Two weeks into the bizarre 2020 season and we’ve already seen seismic shifts in the fortunes of fantasy football teams due to injuries. There are only two things certain about the NFL: It’s a violent game and injuries happen. But, this may be the earliest the chickens have come home to roost and ruin a fantasy team.
In just two games, we’ve seen arguably the top two picks in most fantasy football drafts – running backs Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley – and the top wide receiver – Michael Thomas – get knocked out of action.
This is the truest test of a fantasy football player if it happens to you. It’s a debilitating loss. Those players were counted on to be your weekly roster compass. You might make changes elsewhere, but there aren’t many players that are every-week starts, but those three were.
Each injury is unique unto itself, but the one thing that 2020 brought for the first time was the lack of hitting before wins and losses mattered. The NFL went from 0-to-80 in a hurry by cancelling the preseason and players were dragged along.
The result may well be a rash of injuries in the first four weeks – the time typically spent lightly hitting in camp and aggressively hitting for short periods in the preseason. It’s been “Game On!” for two weeks and it’s been “Game Over” for an inordinate number of players – offensive and defensive – and it has changed how teams are already looking at their fate in 2020.
Here is the Week 3 Fantasy Football Market Report:
Fantasy Football Risers
WR Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
There were a lot of fantasy analysts that were all over Ridley despite being the clear No. 2 guy in Atlanta behind Julio Jones. Not so fast, my friend. The numbers through two games speak for themselves – 16-239-4 for Ridley, 11-181-0 for Jones.
But, in his last 15 games, Ridley has scored 11 touchdowns and scored a TD in nine different games. In his last 14 games, Julio has scored two TDs – and both came in the same game. Fantasy football is about what have you done for me lately and Ridley has been the man.
TE Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
There was a bit of disappointment in Fant as a rookie, who had just two games with more than 60 receiving yards, 11 with less than 40 and three touchdowns. In two games this season, despite an injury-involved change at quarterback, Fant has caught nine of 11 passes thrown his way, has 138 yards and a TD in each game. He wasn’t necessarily drafted to be a starter in fantasy leagues, but he’s making his case.
WR Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Did the Bills give up to much to acquire Diggs from Minnesota? In two games, he leads the NFL with 16 receptions and 239 yards (with one TD). He has eight catches in both games and yardage totals of 86 and 153. He has done everything Buffalo expected and has pushed his way into the must-start category every week.
WR Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
Nothing is guaranteed now that Christian McCaffrey is down, but, when the Panthers brought Anderson over, he had a mild bit of swag because of his skill to string together strong fantasy outings.
In two games, Teddy Bridgewater has thrown his way 18 times. He has caught 15 of them for 223 yards and one touchdown. He’s one of only two players in the NFL through two weeks with two 100-yard receiving games (114 and 109) and he likely spent at least one week on a bench if not both. If your roster is so strong, trade him away. His value will never be higher.
TE Johnnu Smith, Tennessee Titans
For years, Delanie Walker was the man in Tennessee. As failed draft picks and mid-range free agents came and went at wide receiver, the Titans built an offense that included a big tight end component because it had to. Walker is gone. But, that mindset of using the tight end as a primary passing weapon hasn’t changed.
Smith has caught just eight passes in two games, but has three touchdowns to show for it. In TE-mandatory leagues, a weak roster got stronger when he was pulled off the waiver wire.
WR Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
This is a long play that you can likely pull off the waiver wire. Ben Roethlisberger has a long history of developing young, non-first round receivers over his career. Two of those guys – JuJu Smith-Schuster (2nd round, 2017) and Diontae Johnson (3rd, 2019) have both had big games to start the season. But, Claypool has been targeted just five times. He has caught them all for 127 yards and a touchdown. It may take an injury to get more looks his way, but Roethlisberger loves what he sees so far.
Fantasy Football Fallers
WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
There are rumors that the Bears might look to trade Robinson for the right deal. If that’s the case, they’re going about it wrong. He has had 18 targets in two games, but has caught just eight passes for 107 yards. Those aren’t the kind of numbers you bank on for a WR1 (where many analysts had him ranked).
I’ve always been scared of how brutal Mitchell Trubisky can be, so it impacts my feelings on Robinson. But this comes at a time when five different Bears have caught touchdown passes and Mr. Robinson isn’t one of them.
WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Anyone who had Green last year likely doesn’t have him this year because a preseason injury that never put him on Injured Reserve resulted in him stealing a fantasy roster spot all season.
He and Joe Burrow have no rapport so far. The rookie has thrown his way 22 times, but he has caught just eight passes for 80 yards with a long of 15. At least he wasn’t in the lineup when he was killing fantasy owners last year that had him pegged as a WR1 or WR2.
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
He has built enough fantasy cred to be viewed as a top-20 receiver. He apologized after Week 1 when a key drop cost the Colts a chance to beat lowly Jacksonville. He had a touchdown bomb in his hands all alone on Sunday and dropped it.
He has caught just seven of 14 passes thrown his way and has just 81 yards and no touchdowns. It’s not time to cut him, but it’s time to reassess your available players and ask yourself if you think they can score more?
TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz owners expect 100 yards and a TD every week. While not realistic, it is realistic to think that he will provide you enough fantasy points to make him worthwhile. In his first game, he caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown – numbers you would associate with a blocking tight end who nobody covered in the Red Zone. Last week, he caught five passes for 42 yards.
At a time when tight ends are posting some really big weekly numbers (including teammate Dallas Goedert in Week 1), Ertz is a fantasy anomaly. Team owners are afraid to bench him because they know what he’s capable of. But, he just isn’t showing it.
WR Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
For a lot of guys on this list, it’s been targets not corresponding with receptions and yards that is the problem. In Shepard’s case, it’s a trust from his QB. He has been replaced as the No. 1 receiver by Darius Slayton, who has 15 targets, nine receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also been surpassed by tight end Evan Engram as the No. 2 guy.
Shepard has caught eight of the 10 passes thrown his way, but they’ve been short passes that have netted just 76 yards. He was viewed as the guy to have in the Giants pass game. Not anymore.