Justin Fields, J.J. McCarthy, Jalen Hurts and the Bottom-5 Fantasy Football Offenses in NFL Week 2
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While it’s important to find the most fantasy football-friendly offenses to find players on, it’s also extremely important to find the least fantasy football-friendly offenses to avoid players from. And just like we do (and will do) every week, it’s time to turn our attention to their underperforming counterparts.
While inclusion on this list doesn’t mean these teams are going to live here all season (or even next week, as the Giants showed us), we can only go with the data we have. And the data for Week 2 tells us that these offenses were some of the worst offenses on which to have a fantasy starter.
Let’s start with the fifth-worst fantasy offense for this week and count down to the bottom-of-the-barrel for Week 2. Joe Burrow and the Bengals weren't the only ones who had a bad week.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
It feels weird putting the Eagles on here as they sit at 2-0 and are coming off a road win against a good Chiefs team. But stats are stats, and the Eagles are currently averaging just 259 total yards per game on offense. Jalen Hurts only threw for 101 yards against Kansas City, and A.J. Brown has just 35 total receiving yards through two weeks. While things will most definitely get better for the Eagles, it’s clear that their passing offense is still shaking off some rust. Saquon Barkley has looked good (as has Hurts when he’s run the ball), but the Eagles pass-catchers are risky propositions when it comes to their fantasy output right now.
Week 3 Best Bet to Produce: Saquon Barkley
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have put up the ninth-most points in the league through two weeks, but they’ve also put up the ninth-fewest yards in the league through two weeks. What does that mean? It’s hard to say for sure (and we’ll find out more when they play a shaky Patriots defense this week), but I think it means that we can’t really trust anyone on the Steelers offense right now. Jaylen Warren is currently the team’s leading rusher and leading receiver, so he’s emerged as the safe fantasy option while players like D.K. Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers have become risky starts until further notice.
Week 3 Best Bet to Produce: Jaylen Warren
3. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have played eight quarters this season, and first-year starter J.J. McCarthy has really only looked good for one of those quarters. McCarthy and the Vikings have put up the sixth-fewest total yards in the league through two weeks, and McCarthy’s 58.5 completion percentage and 150.5 passing yards per game are the biggest thing holding them back. While it’s still early and McCarthy could quickly turn things around (especially when Jordan Addison returns from suspension in Week 4), it’s totally fair for fantasy managers to be concerned for the long-term prospects of Justin Jefferson.
Week 3 Best Bet to Produce: Justin Jefferson
2. Tennessee Titans
While the Titans did marginally better in Week 2, they’re still at the bottom of the league in terms of total yards with just 385 total yards on offense. Growing pains are to be expected with a rookie quarterback, but this is just egregious at this point. While Tony Pollard posted a solid 92-yard rushing game in the 33-19 loss to the Rams, Cam Ward again failed to top 200 passing yards on his way to a shaky 19-of-33 performance. Things won’t get much easier with matchups against the Colts and Texans on tap, so fantasy managers should be cautious with anyone on the Titans not named Tony Pollard.
Week 3 Best Bet to Produce: Tony Pollard
1. New York Jets
The Jets looked much-improved (at least in regards to expectations) in Week 1, but the wheels fell off in Week 2. New York put up just 154 yards of total offense during their 30-10 loss to Buffalo, and quarterback Justin Fields was 3-of-11 for just 27 passing yards before leaving with a concussion. Breece Hall and his 10 carries for 29 yards was perhaps the most disappointing performer after the Bills allowed Derrick Henry to have a monster rushing game against them. Garrett Wilson was the only Jet who put up double-digit receiving yards, and looks to be the only relatively safe fantasy option on the Jets roster right now.
Week 3 Best Bet to Produce: Garrett Wilson
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Once a top-ranked fantasy gamer on ESPN, Nick Raducanu has been playing fantasy sports for over 25 years. His written fantasy coverage includes stops at Rotoworld, Rotowire, and The New York Times.