Week 2 Recap + Studs and Duds | Fantasy Focus 🏈

Summary

Fantasy Focus Football | Week 2 Recap: Studs & Duds

ESPN | Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp
Date: September 15, 2025

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Overview

This Week 2 recap episode dives deep into Sunday's NFL action, bursting with the show's signature hot takes, passionate debates, and playful banter. With overreaction season still in full swing, Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, and Daniel Dopp dissect the key storylines, game-changing injuries, fantasy risers and fallers (Studs & Duds), and set the table for Monday Night Football and early week waivers.

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Major Talking Points & Timestamps

1. State of Overreaction Season

• [01:00–02:00]
  The team acknowledges that, at just two weeks in, fantasy football is rife with overreactions. Sample sizes are tiny, and some breakout and bust performances are still unproven, but that won’t stop bold takes.

  “A lot of hot takes. I think by week eight, you know what’s real. But after two weeks? Still wild.” – Daniel Dopp [01:27]

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2. Joe Burrow's Season-Altering Injury

• [03:10–05:40] Stefania Bell breaks down the devastating news:

  • Joe Burrow will have surgery for turf toe and miss at least three months.
  • Earliest potential return is December but could be longer—Bengals’ playoff situation will weigh heavily.
  • From a fantasy standpoint: Burrow is droppable (even IR stash might not be worth it).

  "If you saw Joe Burrow, you saw that he was in great pain, had to be helped off... we're looking at December for Joe Burrow." – Stefania Bell [04:02]

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3. Immediate Fallout: Is Jamar Chase Still Elite?

• [05:41–10:45]

  • Field wonders if Jamar Chase can remain the top fantasy asset without Burrow.
  • Stefania says that’s an overreaction. “It’s like Samson without his hair…” [06:38]
  • Daniel points out Chase’s massive Week 2 line with Jake Browning but the consensus is clear:
    • Chase’s ceiling drops; he’s a lineup lock, but best-player-in-fantasy upside is gone.
    • Backup Jake Browning is serviceable, but the chemistry isn’t quite the same.
    • Historical: In six games with Browning last season, Chase averaged just 10.4 or fewer points over the last four.

  “There’s no way to put it other than Jamar Chase’s ceiling has dropped yesterday.” – Field Yates [09:10]

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4. Quarterback Overreactions

JJ McCarthy’s Rocky Start in Minnesota

• [10:57–15:36]

  • Stefania brings up disappointing starts for rookie QBs, especially JJ McCarthy.
  • She passionately defends him after two shaky performances, noting:
    • Debuted on MNF, missed practice for paternity leave, lost multiple O-linemen in-game.
    • Offense is still adjusting, McCarthy is processing slowly, but “it’s way too early to write him off.”
    • Minnesota’s supporting cast (Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson) are affected, but McCarthy can still improve.

  “He’s played two NFL games. You guys, give him a chance. I think this is way too premature to write him off. JJ McCarthy is coming back. Mark my words.” — Stefania Bell [14:12]

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5. Detroit Lions: Studs or Overhyped?

• [18:50–21:47]

  • After a monster Week 1, are there really five “must-start” Lions? Week 2 is a reality check.
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs are definite top-10 plays.
  • David Montgomery is a steady RB2/3; Jameson Williams is just a boom-bust flex.
  • Sam LaPorta is a “someone-will-be-left-out” each week kind of guy.
  • The Packers' defense may be the surprise of the season.

  “Jamo is the same player that Jamo’s been.” – Mike Clay [20:47]
  “Someone from this offense is basically always going to be left out every week.” – Daniel Dopp [21:23]

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6. Fantasy Overreactions: Wide Receivers and Running Backs

Brian Thomas Jr.: Can You Trust Him?

• [21:47–24:21]
  • Volume is there, but the chemistry with Trevor Lawrence is inconsistent.
  • Reminds listeners of his Mac Jones connection last year: six games, ten or more targets, WR20 or better each time.
  • For now, he’s still startable, but optimism is waning as Lawrence & Thomas are slightly off.

Javonte Williams: Lineup Lock?

• [27:24–31:29]

  • Daniel says Williams deserves to be a top-10 RB. Field and Mike agree he’s a lineup lock but top-10 is an overreaction.
  • Williams’s touch volume (RB5 in touches) cements importance; backup Miles Sanders is an afterthought.
  • Sell high vs. hold debate—if he’s your RB3/4, that’s a “draft steal,” but many recommend holding unless you’re getting substantial return.

  “He is the guy. He’s getting the opportunity and it’s not close.” – Field Yates [27:55]

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7. Other Overreaction Debates

Mac Jones: Fantasy Starter for the 49ers?

• [24:21–25:56]
  • Stefania jokes that he can be trusted as a fantasy starter after a big week. The crew quickly calls it an overreaction—he’s a capable spot starter, but only until Purdy returns.

Kenneth Walker III and Seattle’s Committee Concerns

• [38:01–41:47]
  • Daniel is worried this will remain a two-back system. Field and Stefania think it’s an overreaction—Walker remains the more talented back, and Week 3 will be crucial for clarity.
  • Don’t panic and sell too early unless you get fair value.

Cam Skattebo vs. Tyrone Tracy (Giants Backfield)

• [34:08–37:08]
  • Discussion about who will emerge as the Giants’ top RB. Stefania’s bullish on Skattebo’s long-term upside, but for now, it’s a muddled committee. Both are bench stashes.

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8. Week 2 Studs

[43:26–50:57]

• Giants Passing Attack: Russell Wilson throws for 450 yards, Malik Nabers erupts (13 targets, 167 yards, 2 TDs).
• Puka Nacua: NFL leader in receptions, continues to feast even with Davante Adams on the roster.
• James Cook: Bills RB explodes for 142 yards, looks like a high-end RB1.
• Troy Franklin: Emerging in Denver; chemistry with Bo Nix is real (“manufactured touches” among league leaders).
• Kicker Love: Stefania shouts out Brandon Aubrey for 23 fantasy points, becoming “money” after a soccer-to-football transition.

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9. Week 2 Duds

[53:26–57:53]

• Justin Fields (Jets): Struggles, leaves with a concussion (3-for-11 passing; 27 yards).

• Jamar Chase: Value dips without Burrow, one TD in six games with Jake Browning last year.

• Derrick Henry (Browns): 11 carries, 23 yards; stymied.

• Mark Andrews (Ravens): Only one catch for two yards.

• Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals): Five targets, two catches, 27 yards.

• Caleb Johnson (Seahawks): Negative yards Week 1, 1 yard Week 2, disastrous special teams play: “absolutely droppable.”

  "I think he has had the worst start this season in 2025… There’s no way that he has the trust of his coaching staff.” – Daniel Dopp [57:44]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Overreactions:

  “I think we’re still in overreaction territory, but by Week 8 you know what’s real.” – Daniel Dopp [01:27]

• On Jamar Chase’s Outlook:

  “It’s like Samson without his hair.” – Stefania Bell [06:38]

• On JJ McCarthy’s Patience:

  “He’s played two NFL games. You guys, give him a chance… JJ McCarthy’s coming back. Mark my words.” – Stefania Bell [14:12]

• On Mac Jones’s Redemption:

  “It was an awesome performance. I always feel for these quarterbacks that go through it.” – Field Yates [25:08]

• On Troy Franklin’s Role:

  “They’re manufacturing touches for him… Only Deebo has more manufactured touches through two weeks than Troy Franklin does.” – Daniel Dopp [49:14]

• On Trusting Giants RBs:

  “Right now I would rather not start either one because more often than not, I don’t think that what the Giants offense did yesterday is going to be [repeatable].” – Daniel Dopp [37:13]

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Monday Night Football Preview & Final Thoughts

[58:24–65:36]

• Split-slate with two games:

  • Bucs vs. Texans: “Expect Houston's D to limit fireworks; volume may make Emeka Egbuka a decent play.”
  • Chargers vs. Raiders: Eyes on rookie RBs Ashton Jeanty and Omari Hampton, plus strong Chargers passing attack.

• Tight Ends:

  • Brock Bowers expected to play, but Michael Mayer is a close backup add.

• Quickfire Picks:

  • Field & Stefania: Texans and Chargers
  • Daniel: Bucs and Chargers

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Closing Wisdom:

• “Don’t get desperate to move on from someone after two weeks.”
• "If bye weeks are here, you need depth—don’t panic trade."

Sign-off:

“Don't forget to love each other, be kind to yourself, and have fun watching Monday Night Football.” – Daniel Dopp [65:37]

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Episode Flow (with Key Timestamps)

• 00:57 – Overreactions season
• 03:10 – Joe Burrow’s injury, dropability [injury fallout]
• 05:57 – Jamar Chase debate: Top fantasy player? [dialogue & stats]
• 10:57 – Quarterback struggles (JJ McCarthy focus)
• 18:51 – Lions hype check [offensive breakdown]
• 21:47 – Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars oddities
• 24:21 – Mac Jones streaming viability
• 27:24 – Javonte Williams, committee backfields
• 34:08 – Giants RBs (Skattebo vs. Tracy)
• 38:01 – Seahawks backfield worries
• 43:26 – Studs (Giants, Puka Nacua, James Cook, Troy Franklin, Aubrey)
• 53:26 – Duds (fields, Henry, Mark Andrews, Harrison Jr., Caleb Johnson)
• 58:24 – MNF preview, quick matchups & positional concerns
• 63:26 – Chargers WR/TE breakdown
• 64:57 – Picks and sign-off

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TL;DR

• Burrow out: Jamar Chase’s value takes a hit (but he’s still a must-start).
• JJ McCarthy, rookie QBs: Don’t panic—reps and context matter.
• Studs: Giants receivers, Puka Nacua, James Cook, Troy Franklin.
• Duds: Mark Andrews, Derrick Henry, Marvin Harrison Jr., Caleb Johnson.
• RB Committees: Seattle, Giants, and Cowboys backfields remain messy.
• Week 3 Outlook: Don’t force early trades, manage for depth, and monitor Monday Night Football action for more clues before waivers.

Fantasy football is a marathon, not a sprint—don’t let “overreaction season” lead you astray!

Transcript

[A]

Quick break. Want to make a big play on your next paint project? Go with Behr Marquis interior paint and primer only at the Home Depot. With over a thousand colors, exceptional hide and advanced stain blocking, Behr Marquis is built to stand up to real life. No do overs, no wasted weekends. Just bold color and a finish that holds strong. One coat coverage, no overtime. Behr Marquis only at the Home Depot. How doers keep get more done Ballad only when tinted to colors from bare Marquis interior. One coat hide collection. What's good friends? Welcome into Fantasy Focus Football alongside Stefania Bell and Field Jates. My name is Daniel Dopp. It is Monday morning. We are getting ready for two Monday Night Football games tonight.

[B]

2 what games to Monday night Football.

[A]

Very excited about that. However, because it is Monday, we got a big reaction show for you today. We're going to overreact to a bunch of the stuff that happened on Sunday because we're still honestly in overreaction territory.

[B]

I agree. Like, that was my thought. Is. I don't know. It's one of those things. You don't know exactly how long overreaction season lasts, but you know when it's over. Yes. And it's not over yet.

[A]

Not yet.

[B]

Two games, far from a sample size.

[A]

A lot of hot takes.

[B]

Like, I think by week eight, like, it's. You're like, all right. Stuff that we have seen a lot over the first eight weeks is probably likely to continue. Yeah. For the next eight weeks. But two weeks in, there are players who have unexpectedly balled out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There are players that looked great in week one, not great in week two or the opposite. So we're here to break down all of the important reasons. Reactions. Yes. Because we're not calling them an overreaction yet. People are going to determine whether they are overreactions or not. Have a great show on tap and a big shout out to our friends over at Trophy Smack for outfitting the studio.

[A]

Heck yeah.

[B]

In a crazy cool new way. Got a bunch of. These are like player posters. We got.

[C]

I see that loser chain. Who wants to put that on?

[A]

Mike Clay.

[B]

We've got Superman, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts looking sweet.

[A]

Marc Eagles fly. Look at that.

[B]

All kinds of great new gear. Shout out to Turkey Smack. And we have a new belt.

[A]

We got a new belt here. Head on over to trophysmac.com youm know what?

[C]

You know who has a belt that color?

[B]

Who? You.

[C]

Me?

[A]

Of course you do. Stefania. Of course you do.

[C]

Courtesy of all our good friends at Trophy Smack who actually put Stefania the Champ on it. I'll. I'll save it for when I win some league. God help me.

[B]

Can I throw a little mea culpa down?

[A]

Yeah. What does mea culpa mean?

[B]

I think it's my fault, like, my error.

[A]

Okay, sure.

[B]

So last week we were discussing, like the biggest success stories in all of Shark Tank history and we pointed to dude wipes.

[C]

And.

[B]

And we were like, what else comes to mind? And then we quickly moved on without actually naming other successors.

[A]

Yeah, we didn't really think about it.

[B]

Trophy smack. Hello.

[A]

Duh.

[B]

Investor. From a little guy named Mark Cuban. Ever heard of him? So shout out to trophy smack. They are doing great, great things. And let's get to the news of the day because unfortunately it just took us two weeks to get to our first major injury of the year.

[A]

Yeah, don't love that. I'm just going to put a bow on this. Trophysmac.com use the promo code. Focus 10 for 10% off your order on any of the things that you see here. All right, let's dive into our first overreaction. And Stefania, this isn't an overreaction, actually, I guess this is just a news.

[C]

Just news. And it's important to acknowledge this upfront because Adam Schefter tweeting out this morning that officially Joe Burrow is set to undergo surgery for his turf toe injury that he sustained yesterday and expected to miss three months or more. I've actually written in detail about this, encourage you to go over to espn.com there is a multi contributor article up there about basically what is turf tone, what does this injury mean for the Bengals? So a lot of different angles in there, but if you're curious why does something that sounds so benign, why is it such a big deal? Go over there and read about it. But it is a really big deal. If you saw Joe Burrow, you saw that he was in great pain, had to be helped off. They were able to do an MRI at the facility and within a couple of hours I think they knew what was going to happen. But teams often wait to just a little bit, give the player some time to adjust to what is really unfortunate news and make some decisions about where and when this is going to take place. But the earliest that Joe Burrow would potentially be back is December. I mean, this is a. When you have surgery to repair, it's basically the ligaments, the base of the big toe. You're talking about 12 to 14 weeks typically before you're cleared to return to play. And then it's individual in terms of how comfortable you are. So make of that what you will, but we're looking at December for Joe Burrow.

[B]

Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

That's not at all.

[A]

Or later.

[B]

Right, Right. Yeah. And it could be determined by how the Bengals are playing. Right. If they're, you know, if they're seven and eight when he is healthy and good enough to go and out of the playoff picture, it would stand to reason they would say, let's not, you know, risk anything further during the final couple of weeks of the season. I have to check on this. I don't know if Joe Burrow is on the do not drop list on espn. As of right now, we have certain players that are undroppable to prevent collusion and things of the sort of. But obviously Joe Burrow, and this is sad to say, is droppable for now. If you have an IR spot and you really want to hold out hope, you can. But Joe Burrow is droppable. Tomorrow we're going to talk about the potential players that you could add to replace Joe Burrow with, of course, waivers running on Tuesday night.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

The reason I would say, too, don't even bother with the Irish pot because you're going to get enough information in advance of that to find out whether it would even be feasible for him to come back. I would say go ahead and save that for somebody else.

[A]

So then can I ask you from an overreaction standpoint, field, like, I. I feel like this, this offense is now.

[B]

Going to run with timeout before you get to that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can just ask me what my first reaction is.

[A]

What's your first reaction then, Field Jades.

[B]

It'S like you read my brain here for a second. We can just dive right into it. Let's do it.

[A]

All right.

[C]

The energy is going from one brain to the next. I love it.

[B]

Joe Burrow is out. This is my first reaction from week two. Okay, Joe Burrow is out. But Jamar Chase is still the best player in all of fantasy football. Overreaction or not an overreaction.

[C]

Overreaction.

[A]

Not an overreaction.

[C]

Well, I like it. Let me. Let me qualify. It's not about he is a great player. It's about what he is in fantasy football. And I know you said he is the best player in fantasy football, but he might be, but I don't think he can be. It's like, you know, Samson without his hair.

[A]

No, I get that.

[C]

Does not. Did I strike a nerve?

[B]

You know, there's. There's rumors of A haircut coming up soon, so.

[C]

Well, so maybe we'll find out. Yeah, maybe we'll parallel. What if I cut Joe Burrow and Field Yates and if you cut Field's hair or Jamar Chase and you cut Field's hair and all of a sudden Jamar Chase just tumbling Stock tumbling.

[B]

I go winless the rest of the season. You go into all my leaks, just go a Collective O&15 and my whatever 17 leagues that I have this year.

[C]

Can we please have a poll of, you know, should Field cut his hair? Should Field not cut his hair?

[B]

Yeah, I'm a little nervous about what the chat's going to say. Right.

[A]

Doesn't mean you have to do it. Doesn't mean you have to do it.

[C]

Gauge engage.

[A]

Also, our buddy Eric Moody hanging out in chat right now. Shout out to our friend Eric Moody, but post it.

[B]

Whatever. Why not? Listen, I'll take honest, you know, I.

[A]

Don'T think it's an overreaction because I still think Jamar Chase is going to have a quarterback that while clearly not as good as Joe Burrow, you think is still going to find ways to get him involved. And I think we seen that in the past. Even though Jake Browning isn't the guy that I want.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think he knows to look for his number one wide receiver.

[B]

Okay, so let's talk through what happened. What happened yesterday. You want to. Oh, did you go first?

[C]

Yeah, I just. I'm sorry. You cannot replace this. We were in college together. We read each other's minds. When Jamar Chase was struggling when he first came to Cincinnati, it was Joe Burrow and his confidence that lifted him up and was like, you can be this guy. I just don't buy number one player in all of fantasy football. Daniel, you think that he stays that.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

This is Joe Burrow.

[B]

I do think this exercise you're wrong because is there. Well, maybe we could like board bet this year because like Daniel is saying, he can be the best player he can see football. You are saying like. So, I guess. And let's. This begs the question, if it's not Joe Jamar Chase, who are the players that you would know?

[C]

Christian McCaffrey.

[B]

Okay. Christian McCaffrey. Um, Bajan Robinson certainly would come to mind.

[C]

Yeah. And we have to have a conversation about his name, but we'll do that later.

[B]

Yeah. Well, that's right. Yes. CD Lamb Puka Nukua are some of the early season Malik neighbors. Malik neighbors. Not great in week one, but amazing yesterday. Just for those that maybe didn't See it. Jamar Chase yesterday and Jake Browning through 32 of the 45 passing attempts. So what's that? About 75% of the passes came from Jake Browning. Did he do well yesterday? 14 catches, 165 yards and a touchdown.

[A]

Oh, what a scrub. Look at that guy. Stefano. Look at that.

[C]

Yeah, but you know what? Great graphic jamarmageddon.

[B]

Jamar Magedon. Well, our producer Tyler is of course a die hard Bengals fan. We know he's kind of going through it. The team is 2 0, but his quarterback is out for at least three months. Feelings just to circle back to where Jamar Chase was with Jake Browning in 2023 because they did play for six games together. You guys. Of course, Paul, when Jon was. It was not so in those six games, Jamar Chase had a total of one touchdown.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

He had 10.4 or fewer fantasy points in each of those last four games. I think it's fair to say that Jamar Chase still, because of his ability and because the fact that Browning has played a lot amongst backup quarterbacks, he's on the list for, I don't know, five to seven most trustworthy backups in the NFL. I would argue maybe a little lower than that, maybe a little higher than that. But this is different than some teams backup situations which is so, so dire. Beyond that, like he's a, he's a good enough quarterback to keep the offense relatively afloat. We saw that yesterday when he did throw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. But there's no way to put it other than Jamar Chase's ceiling has dropped yesterday. Like the chance that Jamar Chase finishes as wide receiver 12 is now in play. Whereas I think the chances of him finishing wide receiver 12 with Joe Burrow with were basically zero. If Burrow had stayed healthy for the remainder of the season, it's a hit. But he's still going to be a lineup block. An absolute must start. There's not a whole lot you can do about.

[C]

I'm not suggesting that you drop Jamar Chase. I'm not suggesting he's out of your lineup. I just am going with the strictly off the overreaction. The hypothesis was best player in fantasy football. And I just don't think that he has that shine anymore. Anymore. Sorry, Jamar.

[B]

So I think we, so we, we. But we still all agree Jamar is going to be very valuable. Whether he's the most valuable is to be determined. Stefania, what is your first reaction from week two?

[C]

Maybe JJ McCarthy isn't who we thought he'd be overreaction or.

[A]

No, I don't think he's who Kevin O' Connell thought he would be after two games.

[B]

Yeah. Very disconcerting. Start through two games for J.J. mcCarthy. Who.

[C]

Yeah. Let me hear you guys out and I'll give you my take.

[B]

Two games. One good quarter in those two games. The tricky part about this one for me is that Minnesota is a team who very, very much envisions itself to be amongst the NFL's best. Right. They want to be an elite team. They won 14 games last season. And I think that when you pass the baton off from one quarterback to the next, but you build the roster the way that you have in Minnesota, which is a lot of veteran players added because they wanted to win now. Right. It's a suggestion that you truly believe that things are going to largely pick up where they left off. On top of that, who has a better track record in recent years of taking quarterbacks that maybe are one spot in public perception, but a different spot in Vikings perception? And the Vikings perception is right. Sam Darnold was a big bet last year. It paid off masterfully. Sam was great. Kirk Cousins played great, great football under Kevin o'. Connell. We just said, like, Kevin o' Connell finds quarterbacks, develops them and gets them rolling. And it hasn't been that, like, the eye test has not been great to JJ McCarthy. Under 30 total completions in two games to find you seven catches, seven for Justin Jefferson through two games.

[C]

I'm aware. Would you like to add your two cents before I give you my take?

[A]

I. It just feels like this team probably thought we get to do what no one else is doing in today's NFL, which is sit a rookie quarterback for an entire season. Let him develop behind somebody else. Now, mind you, they didn't want to do that. That was because he got hurt. But that happened. So they probably felt like they were coming in with such a good baseline, letting this kid watch, especially with knowing that Sam Darnold led the offense the way that he did last year. And then to have the season start the way it has through two weeks. There's no way that anyone in Minnesota or us fantasy managers that have either T.J. hawkinson or. Or Justin Jefferson should be feeling good about how things have started.

[C]

I'm going to tell you why it's an overreaction.

[B]

Okay?

[C]

I am team J.J. mcCarthy.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Let me remind you about what his week was like. Okay. Monday night.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He played in his first ever NFL regular season game. I mean, no big deal, but you're making your debut on Monday Night Football. So. So challenges with that. Three days later, he comes into the practice facility, needs to leave because they're having a baby. So then he's not there on Friday, comes back, gets a little practice in Saturday and then, oh, by the way, your second game is on Sunday Night Football. So you are exposed in prime time your first two games to that. Oh, and by the way, your offensive line, you're not going to have your left tackle and guess what, you're going to lose your backup left tackle during the game. You're going to lose your starting center during the game to a concussion. So you don't have the same protections. The weight would you see their attempt at a push and it was too low and the ball is fumbled and JJ's trying to save it and that they couldn't get the run game going at times that doesn't help your young quarterback. But you know who still believed in him? We saw it on Monday night. Kevin o', Connell, who took him in the back and looked him in the eye and said, I saw it in J.J. mcCarthy's face. He told him, you're going to come back and lead us to a win. And. And they did. Every time he sees a defense and the Atlanta defense was good last night, he is seeing it for the first time. Okay, so J.J. mcCarthy, he is. He's slow. He feels like he's a beat slow. To me, everything's taking too long to develop. That makes the defense able to get to him. He's not processing as quickly as perhaps they'd hoped. He's played two NFL games. You guys give him a chance. I think this is way too premature to Write him off. J.J. mcCarthy is coming back. Mark my words. And by the way, the guys you referenced that Kevin o' Connell developed, they were given up for dead by other teams. And Kevin o' Connell helped salvage them. But they had experience. They had been out there before and they. Sam Darnold with the jets was worse than J.J. mcCarthy with the Vikings. I would argue at the beginning, you know, so. And Sam Darnold now was like everybody was talking about Sam Darnold. Her cousins have been cast aside by plenty of other teams. And then all of a sudden, Kirk Cousins found his rhythm there. And Kevin o' Connell, special, because when Kirk Cousins went to Atlanta, granted he had an Achilles injury, but it wasn't the same thing. So, yes, you're overreacting. J.J. mcCarthy, I still believe in you.

[B]

Yeah, Good. I mean, I love this.

[A]

If my believes in JJ, McCarthy but makes him feel better than Jamar Chase. This is going to be one of those things.

[C]

Jamar Chase is dependent on someone else. J.J. mcCarthy is dependent on himself. That's the difference.

[A]

That's the difference. Okay.

[B]

All right, what do you got?

[A]

All right. Nothing makes you feel more like a champ than a DIY home project done right. But if your playbook includes stuff like using a fake sign for your DIY home security, that's safe.

[B]

Ish.

[A]

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[B]

Week one was the overreaction. Overreaction. I think there's a chance and this might prove to be an overreaction, but there's a chance that the packers defense is the best.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The NFL offense.

[C]

Agreed. The Packers. Did we just not see this coming? We didn't see the packers being as good as they are all around. They're playing all facets of the game really, really well.

[B]

Yeah, they traded for that Micah Parsons.

[C]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Right before the season. So that definitely put, you know, that that sort of shot a jolt of energy into their out their outlook on both sides of the ball.

[A]

From a fantasy perspective, they're not that great for us. But from an NFL perspective they are.

[B]

Fant here's what I would say I settle in for the for the Lions. Who Jared Goff. He had as many touchdown passes incompletions yesterday. That seems good, right? Five touchdown passes. Five incompletions. Even rushed for like six yards and he missed a lambo leap. It was hilarious.

[A]

He tried so hard. Just didn't have the ups to get there.

[B]

Amon Ra St. Brown was the player he was joining, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So Amon Ra, who is probably like five inches shorter than Jared Goff and.

[C]

Has springs, massive springs.

[B]

He like left into the stands like there was a trampoline in front of him. Jared Goff who's like six six like needed to be. Yeah. There needed to be like a fireman carry to get Jared Goff into this dance. It was great. Jameer Gibbs looked like Jameer Gibbs. He was amazing yesterday. Amon R had three touchdowns. JMO a little bit of Rat poison there with Jamo. Right? Because you're saying, oh my God, Jamo's back. He had two catches.

[A]

That's kind of the thing that I look at when I look at this offense. It's like, okay, so you just mentioned Amon Ra. Like when you look at him, Amon Ra is a wide receiver one, right. It's Jameer Gibbs and Jameer Gibbs is a, is an RB1. Without question, those two are definitively going to be top 10 at their position.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

When you look at David Montgomery with wow, how he's going to get utilized, he's Probably a top 25 running back and once bye weeks get here, he'll flirt with top 20. He's going to be a, a, a safe floor flex play. JMO is the opposite of that. He is that upside flex play if you need him. Especially once bye weeks get here.

[B]

It feels like Jamo is the same player that Jambo's been.

[A]

And we talked, dude, I'm so bummed because training camp was just like, we're going to utilize him, he's going to have an expanded route tree, we're going to do all these things and it's a reminder that this is training camp. You don't need to like necessarily believe all of these things. By the way, they don't even get to highlight their best wide receiver in Isaac Tesla. And he's out here just making back to back one handed catches, making highlight.

[C]

Reel after he's putting together a sizzle reel.

[B]

He really is doing that. He is amazing. By the way, Monty plus Amon Ra plus Jameer Gibbs all scored a touchdown from scrimmage the same game for the ninth time as teammates.

[A]

Unbelievable.

[B]

That's the most of any trio in NFL history.

[A]

I will say Sam Laporta being left out is a thing that we need to manage like the expectation for because someone from this offense is basically always going to be left out every week. We're just going to keep spinning the wheel to figure out who it's going to be.

[B]

Only thing that I'll say on Sam Laporta is I think at some point I've already kind of penciled in a conversation about tight ends because whoa, yeah, it is desolate. Bad desolate right now.

[C]

Remember how we were like, there's this abundance of riches at tight end at the time and we went from like, yo, yeah, rich to bankrupt in the matter of a week.

[B]

It has been quite, quite inauspicious for tight ends so far. My next reaction is this. Brian Thomas caught just four of 12 targets and he's no longer even a wide receiver. Two with Trevor Lawrence under center.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Overreaction or not an overreaction?

[A]

No, I. It doesn't.

[C]

An overreaction doesn't feel like it to me.

[A]

I don't know how I don't start Brian Thomas Jr. But it doesn't feel like an overreaction.

[B]

So let's talk through the numbers here because we don't have a gigantic sample size with Trevor Lawrence or Mac Jones. We have a sample size though. 13 games in which Trevor Lawrence has started. Brian Thomas has four games as wide receiver, 20 or. And in those 13 games, he's reached 10 or more targets just once. That was yesterday. 12 targets. 12 is a huge number. You love that ever. Travis Hunter was a smaller part of the offense yesterday. It was not like Brian Thomas did not see opportunities. But in six games with Mac Jones, that was all late last season. And yes, they were playing a lot of garbage time games and they were just bad this year they look better. Brian Thomas was wide receiver 20 or better in all six of those games and he had 10 or more targets in each of those six games. So yesterday there were some. Just some weird moments in the game between Brian Thomas Jr. Where he like, you know, Alec, he like missed a pass right over the middle at the drop late in the game, like, just feels like the chemistry is 10% off. Maybe more than 10.

[C]

I'm so glad you said this because. But it's not just them. I feel like Jacksonville is a little bit there. That was just weird. What? Is Trevor Lawrence dynamic? Yeah, like, I. Yeah. And I don't know where is this coming from, but I thought all these things in the preseason, okay, we're gonna see this new revamped. And suddenly I find myself feeling about the Jags kind of like I did last year. And it's not good.

[B]

He's still going to be inside my top 24 week two, because those 12 targets are awesome. He had seven in week one, so that's 19 targets in two games. That being said, like, all the positivity surrounding Brian Thomas Jr. This summer has definitely cooled off through two weeks. And we got to find a way to get these two more on the same page because Trevor's too talented to miss on some of these throws and Brian Thomas Jr. Is too talented to only catch 4 of 12 targets. So moving down, not yet out of lineups. What's your next one?

[C]

My 49ers won yesterday.

[B]

Yeah, they did.

[C]

And you know who led them to victory?

[A]

Mac Jones.

[C]

Mac Jones.

[B]

Jones, my guy.

[C]

New Life at the 49ers, where he was always destined to be because we know Kyle Shanahan loved him when he was coming out of the draft. And my overreaction is you can trust Mac Jones as a fantasy starter. He put up 21.8 fantasy points this week. He is currently number eight among quarterbacks in terms of scoring over the week. So you can trust Mac Jones as a fantasy starter next week. Yes or no?

[A]

That's an overreaction.

[B]

That's an overreaction.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And I'm, I'm a Mac. Daniel and I were actually talking about this.

[C]

I actually agree with you. I just want to see what you said. I was trying to sell it. I didn't do a very good job.

[A]

You did a great job of selling it. But like, like we had a conversation.

[B]

Yes. We were talking about like him and I at one point, like we're. It was, I'm pretty sure it was on. We, we think it was on Fantasy Focus where we agreed, we were like, Mac Jones is a sufficient quarterback. He could start in the NFL. He just needs the right system around him. And it's great, such a great system. It was an awesome performance. I'm pumped for Mac Jones. Like, I always feel for these quarterbacks that go through it. Right. I mean, Mac just was totally let down by the circumstances in New England and he was a backup in Jacksonville who played fine down. They were a bad team though. Max got talent. He's got accuracy. It's a great, great landing spot for him right now. If he plays well until Brock Purdy returns, which could be as soon as next week, then this could be a Daniel Jones type opportunity next year. Sign a one year deal to compete for a starting job.

[C]

So here, yeah, here's, here's my, my take on it. You know, great stats. Basically threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns. And you just saw that the, the team felt elevated by him and at times they needed him to elevate because there were some mistakes that were being made on the field. But you know, he found Juwan Jennings and obviously Christian McCaffrey and amazing yesterday.

[B]

He's remarkable.

[C]

Yeah. Number one player in fantasy, like anyway. But next week the 49ers, who went two and oh on the road to start the season for only the seventh time in the history of the club and notoriously have not been great in that department. When they start on the road, they have their first home game against the Cardinals who are also two and oh, but little bit remarkably for them after some of the mistakes they made yesterday. But you know what looks really good with the Cardinals? Their defense. Yeah. And so if Mac Jones. Look, Brock Purdy may or may not be back next week. I think it's possible, but it's not necessarily likely. That's how I feel about it on Monday. We'll see as the week progresses.

[B]

25% is how I would interpret what you just said.

[C]

Yeah. That's kind of how I feel like they. And they know that Mac Jones is. Is entirely capable. What you don't want to do is have Brock come back and then his toe gets worse. And we don't even want to put into the ether what that could mean. So Mac Jones could be out there, but that's going to be a far different defense that he's facing than the New Orleans Saints.

[A]

Okay, I'm going to move on with mine, my friends. And I hope you're buckled up for this one because Javante Williams is now a lineup lock and should be viewed as a top 10 running back moving forward. Forward. Overreaction or no, that's an overreaction on.

[B]

The second half of it.

[A]

Yeah, but he is a lineup lock.

[B]

I think so. Yeah. I mean, so when I'm thinking about running backs deserve to be in lineups. It's talent plus opportunity, right? Yep. But the opportunity can sometimes be the most important part. And he is the guy. He's getting the opportunity and it's not close.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I mean, he yesterday was super busy. Once again, Miles Sanders is strictly a change of pace back. Yes. That's all he's there for.

[C]

Like, I don't want to say I told you so, but when I was at camp, I did say that devonte Williams was the running back lining up with the ones consistently they had that scrimmage. Not scrimmage, but they had joint practice against the Rams before they played them in the preseason. And it was Javante and only Javante. And now I am a little biased because I talked to him and I really, really liked him. But the things he said to me, which were organic. I mean he was talking about the difference in his leg after having. It really took him two years to get past the apprehension he had because of that significant knee injury. And he just felt like something had changed in him where he was more comfortable pushing that point of physical attack. Remember, he was known so much for being a guy who could break tackles and would take on physical contact with without fear. And that changed after he had that big knee injury, as you would expect because it was a contact injury. It was terrible. And I, I still think he came back too soon. And you're seeing a guy who's running differently and I think that's part of it. And he really likes, he, he really talked about a lot about Dak and the relationship he'd built with Dak and said he's such a genius at running the offense. So, you know, pardon me if I'm not surprised that he's the lead back in this offense. And what I heard a lot down there was Jaden Blue was impressing people, you know, you know, flash quick. But when it came down to all the other things running backs have to do and pass protection, who's trusted in all of these elements, there was still a lot left to be desired and Javante Williams was the guy.

[A]

Well, let me say this about Javante. You talk about the opportunities, he's running back five in touches so far this year. It is very clearly he is the guy. I think if you have Javante Williams on your roster, there's one of two camps that you very likely fall in. Okay. He's had 25 fantasy points in back to back games. So either you're saying to yourself, I just got a starting running back with absolutely incredible value in the draft and now I have someone that I can count on as a potential flex or high upside guy. So you're either thrilled with that or you're saying now is the time to sell high because he just had back to back 25 point games. And by the way, in week three he draws the Chicago Bears who just gave up over 24 fantasy points to running backs to against the Vikings and 32 and a half fantasy points to the Detroit Lions. This is going to be another really nice matchup for Javante Williams. But I think if you were a Javante Williams manager, you very likely fall in one of those two camps. It's just, do you believe it long term or do you want to say let me maximize this value and get out of it before it gets bad?

[B]

Yeah, this is where position matters. If this was a wide receiver who got late and you're like, man, I could, I could really turn this into something important. I would, I would do it because there's just so many great receivers, right. Whereas if you have like Jovante Williams, if he was your RB3, that's incredible drafting by you. Yep, he's RB4, incredible drafting by you. But if he's your RB3, you're one injury away from needing a running back every single week. So I'M holding on Javante Williams too much opportunity in an offense that for all the misgivings of the Cowboys last season this past offseason and to a degree through the first eight quarters, well, nine quarters of this year. Cause they played in overtime yesterday. They ran the football. They had over a thousand yards from Rico Dowdle last year. Like they can find ways to make a running back pretty productive behind this offensive line that does have a lot of investment.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

First round picket guard. They've got a $96 million guard. Like there's some talent on that Cowboys offensive.

[A]

Oh yeah. All right field. Last one for you Roma.

[B]

Dunze is a top 20 wide receiver and a stone cold lineup lock. Overreaction or not an overreaction?

[A]

Not an overreaction. No way. I think he's the wide receiver one of this Bears team to be honest. Like he looks like he's got a better connection with Caleb Williams than DJ Moore does.

[B]

So this is, it's, it's not surprising that he has played really well so far for a lot of reasons. But the most important one is like he was the ninth overall pick in the draft piece. He was, I thought, and I've said this many times before on Fantasy Focus, he was my sixth rated prospect in the entire draft class last year. So Roma Dunes A looking awesome should not surprise many people. The question was just would DJ Moore clearly lead the team in targets and are there enough other guys that might take away from those top two wide receivers to depress the value of D.J. rome or, or one of the two. Colston Lovin, 10th overall pick in the draft this year, zero catches yesterday. It's not going to happen there yet. Cole Comet, really not playing a meaningful role yet. It is D.J. moore and Roma Dunes A. But through two games, Dunes A has 20 targets to 11 targets for D.J. moore, seven for 128 and two touchdowns yesterday for A Dunes A, we talk about trust. Bonnie was talking about trust with, you know, Brian Thomas Jr. Mac Jones, I mean and, and Trevor Lawrence, I guess it was. Chemistry was the word we were talking about. But Roman Dunes and Caleb just clearly seem to trust each other and he is a supremely talented young man. So there are really, really good wide receivers. He might be right on the border of top 20 for me this week, but we talked about this big glut of mid round wide receivers coming into the season. He looks to be closer to the top of that glut than the back of that glut. Think about guys like for example, not just these guys But Jalen Waddle and Jerry Judy and George Pickens and. And. And of course, Roma Dunes, a lot of the. A lot of those guys, Travis Hunter, a lot of them fit into that same category of where they're being drafted. Feels like two weeks in Rome is amongst the better values.

[A]

Yes, I would agree with that. He's been fantastic to start the season. And guess what? It doesn't make a difference if the Bears are playing well or not. I'll take garbage time, come from behind Caleb Williams, Roma Dunes every day of the week. Like, that was a big part of this game.

[B]

Sure. That was belt to booty yesterday by the Lions. It was Ben Johnson's Bears.

[A]

That was. That was Dan Campbell saying to his former protege, welcome to the NFL as a head coach, my friend. Yeah. All right, Stefania, your last one.

[C]

Cam Scatter Boo is the running back you want on the Giants going forward.

[A]

I think. I think it's an overreaction that I made.

[C]

You guys saw the Damie Woody side. I love that I made you uncomfortable with this tape. Take that Is. That was. My entire purpose was trying to do that. Because I think this is. It's a legit conversation that people are going to wonder about.

[B]

So there are three avenues this could go down right in this backfield. One is Scatter Boo clearly outpaces Tyrone tracy, like, playing 70% of the snaps, and he takes over.

[A]

This is the beginning of something more for Scatter Boo.

[B]

Right. Two is Tyrone Tracy takes the edge back that he held in week one. 1. I think third door is the most likely one somewhere.

[C]

Cancel each other out. Yes.

[B]

This is.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Sort of like Seattle. Who. We'll talk about them a little bit later on because there was some developments there yesterday. Yeah, I think it's probably that, you know.

[C]

Have anything else?

[A]

No, I agree with that.

[B]

Which lands them both into, like, running back. I don't know why, but I have certain arbitrary numbers I assign, like, running back 31 for some reason. I don't know why it's always 31, but RB31 for me.

[C]

Well, it's funny because I think Tyrone Tracy is, like, running back 31 right now, and Cam Skadiboo is like, 20.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But here's the. Because I think some people were like, okay, leave him for dead after the first. You know, it's Tyrone Tracy and Cam Scatterboo is not getting any of the attention. But then yesterday was kind of fun, and he had this big giant run, and to me, he looked like the Cam Scatter Boo that you wanted. Like he was the old Boomer, rumbling, bumbling, stumbling down the field all the way to the goal line. And then I loved what the Giants did, that they just gave him the ball so he could get the touchdown because after all, he earned it. But he's still making rookie mistakes. He doesn't always make the best decisions. He doesn't protect the ball well enough at times. He loses it. Sometimes he's just going straight up the middle like he's got the power. And it's like, no, this is the NFL.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It's not college thinking. That's not. That's not going to happen for you quite the same way. That said, I still do believe, and I was one of the ones in the preseason who is saying, you know, I think that by the end of the season, it will flip and Cam Scatter Boo will be the running back that you prefer to have on your fantasy roster. I still believe we're heading that direction because I think at the end of the day, I love the grit, the toughness that I think that will pay off for that team. And I. I think he'll have a bigger role. I think in the short term, it's probably more like what feels. Describing where I don't really feel comfortable starting either of them because they're maybe going to cancel each other out and. Or I can't pick who will likely have the better day. Um, so I think it's an overreaction to say he's the one going forward, but I'm happy to keep him on my roster because he's certainly someone who. I think his role is going to keep growing.

[A]

Yeah, I think he deserves to be on benches and I say that in a positive way. Not.

[B]

Not the Giants bench. Your fantasy.

[A]

Correct. Your fantasy bench. He deserves to be rostered and very likely on your bench. And once bye weeks come around, once you get a little bit more like, he may become more useful. But right now I would rather not start either one because more often than not, I don't think that what the Giants offense did yesterday is going to be. Yeah. For throwing. Throwing for 450 yards and having almost 600 yards of total offense. Like, that's. That's a great question, Field.

[B]

Why don't I see the Chiefs on something?

[A]

I don't love that match all the.

[B]

Things the Chiefs aren't doing right now on offense. They are doing pretty much everything they.

[C]

Can get right game for Kansas City.

[A]

Seriously.

[B]

I mean, they have some real troubles.

[A]

Well, speaking of troubles, my fantasy squad has some troubles because Ken Walker III dominated, but this is still a committee in Seattle, and I'm getting out as soon as I can.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

Is that an overreaction or not an overreaction?

[B]

I think it's an overreaction.

[C]

I do, too.

[B]

So the Seahawks have told us for two games that they want Zach Charbonnet to be their lead back.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And it feels like the stuff that they value from Zach Charbonnet are things that go beyond the fantasy box score. At least.

[A]

I agree with that.

[B]

Feel like he's one of those guys where pass protection they believe is reliable. Right place, right time. If the play is designed to go to this specific hole, he's going to hit that specific, specific hole. Right. Very. Just like steady hand. Kenneth Walker III is clearly a more talented player, clearly way more explosive, as evidenced by the 105 rushing yards on just 13 carries yesterday. So Zach Charbonnet had 15 carries for 10 yards. That's right, 10 yards for Zach Charbonnet yesterday. But I tell you, if you're Seattle and you're okay offensively, but far from great, don't you have to trade a little bit of, like, maybe Kenneth Walker III has a couple of limitations that Zach Charbonnet doesn't have, but Zach Charbonnet has a lot of limitations that Kenneth Walker III does not have. Like, you want to trade the explosive plays. You want to get those on the field, and I think that Kenneth Walker the third clearly has them. Week three will be a very, very telling week for the Seahawks and their backfield snap.

[A]

I will. This is the way that I'm looking at this backfield, because right now, through two weeks, it's clear. And you just laid out all these great points field. So I appreciate you for doing that. Like, it's clear they still want to use Zach Charbonnet in spite of the fact that the production doesn't exist. There's a reason, though. They. They. They want him to be on the field still. JSN honestly, is the only Seahawk I have faith in starting in my fantasy lineup because, yeah, I think it's 42% target shares, like, but when I look at this backfield, I just get nervous that with Ken Walker the third, they're going to still want to use Zach Charbonnet regardless of what his production looks like, because of what he brings to the field. And for me, the one thing that I have to say is it's only week two. You can't get desperate. There's one of the things about trading in leagues where you're like, you're Trying to sell high. And you know you're trying to sell high in a guy, you can't go out and look desperate too early. Otherwise everyone knows, oh, Dopp's trying to shop Ken Walker iii. So none of us are gonna give him full value. Cause he's just trying to, like, pawn him off on whoever. We all talk in leagues right behind other people's backs about when we're trying to get trades and stuff like that. It happens. But, like, we all. We all do that. So because it's only week two, you can't make it look like you're desperate to move on from somebody like Ken Walker iii. So that's why I said when the opportunity arises, as soon as I can. And it feels like I'm not just selling for pennies on the dollar. I want to bank a couple of good games. But I do believe this will be a committee for the rest of the season. Maybe that's the overreaction part, but I still believe in 2025, there's going to be a two running back system inside.

[C]

They've got two talented backs. And, you know, I think more and more teams are, you know, I think it's unusual because you don't have the Sake Wands or the Christian McCaffreys everywhere. You don't have backs who are so clearly above and beyond that. They are defining your back. That's who you want. There's no question. Most backfields have two talented guys and they're trying to divvy up whether they believe in who has a hot hand or who faces a better matchup, depending on, you know, what the defense is presenting them. So, yeah, if I'm Seattle, I'm making use of two guys. And Seattle has a history of not having backs who can stay healthy, which, you know, it's most. Most NFL teams, but they've had that too. And Kenneth Walker's been banged up a little bit as well. And I know that in the preseason, that was also one of the things where Zach Charbonnet was earning a lot of favor because he was in practice every day.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And Kenneth Walker the third was not. So I think it's going to end up being a split is more likely. But if I'm going, if I saw it go in 70, 30, Charbonnet Walker, I wouldn't be surprised.

[B]

That would be disappointing.

[A]

That would be. I mean, that's. That would play into some not great things for fantasy managers. Where do you think the term hot hand came from? Is that like a Smithing tool? Like a Smithing phrase back in the day where it's like a blacksmith would be like, oh, I'll work on that thing. And it's like, don't worry. Tommy's already got a hot hand from holding it over the fire. We'll let him do it.

[B]

Hot potato.

[C]

I don't know. I don't know. But I want to go with that because I could. I just picturing, like, I got a visual of, like, ye old. Yes.

[A]

And I got the whole suit on and I got a mitten on my hand, and it's like.

[C]

Like stoking over the fire.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

We should go to Sturbridge Village, which is like an hour away. Yes.

[A]

Sturbridge is great.

[B]

You'll find out.

[A]

That's awesome. That's a great place. Have you taken the girls at Sturbridge Village?

[B]

I haven't yet, but I'm from Massachusetts. I went there, like, almost every year on a village.

[C]

Do you think that we go on a little tour, be like, hey, guys. Hey. Just wondering.

[A]

I'd love to ask a question about a potential old phrase. Yeah. Where that came from. All right. Anyways, without further ado. Actually, that's another phrase. Let me ask this. I thought adieu meant goodbye.

[C]

No, that's adieu.

[A]

Adieu. What is that? So what am I saying when I say without further ado?

[C]

Ado.

[A]

Ado. Okay, so it's not French.

[C]

No.

[A]

What does ado mean? Ado.

[B]

It's a. It's a duration of.

[C]

It's the old English.

[B]

Without further ado is a French.

[A]

That's right. Yeah. Yes.

[C]

It's not really.

[A]

I have to make adieu.

[B]

Please.

[A]

Okay. All right. All right. Well, let's dive into our week two. Studs.

[C]

French.

[A]

Speaking of studs are YouTube chat did weigh in on Field's hair and where did they lay? And if you look at it here, our YouTube chat said officially, 55% of chat believes that Field Yates should, in fact, cut his hair. I am on the 45% that thinks it should stay. I'm a big fan of the hair.

[B]

I gotta tell you. Like, 75. And we could have had a conversation. 55. And I don't.

[C]

I know it means the fans are split.

[B]

You know how?

[A]

Like, we got a question from.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

From Dubby wants to know anyone who voted for Sealed to cut his hair are haters.

[B]

Let it flow. Thank you.

[C]

No, they're haters.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

That's right. That's.

[B]

Yeah, There we go. Love it.

[A]

All right, let's dive into some Studs, real quick. How about the Giants passing game? I know we just talked about.

[C]

No, you. You with the Segways and usually you're so good. You could have gone. I could have field Yates too.

[A]

Malik Neighbors. I mean we. We should have done that. I should have done that. Stefania, that's on me. That's on me. Listen, this Giants passing game, I think we knew who Malik Neighbors was. Do you think that we know who Wanda Robinson is with Russell Wilson, for.

[B]

Those that maybe missed it somehow. Malik Neighbors went off a career I 167 receiving yards yesterday, plus two touchdowns. I got to tell you, highlight value on that guy. The charts. And Russell Wilson, who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks as he had 450 passing yards yesterday. That's his most ever.

[C]

I think he was Russell Wilson. He was motivated by all the commentary of like you're going to let Russell Wilson start in week two. Oh yeah, yeah, they did.

[A]

So it didn't end great.

[C]

And Russ cooked.

[B]

Russ did cook. He just throws a beautiful deep ball. I mean just a thing of beauty. I loved seeing the involvement there. 13 targets for Maleague Neighbors. This was one of my potential overreaction or not of reaction questions. But do the Giants have two fantasy starters at wide receiver? I think Wanda Robinson is like my favorite archetype of a flex or like first player on your bench.

[A]

Once we get into bye weeks, then yes, Wanda Robinson.

[B]

I think he's got 19 targets in two games. 18 and 18. How about this though? This was his first career game with over 100 receiving yards. Wandale Robinson. No way. Fourth season. So he's usually just a PPR demon, right? Like he's good for seven catches for 55 yards or something like that. He was awesome yesterday. The Giants are not going to throw for 450 yards. They play the Chiefs this upcoming Sunday night. That is certainly not going to be the case against them. But just, just an incredible performance from them and not too far behind Malik Neighbors as far as great receivers goes. Puka Nakua. This guy was awesome.

[A]

Dude leads the NFL in receptions. He's fourth in receiving yards. And it does not look like Devonte Adams being there and taking some of those end zone touches has not negated any of his fantasy value.

[C]

You know what? Ye. And. And we. We basically told you this at the start of the season. We told you this by where Pukinuku is ranked. We told you this by where he was drafted. I think he's basically performing at expectation.

[A]

The only two high End pass catchers.

[B]

Yeah. The only reason he dropped a little bit was because people were concerned about Matthew Stafford. Through two weeks, those concerns are gone. Jimmy Cook was amazing yesterday for the Bills. 21 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown. I hear Jimbo a lot, so I don't know.

[A]

Did he get game scripted into more opportunities because of Josh Allen's potential broken nose thing where it's like, you know what? Rather than let Josh throw the ball more, maybe we just like default.

[B]

I think it was that, you know, Josh immediately knew his nose was jacked up, I think. Yeah. Bleeding everywhere.

[A]

Everywhere.

[B]

But sometimes it takes a player a minute. Remember Tyler Hansborough, the North Carolina and NBA player? Like his face shattered and he gets up and he's like, give me the free throws. I want to go take the free throws. They're like, dude, you.

[A]

You literally can't.

[B]

You're a tomato. He's like, oh, my bad. Anyways, Josh knew right away. No, I just think that the jets came out extremely flat. The Bills came out like the Bills are capable of. And we've seen this from Josh Allen. I actually want to say it was exactly week two last year where they were playing the Dolphins Sunday Night Football and it was like an absolute storming by the Bills and Josh ends up with like 12 fantasy points. But they did not need him to do much yesterday. He did have a monster run, did Josh Allen. But Jimbo Cook was great.

[A]

26.5 fantasy points, 18 touches in week one, 22 touches in week two. He's a high end RB1 right now with how much he is getting volume in this offense.

[C]

Keep my fingers crossed. He did not, you know, practice the entire training camp. Some, but not the entire one. If he stays healthy, it's going to be remarkable.

[A]

You think he runs faster now because he was running with all that extra money in his pockets during training camp. And then when he takes it out, it's like, oh, look how much lighter I am. I can run faster. Guys have more money.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I don't understand.

[A]

Well, he should. Oh, you're right, he didn't. He signed a new deal. I thought he signed an extension. Did he not?

[B]

Right.

[C]

Yeah. So he had more money.

[A]

So like after he signed out of his pocket because he practices with it. Yeah, he practices with it so that it's extra weight. And then it's like you take them off for game time.

[B]

That's falling off because the leaves are falling down. Connecticut, last one here. This was kind of a random one. This was totally. Go ahead Fire away.

[A]

This was Troy Franklin. Yeah, I think Troy Franklin needs to be rostered and I'm not going to be here on tomorrow's show, which is part of why I want to bring it up. Liz Loza is going to host the show for us tomorrow. Normally I would do the waiver wire, but he leads all Broncos in targets, receptions, receiving yards and fantasy points. He also has a touchdown. Found a way to get in the end zone. And one of the ways that I love with the way they're utilizing Troy Franklin is they're manufacturing touches for him as a wide receiver. He has five catches at or behind the line of scrimmage that is second most in the NFL amongst wide receivers. Only Deebo has more manufactured touches through two weeks than Troy Franklin does. And they're still using him down the field as well, but they're finding ways to get the ball in this guy's hands. He was definitely a disappointment in year one as a rookie. I mean, he's 6 3, 180 pounds. He's really slight. Like he's not a big guy, but it looks like he has developed a ton of chemistry and is a priority target here in this Bonix offense.

[B]

Well, he has a lot of chemistry with Bo because they played together in college. So there's definitely some familiarity there. I think I'm a. He will be on and I'll do the waiver stuff tomorrow for you. He will be on like the speculative ads for me. This offense definitely likes to share the pill, right? They get the ball around everybody. Just one catch yesterday for Cortland Sutton. So there is. I'm not quite sold that is going to be Troy Franklin unto himself as the Broncos.

[A]

I don't think that, but I just think he needs to be on benches the same way that we talked about on that.

[C]

You know what, before we move on, I had one guy who I didn't. I didn't add him to the list and I should have and he's getting a shout out for me because, you know, shame on you, Mike Clay, for blaming people for taking kickers around early. And you know how much I love Brandon Aubrey. Everyone knows about my love for Brandon Aubrey. Brandon Aubrey leading all kickers right now from yesterday with 23 fantasy points, four for four in field goals. And let me tell you, two of those field goals were 40 yards or greater and two of them were 50 yards or greater, including one for. Was it 64 yards? I believe the guy is money. He's got a boot his from his soccer days. He's Unbelievable. The pressure was on and he did it every single day. He's unbelievable. Did you hear the about him?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where I was like his, his. They were watching football games.

[B]

Oh, no.

[C]

I knew that whole story because I.

[A]

Wasn'T sure if people that haven't listened. Stefania, do you want to tell it?

[C]

Yes. He was watched because he was playing professional soccer and then was out and his wife was like saw in football and when she saw somebody miss a kick, she was like, you could miss a kick just like, just as well as they could. And he ends up with an opportunity in I believe was the.

[A]

The ufo.

[C]

The ufo, yeah. And then was scouted by Dallas. But here's the part that they didn't tell you last night. The guy who helped him develop kicking a football because he was just like making going to a park and setting something up and trying it, didn't know what he was doing. Is the guy who was Dak Prescott's kicker in college. And that is how he got the attention of the Cowboys who then signed him out of the UFL to Dallas. And it's been mad love since. And by the way, don't tell me you can't use 23 points from your kicker. I'm saying is kickers do matter. They made every week. There have been some guys who have made your fantasy team win.

[A]

Felt like he was the only one trying to win that football game. Both teams. Neither one of them wanted to take the dub in overtime.

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

All right, let's talk about some duds here. Unfortunately for the jets. Yeah, we can do quick on this one. Justin Fields unfortunately was disappointing. He left the game in the fourth quarter because of a concussion. Yes, Stefania, they're not all linear as we know. But we are. We do understand how to approach concussions, unfortunately in fantasy football. So he was really bad. He was not.

[B]

Justin was really bad. Again, the questions about Justin as a passer weird themselves. He was 3 for 11 for 27 yards. For the good for Garrett Wilson, he once again dominated targets. He had eight targets on a game or a day in which the jets very infrequently threw the football. One more silver lining. Despite the fact that he had just 5.8 fantasy points. Breece hall, the gap widened quite a bit between him and the rest of the backfield. He is the man In Baltimore, I guess actually a week two stud is Grant Delpit, the Brown safety who like tackling Derek Henry is not that hard. The Browns backed up Grant Delpit's plea. Sort of 11 carries for 23 yards. For Derrick Henry, nothing in the passing game.

[A]

The Ravens beat him in other ways.

[B]

Ravens end up winning the game 41:17. Lamar throws four passing touchdowns.

[A]

Oh, was any of them to Mark Andrews or was he?

[B]

No, Mark Andrews had one catch for two yards. So Mark is up to a total of seven receiving yards through two games. Mark will be discussed at some point this week because we're talking about sounding the alarms on players. Mark Andrews plays tight end.

[C]

No Isaiah likely. So my thoughts that he would have a greater role with him. Not even being an option.

[A]

Nope.

[B]

Not great.

[A]

Spreading it around. How about speaking of spreading it around, Marvin Harrison Jr. Still not getting a ton of volume. Phil Jades I asked the question. Going into this week he had five targets for two catches and 27 yards. It still just doesn't feel like the vibes are there between him and Kyler.

[B]

It's not there. It was a weird game yesterday. They have a defensive touchdown early, so they played. The Cardinals were playing with a gigantic lead for a lot of this game. So perhaps the pass heaviness of the offense is a reflection of the score, not the intentions of the offense. But yeah, five targets, two for 27. We are not there yet with Marvin Harrison Jr. I don't care how high you drafted him, he is not, not a lineup lock right now.

[A]

I agree with that. It was very fun to watch an onside kick actually get like converted. I have seen an onside kick be converted in a while.

[B]

Panthers almost came back from basically the dead 27 to 9. I think it was, you know, speaking.

[A]

Of coming back from the dead, Ramondre Stevenson Field. Jesus. I thought we were speaking Treveon Henderson into existence.

[B]

Me too. Whether we like it or not, though, it's Ramondre Stevenson's backfield in New England. He actually played really well yesterday. Credit worth due. Ramondre was actually good. He looked good. Five catches, had a huge play for them in the passing game. Trayveon Henderson got flagged for two separate holding calls, which it was not the last we saw of him. They were in past protection, but we saw him very infrequently in the second half of that game. The Patriots get a win, but for those of you that have Trayvon Henderson, that's a loss. As I would say going into week three, they play the Steelers. Not convinced they'll be in lineups next week.

[A]

Nope.

[B]

I still think there's going to be a moment where he breaks through at some point this season because the team needs explosive playmakers. But I think we can all agree the rush to get him into lineups for fantasy was frankly, too fast.

[A]

And we were trying to be able to say the same thing on Keon Coleman. In spite of what was a really big Week one, we. We tried to pump the brakes a little bit here. Getting the Sauce Gardener shadow wonky game.

[B]

Right. I mean, Josh Allen barely played.

[A]

It didn't feel great.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. They kind of got game scripted out.

[A]

Of needing three quetches for three catches for 26 yards. Only 5.6 fantasy points. Can I mention one more dud real quick just because I won't be here tomorrow. And one of the guys that I think is, he's very definitely droppable. I think he has had the worst start this season in 2025 through two games. And it's a guy that was drafted as a top 100 player in fantasy football leagues just not using.

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

So you drafted him as a top 100 player. He was a top 30 running back during Fantasy season. And to start the season, he had negative two yards in week one. He had one carry for one yard in week two. And most importantly, just didn't know the rules on a kickoff.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And let the Seahawks recover a kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown. Caleb Johnson has had as bad of a start, unfortunately, as you could have in fantasy. I think he is absolutely droppable through the first two weeks. There's no way that he has the trust of his coaching staff.

[B]

I don't know exactly what the term inauspicious means. I just know that people say it was an inauspicious start when something bad happened. So I'm going to say that it's been an inauspicious start.

[A]

It has been an inauspicious start for Caleb Johnson.

[C]

You know, when something's so bad you actually feel bad for the player. That was like the when when he.

[A]

Let that kickoff go behind him and then it was just like, clearly that's not going to earn you a lot of a lot of favors. Not going to get you many stars on your star chart in the locker room field. Yates to turn that into a daddy moment there. All right, let's talk about some weekend for the Monday Night Football previews. We got two games tonight, one game at 7pm Eastern, one game at 10pm Eastern. Do you like having them stretched out so that you can watch both, or would you rather have them stacked on.

[C]

Top of the I do and I don't. You know what, I'm not going to like it tomorrow morning when I But yeah, I like it so that they're not overlapping because I want to see all of each game.

[A]

All right. Well, we've been talking about this matchup for the Bucks and the Texans. One of the big things that we've been going on about is the Texan secondary, Mike Evans and Ameca Abuka. Do you think that you see a Mecca Abuka potentially separate himself from Mike Evans? With us expecting the Derek Stingley shadow on Evans in this one, I'll be.

[B]

Interested to see if they do give Mike Evans the Derek Stingley shot yesterday. Keon Coleman did not really draw the Sauce Gardener shadows, so we'll see. I mean, I trust Mike as much as anybody, but we'll It's a really, really good secondary. Is this a potential and I'm not talking about like 125 yards from Baker Mayfield, but this is a potential night where the Bucks offense doesn't isn't quite as explosive. They came back late last week against what turns out might be a good Atlanta defense, but this Houston defense is terrific. We'll see whether Emeka Ibuka can have.

[C]

A gigantic night, if anything. I think, you know, there's still no Tristan Wurfs for Baker Mayfield. I think that's going to be problematic. But Igbuka might be a quick release guy that he can get the ball to. So volume may help you there for fantasy.

[A]

I don't mind that. I don't mind short area yardage targets. Yeah, give me, give me all the volume. Do you think that Nick Chubb sees this volume in the Houston Texans backfield? Is this a committee or. I mean even if he has it to himself, does it matter?

[B]

That's what I'm not sure if it matters. Right. We saw this player play last night and he has a different role than Chubb, but he has a little bit of what we talk about with Jordan Mason now. Right.

[A]

Like not a pass catcher.

[B]

He's a low volume pass catcher and he. This offense, I mean they scored zero touchdowns last week. They'll eventually be closer to the end zone. But you're really counting on a touchdown from Nick Chubb in order for him to pay off. It's probably two touchdowns for him to pay off as a top 20.

[C]

There's. I have to divide to how I feel personally about Nick Chubb versus how I feel in fantasy because I did watch him because I wanted to see what he, he looked like in the offense and he actually was running pretty well and a couple of times like he's definitely not shying away from anything. If you thought. Remember he ended last season on a foot fracture after coming back from that incredible knee injury. So Nick Chubb loved the player in real life? Not sure. But I'm not starting him in any fantasy.

[B]

And to me the biggest storyline on Houston is not just Nick Chubb, but Nico Collins. Right. I mean you just. We can't afford to have back to back duds from a player who last season looked like he was ready to start a run of a half decade.

[C]

Oh, I think it comes out tonight.

[B]

So C.J.

[A]

Stroud'S gonna have to get some protection in order to find Nico Collins downfield. That's. That is. I'm watching that offensive line closely.

[C]

That ain't getting any better during the season. So hopefully they have to figure it out. He's got it. It's gotta happen quickly if you're picking the.

[A]

Which one side of this game, Stefania, are you going? You Bucks? Are you going to Texans?

[C]

I forget who I picked. I already made my pick.

[B]

I'm going Texans playing at home in Houston. The desperate Owen one too.

[C]

I think that's who I went with. But I gotta look up my pig skin.

[A]

I'm gonna take the Bucks. Take the Bucks in this One. How about the next one? Chargers and Chargers and Raiders field Yates.

[B]

By the way, couple of rookie running backs. Yeah, it's really the Ashton Genti versus Omari and Hampton show tonight for our purposes, of course. These guys were the first two running backs taken in the real draft. They were the first two rookie running backs taken in fantasy drafts. The big question tonight for Ashton Genty to me is does he get a little bit more help from the offense? Offensive line, 44 rushing yards after contact last week, 38 total rushing yards. He played 86% of the snaps. That's elite. We need a bit more help from the offensive line and we need a bit more in the passing game for Genti to pay off as a first round investment. And for Hampton, like I think the good things are going to come for Amari and Hampton despite the fact that he had a pretty pedestrian week one performance. I think the only thing that I'm watching tonight is does Najee Harris's role increase? It was basically nothing the last time they played, which was week one in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Najee also was like what, three to five practices into his return from that eye injury. Not enough that I think it changes my feelings that Hampton should definitely be started. The more Najee Harris plays, the more value extracted though from Omari and Hampton.

[C]

All in on that. Yep. Moving on.

[A]

So with that, let's talk about tight end then. Yeah. Brock Bowers.

[C]

Right. Because he's the question mark. Officially questionable coming into Monday Night Football. But we talked about this yesterday on fantasy football. Now that everything was coming up roses after Saturday, he was able to come out and practice. Pete Carroll, very optimistic about it. Rock Bower is a little less committal to being available for Monday night. More of a we'll wait and see. But also said he was really excited to play on Monday Night Football. So I think we're going to see him out there. Barring some crazy last minute surprise, if you have Michael Mayer available in your fantasy leagues, you should be rostering him anyway just in case because he's one of the few tight ends that will step in and pick up the bulk of the work regard. He even had a few catches with Brock Bowers playing. So make sure you have him and double check the lineups once once the team's release who's officially inactive. But I do expect Brock Bowers to play. I expect him to have a good.

[A]

Game for the Chargers pass catchers. Does it feel like, I shouldn't say, does it feel like for my starts of the week I had travion Henderson and Ricky Pearsall as two of them, they did not do well. Justin Herbert's my quarterback, so I'm going to need him to be out here slinging it against a Raiders secondary.

[B]

Drake Maze.

[A]

Yeah. And he did very well. So I am. I am playing from behind here on Monday Night Football, but we watched Justin Herbert look really good in week one, and this Raiders secondary can definitely be taken advantage of. Do you think all three of them eat tonight or do we have a more condensed target tree?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, the Chargers were to pass heavy offense in week one, even in neutral opportunities, which is where you could expect a run or pass that bodes very well. The only way that that is chopped off a little bit is if the running game controls the line of scrimmage and they are able to move the football much more effectively with our Mario Hampton. The bigger night for Amarian Hampton means the less likely that all three of these guys pay off tonight. But, you know, certainly still consider lad McConkey an integral part of your lineup each and every week.

[A]

Absolutely.

[C]

I need Quentin Johnston to be a thing.

[A]

Apparently, they look like I need the opposite of that.

[C]

I would like him to be a.

[B]

Thing 85% of the snaps last week. Week well ahead of Keenan Allen, even though Keenan, of course, had those 10 targets. Keenan is one of those guys that, like, when they need to throw the football, it's going to be third down.

[C]

I'm going to use that forever. After Khalil Mack called him and he's.

[A]

Like, Mr. Third down, third down.

[C]

I was like, that's exactly who he is.

[A]

What was the baseball movie Mr. 3000 is that was Bernie Mac? Was that what it was? Yeah, it was on Mr. 3000. So, yeah, Keenan Allen's just Mr. Third down. I like that.

[B]

Nice callback. Yeah, I know Bernie Mac. Mr. 3000. Let's go, baby. I got called Chargers. The.

[A]

In this game, I am taking the Chargers as well.

[C]

I had the Chargers and I took the Texans in the prior game.

[A]

You did take the Texans. Okay, so I'm the only one in the bucks. I'm keeping it so that we're not having a sweep, guys. All right?

[B]

So you get swept in the wrong way.

[A]

No one wants that. No one wants.

[B]

No one gives credit to the shows when everybody gets the pick correct, but they love.

[A]

They love when all of you get it wrong.

[C]

Haters, haters, Haters.

[A]

All right, we'll be back tomorrow, diving into the rest of our week two preview. Excuse me. Recap. As well as week three waivers, Liz Lowe's is going to host the show. I will be out. So it'll be Liz A little nappy.

[C]

Nap because you're doing so much work.

[A]

I'm gonna nap during the afternoon and then I get to stay up all night long watching Monday Night Football. And I don't have to go to bed early, so I am pumped for it. But make sure you come back tomorrow. It's gonna be a very good show. Don't forget to love each other, be kind to yourself, and have fun watching Monday Night Football. We'll see you guys tomorrow.

[B]

See ya.

[C]

You're in the fantasy.

[A]

Fantasy Focus.

[B]

You've seen the headlines, heard the debates. The three point ball has created a.

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Monotonous rhythm to the game.

[B]

Has the three pointer ruined basketball? And how did we get here? The rise of the three point shot can be partially traced to an eccentric Kansas genius named Martin Manley, whose story didn't turn out out quite the way he imagined. I decided I wanted to have one of the most organized goodbyes in history. 30 for 30 podcast presents Chasing Basketball Heaven. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.