Fantasy Football Week 2: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

With another Sunday of football wrapping up, it’s time to once again take a look at some of the key takeaways from Week 2’s action.

Tony Romo's injury was the big story of the day. How will it impact the Dallas offense from a fantasy perspective?

Several big-named wide receivers stepped up to the plate after disappointing in Week 1, but two—Antonio Brown and Julio Jones—have already separated themselves from the field.

Additionally, the backfields in Arizona and Washington now look wide open, with rookie running backs David Johnson and Matt Jones knocking on the respective doors. 

Also brewing in Arizona: Carson Palmer’s emergence as a solid QB1 for fantasy teams.

This article will go over all of these takeaways and more, starting with the day's key story and its fantasy implications.

Tony Romo’s Injury Makes Cowboys WRs Nearly Unplayable

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Tony Romo

The Cowboys offense suddenly looks a lot less formidable from a fantasy perspective.

One week after losing superstar wideout Dez Bryant for 10-12 weeks, quarterback Tony Romo fractured his left clavicle, per Judy Battista of NFL.com. Adam Schefter later reported the Cowboys are currently expecting Romo to miss 8-10 weeks.

It goes without saying that losing Bryant and Romo in back-to-back weeks is brutal. It’s actually as close to a killing blow as it gets—at least in terms of fantasy value.

Jason Witten was his usual self in Week 2, catching seven of eight targets for 56 yards and no score. He remains a TE1, but while Romo is out, he’s a clear rung below Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen.

Outside of Witten, however, Dallas now offers fantasy owners next to nothing. 

Williams slides from “potential WR2” to flex territory, and slot receiver Cole Beasley slips out of starting lineups altogether—unless you are in a deep PPR league. To be fair, Beasley was a fringe starter anyway (and only after Bryant's injury).

And the backfield remains a mess. Joseph Randle carried the ball 18 times for 51 yards (2.8 average), and Darren McFadden notched 10 carries for 31 yards (3.1 average). Neither had a run longer than 10 yards. In fact, Dallas’ longest run in Week 2 came from Romo (12 yards).

The hope was that Dallas would produce a tail-end RB1 or solid RB2 simply because they would be a high-scoring offense. With the two most pivotal players of that offense now sidelined for at least two months, that’s no longer the case.

Carson Palmer Is a Legit QB1

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Carson Palmer is now a QB1 in fantasy football

Carson Palmer entered the season as a QB2 in fantasy leagues. He was solid but unspectacular in 2014, and it was natural for fantasy players to have a few more questions about Palmer heading into 2015 given his age (35) and the fact that he was returning from a second ACL injury.

Through two weeks this season, Palmer has silenced all doubters and should now be considered an unquestioned QB1 for fantasy purposes.

Palmer was a top-10 quarterback in Week 2 (with the Green Bay-Seattle and Indianapolis-New York games still to play) after tossing four touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. It was his second straight game with over 20 fantasy points and at least three touchdowns.

With John Brown living up to expectations, Larry Fitzgerald finding the fountain of youth and a high-upside backfield consisting of David Johnson, Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, Palmer has the weapons around him to sustain a high level of play. 

Start Palmer with confidence. And if you drafted him as a backup, you now have a valuable trade chip at your disposal.

Matt Jones Enters Flex Conversation, Has RB2 Upside

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Jones

It’s difficult to make a sweeping statement about Matt Jones and the Washington backfield after just two weeks, but it’s clear that the Redskins want to get Jones the ball.

Believe it or not, in just his second game as a pro, Jones had more carries than Alfred Morris.

That’s the same Alfred Morris that carried the ball 25 times in Week 1 and had more than 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons. If the Redskins are willing to give Jones more touches than Morris, it gives you a sense of how much they must like him.

“It appears a running back controversy could be coming in Washington,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway. “At the very least, it appears Jones has turned the Washington running back situation into a timeshare.”

Morris had 18 carries in Week 2 compared to Jones’ 19, so it’s not like Morris was completely forgotten. However, Jones scored two touchdowns (Morris didn’t score) and added three receptions for 23 yards (compared to Morris’ two receptions for 13 yards). Jones was simply the better player in Week 2.

That doesn’t mean Jones is now an RB1 or even an RB2, but it does mean that he deserves flex consideration. Pick him up if he’s on your waiver wire; he has RB2 upside if the Redskins decide to go with the hot hand (which Jones currently has).

Allen Robinson Is a Must-Start Each Week

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Allen Robinson dominated in Week 2

Several fantasy owners benched Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Allen Robinson in Week 2 after the second-year pro underperformed in Week 1. John Paulsen at 4for4 Fantasy Football noted on Twitter that Robinson was started in only 23.4 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. 

In fact, some people cut ties altogether. According to ESPN.com’s fantasy data, Robinson was dropped in 7.3 percent of leagues after Week 1.

Not only should you not cut ties with Robinson, but he shouldn’t be on your bench, either. Robinson has established himself as a top-24 fantasy wideout (WR2) with a high ceiling—which we saw today. He was a top-five fantasy receiver in Week 2 following the Sunday afternoon and late-afternoon games.

Robinson is the centerpiece of a Jacksonville offense that has been desperate for a centerpiece for some time. He was targeted 12 times in Week 2; Jacksonville's other receivers—including Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee and Rashad Greene—had 12 targets combined.

Cards RB David Johnson Is Now Flex Material

David Banks/Associated Press

David Johnson

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians mused earlier this week, per the team's official website, that he didn’t want to put too much on rookie running back David Johnson’s plate with starter Andre Ellington sidelined with an injury. 

“If we didn’t have Chris [Johnson] we’d probably turn to Kerwynn [Williams] because he’s done it before,” Arians said, “and keep David in his role. (David Johnson’s) role has expanded (this week) and it should expand every week now.” 

After Week 2, look for D. Johnson’s role to expand rapidly. 

He returned the opening kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown and tacked on another 42 yards and a score on the ground. D. Johnson did trail C. Johnson in carries—the elder Johnson had 20 carries compared to the rookie’s five—but D. Johnson now has three total touchdowns in two games.

And he scored all three of his touchdowns in different ways—one receiving, one rushing and one returning. He’s a versatile player who has undoubtedly earned more touches in Arizona’s offense.

D. Johnson is now worth a flex spot in fantasy leagues and is an immediate RB2 if Arians decides to hand the rookie the reins. It should be noted that this situation will have to be re-evaluated when Ellington returns from injury, but D. Johnson has created a window of opportunity for himself with his play during the first two games of the season.

Crockett Gillmore Has Tail-End TE1 Appeal

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Crockett Gillmore scored two touchdowns in Week 2

Baltimore Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore was a popular sleeper pick heading into the season that nearly everyone fell asleep on after he caught just two passes for 23 yards in Week 1.

By the end of the first half in Week 2, Gillmore had four receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

The tight end position is loaded in fantasy. Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Greg Olsen, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett occupy the first six spots at the tight end position, leaving only six spots of "TE1" options left. And with players such as Tyler Eifert, Jordan Reed, Jordan Cameron and others rising, there are really only a few TE1 spots left—if any.

But Gillmore’s Week 2 performance suggests he at least belongs in the conversation as a tail-end TE1. We should wait to see if he's able to perform on a consistent basis before going all-in, but at the very least, Gillmore should now be considered one of the best backup tight ends in fantasy.

Antonio Brown, Julio Jones in Clear Battle for No. 1 Wideout Spot

Don Wright/Associated Press

Antonio Brown

Several elite wide receivers disappointed in Week 1, and while many of them—including Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green—bounced back in Week 2, Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown and Atlanta’s Julio Jones have clearly separated themselves as the best fantasy wideouts in 2015. 

Consistency is one of the key reasons why. Brown and Jones can be relied upon week in and week out to put up top-10 numbers. 

Through two weeks, Brown (328) and Jones (276) are first and second in receiving yards, respectively. Jones’ 22 receptions are tied with Julian Edelman for most in the league through two weeks, and Brown is right behind with 18. 

Additionally, unlike the other elite wideout options, Brown and Jones are beneficiaries of reliable quarterback play and have earned the trust of those quarterbacks. Through two weeks, Jones (14) and Brown (13) have caught more passes for a first down than any other wideout.

Brown and Jones currently dominate all statistical categories across the board. That should be the case all season long, and it will be fun to watch these two duke it out for the right to be crowned king of receivers in fantasy-land.