Quarterbacks

Philip Rivers, LAC – Rivers completed 31-of-39 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Dolphins, and remains available in over a third of ESPN leagues. With his strong arm and bevy of receiving options, Rivers should continue to post solid games mixed with some poor results – a combination of good and bad outings that has frustrated owners. Still, he offers plenty of upside despite a low week-to-week fantasy floor.

Trevor Siemian, DEN – Even behind a shaky and piecemeal offensive line, Siemian tore apart the Dallas defense for 234-4-1 on Sunday afternoon. He’s maturing into a better QB with excellent receivers and has the benefit of several effective rushers at his disposal. Just 10 percent owned in ESPN leagues, Siemian could be a smart add in 12-team leagues as a primary backup/spot starter.

DeShone Kizer, CLE – Kizer had a tough test Sunday facing the Ravens defense, and while he struggled – completing just 15-of-31 passes for 182 yards and throwing three interceptions without a TD (he also rushed five times for 26 yards and lost a fumble) – he’s still a dynamic playmaker in training who’s bound to have some big fantasy games.

Other QBs to consider: Joe Flacco (BAL), Brian Hoyer (SF)

UPDATES:

Alex Smith, KC – Smith followed up his big Week 1 with just 251-1-0 and 21 rushing yards but he’s still on track for some more big games this season. He’s a streaming option with upside in favorable matchups.

Carson Wentz, PHI – Wentz finished with 333-2-1 against the Chiefs – a good showing against a tough opponent, spreading the ball around to nine different receivers. He also led the Eagles in rushing Week 2, totaling 55 yards on five carries, including a 24-yard gain. Turnovers will be an issue with Wentz, but he has plenty of upside moving forward.

Jared Goff, LAR – The Rams offense has been described as a work in progress with many young players. Goff is no exception. He completed just 15-of-25 passes for 224 yards and a TD during Sunday's overtime loss to Washington, but next week’s game against San Francisco should be a better indicator of whether he can be a trusted fantasy asset. It’s a favorable matchup the Rams should be able to exploit.

A rib injury to starter Rob Kelley could open the door for Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine.

Running Backs

Derrick Henry, TEN – He’s owned in a little over two-thirds of fantasy leagues, but I know he’s available (or was dropped) in some 10-team formats after getting just six carries in Week 1. But his 92 rushing yards and a TD on 14 carries against Jacksonville in Week 2 (along with DeMarco Murray’s hamstring tightness) vaults him as the top add this week if he’s still out there in your league.

UPDATE: Murray, who was ineffective in Week 1 before struggling again on Sunday, appears to be dealing with a continuation of a training camp issue with his hamstring tightness. Henry might just lead the Titans in carries this week – even if Murray is active.

Javorius Allen, BAL – Allen (just 7.8 percent owned in ESPN leagues) rushed 14 times for 66 yards and caught five of six targets for 35 yards and a TD in Sunday's 24-10 win over Cleveland. Terrance West may be the starter in name, but Allen excelled in a pass-catching role Sunday and led the team in carries. He should be owned in all formats as long as Danny Woodhead (IR/DFR) remains out.

UPDATE: Alex Collins has probably earned more playing time, so he’d be the next man up if anything should happen to Allen. The team also signed Jeremy Langford to the practice squad again.

Samaje Perine & Chris Thompson, WAS – While Perine didn’t log an offensive snap in Week 1, he ran for 67 yards on 21 carries after Rob Kelley left in the first half with what appears to be a fractured rib. Thompson also took advantage, rushing three times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, while catching 3-29-0 on seven targets in the Redskins’ Week 2 win over the Rams. If Kelley remains out, it’ll be Perine on most of the early downs and Thompson continuing to flourish in the passing game.

UPDATE: Gruden doesn’t plan on giving a full-time role to Thompson because he’s too small, so Perine and Thompson should remain the 1-2 punch in a productive timeshare.

Other RBs to consider: Chris Johnson & Andre Ellington (ARI), Jamaal Charles (DEN) Latavius Murray (MIN), Jalen Richard (OAK), Alex Collins (BAL)

UPDATES:

Chris Carson, SEA – With Eddie Lacy a healthy scratch, Carson out-touched Thomas Rawls and the other Seahawks RBs Sunday, finishing with 93 yards on 20 carries in the 12-9 defensive struggle. He also caught one of two targets for seven yards and appears to be best suited for a heavier workload among the stable of backs.

UPDATE: There’s more and more chatter about how Carson closed the game out on Sunday, which means he’s the likely Week 3 starter until we’re told differently.

Tarik Cohen, CHI – Cohen rushed seven times for 13 yards while hauling 8-55-0 on nine targets in Sunday's 29-7 loss to the Bucs. He also lost a fumble, but it’s obvious he has the trust and confidence of Mike Glennon and the coaches as a receiving back. Jordan Howard had just 7 rushing yards on nine carries and continues to deal with a shoulder injury.

Kerwynn Williams, ARI – Williams rushed nine times for 22 yards while failing to draw a target in the passing game during Sunday's 16-13 overtime win over the Colts.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Geronimo Allison, GB – The Packers are facing another crisis at the WR position, as both Randall Cobb (shoulder) and Jordy Nelson (quad) are once again injured. Nelson limped off the field in the first quarter against Atlanta and did not return and Cobb (who has dealt with nagging shoulder injuries that have restricted his freedom of motion in the past) was forced from the game in the fourth quarter. Allison played 61-of-76 snaps with the veterans on the shelf, but didn’t do much in the expanded role, catching 3-24-0 on five targets. Still, he’d start opposite Davante Adams if both Nelson and Cobb were unavailable in Week 3.

UPDATE: Jordy Nelson is apparently 50-50 to play Sunday, and Cobb’s injury isn’t that serious – but it’s worth pointing out that he was seriously hampered the last time he had a shoulder issue. Still, I may hold off on grabbing Allison with this additional news available.

Brandon Coleman, NO – Rostering and playing Brandon Coleman is not for the faint of heart, but the talented 6-foot-6 receiver seems to be getting open for the Saints. He hauled in 4-of-6 targets for 82 yards and a score in the Saints' Week 2 loss to the Patriots, and remains almost universally available in fantasy leagues. Coleman
is in just his third NFL season, so it’s very possible we could see a breakout campaign in 2017.

TE Coby Fleener, NO – Fleener is in a good spot as one of Drew Brees’ favorite red zone options and is coming off his second consecutive week with a TD. He’s just 30 percent owned in ESPN leagues. It’ll be interesting to see if he and Coleman are still getting looks when Willie Snead returns from his three-game suspension.

WR Jermaine Kearse, NYJ – Kearse appears to be Josh McCown’s favorite red zone target, and the former Seahawk posted a big day Sunday in the loss to Oakland. He played 49-of-56 offensive snaps and caught four of five targets for 64 yards and a pair of TDs. He’s going to be a risky week-to-week play, but could find more success in the right matchups and game flow scenarios.

WR Rashard Higgins, CLE – A favorite of NFL.com’s “Reception Perception” guru Matt Harmon coming out in the 2016 draft, Higgins was called up from the practice squad on Saturday and played 54-of-71 snaps Week 2 against the Ravens. He didn’t disappoint, hauling in 7-of-11 targets for 95 yards in the loss. With Corey Coleman dealing with a broken hand that could see him miss significant time for the second consecutive year, Higgins is looking like a potential fantasy starter heading into a favorable Week 3 matchup with a porous Colts secondary. Kizer-Higgins might turn out to be a nice little cheap correlation stack in DFS GPPs next week.

UPDATE: Higgins has been listed as starter on the Browns depth chart, and could see double-digit targets on a week-to-week basis. He’s looking like the top WR add.

Other WRs/TEs to consider: TE Ed Dickson (CAR), Mohamed Sanu (ATL), Cooper Kupp (LAR), Tyler Lockett (SEA), WR Phillip Dorsett, TE Jared Cook (OAK)

UPDATES:

Kenny Golladay, DET – UPDATE: Golladay was conspicuously absent, as the Lions threw the ball just 21 times on Monday night and he finished with 1-8-0 on three targets. He’ll be back.

Corey Davis, TEN – Davis was targeted just three times and finished with 1-4-0; not a great follow-up to a busy Week 1.

Nelson Agholor, PHI – Agholor saved a feeble fantasy day with a late 7-yard TD catch (his only reception of the day). He’s going to be a risky play every week but a sneaky option in DFS and as a WR3/flex.

Marqise Lee & Allen Hurns, JAC – Lee had 7-76-0 and Hurns posted an impressive 6-82-1 as the Jags fell to Tennessee in Week 2 after an impressive opener. I envisioned this as an either/or scenario but both could contribute solid fantasy numbers in 2017.

J.J. Nelson, ARI – Nelson was a hit for owners who picked him up and played him week, delivering 5-120-1 in the OT win over Indy. Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t much of factor but is still the best WR in Arizona.

Kendall Wright, CHI – Wright had a good PPR game with 7-69-0 in the loss with numbers bolstered by some garbage time catches. He’s a relatively reliable contributor and the best fantasy WR the Bears have now.

TE Jesse James, PIT – James hauled in 4-27-0 and projects to be a boom-or-bust TE most of the season to be played only in deeper leagues and in favorable matchups.