What We Saw Roundup – Week 2

We watched every NFL Week 2 game so you don't have to – Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
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AFC

Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)

Baltimore Ravens

Derrick Henry (BAL) vs. NO: 16 Carries, 68 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards

Derrick Henry is like a pack of Twizzlers. It doesn’t matter how old he is, you know exactly what you’re getting. And though it might not be the most glamorous candy (or running back) on the shelf, it’s pretty good every single time. The only problem with Twizzlers is that sometimes you forget that you have them, kind of like the Ravens forgot that they had Henry in their backfield, even with a 14-3 halftime lead. Henry carried the ball just five times in the second half, something fantasy managers saw all too often in 2025 with Todd Monken calling plays. When he gets the elite volume that he should, Henry is an absolute juggernaut, but when he’s not on the field it makes it really hard to accumulate fantasy points. Last year, Henry was extremely game-script dependent. We’ll see if the new coaching staff this season continues this trend or not.

Justice Hill (BAL) vs. NO: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards

 

Buffalo Bills

James Cook III (BUF) vs. DET: 21 Carries, 135 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

For the longest time, it appeared that James Cook III was going to get punked by quarterback Josh Allen as Allen ran in a pair of touchdowns for the Bills despite Cook’s solid performance out of the backfield. After waiting nearly the whole game, the Bills finally rewarded Cook and his fantasy managers with a short-yardage touchdown carry to cap the scoring. Cook was on the field for 55 out of 74 offensive snaps, but monopolized the Bills’ running back touches as neither Ray Davis nor Frank Gore Jr. earned a touch.  With as explosive as the Bill offense looked and how involved Cook was and should continue to be, Cook managers should certainly be pleased with the running back’s Week 2 bounce-back performance.

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals

Chase Brown (CIN) vs. HOU: 20 Carries, 80 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 2 Yards

Chase Brown earned a near 70% snap share and with the Bengals leading most of the way, was a bell cow from a usage perspective with 20 carries and five targets. Going up against a tough Houston rushing defense, Brown averaged just 4.0 yards per carry and managed just one rush longer than 10 yards. If Brown could just break one of those 20 carries, he’d be a surefire RB1, and the role and volume are more important at this point of the season than the production. This is the exact kind of usage managers are looking for from their upper-echelon backs.

Samaje Perine (CIN) vs. HOU: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 16 Yards

A clear passing-down role for Samaje Perine, he was on the field for 24 snaps and ran 17 routes. There’s not much more to his role than that.

 

Cleveland Browns

Quinshon Judkins (CLE) vs. TB: 12 Carries, 21 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 27 Yards

In the absence of Dylan Sampson, Quinshon Judkins has absorbed a lot of the pass-catching duties out of the backfield. Judkins was on the field for two-thirds of the offensive snaps and split third-down duties with Sanders right down the middle. This type of increased usage wasn’t something that I foresaw with Monken at the helm, especially after the way he treated Derrick Henry with kid gloves in Baltimore last season, but without the luxury of a true pass-catching back in Sampson, Judkins is picking up the slack and Monken is allowing it. The only problem is that the Browns were not very effective against Vita Vea and the Bucs’ elite rush defense. Regardless of the production, I believe that any running back getting two-thirds of snaps and more than 80% of the running back touches is one that managers should be buying stock in.

Raheim Sanders (CLE) vs. TB: 2 Carries, 4 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Jaleel McLaughlin (CLE) vs. TB: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 1 Target

The Browns didn’t have any goal-line snaps this week, so we didn’t get to see if Sanders earned that role or not. For what it’s worth, though, Judkins outsnapped Sanders in short-yardage situations 4-2.

 

Denver Broncos

JK Dobbins (DEN) vs. JAX: 12 Carries, 21 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 27 Yards

RJ Harvey (DEN) vs. JAX: Did not play

Jonah Coleman (DEN) vs. JAX: 12 Carries, 21 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 27 Yards

Some people out there might call fantasy managers that drafted Jonah Coleman lucky. Could be true, but some say luck is just when preparation meets opportunity. Well, prepared fantasy managers drafted Coleman, knowing that as soon as Dobbins went down with an injury — which he did in the second half of Week 2’s game against the Jaguars — Coleman would be presented with opportunity.

The Broncos’ offense struggled to move the ball for large chunks on the ground, with just three plays of 10 yards or more rushing, regardless of who the back was. Dobbins popped off a 12-yard run but managed just 3.0 yards per carry on his other nine totes before leaving with an injury. When Coleman took over, it’s not that he was that much more impressive than Dobbins, it’s just that he was basically the only back on the field after that. Coleman finished off the Broncos’ go-ahead drive with a touchdown on a second-effort, a nice run but nothing mind-blowing.

I don’t believe that Sean Payton and the Broncos are just going to hand the backfield to Coleman after this performance, but it’s encouraging to see the rookie do what we all were hoping for when he got the opportunity. We’ll see how this backfield shakes out if and when Dobbins and Harvey come back from their hamstring injuries.

 

Houston Texans

David Montgomery (HOU) vs. CIN: 6 Carries, 10 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards

Woody Marks (HOU) vs. CIN: 8 Carries, 8 Yards | 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 27 Yards

Jimmy Butler squinting

Was this the same backfield that looked amazing last week against the Buffalo Bills? Neither Woody Marks or David Montgomery looked good carrying the ball on the ground (especially Montgomery, relative to last week) and the Texans gave up on the run EXTREMELY early … which didn’t make much sense when they were missing their top pass catcher, but I digress.

The two backs took turns each drive, running one at a time until the end of each drive. Neither back came off the field during their assigned drive, so it was a pretty straightforward rotation. Montgomery ended up with a handful more snaps than Marks, but that’s likely because he doubled up, playing the last drive of the first half and the first drive of the second half. Marks was more involved in the passing game, but this certainly felt way more like a 50/50 split this week than it did in Week One.

 

Indianapolis Colts

Jonathan Taylor (IND) vs. KC: 24 Carries, 92 Yards, 2 TDs | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 40 Yards

I don’t remember seeing a running back other than #28 in the backfield on Sunday night. I’m sure there was a snap or two where Taylor came off the field, but they were certainly few and far between. The Colts’ workhorse was everything that fantasy managers wanted him to be against the Chiefs on the road, blasting away at the Kansas City defense for more than 100 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Colts’ running back did his best work following pulling guards around the outside, capitalizing on an aggressive Steve Spagnuolo defense to gain chunks on the ground. For as worried as I was about Taylor’s game-script dependence last season, his success seems less tied to the game script and more tied to Daniel Jones’ health. In 14 complete games with Daniel Jones under center, Taylor has scored multiple touchdowns in seven of those contests.

 

Seth McGowan (IND) vs. KC: 2 Carries

I literally can’t even remember seeing him on the field.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Bhayshul Tuten (JAX) vs. DEN: 13 Carries, 65 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, -3 Yards

Bhayshul Tuten was on the field for exactly half of the Jaguars’ snaps this week, including an overwhelming majority of the early-down snaps and half of the goal line snaps, including his touchdown run — a 1-yard direct snap where he beat the Broncos to the pylon. Tuten averaged 5.0 yards per carry, far outgaining Chris Rodriguez Jr., and was more involved in the passing game than Rodriguez was. If Tuten can hold off the other backs for the early-down looks AND continue to get a strong share of the goal line snaps (a role that Rodriguez was projected for before the season began), his value should continue to rise in this explosive (albeit not this week) offense.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. (JAX) vs. DEN: 6 Carries, 13 Yards 

Chris Rodriguez Jr. was on the field for less than 25% of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps, and carried just six times. It looks as if he’ll be all but eliminated from the game plan in negative game scripts with virtually zero pass-game involvement, and if Tuten is going to eat into his goal-line snaps, he becomes practically useless for fantasy managers.

Ameer Abdullah (JAX) vs. DEN: 3 Carries, 11 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards

LeQuint Allen (JAX) vs. DEN: 1 Target

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs

Kenneth Walker III (KC) vs. IND: 20 Carries, 97 Yards | 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 37 Yards

Walker put up another outstanding performance in primetime, though wasn’t as successful for fantasy purposes since he didn’t end up in the end zone. It wasn’t for lack of opportunities though, Walker got a pair of handoffs from the one-yard line and couldn’t break through to the paint. Other than those failed short yardage carries, Walker was outstanding, consistently making the first defender miss or grinding for extra yards after contact. Walker has looked like an excellent fit in the Andy Reid offense and managers should be excited to watch him carry the rock week in and week out.

Walker’s involvement in the passing game continues to be excellent as well. He earned nine targets and nearly had a touchdown in overtime as Mahomes tried to drop one over his shoulder in the corner of the end zone, but the throw went inches too far.

Emmett Johnson (KC) vs. IND: 2 Carries, 15 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards

Johnson is easily my favorite backup running back to watch in the NFL right now. Every touch he gets his hands on is a pinball machine on tilt. He runs hard and angry, and moves so well to avoid tacklers. If the RB1 ahead of him wasn’t the most impressive back in the league through two weeks, I’d be touting him as a threat to KWIII’s carries.

 

Las Vegas Raiders

Ashton Jeanty (LV) vs. LAC: 21 Carries, 48 Yards | 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 15 Yards

Usage king. Remember when people were gushing over Mike Washington Jr. in preseason and Ashton Jeanty was nursing an injury a week before games began? That’s all well in the past at this point because, holy cow, that’s a lot of touches! He was on the field for all four short-yardage snaps that the Raiders had in this game and ran 25 routes as well. Though Jeanty was largely ineffective as far as yards per touch, his elite-level usage is enough that I’m buying if I’m given an opportunity. Got a manager who is concerned about the lack of yardage or thinking that maybe the fantasy points just aren’t enough (without digging into what’s really happening in this offense)? Send an offer. Jeanty is a clear top-10 running back on this kind of volume alone.

Mike Washington Jr. (LVR) vs. LAC: 3 Carries, 7 Yards | 1 Target

Less than 20% of offensive snaps and only four opportunities is less of a share than a lot of people thought. He looked great against backup defenses in the preseason but just isn’t getting the kind of opportunity a lot of people were thinking/hoping so far in his rookie campaign.

 

Los Angeles Chargers

Omarion Hampton (LAC) vs. LV: 23 Carries, 94 Yards, TD, Fumble (Lost) | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards

Omarion Hampton earned a ton of touches in this game despite the neutral game script for most of the contest. It was awesome to see him find the end zone for a second straight game, but it was equally NOT awesome to see him cough up a fumble in his second consecutive game, especially since it came in the fourth quarter with the Chargers trailing by just three points. The Chargers deployed Hampton on 63% of snaps, including 75% of early-down snaps and three out of four short-yardage looks. Though Kimani Vidal was used on 60% of third downs, Hampton led the Chargers’ running backs in targets and receptions, as Mike McDaniel made it clear once again that this offense will flow through the RB1.

Keaton Mitchell (LAC) vs. LV: 5 Carries, 24 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Carry, 15 Yards

Mitchell was involved on only six touches and only on the field for 17 of 67 snaps. Whatever share of the committee that fantasy managers thought he might have are dust in the wind at this point. He’s a clear RB2 and doesn’t even have passing downs locked down with Vidal sniping most of those. He continues to produce in his limited opportunities, but until the touches increase he’s hardly even worth a bench stash.

 

Miami Dolphins

De’Von Achane (MIA) vs. LV: 20 Carries, 74 Yards | 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards

In just about any situation, 26 opportunities is an elite level of volume. In this situation, it’s only leading to middling production. Newsflash. The Miami Dolphins are a bad football team. Unfortunately for Achane and his managers, that doesn’t typically translate to fantasy goodness, especially at the running back position. Achane was likely the focus of the 49ers’ defensive game plan and yet still managed to gain almost 100 total yards on 23 touches. He’s a fantasy enigma because managers have to start him — it’s impossible to sit him knowing he’s going to have the volume that everyone wants. But managers likely aren’t excited about it because his team is so gosh darn bad at football that you can hardly ever project him to find the end zone. You know that picture of the exotic sports car in the trailer park? Yep. We’re there.

Jaylen Wright (MIA) vs. LV: 2 Carries, 11 Yards

Ollie Gordon II (MIA) vs. LV: 3 Carries, 7 Yards

 

New England Patriots

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE) vs. PIT: 6 Carries, 43 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards

Welp, Rhamondre Stevenson reminded everyone why people were clamoring for Henderson on the Pats’ opening drive, fumbling the ball away after catching a pass in the flat. After the fumble, it took Stevenson a LONG time to get a touch later in the game. We finally saw coach Mike Vrabel punish the starting running back with a reduction in snaps and opportunities. We’ll see if the punishment carries over into Week 3 or not. When he was on the field, Stevenson looked less stuck in the mud than he did on opening night, which could be due to the extra few days of rest, but still wasn’t as explosive or fast or fun to watch as his backfield mate.

TreVeyon Henderson (NE) vs. PIT: 16 Carries, 76 Yards, TD

Is this it — the moment we’ve been waiting for for nearly two years now? After Stevenson fumbled on the opening drive, TreVeyon Henderson got every snap of the Patriots’ next possession, earned a vital short-yardage first down and finished the drive with an explosive 39-yard rushing touchdown. Maybe Vrabel went with the hot hand, maybe he punished the turnover by Rhamondre. Either way, Henderson outsnapped Stevenson 21-6 over the next five drives and 31-18 over the course of the entire game. Stevenson was still rolled out there on third downs, dominating passing-down snaps, 7-2, but on Sunday the larger share of the Patriots backfield belonged to Henderson.

Corey Kiner (NE) vs. PIT: 2 Carries

With Henderson back, Corey Kiner was a nonfactor and played in garbage time almost exclusively.

 

New York Jets

Breece Hall (NYJ) vs. GB: 16 Carries, 29 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 63 Yards

The Packers’ defense bottled up the Jets’ running game for most of the day, but Breece Hall found a way to remain fantasy-relevant, contributing in the passing game as the Jets’ top receiver. Most of his yardage came on a 43-yard catch-and-run where he looked like a man possessed, scooting by defenders with ease. Don’t panic on the Braelon Allen touchdown, it wasn’t as if Breece was losing significant touches to the backup running back. It just so happened that the Jets connected on a couple of chunk plays, including a 34-yard DPI penalty on Allen’s drive and not Hall’s.

Braelon Allen (NYJ) vs. GB: 5 Carries, 7 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards

He was almost entirely ineffective except (of course) for his one run near the end zone, where he was able to see the right side of the line collapse and then get outside and find the pylon for a score. With less than 2 minutes remaining, the Jets called his number on a crucial fourth-and-1 where he failed to gain the necessary yardage. I don’t think he earned any additional snaps this week, he just happened to get the right one. I’m not concerned if I’m a Hall manager, in fact, I’m buying on Hall if there’s an opportunity.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren (PIT) vs. NE: 11 Carries, 43 Yards | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 34 Yards

Rico Dowdle (PIT) vs. NE: 7 Carries, 22 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards

Jaylen Warren‘s production was pedestrian outside of one reception where he broke free from the flat and up the sideline for a 26-yard gain. There’s a palpable tension between him and Aaron Rodgers in this backfield, where it seems like Rodgers doesn’t fully trust his running back … potentially stemming from mental miscues last season. Rodgers was clearly upset after this play where Warren completely whiffed on the late rusher.

Rico Dowdle left this game with injuries on two occasions, once carted off the field in the first half and again in the second half for good. After Dowdle was ruled out, it was almost exclusively Warren’s backfield. Warren didn’t do a ton with his extra snaps, but the pass-game involvement was a nice bonus. Travis Homer earned a few snaps while Dowdle was sidelined, but moving forward, the expectation should be Warren to receive a large majority of the running back snaps and opportunities. The pass-catching running back in a Rodgers offense has carried a lot of value the past few years (see Gainwell, Kenneth, 2025), so expect Warren to get a significant boost in expected fantasy points while Dowdle misses time, regardless of his relationship with his veteran quarterback.

 

Tennessee Titans

Tony Pollard (TEN) vs. PHI: 14 Carries, 64 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

Tyjae Spears (TEN) vs. PHI: 7 Carries, 41 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 29 Yards

Nicholas Singleton (TEN) vs. PHI: 4 Carries, 10 Yards

This felt like the game that Tyjae Spears finally pulled ahead of Tony Pollard, with snaps being basically even in the first half, (11-10 Pollard). But then, Spears left the game and missed a handful of series in the third quarter, allowing Nicholas Singleton to get some touches and make his NFL debut. Spears returned in the fourth quarter and split the snaps with Pollard taking a few more (11-7) over the final frame. Pollard was fine, the same guy he always is, and had his one surefire rushing touchdown opportunity taken away by a Cam Ward sneak and another pilfered by a Ward scramble.

Spears looked dynamic on most of his touches, like he might slip a tackle and break off a big gain every time he touched the ball. He did it twice and may have done enough to give the coaching staff a reason to give him more touches moving forward. Last week, we saw these two running backs with less-defined roles than they had played in previously. Now, this week we saw Spears look far more explosive with big plays down the stretch while Pollard looked more like a between-the-tackles grinder that we’re all used to. Keep an eye on the Titans’ backfield the next few weeks to see if there’s a changing of the guard as the lead back with Spears looking more dynamic on a relatively consistent basis.

NFC

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1)

Arizona Cardinals

Jeremiyah Love (ARI) vs. SEA: 9 Carries, 29 Yards | 3 Targets,3 Receptions, 16 Yards

Love drew the start despite Head Coach Mike LeFleur stating in the week that he and Allgeier were a true committee and would rotate depending on situation and game script. Love’s opportunities to make an impact were quickly dispelled by a Seahawks defensive front that won in the trenches and got creative again on blitzes to meet runners in the backfield. Love showed what he can do with back-to-back runs of 8 and 9 yards to take the Cardinals into the redzone then to the 10-yard line but he only got one more chance to carry in a scoring opportunity on the night. That is going to be the issue with Love if this season’s usage is to go by – scoring options will be limited. As Mike Clay put it, he “played 40% of the snaps and had 9 carries and 3 targets. Those numbers need to be much higher for the 3rd-overall pick” – preach!

 

Tyler Allgeier (ARI) vs. SEA: 5 Carries, 10 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards

Despite the stats, Allgeier wasn’t far behind on the snap count on early downs to Love and also played in every passing situation, leading him to play more snaps overall than the promising rookie running back. This was a Cardinals performance to forget as they just couldn’t break a resolute Seahawks defense. They are the league’s elite unit and showed why bottling up Arizona on the ground and through the air.

 

Bam Knight (ARI) vs. SEA: 2 Carries, 24 Yards

 

Atlanta Falcons

Bijan Robinson (ATL) vs. CAR: 16 Carries, 72 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 9 Yards

Cooper Rush led an error-strewn first half on a putrid day for the Falcons offense against the Panthers, who went up by three scores by the half thanks to two bad turnovers that Carolina took advantage of. Robinson still saw good volume but this Panthers unit was locked in and showed signs of being a dominant defensive front. And things only got worse in the second half as both Rush (who ended up being benched) and Jack Strand could offer nothing to get this offense going. Unlike last week, when Robinson saved an average day on the ground with solid production through the air, Head Coach Kevin Stefanski inexcusably seemed to be unwilling to feed the star back the ball. Fantasy managers have to be worried about his 59% share on the ground, however some of this has to do with Stefanski waving the white flag in the third quarter. The return of Michael Penix Jr. next week will hopefully lead to a more competent performance, but I’m not sold.

 

Brian Robinson Jr. (ATL) vs. CAR: 11 Carries, 51 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards

Almost all of his production came in the final quarter with the Falcons down big and seemingly unwilling to risk Bijan in what was a blowout loss.

 

Carolina Panthers

Chuba Hubbard (CAR) vs. ATL: 12 Carries, 53 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards, TD

Despite two turnovers and an early two-score lead, the Panthers only ran the ball seven times in the first half as Bryce Young found joy downfield as a passer. Chuba handled all but one of the carries but more importantly found the endzone on a fourth down pass from his quarterback after the Falcons fumbled away the ball on the opening drive of the game. And it wasn’t like going up big early meant the Panthers needed to run the game out. The Falcons kept turning the ball over leaving Carolina with short field position. Hubbard added another six carries in the second half, the most notable a nice 12 yard speed run emerging from the left tackle that setup the back-breaking touchdown out of the half. Chuba was also stiff to see back-to-back runs of 18 yards and 17 yards both called back by penalties. He deserved better.

 

Jonathon Brooks (CAR) vs. ATL: 5 Carries, 16 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -5 Yards

Brooks saw a couple of touches in the first half, one being a disastrous dump off that saw him lose 5 yards. He had another couple of carries in the fourth quarter with the game over and Carolina seeing out the clock. Any early season hype for Brooks has suddenly mellowed and got worse after he left late in the game with what looked like a groin injury.

 

AJ Dillon (CAR) vs. ATL: 3 Carries, -3 Yards

 

Chicago Bears

D’Andre Swift (CHI) vs. MIN: 16 Carries, 45 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 54 Yards

There was an interesting switch from Ben Johnson in the use of his backs compared to Week 1, almost drive-by-drive usage. Swift had drives 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, with Monangai handling 3, 5, 7, 9. There’s a pattern, right? Whether this was premeditated, or due to the Vikings defense dominating the entire Bears offense is hard to fathom, however it definitely did not work and Swift in particular suffered considering his monster performance in Week 1. This was all before the loss of Caleb Williams to a nasty hamstring injury. Swift’s cardinal sin was coughing the ball up at the Minnesota 1-yard line on the opening drive of the second half which totally blew the air out of the stadium and foretold what was to come. Yes, the conditions were wet and windy but the Vikings defense was the bigger factor for Swift’s ineffectiveness. His receiving yards made his day a respectable one with a 32-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter on third-and-long accounting for the Bears’ biggest play of the day. There was just no room on the outside to run around Brian Flores‘ dynamic defensive schemes.

 

Kyle Monangai (CHI) vs. MIN: 10 Carries, 47 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards

It was a hard come down for the Bears running back room after the party atmosphere of Week 1. This Vikings unit was simply outstanding today and outside of a productive drive to open the second half, the run game just could not break the lines consistently enough. Monangai ran hard and saw the saw number of touches as last week (12). He also outran Swift on the ground, and his 15-yard run deep into into Minnesota territory in the third quarter galvanized the Bears crowd after a dismal first half. He was rewarded with back-to-back carries and broke off another 12-yard gain to move the sticks and put the ball at the 11-yard line before Swift’s costly fumble. He handled the touches on the next drive without fruition before Swift was pulled from the bench in the fourth quarter to try mount a comeback.

 

Dallas Cowboys

Javonte Williams (DAL) vs. WAS: 12 Carries, 30 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards

It was a quite night for Williams on the ground and he only saw a couple of check downs thrown his way as Dak Prescott did all his damage through the air with four passing touchdowns. Williams had the same involvement as his two score day last week just without the touchdowns. Something that could be a recurring theme if Dallas’ offensive line woes continue. Williams got nowhere on carries from the Commanders 3-yard line on the opening drive and on the 11-yard line a drive later. He could only muster a long carry of nine yards to go and his involvement in terms of touches reduced in the second half as the Cowboys established a lead and the Commanders kept shooting themselves in the foot.

 

Emari Demercado (DAL) vs. WAS: 3 Carries, 8 Yards

 

Detroit Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs (DET) vs. BUF: 16 Carries, 52 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 61 Yards, TD

Gibbs played well in this game despite limited joy on the ground against a tough Buffalo defensive front that butchered the Detroit offensive line all night as the Bills enjoyed a big win in the new Highmark Stadium. However, with the game script leading away from the run, Gibbs was still on the field and excelled as a pass-catcher out of the backfield catching six passes including an 11-yard bullet late in the first half when the Lions were desperate for points trailing 21-0. His longest run was for 16 yards but he only mustered another 36 yards on 15 carries outside of that big play. Not the efficiency we are used to from the dynamic Gibbs. Still, over 100 total yards and a score looked unlikely after the first quarter so fantasy managers will be happy with the output.

 

Sione Vaki (DET) vs. BUF: 1 Carry, 7 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 13 Yards

 

Green Bay Packers

MarShawn Lloyd (GB) vs. NYJ: 6 Carries, 20 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards, TD

It was a war of attrition for the Packers against the Jets at MetLife in the first half as Love could only muster 82 yards of total offense in the first half. One splash play to Christian Watson finally put the Packers near the redzone and Lloyd was the beneficiary with four touches inside the 30-yard line. After a couple of tough runs, Lloyd made a nice catch on a short lob throw from Love, who was under pressure, and turned back inside to run the ball in from just 6 yards out. The Packers mixed in Johnson and Brooks more in the second half and Lloyd’s last action was a costly fumble on his own 14-yard line with his team down seven early in the fourth quarter. Lloyd did not see another touch on the field again as the Packers mounted a comeback in the short passing game. All in he played just 16 of the Packers’ 53 snaps in a rushing offense that mustered only 63 rush yards. Yikes!

 

Kaleb Johnson (GB) vs. NYJ: 8 Carries, 32 Yards

After Chris Brooks got the start last week to little effect, it was the recently acquired Johnson who saw the first touches alongside Lloyd. He mainly handled work between the numbers but gave way to Lloyd in the redzone. Johnson got the winning field goal drive going with back-to-back runs after an initial 11-yard gain on a nice run in which he showed good vision.

 

Chris Brooks (GB) vs. NYJ: 4 Carries, 11 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 15 Yards

 

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams travel to New York on Monday night to face the Giants. Both of those teams will be covered in our Monday Night edition of What We Saw, published on Tuesday morning.

 

Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Jones Sr. (MIN) vs. CHI: 23 Carries, 105 Yards

After Jordan Mason went to IR last week, Jones picked up the bell cow role and ran for over 100 yards for the first time since November 2024. Jones ran hard and often and was effective in between the numbers more so than usually. He limped off the field in th fourth quarter with a knee problem but returned on the following drive. He then got rocked with a huge hit on the next drive but picked himself up a few plays later to dazzle down the sideline for a 15-yard run that setup the field goal to give the Vikings a 9-3 lead. He was all smiles at the end so assuming the body is ok he’ll continue to handle a big workload. He did not see a target in the passing game, however and his fantasy relevance continues to be touchdown dependant. The volume will be there going forward, however as Mason is ruled out for another month at least.

 

DeeJay Dallas (MIN) vs. CHI: 2 Carries, 8 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards

Demond Claiborne (MIN) vs. CHI: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards

 

New Orleans Saints

Travis Etienne Jr. (NO) vs. BAL: 8 Carries, 25 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards

It’s disheartening that immediately Etienne Jr. ceded early downs in this contest to Kamara after also doing the same with Kendre Miller last week. He was much more effective after he was given the rock after half time, if not in a fantasy standpoint. And the good news was that from what I could see it was always Etienne Jr. on the field for goal-line and short-yardage situations. He managed to convert an outside run on a 2-PT conversion try to boot. With the Saints moving towards a pass-preferred but not necessarily pass-heavy offense with Tyler Shough, it remains to be seen whether this backfield is worth keeping an eye on.

 

Alvin Kamara (NO) vs. BAL: 9 Carries, 15 Yards | 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 7 Yards

The good news for those that bet on Kamara’s experience and track record in fantasy drafts is that he immediately stepped back into a split role with Etienne Jr., but the bad news is that he did absolutely nothing with the volume. The Ravens are strong up front but Kamara found no room to run just like Etienne. It is worth noting that the decision to play Kamara leftMiller as a healthy inactive despite a touchdown last week. And despite him being back, C.J. Donaldson was still on the field for third downs.

 

New York Giants

The Giants host the Rams on Monday night at home. Both of those teams will be covered in our Monday Night edition of What We Saw, published on Tuesday morning.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley (PHI) vs. TEN: 4 Carries, 9 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 11 Yards

Eagles fans held their breath after Barkley left the game in some discomfort after the first offensive snap of the game. He was then seen quickly retreating to the locker room moments later. Barkley returned to the game after the half but found little joy with both Bigsby and Shipley rotating snaps in the second half. He clearly wasn’t feeling right and only played one offensive snap in the fourth quarter. What a fantasy disaster!

 

Tank Bigsby (PHI) vs. TEN: 13 Carries, 33 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Reception, 5 Yards

After Barkley left the game in the first quarter with a stinger, Bigsby saw his first significant body of work this season. He had seven touches on the first drive of the second quarter, which turned out to be an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that Tank finished off with a patient two-yard “punch up the gut” run to bring the Eagles level. He continued to handle the majority of touches but gave way to Shipley in third down situations. Bigsby was overlooked in favour of Shipley for long spells in the second half, which was a strange decision given his effectiveness in that touchdown drive. It has to be said that Jeffrey Simmons was a monster in this game and the Titans defensive front put up stout resistance against the run. Bigsby would likely be the player to add if Barkley is to miss time.

 

Will Shipley (PHI) vs. TEN: 7 Carries, 24 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 5 Yards

 

Seattle Seahawks

Jadarian Price (SEA) vs. ARI: 13 Carries, 52 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards

After putting in a serviceable if not unspectacular showing against the Cardinals for three or so quarters, rookie Price left the game with a chest injury which was later cleared of any serious damage by an x-ray. However, Price was pointing towards he pectoral, which can be bothersome to backs so keep an eye out in the week. Despite running well between the numbers, Price saw just one look in short yardage situations near the goal line, which doesn’t bode well for fantasy purposes. Mind you, none of the other backs covered themselves in glory either. His best moment was a bruising run down the right sideline ealry in the second half for 25 yards that exhibited his power, speed and ability to finish runs with determination.

 

George Holani (SEA) vs. ARI: 4 Carries, 13 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards

Emanuel Wilson (SEA) vs. ARI: 21 Carries, 92 Yards | 1 Target

The former Packers back was given preference over Holani early in this game when it came to early downs as a backup to Price. He then took on a lead role once Price exited in the fourth quarter. He had 1o touches alone on the final touchdown drive of the game which accounted for 48 yards. However, after Wilson and Holani had multiple opportunities to punch the ball in from the goal line, Seattle opted to direct snap to tight end AJ Barner to finally hit the endzone.Not a good luck for either of these two backs if they want to seriously challenge Price.

 

San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey (SF) vs. MIA: 10 Carries, 23 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 43 Yards

The 49ers scored on each of their five first half possessions and that was enough to make this a no contest against a hapless Dolphins team that missed a field goal and punted twice in the space of the Niners running up a big lead. It has been evident that Kyle Shanahan is being more mindful of how he uses his star running back and so far this season he has seen less usage and more rest than he is used to. San Francisco have won blowouts in both games which helps but CMC’s fantasy impact hasn;t suffered too much. A pair of relatively easy 1-yard scores helped him in this contest alongside his usual PPR boost in the passing game. The emergence of Black is still to be monitored but the majority of fantasy managers will be happy with this production and a healthy CMC going into Week 3.

 

Kaelon Black (SF) vs. MIA: 7 Carries, 25 Yards

It was much the same as the Melbourne game for the 49ers with Black mixing in with CMC in early downs across the first half. The 49ers benefitted from a missed field goal and two good kick returns which meant they didn’t have to go far to hit paydirt. This limited the opportunities for Black. There was no garbage time either as both teams seemed happy punting the ball back to each other to see out the clock.

 

Kyle Juszczyk (SF) vs. MIA: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards, TD

Oh great, the annual fullback stealing touchdowns so Shanahan can show the world he’s still a good playcaller. Fantasy managers do not appreciate.

 

Jordan James (SF) vs. MIA: 4 Carries, 15 Yards 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucky Irving (TB) vs. CLE: 17 Carries, 89 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 1 Yard

Some suggested I was too harsh on Irving for his performance last week, and the promising young back looked to prove me wrong with a 38-yard run down the left sideline after a beautiful play design faked a pass right and saw Irving twist back away from the defensive shift to find heaps of room to run. It proved to be the only play of note in the first half as his other 6 touches went for just 16 yards as he failed to show any significant power running skill. His two catches out of the backfield were dump offs from Baker that gave him no chance to escape the incoming pressure from a Browns defensive unit that played hard and made it difficult for the Bucs. The Bucs were truly awful across the board in the second half but Irving was productive in flashes that included a 14-yard run on the touchdown drive coming out of half time alongside four runs for 20 yards on the final drive of the game that the Bucs couldn’t get into the endzone. Still, it’s not the rookie year Irving out there – there is hesitation and a lack of toughness at the end of runs. If there’s more to come, we need to see it soon.

 

Kenny Gainwell (TB) vs. CLE: 2 Carries, 10 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 5 Yards

 

Washington Commanders

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (WAS) vs. DAL: 12 Carries, 43 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards

It was a story of two halves for the Commanders as they ran well in the first half and had opportunities to hurt the Cowboys but too often stalled inside the Dallas 10-yard line. Then, after Jayden Daniels left the game with a nasty elbow injury, the run game disappeared almost entirely as they played catch up through the air trailing by two scores. JCM was once again serviceable but his lack of natural talent is evident by his inability to make big plays. While he led the team in carries, White was the preferred option as a pass-catcher once they slipped behind. In a tough division it is hard to see JCM generating enough volume to make himself fantasy relevant. He failed to have a touch for the final one and a hl;af quarters.

 

Rachaad White (WAS) vs. DAL: 7 Carries, 43 Yards | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 40 Yards

The veteran was his usual productive self in short passes over the middle as the Commanders attempted to come back from two scores near the end of the game. his main contributions on the ground came in the first half on a end of half drive that ultimately led to nothing. Not much more to say about this uninspiring running back unit at the moment.

 

Kaytron Allen (WAS) vs. DAL: 5 Carries, 24 Yards

 

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends

Brett Ford

Writer, Editor and Podcast host for QBList.com, Ravens fan, Cool Dad