in Week 1, delivered 8.1 this week. It's a frustrating showing, but at least the Bengals' matchups get better from here (LAR, @TEN, @ARI, SEA the next four weeks). -- Cockcroft

2. Jacksonville Jaguars' offense

Coming off a Week 1 in which they shredded the Colts' defense with four different players exceeding 16 fantasy points, the Jaguars -- other than Christian Kirk (21.96 PPR fantasy points) -- delivered fantasy letdowns all around on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence's 9.24 points will probably, at week's conclusion, rank outside his position's top 20; Travis Etienne Jr. scored 6.2 PPR fantasy points and was limited due to cramps late in the contest; Calvin Ridley had 5.2 points on eight targets; and Zay Jones was shut out on the fantasy scorecard on six targets. In fairness, this wasn't the easiest task for the team, facing a loaded Chiefs offense that took an early lead and was plenty prepared for Lawrence from there. Fortunately, things get much easier the next two weeks, as the Jaguars host the Texans (Week 3) and Falcons (Week 4). -- Cockcroft

3. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Jacobs was a bust in the run game on Sunday versus the Bills' defensive front, finishing with minus-2 yards rushing on only nine carries. Yes, the five receptions for 51 yards allowed Jacobs to grab 9.9 PPR points, but where is the RB1 production? Last week, in the win over the Broncos, Jacobs -- who held out during camp -- averaged just 2.5 yards per carry (on 19 carries) and posted 9.1 PPR points. The Raiders' lack of run game efficiency is a major issue for Jacobs managers right now, and the matchups don't get easier as the Raiders host the Steelers in Week 3. -- Bowen

4. Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook, RBs, New York Jets

Outside of the 68-yard receiving touchdown by Garrett Wilson, the Jets' offense had little to celebrate in a 30-10 thrashing in Dallas, with the team totaling only 147 yards of offense outside of that play. Cook lost a fumble and scored 0.2 PPR fantasy points, while Hall totaled 0.9 on his four rushing attempts and two targets. Indeed the Jets' offense has suffered from Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury, and in games against tougher foes -- such as Week 4 against the Chiefs -- this pattern might repeat. -- Cockcroft

5. AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers, and Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

These popular last-minute fantasy starters, following the news that their teams' usual starters, Aaron Jones (hamstring) and Austin Ekeler (ankle), were scratched, flopped in their first chances at expanded work in 2023. Dillon, started in 36% of ESPN leagues, turned 16 touches into 7.3 PPR fantasy points, while Kelley, added in 55% of leagues over the past week and started in 42%, converted 13 rushing attempts into just 3.9 points. Both backs' teams played most of their Sundays with positive game scripts, which makes their production look worse. Dillon should remain enough of a part of the Packers' running game that a one-week disappointment should hardly condemn his flex-tier seasonal valuation, but Kelley's could be a concern, as he's typically your Ekeler insurance policy but could be pressed for the role by Elijah Dotson or Isaiah Spiller. -- Cockcroft

6. Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans

After another poor week, I have concerns on Pierce's lack of rushing production in an offense that could continue to experience negative game flow. In the loss to the Colts on Sunday, Pierce rushed for only 31 yards on 15 carries, and his receiving numbers (two receptions, 4 yards) don't push the needle. Pierce has now registered two straight games with under seven PPR points, and he gets the Jaguars' defense in Week 3. Look for Pierce to slide down into the Flex ranks for that one. -- Bowen

Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

What we know: Adams suffered a reported concussion during the fourth quarter of Sunday's game.

What's next: A week after teammate and fellow wide recei