This Sunday featured some familiar names near the top of the quarterback position, as the top-four fantasy performances were all in the top-six last week. This early in the season, we're already getting a sense of the most consistent quarterbacks and passing offenses to target in fantasy.
Chiefs still dominant
With 31.62 FPTS, Patrick Mahomes managed to throw for 278 of his 443 yards and all four TDs, of 27 yards or more, in the second quarter alone. Chiefs WR1 Tyreek Hill went down last week with a shoulder injury, and Sammy Watkins exploded for the top performance of the week, and of his career. This week it was another Chiefs receiver, Demarcus Robinson, who had six catches for 172 yards, two TDs, and 35.2 FPTS. Mahomes also got rookie speedster, Mecole Hardman, involved with a stat line of 4/61/1.
Mahomes and this Kansas City offense can clearly support a handful of fantasy assets. Every one of these guys should be owned in 100% of leagues while Hill is out.
Can the Ravens keep it up?
Lamar Jackson produced the second-highest score and currently holds the top spot overall. He again showed his improvement as a passer, with 272 yards and two TDs through the air with a completion percentage 24.8% above expectation, per Next Gen Stats. Additionally, he put up an RB-like 120 yards rushing to go with it. That amounts to an extra 12 points, not counting any 100+ yard bonuses, and gives Jackson an elite floor. However, these last two weeks came against the tanking Dolphins and the high-paced Cardinals.
These results are near the top of Jackson’s ceiling, and I won’t be surprised to see some regression. Rookie WR Marquise Brown played a much higher percentage of the snaps this week with 65%, leading the next-closest WR by 9%. He showed his Week 1 performance was no fluke, with eight catches for 86 yards on a team-high 13 targets. Even without a TD, he earned 16.6 FPTS and showed continued chemistry with Jackson.
He wasn’t alone, as TE Mark Andrews surpassed his impressive performance against MIA (8/108/1) with another monster performance of 8/112/1. He is currently the top overall TE. Two weeks is still a very small sample size, but the potential for consistency looks promising, with Baltimore showing a high-octane passing offense through this trio.
Dak Development
Third for the week, and second-place on the season, is Dak Prescott. Prescott is another QB who adds FPTS with his legs, managing 69 RuYDS to go with his 269 PaYDS, three TDs, and a single interception. Prior to the trade for Amari Cooper last year, Prescott had averaged 16.9 FPPG. Since then, it has increased to 21.3 FPPG. (Per RotoViz NFL Stat Explorer)
Prescott's ceiling has increased, with two of his best three fantasy performances coming in his last three games. His floor and consistency look to be improved as well, under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
For his top receiving options, Cooper and Michael Gallup, the outlook is not quite as positive as the previously discussed QBs. While they both eclipsed 20 FPTS in Week 1, neither managed to clear 15 FPTS this week. Prescott has no problem spreading the ball around and has looked to get Jason Witten involved as he returned from retirement. Witten has snagged two goal-line TDs, with one in each week so far. He is a TD-or-bust player with low upside at this point in his career.
Patriots keep rolling
Tom Brady is not the first nor the last player this season who will benefit from facing the pathetic Dolphins. He comes in at number four this week and overall, managing 264 and two TDs through the air, with one TD and a single QB sneak, good for 24.66 FPTS. The Patriots looked to get the newly acquired Antonio Brown involved early and often, feeding him three straight passes. His stat line was 4/56/1 with an additional five yards rushing.
In fantasy circles, New England is often known for its tough-to-predict backfield usage. Now, it looks like we may have to deal with the same issue from the receiving corps. Before the season, their starting WRs were looking pretty weak, outside of Julian Edelman. Though there is no more Gronk to compete for targets, the Patriots now have a surplus of starting WRs with previous first-round pick Phillip Dorsett, Josh Gordon returning, and the signing of Brown. Edelman has been a safe PPR play for years, and both Gordon and Dorsett have flashed their upside.
In a game where the New England put up 43 points, Brown had the only TD and no WR had over four catches. Brown on the Patriots definitely boosts both his, and Brady’s fantasy upside. However, it remains to be seen how his presence will alter the landscape for the other fantasy options on the team.
QB Injury Fallout
It is worth mentioning both Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger were sidelined with injuries to their throwing hand or arm. Brees has been ruled out at least six weeks and Roethlisberger is done for the season.
This, clearly, puts a damper on the fantasy outlook for their offenses. Saints backup Teddy Bridgewater managed 165 yards and no interceptions, but couldn’t sustain a drive nor score a TD. The entire Saints offense gets a large downgrade without Brees.
Steelers backup Mason Rudolph fared much better, going 12 of 19 for 112 yards, two TDs, and an interception. He targeted TE Vance McDonald heavily in the red zone, where they hooked up for two TDs. McDonald went 7/38/2 and picked up 22.8 FPTS. The situation potentially benefits McDonald but knocks Juju Smith-Schuster’s outlook down. These are all situations to monitor going forward.
