Calvin Ridley hopes to get on track in Tampa Bay, Amari Cooper aims to stay scorching vs. the Chargers and Tyler Lockett eyes a hot streak against the Titans.
Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Week 2 Receivers
WR Notes: It is actually impossible to envision a better bounce-back spot for Davante Adams than the Detroit Lions. … Stefon Diggs had his best game of 2020 against the Dolphins’ elite secondary. Even if he doesn’t end up doing much with them this week, the targets simply have to be voluminous. … Justin Jefferson was inches away from a 35-yard touchdown in Week 1. Everything remains in its right place in this absurdly-narrow offense. … It is more than a little bit terrifying thinking what DK Metcalf might do against a Titans secondary that kept serving up touchdowns to Christian Kirk last Sunday. This matchup also has Tyler Lockett back in the top 12 after his gangbusters Indy effort. … Calvin Ridley’s opener went as poorly as possible. He will look to get back on track vs. a Bucs defense that surrendered the most wide receiver receptions in Week 1. Ridley’s problem is stone man Matt Ryan behind the Falcons’ woeful offensive line against the Bucs’ heated pass rush. … For as jaw dropping as CeeDee Lamb’s Week 1 usage was, Amari Cooper’s Dak Prescott mindmeld remained the most pertinent Cowboys receiver fact. Especially with Michael Gallup now on injured reserve, Cooper could be poised for his compiling masterpiece campaign.
Fresh off running wide open against the Football Team, Keenan Allen is going to be … running wide open against the Cowboys. … It’s not exactly encouraging that A.J. Brown (knee) is already requiring maintenance days, but he looked like the freak we know and love vs. the Cardinals. There are many things to worry about for the Titans after Week 1. Brown against the Seahawks’ secondary isn’t one of them. … Every single one of Chris Godwin’s usage metrics popped in Week 1. Highly encouraging after last year’s “down” campaign, though Mike Evans was getting locked up by Trevon Diggs while Antonio Brown was partying like it was 2018. There’s a long way to go for Godwin to wrap this up. Thankfully, he has the pathetic Falcons for Week 2, and the Bucs have almost no running game to speak of. The WR1 light is looking green. … It didn’t take long for Cooper Kupp to spot the difference between Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. As the Colts displayed against the Seahawks, they have no answer for an efficient passing offense and its well-schemed wideouts. … Touchdown regress? Couldn’t be me — Adam Thielen. Although the Cardinals’ defense just wrecked a team, it wasn’t because of their cornerbacks.
Allen Robinson’s stay on Jalen Ramsey Island went about as expected. Returning home to Andy Dalton Prison is a much tougher pill to swallow. Elsewhere in the Bears’ receiver corps, Darnell Mooney was one of just five wideouts to run a route on every one of his team’s dropbacks. Keep this man in your back pocket as we wait on Justin Fields. … Coming off a Week 1 that combined the best of his 2019-20, D.J. Moore gets a Saints secondary missing Marshon Lattimore. That was surprisingly irrelevant news for Davante Adams in Jacksonville, but I can’t help but remain super excited for Moore. … Did it take Mike Evans getting dominated by Trevon Diggs for me to realize Trevon Diggs might be a thing? Maybe. Is there anyone even remotely intimidating in the Falcons’ secondary? No. … This admittedly feels overcautious with Terry McLaurin. These Football Team targets have to go somewhere. It would be one thing if it were just the short week or just the new quarterback. The fact that it is both causes me to pause. … I have Julio Jones in the “badass respect” zone. We know this could be a laughable underrank. If you drafted Julio, you are probably still starting him anyways. If you went four receivers in your first five picks, however, it might not be the worst thing to wait a week.
I wish I loved anything as much as Ben Roethlisberger loves targeting Diontae Johnson. All those looks might actually result in some production against a Raiders secondary that wasn’t really tested by the Ravens. … Robert Woods ran curiously few routes in Week 1. Rather than panic, consider it something to keep an eye on. … Am I underreacting to Deebo Samuel posting *checks notes* 189 yards? I’ll get back to you on that. Even without his 79-yard score, Samuel would have gone 8/110 in Detroit. The Eagles’ secondary gave up no big plays against the Falcons. That certainly doesn’t seem like it’s about to become a trend. … When it comes to the man who should be running alongside Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan can’t keep his story straight. Was it Aiyuk’s hamstring, his shaky summer, or Trent Sherfield’s ballin’ practices? Shanny will let you know the fifth time he faces the media about the matter. We have no choice but to #adjust and put Aiyuk on WR5 probation. … The funny feeling I had about DeVonta Smith certainly didn’t go away after his NFL debut. The 49ers’ secondary will be missing Jason Verrett following his latest season-ending injury. The question is if Jalen Hurts can stay upright against this front seven.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins slide into Week 2 against a Bears secondary that was a walking coverage bust against the Rams. Of course, Zac Taylor isn’t going to be drawing up plays the way Sean McVay did. Chase won the Week 1 battle, but the war is far from settled. … We are getting dangerously close to having to accept Corey Davis is a certified late bloomer and someone we can’t keep giving a cursory WR3 rank. … Will Fuller should really tie the room together in the Dolphins’ receiver corps. This is a somewhat aggressive rank for a wideout who was one of fantasy’s most important players in 2020. … Jarvis Landry is the only the Browns receiver game in town as Odell Beckham’s injury situation grows ever more baffling. … Sterling Shepard’s Week 1 output may have been something of a mirage, but there are zero compelling reasons to bet on Kenny Golladay’s big-play game over Shepard’s compiling skill-set vs. the Football Team. … Courtland Sutton was awful against the Giants. Hopefully it was a case of the James Bradberrys. With Jerry Jeudy on injured reserve, teacher’s pet Tim Patrick seems like a better dart throw than speedster KJ Hamler. … Bryan Edwards finally produced when given the chance, this just isn’t the matchup to expect momentum.