All stats are from full PPR (points per reception) format leagues like ESPN, Yahoo and Sleeper.
Week two featured plenty of entertaining matchups, including a pair of upsets over some of the best teams in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints went into Dallas and put up 44 points on a top-tier defense, showing that the Saints’ years of mediocrity in the post-Drew Brees era may finally be over. In another close AFC matchup, the Las Vegas Raiders squeaked out a 26-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens, pushing the former AFC North champs to a surprising 0-2 start.
For fantasy football implications, we now have a clearer picture of each team’s main contributors and we can now identify some potential league-winners going forward. On the other end of the spectrum, some picks have already flamed out.
The Arizona Cardinals Offense
Since their 11-5 season in 2021, the Cardinals have been marred by injuries, poor coaching and a lack of roster depth. The number one question surrounding the Cardinals was former offensive rookie of the year QB Kyler Murray. Many analysts once considered the dual-threat QB the future of the NFL, even though his small stature made some skeptical of his skillset. In each of his first three NFL seasons, though, Murray finished as a top 10 fantasy QB, including a top three overall finish in 2020. However, an ACL tear derailed parts of his 2022 and 2023 seasons and there was speculation that Murray would never be the same.
Coming into this season, the Cardinals were an afterthought in a competitive NFC West that also featured the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers.
After a slow start against the Bills, in which the Cardinals narrowly lost to Buffalo in a wild week one matchup, Murray and the Cardinals exploded against the Rams. The Oklahoma product threw three touchdowns, two of which went to Marvin Harrison, accumulating 266 air yards. Quarterbacks only receive 0.04 points per passing yard but rushing yards count for the usual 0.1 points per yard. QBs only receive four points per passing touchdown and six points for every rushing touchdown. Those simple disparities are why Murray, who finished with 59 rushing yards in Sunday’s contest against the Rams, has top five-QB upside. He’s scored 26 career rushing touchdowns and that’s why fantasy football managers should continue targeting QBs like Murray.
The Cardinals were also the second-worst-ranked rush defense in football, meaning that Murray, along with RB James Conner, TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. will often have to play a high passing-volume offense, with their fantasy managers reaping the benefits. In their two games so far, the Cards have scored 28 and 41 points while allowing a combined 44 points. The trio mentioned beforehand put up some monster numbers on Sunday, especially MHJ, this past NFL draft’s fourth overall pick. Week one saw the talented wideout only post one catch for four yards, but he burst onto the scene in week two with a Randy Moss-esque statline. He recorded four catches for 130 yards alongside two touchdowns. This generated a monster 29 full-PPR points in a game that the Cardinals led the whole way.
RB Conner and TE McBride are top options as well, as Conner has posted back-to-back 19 point games. The Pitt product has had two top ten RB finishes in fantasy football, as he’s a dynamic back with receiving upside, but he occasionally struggles to stay on the field. He’s dealt with a slew of injuries and the 29 year-old is approaching the age at which we expect RBs’ production to fall off. However, on the field in 2024, he’s as electric as ever and should be considered as a low-end RB1.
McBride has emerged as one of Kyler’s favorite targets, finishing as the TE7 last season despite only being named the starter in week six. With TEs putting up duds all across the league, McBride should be highly sought after as one of the few clear TE1s. Fantasy managers should do anything they can to acquire McBride, as his consistency at TE will win leagues.
Overall, fantasy football managers should strive to be highly invested in this Cardinals offense, as we’ll see Arizona in plenty of shootouts that will rack up points on a weekly basis.
How to Navigate Starting Tight Ends
Boy, have there been some horrific fantasy performances from tight ends.This has been an ongoing trend as teams turn more towards the run game. As a Mark Andrews owner myself, it was extremely frustrating to watch someone I invested high draft capital in put up a stinker.
However, there’s another tight end besides McBride that’s a clear-cut target: Dalton Kincaid.
The Bills drafted Kincaid 25th overall in 2023 out of the University of Utah and had some lofty expectations for him. And in the second half of last season, from weeks 7-14, he delivered, averaging over seven and a half targets a game—great volume for a TE. The Bills’ lack of receiving depth also works in his favor. What’s also working in his favor is the lack of receiving depth on the Bills roster. Buffalo’s WR depth chart currently consists of Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman, but none of them have great upside.
This paves the way for Kincaid to continue building chemistry with QB Josh Allen, as there are plenty of vacated targets following Stefon Diggs’ departure to the Houston Texans. Allen has supported strong fantasy seasons for his receivers, including Diggs, so it’s only a matter of time before the second-year TE becomes one of the best at his position. Managers should target his current buy-low price.
For the other star TEs like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and Sam LaPorta, it’s understandable that managers are frustrated with their lack of production. However, as I mentioned before, they each sit in prime situations for a breakout in the near future, especially with a slew of injuries that have hit their respective teams.
The one I’m trusting most out of the three is Sam LaPorta, as his finish as the TE1 in 2023 didn’t come by accident.
Some are already hitting the panic button on LaPorta after he’s only recorded six catches in the Lions’ first two games. However, this Lions offense was one of the best in all of the NFL in 2023 and have just gotten out to a slow start.
Goff has been the main culprit behind the Lions’ offensive struggles, as his stats through two games aren’t that appealing. While he’s racked up over 500 passing yards across two games, his 1-3 TD-INT ratio hasn’t helped Detroit’s receivers. A huge factor in LaPorta’s game is his TD upside, as he finished with 10 last year and is one of the most-trusted red zone targets in Dan Cambell’s offense. Goff has been a top-10 QB in fantasy football in his time with Detroit and there’s little to no chance that this type of production will continue. Managers should expect LaPorta’s numbers to increase as Goff and the Lions rebound from a tough week two loss against the Bucs.
The only real concern I have with LaPorta is WR Jameson Williams’ emergence. The former first-round pick has shown signs of the player the Lions drafted out of Alabama, as he’s commended a high target share for the first time in his NFL career. This will eat into LaPorta’s workload, but this Lions offense can sustain multiple top fantasy football players with ease.
Lions star WR and former USC product Amon-Ra St. Brown is also dealing with an injury as well, so if he were to miss time, this would be the perfect opportunity for LaPorta to start replicating his monster 2023 numbers.
Fantasy consists of a lot of luck, but closely monitoring each player’s situation and production will give you a much better chance of winning your league.