https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/sunday-aftermath-joe-burrows-injury-j-j-mccarthys-struggles-quinshon-judkins-debut-and-more
For all intents and purposes, Joe Burrow’s fantasy season is over. Undergoing left foot surgery to repair torn toe ligaments, Burrow is expected to miss a minimum of three months. That puts his return some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s if he returns at all, of course. It’s quite possible the Bengals’ season submarines with Jake Browning under center, and that the next time we see Burrow is in 2026.
So if Burrow’s fantasy season is over, the next question becomes: Is yours? As any longtime fantasy player knows, Burrow’s loss isn’t as big of a deal for his own drafters as it is for those of his supporting cast. Although Burrow required legitimate draft capital this summer, you can simply play matchups until the right long-term solution presents itself. Even if it doesn’t, you can stream your way through a fantasy campaign. (The calculus is obviously different in two-QB or superflex formats, where securing Browning should be considered a 100 percent FAAB outlay priority.)
But if you selected Ja’Marr Chase at 1.1? Or Tee Higgins in the third or fourth round? You are in entirely different territory. Via the awesome RotoViz game splits app, we know Chase has averaged 20.7 PPR points with Burrow under center, and just 11.1 without. For Higgins, the numbers are 15.2 with, 11.8 without. Nearly all of the non-Burrow sample size came down the stretch in 2023, where the Bengals were sort of in the AFC playoff race but not really.
Will things be any different this time around? They certainly were on Sunday, where Browning understood the assignment: Get the ball to the best player Chase, and do it constantly. That’s a tried-and-true backup quarterback formula. The problem there is for Higgins. Can Browning really keep two elite fantasy wideouts afloat? It also stands to reason even the pass-happy Bengals will now lean much more heavily on the running game.
Our only real option is to see how it plays out, but the new reality is probably something like: Chase remains a WR1, but is a more volatile option in the WR5-8 range. Higgins goes from the WR1/2 borderline to probably more of the WR2/3 borderline. Not ruinous. Also not what you signed up for. Your season just got a lot harder, but Browning has shown just enough that it’s not yet time to consider it “over.”
Five Week 2 Storylines
J.J. McCarthy takes a step (or three) back. If Burrow was the biggest Week 2 quarterback storyline, McCarthy wasn’t far behind. The first-year starter but second-year pro has now played eight quarters of NFL football. Seven of them have been about as bad as it gets. Although the Falcons were only kicking field goals until the Vikings let Tyler Allgeier score a late touchdown, at no point did it feel like the Vikes could win the game, or even make it close. That was the case in Chicago in Week 1 until what is looking like one of the worst defenses in the league completely fell apart. Bizarrely glued to just one side of the field — a criticism that came up in McCarthy’s pre-draft process — the young quarterback needs to grow up in a hurry. The reality is, McCarthy is under different pressures than your standard first-year starter. For one thing, it’s not his first year. For another, the Vikes are a contending team. An excellent step one would at least be going toe to toe with backup QB Jake Browning this Sunday.
Justin Fields follows up bazooka Week 1 with concussion-marred Week 2. Rarely if ever will you see a better illustration of a player’s duality than Fields’ Weeks 1 and 2. Week 1, the absolute peak. Week 2, the rock bottom nadir. Fields is a “dual threat” who can’t really pass. He’s a quarterback with essentially one pass catcher. He is a runner who frequently neglects to protect himself. That’s how you get a billion points against the Steelers and a bank examiner special against the Bills. The only truly clear takeaway from Sunday is that if you are relying on Fields as an every-week starter, you probably shouldn’t be doing that. Add a piggyback while the waiver wire still has several legitimate QB12-18 streamer options kicking around.
Quinshon Judkins immediately takes over Browns’ backfield. Judkins was supposed to be eased in to his NFL debut, but talent logic has a way of quickly taking hold. Judkins is by far the Browns’ most talented runner, as well as their only legitimate between-the-tackles option. Ergo, 10 carries on 19 snaps against the Ravens. Both those numbers will be his absolute baseline, with the snaps potentially doubling for Week 3 against the Packers. The carries, on the other hand, could maybe fall. The Browns have no way to compete with the mighty Pack. Sustaining drives could prove close to impossible. But don’t let it get you down if you need Judkins as a weekly starter. Better days will be ahead once Micah Parsons and company leave town.
Rome Odunze lone bright spot for Bears in fiasco performance. You can’t say nothing is going right for the Bears. That’s because Odunze exists. Out-targeting DJ Moore 20-11 through two games and soundly out-producing him, Odunze is finally looking like the first-round pick he was in 2024. He has definitely been the Bears’ No. 1 receiver. Here comes the inevitable caveat. With the Bears’ offense again looking some variation of broken, they are going to need Moore’s short-area and manufactured looks, etc. It’s also difficult to make a living with a quarterback in Caleb Williams who has so far been amongst the league’s least accurate passers. More valleys are likely ahead. It just sure seems like they will be accompanied by actual peaks this time around. Odunze deserves some low-end WR2 love for a mouthwatering Week 3 matchup with the Cowboys.
Tyler Warren looks like a star as Colston Loveland turns invisible. Two games, yes. Still not sure I would have selected Loveland over Warren like the Bears did. Loveland is sitting on three total targets, one of which came from Tyson Bagent. Warren is the TE4 by average PPR points despite a daunting Week 2 matchup with the Broncos. He is leading a resurgent Colts offense in receptions and receiving yards. Like Chicago, Indianapolis has a deep and varied skill corps. The fact that Warren can lead it even for two games is an extremely bullish indicator for both his 2025 and beyond. Loveland? If he can’t produce an actual box score against the pathetic Cowboys in Week 3, it might already be time to cut bait in 12-team leagues.
Don’t forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter/Bluesky.
Five More Week 2 Storylines
Daniel Jones forces us to take notice. Fantasy managers knew not to overreact to Daniel Jones’ Week 1 outburst. We’ve been around this block before. Jones and dual-threat skill-set have produced plenty of spiked weeks. The problem was always what came after. Well what came after this week was another monster performance, and this one against a far better defense than he faced in Week 1. Hilariously, Jones now finds himself as the QB2 overall behind only Lamar Jackson through two games played. Could things actually be different this time? What is different is this is the deepest and most varied supporting cast of Jones’ career. It’s probably also his best coaching staff, and by a considerable distance. It’s maybe also even his best running game, no offense to Saquon Barkley’s lost Giants years. What we know for sure: We can stream Jones, very much including in Week 3 against the Titans. Let’s not ruin a good thing and just leave it at that for now.
The Zach Charbonnet/Kenneth Walker III plot thickens. Charbonnet out-carried KWIII for the second consecutive contest. He, uhh, did not out-gain him for the second consecutive contest. One week after one of the worst games of his career, KWIII out-rushed Charbonnet 105-10. That’s what Charbonnet produced on 15 carries. That’s what Walker produced on … 36 percent of the snaps. You could say there’s a lot going on here. I still think the main takeaway is Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has determined Walker could not continue to hold up as a true every-down back, and that he needs Charbonnet as more of a true 1B complement than breather back. Then again, I have no idea what to think. I expected far more Charbonnet involvement this season. We have gotten it. There’s just no way it will continue if he has more Sundays like he did against the Steelers. For now, Walker belongs in the RB20-24 range. Charbonnet, RB30-36.
Cam Skattebo appears to take control of Giants’ backfield. Skattebo not only out-carried Tyrone Tracy 11-5, he out-snapped him, as well. It was also when the takeover occurred that was notable: Down the stretch of a shootout the Giants felt they had to have. In winning time, it was the rookie, and there is little reason to expect that to change going forward. Skattebo has his limitations, but he can do a little bit of everything. He also lacks the ball-security baggage that continues to haunt Tracy’s every touch. Despite what Sunday might lead you to believe, this offense is not going to be a font of fantasy goodness. Skattebo is going to have a difficult time rising above middling FLEX status, especially for a tough Week 3 matchup with the Chiefs. But he is sure going to have an easier time of it than Tracy.
As the Sean Payton turns. As usual, Payton is having a difficult time figuring out his rotations. RJ Harvey did see a Week 2 uptick in snaps, but not production. Troy Franklin seemed to re-blow by Marvin Mims on the depth chart. Evan Engram, again, was barely involved. The Engram one stings for me — I thought he would be a source of “free” PPR production — though there’s still the potential cope he is dealing with a calf injury. But it sure looks like he’s stuck in a rotation with Payton favorite Adam Trautman. As usual, Payton probably needs to narrow his touches tree. Too many mediocre players are touching the ball too many times. With a critical divisional tilt on tap with the Chargers, Week 3 could provide a better idea of where all this is heading.
Patriots backfield gets gloomier. Fantasy managers wanted more work for TreVeyon Henderson. The best the Patriots could do was an expanded Antonio Gibson role. Oh, and Rhamondre Stevenson solidified his current standing as the RB1. For now it’s clear old school head coach Mike Vrabel views Stevenson as the closest thing he has to a starter, and that Henderson is a strict change-of-pace passing-game complement. That would maybe be ok if Gibson weren’t also a passing-down change-of-pace complement on Sunday. This could get a whole lot worse before it gets better for early-round Henderson drafters. He’s not a viable FLEX play for Week 3 against the Steelers.
Questions
1. Is J.J. McCarthy going to set the single-season record for people going back and passive aggressively retweeting old posts?
2. Seriously … where is Andy Reid finding these 4th-and-short plays?
3. Can we get Brandon Aubrey just one MVP vote?
Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Jake Browning (all superflex leagues), Daniel Jones (@TEN), Trevor Lawrence (vs. HOU), Geno Smith (@WAS), Matthew Stafford (@PHI), Sam Darnold (vs. NO), Michael Penix Jr. (@CAR)
RB: Tyler Allgeier, Najee Harris, Kareem Hunt, Jeremy McNichols, Kyle Monangai
WR: Cedric Tillman, Kayshon Boutte, Josh Palmer, Wan’Dale Robinson, Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Malik Washington, Tyquan Thornton, Hunter Renfrow
TE: Harold Fannin Jr., Juwan Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jake Tonges
DEF: Seahawks (vs. NO), Colts (@TEN), Falcons (@CAR), Patriots (vs. PIT), Bengals (@MIN), Bucs (vs. NYJ), Cowboys (@CHI)
Elic Ayomanor and Troy Franklin are climbing their respective depth charts and both found the end zone in Week 2. They headline a strong group of receivers for the Week 3 waiver wire.
Stats of the Week
14-13. That’s Calvin Ridley’s two-week “target advantage” over fourth-rounder rookie Elic Ayomanor. It’s within the range of outcomes the rook simply blows by the veteran on the depth chart.
46.6. That’s Aaron Jones’ snap percentage through two games played. Now he has yet another hamstring injury. Fantasy drafters’ summer skepticism is looking highly warranted.
Through two games, Jalen Hurts has two completions of 10-plus air yards. We are going to need more than that, Jalen.
Awards Section
Week 2 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Jared Goff, RB Jonathan Taylor, RB James Cook, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Malik Nabers, WR Ja’Marr Chase, TE Tucker Kraft
Week 2 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Derrick Henry, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Drake London, WR Courtland Sutton, TE Mark Andrews
Free Shot Play of the Week: Not J.J. McCarthy thinking had a free play but the penalty was actually on the offense and he threw an interception.
That Can’t Happen If You’re The Broncos Award: Cam Bynum intercepting a pass then celebrating by … gyrating with Colts mascot “Blue.”
The I Would Have Maybe Learned The Kickoff Rules Before Not Returning That Kickoff Award: Kaleb Johnson and the Steelers.
The, Alright, I Think I’ve Finally Had Enough Award: The “tush push.”
https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/sunday-aftermath-joe-burrows-injury-j-j-mccarthys-struggles-quinshon-judkins-debut-and-more
