Fantasy Football Week 2 Winners & Losers: Nice Jaylen Waddle Bounceback

Week 1 was one of the highest-scoring kickoff weekends in NFL history. And for fantasy football, it was a lot of fun.

Week 2? Not so much.

Low scores, injuries and bad weather headlined a rather dreary Week 2 around the NFL. There is still one game left, but let’s recap the week that was, highlighting the fantasy football winners and losers.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Winners

Bucky Irving | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers

My colleague Joe Metz highlighted Bucky Irving last week, but I have to double down after today.

Here’s why.

In Week 1, Irving’s usage was very friendly, yet I was still a bit skeptical. I wanted to see it for a second consecutive game. And in Week 2, even with Sean Tucker active, Irving’s usage remained stellar. He logged 77% of the snaps, up from his 62% snap share from Week 1. Irving also ran nearly 60% of the routes, while playing every snap in the two-minute drill and splitting third-down work with Kenneth Gainwell. We’ve seen some plays this season with both Irving and Gainwell on the field, but perhaps most importantly for Irving, we didn’t see Tucker play a snap today.

Through two weeks, Irving is averaging a healthy 18 touches per game, while logging 70% of the snaps. He has to be considered one of the top risers in all of fantasy football in the early going.

Jaylen Waddle | WR | Denver Broncos

As someone who was insanely high on Jaylen Waddle this offseason, it’s safe to say his Week 1 outing was disappointing.

I needed today badly.

Waddle bounced back on Sunday, hauling in 8-of-10 targets for 138 yards. He just missed a touchdown, getting tackled at the 1-yard line on a 49-yard catch. Sean Payton promised the Broncos would get Waddle more involved and they delivered, as Waddle accounted for nearly 35% of Denver’s targets against the Jaguars. The Broncos will continue to play a ton of wideouts, but when Waddle is on the field, he’ll be drawing targets.

Dalton Schultz | TE | Houston Texans

Tight end can often be a wasteland in fantasy football, but for those in need of help, Dalton Schultz came through on Sunday. Benefiting from the absence of Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins, Schultz exploded for 12 catches for 140 yards on a whopping 14 targets. His 28% target share trailed only Trey McBride and Dalton Kincaid among tight ends in Week 2, drawing a target on 30% of his routes. Before Sunday Night Football, no player in the league has seen more targets than Schultz this week.

He could stay busy in Week 3.

Collins didn’t practice to end the week and is reportedly expected to miss at least one more game, paving the way for Schultz to once again operate as C.J. Stroud’s top target against a vulnerable Colts pass defense.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Losers

Travis Etienne | RB | New Orleans Saints

I've been all over the place with Travis Etienne lately.

When he first signed with the Saints, I had very little interest from a fantasy perspective. But once Alvin Kamara was expected to miss a month of action, my tune changed and my interest grew. But now?

Well, let’s just say we’re back to where we started.

Kamara was active for the first time this season on Sunday and his presence impacted Etienne massively. Etienne led the backfield with 54% of the snaps, but it was Kamara who led the way with 14 touches to Etienne’s 10. Etienne salvaged his day last week thanks to 9 targets and 7 receptions on just 24 routes, an already-unsustainable clip. But with Kamara back in the lineup today, Etienne’s routes dropped to 13, as this backfield was a true committee. Etienne and Kamara essentially split the early-down playing time, while Etienne played all of the two-minute snaps. However, CJ Donaldson shockingly logged 10-of-13 RB snaps on third down.

Running back usage can change on a weekly basis, but it appears Etienne is the favorite for goal-line work (he converted a two-point conversion), while Kamara will split touches. And between Kamara and now Donaldson’s presence, Etienne’s pass-catching upside has vanished. He’ll be a very risky start next week against the Raiders.

Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | New England Patriots

Last year, a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble didn’t automatically spell doom for the Patriots running back. Mike Vrabel would still go right back to the veteran with the utmost confidence.

Today felt different.

Stevenson coughed up the ball again on Sunday, opportune timing for TreVeyon Henderson, who made his season debut. The fumble was lost on New England's first drive of the game with just under 12 minutes left in the first quarter. Henderson was on the field to start the next drive, rushing for a 39-yard touchdown. Following the fumble, Henderson out-touched Stevenson 16-5, while handling over 80% of the snaps over the Patriots’ next few drives. To no one’s surprise, Henderson showcased more explosiveness and speed than Stevenson, something this New England offense desperately needs right now.

It’s unlikely that today’s developments will lead to Henderson taking over this backfield. But the days of Stevenson logging 85% of the snaps are certainly over.

Luther Burden | WR | Chicago Bears

The NFL truly is a week-to-week game.

After settling the league ablaze with 59 points in Week 1, penalties, poor play and some weather limited the Bears to just 3 on Sunday. And once again, it was the Chicago pass catchers who failed to deliver, especially Burden and Colston Loveland. Burden had zero catches until the final drive of the game, all of which came from Tyson Bagent, who entered for the injured Caleb Williams. It’s a hamstring injury for Williams, though the severity isn’t known yet. That alone is a problem for Burden, but apparently, so is the presence of Kalif Raymond.

Seriously.

For the second consecutive week, Raymond led the Bears in receiving, as he continues to play more than the fantasy community would probably like. With Rome Odunze (90% of route) returning to a full-time role, Burden and Raymond essentially split snaps when the Bears were in 12 personnel, which was 40% of the time. And with Chicago also implementing some three-tight end sets, it’s no wonder Burden logged only 57% of the snaps.

Burden is still getting looks when he’s out there, sporting a 23% TPRR today. The Bears have also been running the football so much, especially on early downs. Better days are ahead for Chicago’s pass catchers, but it'll be tough to guess when those days might be.