Knowing when to react and when not to is crucial in fantasy football. It’s important to distinguish what is truly significant and what is not. This article aims to clarify what requires our full attention and what can be disregarded.
FIVE THINGS THAT MATTER FROM WEEK 2
These items caught my attention over the weekend and are now on my radar, whether they require immediate action or observation. I am officially contemplating.
POLLARD STILL MATTERS, EVEN ON HIS WORST DAY
Tony Pollard had everything go his way in Week 1, but Week 2 differed. The game plan went pass-heavy early and often against the stout front seven of the New York Jets. CeeDee Lamb went bonkers as he has begun to establish himself as one of the top-tier WR talents in the NFL. Tight ends were getting TDs, Brandon Aubrey was making himself the second highest-scoring kicker in the league so far, and Dak Prescott was dealing all night, unshaken by the reputation of his high-profile opponents in green. The Cowboys have looked like the best team in the NFL through two weeks, quite frankly, and they have many ways to win football games.
Even with negative EP, no touchdowns, and little room to run all afternoon, Pollard still ended up in the top 12 in PPR fantasy scoring in Week 2, proving he is matchup-proof. Involved in so many aspects of the game, he has a ton of outs: goal line production, rushing volume, or — his savior this week — passing game volume. Pollard’s 2.9 YPC looks abysmal, but his day was saved by 37 yards on seven receptions.
This was against one of the perceived stalwarts of the league at stopping the run. On a team that will be favored to win almost every game in the future, the Cowboys could see an abundance of positive game scripts against worse defenses than the Jets. And that has Pollard firmly in the overall RB1 conversation at the moment. Fire him up without a second thought every single week.
A PROBLEM THAT MAY HELP WIN A SUPER BOWL
The Kansas City Chiefs may not see this as a problem, but their defense has been pretty good in 2023 thus far. They have maintained a positive 8.12 Team Expected Points designation from Pro Football Reference through two games against supposedly high-powered offenses. The Chiefs have had decent fantasy defenses throughout the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes era. However, much of that has to do with their unstoppable offense forcing teams into one-dimensional game plans that are easier to predict and more prone to turmoil.
Having a good defense is excellent for the Chiefs. The defense has been a less esteemed component of their incredible success in the past five years, and it has sometimes cost them. If they have stepped up another level, there is an excellent chance that the Chiefs will be a better real-life team than in their Super Bowl-winning run in 2022, even if their offense is not as electric.
And what if the offense isn’t? We have seen evidence thus far that, without Travis Kelce, there aren’t very reliable options in the passing game. That certainly could change, as there are plenty of decent candidates to emerge as the season goes along, but for now, the pass catchers are very nearly a blight. Meanwhile, the offensive line has been more detrimental than a year ago. It might be time to start wondering about the exit of former OC Eric Bienemy, now in Washington, who is constantly forgotten or marginalized when people affirm the Chiefs’ recent greatness on offense. And while Isiah Pacheco is a super-fun player to watch — kind of a mini Marion Barber — he’s not necessarily a game-changer on offense.
There’s a reason this all could amount to a problem for the Chiefs’ fantasy options. Sure, they can score as fast as a hiccup — that has always been a facet of the Mahomes-led Chiefs. But each occasion where they don’t have to demonstrate urgency in this area is one more occasion where their offensive production decreases, which compounds over a season. If this continues, and the Chiefs are as overbearing on defense as they’ve shown thus far, Mahomes and Kelce likely won’t flop altogether, but they may not pay off their lofty ADPs. And if the offense en masse remains a source of consternation and strife, the coaches may naturally begin to taper their aggressiveness on that side of the ball.
