Fantasy Football

Fantasy managers are beside themselves at Kyle Pitts' lack of production through the first two weeks of the season, but the Atlanta Falcons tight end is not worried.

"It's early. It's a long season. It's 17 games," Pitts told reporters Tuesday. "Could go farther. So I'm not getting frustrated."

Pitts has recorded just four receptions for 38 yards in two games, making him one of the season's biggest disappointments from a production standpoint.

If you can buy low on Pitts, now may be the time to strike. Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported 13 of the Falcons' pass plays in Week 2 had him as the primary target. His lack of production has largely been a product of defenses scheming for him and Pitts' poor play.

The Florida product has struggled to create separation running routes. NFL Next Gen Stats ranks him No. 138 among pass-catchers in average yards of separation. That won't lead to on-field success.

Pitts is one of the most physically gifted players to ever play the tight end position and is coming off one of the most productive rookie seasons for a tight end in league history. He didn't become bad at football overnight. He's adjusting from Matt Ryan to Marcus Mariota, but the Falcons continue to use Pitts as a focal point in their offense.

A vast improvement is coming. Smart managers will use this slow start to target Pitts this week in trade talks.

The NFL has suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans one game for his scuffle with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore on Sunday, per ESPN's Jenna Laine, leaving fantasy players potentially scrambling to find another option at the position ahead of Week 3.

If you drafted well and haven't been bitten by the injury bug, you probably have a quality option or two. But if you want more options, we'll go through a few below.

If New York Jets' rookie Garrett Wilson isn't rostered in your league, he's a good pickup. He was awesome in Week 2, catching eight passes for 102 yards and two scores on 14 targets.

He's not a guaranteed success story next week, however. He still has to contend with Elijah Moore and Corey Davis getting targets, though the Cincinnati Bengals aren't the worst matchup for him.

To date, the Bengals have given up 24 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown across two games to opposing wide receivers. That came with Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Rush under center. Wilson is a high-risk, high-reward flex option in Week 3.

Roster him regardless. The long-term upside here is special.

Nelson Agholor might have caught your attention after posting six receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's not as though the New England Patriots are loaded with other weapons on the outside, with DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers the other top options for Mac Jones.

Agholor is just a tough player to trust. It was his first game exceeding 100 receiving yards since Dec. 2020. And Parker and Meyers are still above him on the depth chart.

On the other hand, the Baltimore Ravens just let Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle feast on them to the tune of 22 catches for 261 yards and four touchdowns.

Starting Agholor is probably going to be a bigger risk than most fantasy players can stomach, and fair enough. But in deeper leagues he isn't the worst option if you find yourself desperate at wideout.

After two really strong weeks to start the season, Curtis Samuel probably isn't available in your league, or at least he shouldn't be. He's a priority addition if he is, however—he's developed a very solid rapport with Carson Wentz.

Speaking of rapports, Dallas Cowboys wideout Noah Brown has a solid one with the aforementioned Rush, bringing in five receptions for 91 yards and a score on Sunday. He only had five targets—and again, Rush is throwing him passes—but there is some sleeper potential here for Week 3.

Just keep an eye on Michael Gallup. If he returns next week against the New York Giants, Brown's value plummets immediately. And even if Gallup doesn't play, Brown is probably best treated as a desperation option.

Finally, we turn to Breshad Perriman, Tampa's in-house option to replace Evans. Much of his value heading into next week will directly correlate to the health of Chris Godwin and Julio Jones. If both play, he has very little fantasy upside.

If one or both are absent, however, he has real potential. He showed as much on Sunday, catching a 28-yard touchdown pass after Evans was ejected.

Keep a close eye on Tampa's injury report this week. If it appears as though Godwin, Jones or both won't play this week, Perriman becomes an instant flex option for your team. Russell Gage (five catches for 28 yards) and Scotty Miller (three catches for 34 yards) didn't do a ton with more playing time.

Perriman, on the other hand, stepped up.

Talk about a wild opening slate of games Sunday.

There was Tua Tagovailoa leading the Miami Dolphins to a comeback fourth-quarter win. Joe Flacco did the same for the New York Jets. Jared Goff was slinging the ball around like he was Matt Stafford. Carson Wentz nearly kept pace.

For fantasy players, the question is which player should be targeted on waivers this week if you need help at the quarterback position?

Let's just eliminate Flacco immediately. Yes, his 307 passing yards and four touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns was impressive. He's now hit 300 passing yards in back-to-back games.

But he's only keeping Zach Wilson's seat warm. And before this season, the last time Flacco hit 300 passing yards in a game was back in Sept. 2019. He last hit three or more touchdown passes in a game in Nov. 2020. Flacco is having a nice run, but trusting it to last is folly.

Goff is a safer option than Flacco, and he won't be losing his starting spot anytime soon. But don't be fooled by Sunday's four passing touchdowns—Goff didn't have a single game with four touchdowns last year, and he had just three games with three passing scores. He hit 300 or more passing yards in just one game last season.

Yes, Goff's supporting cast on offense has improved. And in deeper leagues or two-QB formats, he's not a bad insurance policy to roster. But don't expect him to be a viable starter on a weekly basis—his ceiling is just too low.

We turn to Wentz, who for fantasy players is sort of liking stopping at a food truck you don't know anything about. Sure, sometimes you might find a hidden gem. But other times, well, the experience may be less than pleasant, let's leave it at that.

The point is that you never really know which Wentz you'll get. He is chaos. Consistent inconsistency.

Generally, he puts up just enough stats to sit near the top of the QB2 range, which means he absolutely should be rostered in all formats. But if you have a more reliable option, Wentz should remain benched. He's a player to utilize in really appealing matchups or during bye weeks, but trusting him weekly is feast or famine.

And then there's Tua, the most intriguing player we'll mention. It would be easy to focus on the extremes, like overhyping him after his 469-yard, six-touchdown performance against the Ravens, or devaluing him after two extremely ho-hum seasons and a pretty meh fantasy performance in Week 1.

The reality is probably somewhere in the middle. He has better weapons than any other player discussed here in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle out wide. Those two are going to make a lot of plays for Tagovailoa after the catch.

And he also has a new head coach, Mike McDaniel, and an offensive scheme that should help elevate his game.

If starting Wentz in fantasy is going to a random food truck and hoping for the best, Tagovailoa is like ordering a random special at a restaurant you've enjoyed in the past. You trust the establishment, but you don't know if you can trust this particular meal.

That makes him a high-end QB2 option. If he's available in your league, go get him. He almost assuredly isn't going to have another performance like the one on Sunday, but he still has breakout potential this season you shouldn't be dismissing out of hand.