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Should I drop Makai Lemon for fantasy football Week 2? Is Makai Lemon a safe player to cut? Read the fantasy football waivers outlook.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon, a rookie and first-round draft pick this season, made his NFL debut on Sunday. It's a good thing he was healthy, or at least off the injury report, after dealing with a hamstring injury in the offseason. But his presence didn't amount to much production.
In fact, on the day, he caught three of his four targets for a grand total of negative five yards, ending the day with just 2.5 PPR fantasy points. In fantasy football, that means you had a solid chance of losing your matchup if you went against a good team. Lemon is a rookie, but that's a rare aberration of a stat line.
Still, the Eagles drafted him for a reason. He showed major promise dominating at USC in college and was excellent after the catch. He displayed great contact balance, especially for a receiver, and impressive tackle-breaking ability. But this is the NFL, and often, players' skills don't translate well. So should you drop Lemon in fantasy football ahead of Week 2?
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Should I Drop Makai Lemon in Fantasy Football?
Probably not. It might be a good idea to temper expectations for his rookie season, though. For starters, the Eagles' starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is a dual-threat player, relying heavily on his legs to make big plays and keep the chains moving. He's not a high-volume passer.
He threw for just 203 yards in Week 1, which is below league average. Last season, he averaged only 201.5 passing yards per game. The Eagles also made a point to get the ball to tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks.
Philadelphia's WR1 is still DeVonta Smith, thanks to the departure of WR A.J. Brown. Lemon is lower on the pecking order than we'd like right now, and his upside is capped by Hurts' lack of passing volume and other tendencies as a thrower.
Makai Lemon got open on the Dallas Goedert touchdown. If he was the one who caught this touchdown pass, the narrative around his debut would change drastically. He got open on Sunday.#Eagles https://t.co/mHLJaZsLQM pic.twitter.com/0TUZD7YTqP
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) September 14, 2026
Lemon did get open downfield on some plays, but just wasn't fed the ball. It's not great to think about how poorly the Washington Commanders have played in the last few seasons on defense, though. Hurts only having just over 200 passing yards against them, even in a win, doesn't inspire confidence in Lemon's upside.
They clearly tried to get him the ball in situations where he could utilize his YAC skills to pick up yardage, but that didn't work out. A Week 2 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, arguably one of worst teams in the NFL, should help Lemon get back on track, though.
Who Should I Pickup for Fantasy Football?
Chicago Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond is an interesting player to grab if you have a need at receiver. He's more of a deep league option, but in the Bears' blowout win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, he led his team's pass-catching unit with eight catches on nine targets for 84 yards, totaling 16.4 PPR fantasy points.
Many fantasy analysts were predicting a breakout for WR Luther Burden III, but he was relatively quiet, seeing only five targets, which he caught for 63 yards. Tight end Colston Loveland was blanked.
You cannot appreciate enough Jahdae Walker putting all that effort into this block. Got Kalif Raymond another 5 yards with this block.
No Block, No Rock! pic.twitter.com/M8qZjtRukw— Adam Mason (@Bear_Down_Adam) September 14, 2026
Perhaps an injury to another of the team's pass-catchers could give him more upside. Additionally, Lemon may still not be 100 percent. Then, it would make sense to grab Wicks, who led the Eagles in receiving yards among WRs and added an impressive touchdown.
New York Giants rookie wideout Malachi Fields could be set up for success. He only had two catches on his four targets in Week 1, but Giants QB Jaxson Dart looks quite comparable with a new coaching staff. This should be a great offense, and it's good to buy into great offenses with excellent QBs.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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