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Real or Fake? A Look at 8 Fantasy Football Darlings After Week 2

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image By and Dylan MacKinnon
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Puka Nacua #17 of the Los Angeles Rams is tackled by Deommodore Lenoir #2 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Inglewood, California.

While teams around the NFL prepare for week 3 of the season, us normal people are reacting to our Fantasy Football teams. Maybe like the Eagles, your team is 2-0, and you are looking to continue your winning ways. You could also be like our own Ray Dunne or the Bengals, and your team is 0-2 after two weeks and you are trying to figure out how you will dig out of a hole. Either way, there is still plenty of season left. That means there is time to bounce back from a bad start, or even blow a good one.

So to help, let’s look at some of the early darlings of Fantasy Football. Guys who either came out of nowhere to put up big numbers, or even some already known guys exceeding expectations in week 2. Should we actually trust them? Or could there be regression on the way? Is Puka Nacua the real deal? Can Anthony Richardson be a top 10 QB? Will D’Andre Swift repeat his week 2 performance?

We went through 8 guys who have stood out in either week 1, week 2, or both and broke down if they can keep that production up. Some of them might be sell high candidates. Others are the real deal and may be worth holding onto, or trading for if someone else already has them.

  • Real: Puka Nacua

    Puka Nacua was not a name on very many people’s minds coming into the season. But people are talking about him now. He set records through the first two weeks of the season with 25 catches for over 250 yards. But is it a mirage? 

    The most reliable thing in the NFL is targets. TDs can come and go. Even yards can come and go if someone is reliant on making big plays on few targets. But if a QB loves throwing to one guy, that is something you can rely on. There is obviously an easy connection between Nacua and Rams Qb Matthew Stafford. And even when Cooper Kupp returns, he should continue to be targeted. And if you are in a PPR league, that makes him a safe bet to put up points every week.  

    Will he be this good? Maybe, maybe not. But his floor is pretty high.  

  • Fake: Drake London

    After a bad week 1, London broke out in week 2 with 6 catches, 67 yards, and a TD. His problem is who is throwing him passes though. Ridder does not look like the guy. There were a lot of underthrown balls on Sunday. Some of which he was lucky didn’t get picked. And with a dangerous duo at RB, the Falcons could have a lot of weeks where they run it way more than they pass.

    London himself seems like a very good WR. And in a dynasty league, he has value. But targets and production could be volatile this season, making him more matchup-dependent than a reliable guy every week.  

    NFL Fantasy Football on Twitter: "Week 1 Drake London: 0 pointsWeek 2 Drake London: 13.9 points (at halftime) pic.twitter.com/sGyRqWMoSA / Twitter"

    Week 1 Drake London: 0 pointsWeek 2 Drake London: 13.9 points (at halftime) pic.twitter.com/sGyRqWMoSA

  • Real-Keenan Allen

    The Chargers themselves are a mess. But one thing we are seeing is they are more aggressive passing it than they were last year. For some inexplicable reason last season the Chargers loved to throw a lot of short passes, despite having one of the best deep ball QBs in the league. Since 2019, Keenan Allen’s average target distance was under 10 yards.  

    That is not the case for Allen so far. He is getting far more targets past the first down marker, and deep down the field. And we saw it in an explosive week 2 performance. 

    We knew Allen was a good WR, and he was already a must-start. But Allen could be in for a resurgent year where he gets back to being elite, as opposed to just very good.

  • Fake: D'Andre Swift

    Swift is a very good back. And as an Eagles fan, I hate to say this. But I don’t think he will be as good going forward as he was in week 2. By a certain point in the game, he was basically the only back they could use because Gainwell was out, Scott got hurt in the game, and they don;t trust Rashaad Penny. But touches will be spread out much more going forward.

    Swift should still be decent, but it could be a good time to sell high on him. Because 28 touches is insane, and he may get just 15 per game going forward. Don’t sell him just to sell him. He should still be a valuable player. But he won’t be a week winner like he was in week 2, and someone may be willing to pay for him based on his week 2 performance.  

    NFL on ESPN on Twitter: "D'Andre Swift had 133 rushing yards BEFORE contact tonight 🦅 The Eagles O-Line is the real deal 😳 pic.twitter.com/u1jeuCAxij / Twitter"

    D'Andre Swift had 133 rushing yards BEFORE contact tonight 🦅 The Eagles O-Line is the real deal 😳 pic.twitter.com/u1jeuCAxij

  • Real- Nico Collins

    Like we said with Nacua, targets don’t lie, and Stroud seems to love targeting Collins. He had 9 targets last week, and 11 in week 1. And he hauled in most of those targets while putting up a combined 226 yards, with 1 TD. He should continue to be Stroud’s favorite target. And while the Texans themselves seem a mess, Stroud actually showed a lot of promise in week 2.

    As long as Stroud doesn’t get hurt behind the revolving door O-Line the Texans have put in front of him, Collins should be a super consistent Fantasy WR. The floor is something like 6 catches for 80 yards most weeks, and then if he scores a TD, you are talking about him having a 20-point week.

    Houston Texans on Twitter: "Sheeeesh 🔥@CJ7STROUD | @lbg_nico7 pic.twitter.com/O1tx7cDiDe / Twitter"

    Sheeeesh 🔥@CJ7STROUD | @lbg_nico7 pic.twitter.com/O1tx7cDiDe

  • Fake- Garrett Wilson

    Wilson is an amazing WR. If you have him in a dynasty league, keep him. But if it’s just a one-year league, you may not get back what you invested into Wilson this season. Because Zach Wilson looks very bad. Garrett Wilson had just 2 catches in week 2, and not many of the targets coming his way are catchable.

    Wilson will have big weeks, where he does it by himself like he did on a 60-yard TD last week. But it might be hard to rely on him week to week, just because of who he has throwing to him. Maybe he gets lucky, and the Jets pull off a deal for Kirk Cousins at some point. But it may be worth looking into selling high on Wilson if someone in your league is willing to pay big for the name despite the QB play behind him. 

    PFF on Twitter: "Zach Wilson 🎯 Jayron Kearse pic.twitter.com/cRA13nNPWN / Twitter"

    Zach Wilson 🎯 Jayron Kearse pic.twitter.com/cRA13nNPWN

  • Real: Hunter Henry

    Henry has the 4th most targets among Tight ends through 2 weeks. And there is no reason to think that will change. He is a safety blanket for Mac Jones, especially in the Red Zone. As of writing this article, he is still available in 50% of ESPN leagues. If he is there in your league, he is worth grabbing, even if it is just as the backup TE on your Fantasy team. 

    NFL on Twitter: "To make this catch on 4th and 8 😳📺: #PHIvsNE on CBS📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/OhiwJP7Ced / Twitter"

    To make this catch on 4th and 8 😳📺: #PHIvsNE on CBS📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/OhiwJP7Ced

  • Fake: Anthony Richardson

    Richardson has put up good numbers in two weeks despite getting hurt in both games. Due mostly to his explosiveness as a runner. And he may keep getting TDs if he stays healthy. The question is can he stay healthy? If there is someone willing to overpay for the ceiling, he might be a good sell–high candidate. Because outside the running, he has not done much as a passer. Meaning he will be over-reliant on running the ball to put up Fantasy points. And if he doesn’t score rushing TDs, I don’t know where the points are coming from.  

    NFL on Twitter: "Anthony Richardson has two rushing TDs less than six minutes into the game!📺: #INDvsHOU on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/QfJYDVcoD2 / Twitter"

    Anthony Richardson has two rushing TDs less than six minutes into the game!📺: #INDvsHOU on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/QfJYDVcoD2

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