Fantasy Football Week 2 Update: Should we be Concerned about Josh Allen?

Through 2 weeks, Josh Allen, one of the top 2 projected quarterbacks has slid down to fantasy quarterback #19 in the rankings. Josh Allen isn’t alone in players who have slid way down after the first 2 weeks, many other notable names have as well. We’ll be breaking down those disappointments who are the biggest for each position as well as players who have made a name for themselves shocking us all. 

Fantasy Surprises:

QB: Derek Carr – Las Vegas Raiders

With over 120 passing yards more than the next closest player, Derek Carr separates himself from the pack with 800+ yards thrown in only 2 games. Carr has been a large factor in the Raiders kicking off the season 2-0 taking down 2 good teams in the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Carr sits in the top 5 fantasy quarterbacks and has been a pleasant surprise. Carr will look to continue leading the way in passing yards with a friendly matchup against the Dolphins in week 3. 

RB: Tony Pollard – Dallas Cowboys

Surprisingly, the leader in rushing yards on the Dallas Cowboys is not Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott trails Pollard by nearly 20 yards and that number is with Elliott having 11 more carries than Pollard. Pollard averages nearly 8 yards which is roughly double of what Zeke is averaging. Pollard has put himself in contention for the lead back role of the Cowboys and will continue to take carries away from Elliott if he keeps his impressive start up. Despite being a backup running back in real life, Pollard is worth using at the flex option on your fantasy team. 

WR: Sterling Shepard – New York Giants

Recent addition Kenny Golladay has not been the favorite addition of Daniel Jones, it’s been Sterling Shepard who has taken that spot. Shepard also eclipsed Evan Engram and Darius Slayton to get there. Shepard and Daniel Jones have built a connection with Golladay’s feud which doesn’t seem like it will be going away anytime soon. Shepard should be a waiver wire target. 

TE: Rob Gronkowski – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After coming out of retirement last season, Gronkowski was an integral part of the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl run. Gronkowski and Brady rekindled their strong connection they had in New England instantly. This season, Gronk and Brady have been on fire together with both being in the top 5 at their respective positions thus far. We did not expect Gronk to be up this high with the return of the other tight ends from injury and the plethora of weapons that Brady has at his disposal, but Gronk has prevailed. 

Fantasy Disappointments:

QB: Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills

Projected to be a top 2 quarterback, Josh Allen is currently at quarterback #19 in fantasy after 2 weeks. We know it’s early but this is still cause for concern for someone who was ranked so high and coming off a MVP-caliber season. Allen has stayed consistent in the passing game, but appears to be more cautious on the ground taking less run opportunities when he scrambles out of the pocket. This is what helped him have a top fantasy season last year and we hope Allen is just being cautious early in the season to avoid any injury and get in the swing of things. With their improved running game of Singletary and Moss looking better, this could limit Allen’s output this season and the outlook for Allen’s fantasy value drops from a top 3 quarterback to a top 10 for the time being which is still higher than the 19th spot now. 

RB: Saquon Barkley – New York Giants

Once the top fantasy running back in the NFL, injuries and a lack of an offensive line has dropped Barkley’s production significantly. Opposite of what is happening for the Bills, the Giants are leaning more on their quarterback Daniel Jones to take over the rushing game and less on their running backs. With the Giants being towards the bottom of the NFC East, they might need to play from behind which will also limit Barkley’s production this season. 

WR: AJ Brown – Tennessee Titans

AJ Brown has been the most targeted receiver on the Titans offense, but even then, he hasn’t even managed 100 receiving yards combined across both games. The Titans offense is primarily dominated by workhorse Derrick Henry who had a monster week 2. With the departure of Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis, the Titans replaced both with veteran Julio Jones who leads the Titans in receiving yards. Without the two receiving threats, the Titans are going to rely heavier on Derrick Henry to lead the way this season. This is disappointing for fantasy owners of AJ Brown as he gets shadowed by Julio Jones and Derrick Henry. 

TE: Mike Gesicki – Miami Dolphins

After a breakout 2020 campaign, Gesicki has been basically non-existent this season with zero catches in week 1 and only a few for minimal yards in the week 2 blowout against Buffalo. The Dolphins offense has been lackluster thus far with Tua going down with injury and even when he was in, he was not looking like the future of the franchise. Without a reliable option at quarterback, Gesicki and other Dolphins receivers are unable to be relevant fantasy starters until this situation is in a better place, especially after being shut out against Buffalo.