With Week 2 nearly in the books, let's take a look back on some big winners and losers in fantasy football. There has been an avalanche of injuries, and that will play a huge part for teams going forward. Let's sort through all of this and look for some key points moving into Week 3.
Fantasy Football winners for Week 2
Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
Jonah Coleman looked good! The fourth-round rookie finished with 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown, along with 3 receptions for 19 yards. With J.K. Dobbins leaving early with a hamstring injury and RJ Harvey missing Week 2, Coleman could see a big workload moving forward. The Broncos have an elite offensive line, and 15-plus touches per game aren't too hard to imagine for Coleman.
Aaron Jones, Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings
When Jordan Mason put on IR earlier this week, Jones was in for a bigger role;
just didn't expect it to be this big. A total of 23 carries for 105 yards against the Chicago Bears. What's important to note is that he handled 23 of the 25 running back carries. He was the clear RB1 for the Vikings, and that type of consistent volume makes him a must-start each week.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young is balling out right now. A 287/3/0 line against the Atlanta Falcons has vaulted him to fantasy QB2 through two weeks. Young is also throwing the ball deeper this year with 8.4 yards per attempt, compared to last season's 6.0. The emerging duo of Tetairoa McMillian and Jalen Coker are going to be Batman and Robin out there if Young can consistently get them the ball.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
What a game for Schultz ... in a loss. A huge 12/140/0 line from a tight end! Yes, Nico Collins wasn't there for the Texans, and the offense looks lackluster overall, but Schultz stepped up in a big way, leading the team across the board on Sunday against the Bengals. If Nico Collins continues to deal with his hamstring issue, Schultz could jump himself into the fantasy TE1 conversation.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
We knew a breakout game was going to happen for Smith, and the 10 receptions, 117 yards, and one touchdown showed that on Sunday against the Titans. Dontayvion Wicks has looked pretty solid as well for the Eagles, but after that, there's nobody. It's a mess in their wide receiver room, and it makes Smith the clear go-to guy for Jalen Hurts.
Fantasy Football losers for Week 2
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, New Orleans Saints
Splitting time and inefficiency is a bad combo in fantasy football. Alvin Kamara returned in Week 2 for the Saints, and he had 14 total touches, compared to Etienne with 10. I'm not saying Kamara was great; he wasn't, but having another running back sap away Etienne's usage makes his fantasy floor very low.
The entire Washington Commanders offense
It sucks to see Jayden Daniels injured yet again, and it's a clear downgrade to their offense's fantasy potential. Is Marcus Mariota a viable backup? Yes, in real-life football, not necessarily fantasy football. It's going to be tough for Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams and Jacory Croskey-Merritt to all have massive fantasy production with Mariota at quarterback.
David Montgomery, RB, Houston Texans
Montgomery was great in Week 1; he was horrible in Week 2. With Nico Collins out, you'd think the Texans would lean on the player they just traded for, considering they were going up against the Bengals defense. Nope. A total of 6 carries for 10 yards and 2 catches for 14 yards is bad. That's "non-factor-in-fantasy" type bad.
DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
In Week 1, the Steelers led the league with 12.8% PROE (pass rate over expectation), which is huge. Now, in Week 2, the Steelers were without Michael Pittman. This made DK Metcalf the CLEAR top receiver for the Steelers, and he turned a team-high 9 targets into 4 catches for 27 yards.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Bad. Horrible. Awful. Terrible. Use any of those words to describe Justin Herbert and the Chargers, and it's probably accurate. Herbert ended 15/27 passing for 192 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Mike McDaniel-led offense is going through some serious growing pains in the first two weeks, and it's getting to the point where we might not be able to trust Herbert and their pass-catchers every week.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking 10 crucial fantasy football winners and losers from Week 2
