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Monday Morning NFL Recap - Week 2 Surprises, Busts & Laughers

Welcome to the second installment of my Monday morning NFL recap, the column I like to consider "speedballing for your fantasy team."  We'll bring you up with stars (Stefon Diggs! I played against him!), and bring you crashing right back down to the ground with busts (Antonio Brown! I started him!)

So make sure all your sharp objects are put away, start playing some Mötley Crüe songs, and let's take a hard look at the decisions we made to bring us to this point in our lives.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests for Week 3. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!

 

It's Monday Morning... What Just Happened

The Stars:

  • The New York Jets - who'da thunk it, huh?  The Jets, travelling to Buffalo on a Thursday night, to play a Ryan Bros. defense seemed like a recipe for disaster.  (Incidentally, Ryan Bros. is a new game I'm designing - it's like Super Smash Bros, only instead of controlling a diverse cast of beloved Nintendo characters, you control two obnoxious blowhards, one of whom is fat and the other of whom is skinny, as they perform a series of disconnected actions free of any perceivable context. Wait - I just described the Wario games. Sh*t.)  Anyway, pretty much every Jet came up big this week for any fantasy team they were on.  Matt Forté put up 100 yards and 3 TDs, Ryan Fitzpatrick put up a respectable 347 yards and 1 TD, Eric Decker found the endzone again, and Brandon Marshall caught 6 passes for 100+ yards...as I was giddily informed by the guy who has Forté in my league.  It went downhill from there, so buckle up.
  • DeAngelo Williams - aka "That Guy Who's Putting Up Annoyingly Great Scores But Le'Veon Bell Will Be Back In Two Weeks And Then He'll Be Back On The Waiver Wire So Yeah Be Smug About That Seventh-Round Pick Buddy."  Admittedly, it's a bit of a mouthful.  It's a work in progress. Williams put up another big game in relief of Bell, with 138 combined yards and a touchdown.  Don't worry though - Le'Veon Bell returns from Burning Man or wherever he goes to fail drug tests in two weeks, so Williams' reign of mild inconvenience will soon be brought to a close.
  • The Lions and the Titans - hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha no just kidding this one was a cesspit, forget it ever happened and move on with your life.  You know, just like every other game the Titans have played.
  • Rookie wide receivers - Corey Coleman, Will Fuller and Sterling Shepard all put up big yardage this week.  Fuller and Coleman went for 104, although Coleman added two touchdowns to his score.  Shepard had eight receptions and 117 yards, prompting Odell Beckham Jr. owners to laugh nervously and start looking around in mild trepidation.  This was Fuller's second hundred-yard game on the season playing opposite DeAndre Hopkins, making Houston's WR group one of the more enticing fantasy options early in the season.  With 6 games against the Colts (who are fielding 11 injured defensive starters, which astute fans will recognize as all of the defensive starters), the Titans (see above entry), and the Jaguars (oh, we'll get to them), Fuller should see time in your lineup, especially if you've been thin at WR.  Shepard should also carve himself out a spot in your lineup, but Coleman plays for a team that's one play away from finding out who Josh McCown's backup is.  Should be exciting!
  • Cam Newton to Kelvin Benjamin - remember that Forté guy from earlier?  There's nothing quite like losing and then being sent giddy text messages about how the Newton-to-Benjamin connection is blowing up.  Newton and Benjamin blew up the 49ers, but I'm still salty about it, so yeah.  Enjoy, I guess.
  •  The Arizona Cardinals - Carson Palmer topped 300 yards and put up 3 touchdowns, Larry Fitzgerald scored, David Johnson put up over 140 combined yards, and Chris Johnson continued to exist in the NFL during the Cardinals' 40-7 rout of the Buccaneers.  It was a big rebound from the Cardinals after their anemic showing against the Patriots, and it established them as the class of the NFC West.  Which has suddenly become a much less prestigious position.
  • Melvin Gordon - You know, I had a really nice "Gordon found a great ________, since his allergy to touchdowns has apparently been cured" crack all lined up, but it turns out the word for doctor specializing in allergies is just "allergist" and it ruined the meter of the joke.  Screw you, allergists.  Those people who steal your blood for the Red Cross are called phlebotomists, and that's the best you could manage?
  • Stefon Diggs - I don't have a joke here.   He just shredded the Packers tonight.  Damn.

 
The Busts:

  • Allen Robinson - remember when this guy was gonna be a top-5 receiver?  Because, you know, that was a thing we all thought was going to happen.  I guess we just conveniently forgot he plays for Jacksonville.
  • Every Single Person Associated With The Rams vs. Seahawks Game - We finally got NFL football back in L.A. after more than 20 years, and THIS is the product they chose to bring it back with?  It's like finding a man dying of thirst in the desert and promising him pure, crystal-clear water to drink, but switching it out with vinegar at the last second.  Or worse, Bud Light.
  • Andrew Luck - I can only assume that the Broncos' players have mithril chain vests since that was the only thing successful at stopping Luck in his first job.  Luck laid an egg, but it's the Broncos, and you can't expect much more than that.  Plus, mithril is crazy hard to find and I'm sure the NFL can't afford to kit out all their opponents with it.
  • All of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers except Mike Evans - Yikes.  The Cardinals took that game away from the Buccaneers like the Bucs were fresh Publix seafood.  As always, the jokes in this column are 100% cutting-edge and relevant.
  • Blaine Gabbert - I don't even know how many points Gabbert scored.  I'm just contractually obligated to include him in any and all NFL "bust lists."  Oh and the rest of the Niners too.  The Panthers burst that "maybe they're good?" bubble at mach speed.
  • The Concepts Of Karma, Justice, Etc. - yeah, the Patriots are gonna be 4-0 to start, aren't they?  F*ck.

 
Seems like a good place as any to leave off. Can't think of anyone else who underperformed and lost their owners a fantasy game. Most definitely no one else worth mentioning... not a single Steelers receiver who was drafted first overall.  

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go weep bitterly into this Antonio Brown bodypillow (it twerks!). At least Carson "We're Just Purer Folk In North Dakota" Wentz coming up against the weaponized apathy Jay Cutler brings to the table could be amusing.

 




REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tory Horton

Could Do Some Stuff "Toward the End of Spring"
Patrick Mahomes

Takes Part in First OTA Practice on Tuesday
Los Angeles Chargers

Derwin James Jr. Becomes Highest-Paid Safety for the Second Time in his Career
Chris Brooks

Emerging as Top Handcuff to Stash?
MarShawn Lloyd

Sees Short-Term Value Soar
Jared McCain

Moves into Starting Five
Boston Celtics

Joe Mazzulla Wins Coach of the Year
Jalen Williams

is Ruled Out for Game 5 on Tuesday
Bucky Irving

is Expected to be Ready for Training Camp
Zion Williamson

to See More Versatile Role
Parker Washington

Jaguars Think Parker Washington Can Replicate Second-Half Production
Cleveland Cavaliers

Kenny Atkinson to Remain Cavaliers Head Coach Next Season
Josh Jacobs

Arrested on Five Charges, Booked Into Jail
Claude Giroux

Planning to Return for 20th NHL Campaign
Josh Sweat

Cardinals Receiving Trade Calls on Josh Sweat
Carter Hart

Aiming for Sixth Consecutive Win Tuesday
Tetairoa McMillan

Working With the Training Staff on Tuesday
Evgeni Malkin

Inks New One-Year Deal With Penguins
Mackenzie Blackwood

in Net for Game 4 Against Golden Knights
Valeri Nichushkin

a Game-Time Call Tuesday
Nathan MacKinnon

Will Suit Up Tuesday
Jerome Ford

Is it Time for Dynasty Managers to Drop Jerome Ford?
John Metchie III

Poised for Breakout Season with New Team in 2026?
Jalen Milroe

Is Jalen Milroe Still Worth Stashing in Dynasty Formats Entering 2026?
Kyle Pitts Sr.

Is Kyle Pitts Sr. a Dynasty Sell-High Candidate Coming Off Breakout Season?
Nico Collins

Agrees to Contract Adjustment with Texans
Chris Brooks

Carries Buy-Low Dynasty Appeal into 2026
Ben Griffin

Looking to Repeat This Week at Colonial
Rasmus Hojgaard

a Player to Avoid at Charles Schwab Challenge
Hideki Matsuyama

Needs Solid Driving Week at Charles Schwab Challenge
Justin Thomas

Trending Well Ahead of Charles Schwab Challenge
Akshay Bhatia

Lacking Driving Prowess Needed at Colonial Country Club
NFL

NFL Unlikely to Expand to 18 Regular-Season Games by 2027
Sahith Theegala

Searching For Swing at Charles Schwab Challenge
Lamar Jackson

in Attendance at OTAs This Week
Bucky Irving

Expected Back in the Summer or Fall
CFB

DJ Lagway Looking to Rebound at Baylor
CFB

Josh Hoover Tasked With Leading Indiana Back to the Playoffs
CFB

Braylon Staley the Next 1,000-Yard Tennessee Receiver?
Jalen Tolbert

Does Jalen Tolbert Have Short-Term Dynasty Appeal?
CFB

Ahmad Hardy's Return Timeline Remains Unclear
Travis Etienne Jr.

Is Travis Etienne Jr. Still a Dynasty RB1 Following Change of Scenery?
Evan Mobley

Finishes Season-Ending Loss With 15 Points
James Harden

Wants to Stay in Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell

Remains Committed to Cavaliers
Mikal Bridges

Cools Off in Game 4 Against Cavaliers
OG Anunoby

Active on Both Ends in Blowout Win
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads Knicks in Scoring During Series-Clincher
Jalen Brunson

Named Eastern Conference Finals MVP
Ivan Demidov

Contributes an Assist in Losing Effort
Lane Hutson

Records Power-Play Goal in Game 3 Loss
Frederik Andersen

Enjoys Another Easy Night at the Office in Game 3
Shayne Gostisbehere

Scores First Postseason Goal
Taylor Hall

Ends Four-Game Goal Drought
Andrei Svechnikov

Scores Game 3 Winner in Overtime
Gage Jump

Athletics to Promote Top Pitching Prospect Gage Jump to Major Leagues
Tatsuya Imai

Two Relievers Combine to No-Hit the Rangers on Monday
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder is Ruled Out for Game 4 on Monday
Michael Porter Jr.

Nets Could Trade Michael Porter Jr.
Ajay Mitchell

is Ruled Out for Game 5
Jalen Williams

is Tagged as Questionable for Game 5
Valeri Nichushkin

Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin Uncertain for Game 4
Oliver Kapanen

Sitting as Healthy Scratch Monday
Max Domi

Out Indefinitely Due to Offseason Surgery Complications
Dylan Cease

Heading to Injured List With Hamstring Injury
Daniel Suarez

Wins at Charlotte in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600
Christopher Bell

Finishes as the Runner-Up in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
Denny Hamlin

Falls Short of Winning and Places Third at Charlotte
Tyler Reddick

Places Fourth After Leading Laps at Charlotte
Kyle Larson

Strong and Consistent Day Ends in Fifth at Charlotte
Devon Toews

Logs Two Assists In Game 3 Defeat
Brett Howden

Nets 10th Postseason Goal
Mitchell Marner

Delivers Two Assists in Comeback Victory
Mark Stone

Returns With Multi-Point Effort
Valeri Nichushkin

Exits Early Sunday
Nathan MacKinnon

Hurt in Game 3 Loss
Isaiah Hartenstein

Provides Steady Production in Defeat
Chet Holmgren

Has a Quiet Offensive Night on Sunday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Held Under 20 Points in Game 4
Stephon Castle

Hands Out Six Assists in Game 4 Win
Devin Vassell

Tallies 13 Points in Game 4 Win
Dylan Cease

Removed From Sunday's Start With Hamstring Discomfort
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Exits Sunday's Game Early with Elbow Contusion
MLB

Reds-Cardinals Game Postponed on Sunday
Edward Cabrera

Cubs Place Edward Cabrera on the 15-Day Injured List
Denny Hamlin

the Favorite to Win at Charlotte
Tyler Reddick

on Pole for Coca-Cola 600
Christopher Bell

Could Break Out of Slump
Kyle Larson

May have A Solid Day at Charlotte
Ryan Blaney

Is A DFS Risk for Charlotte Lineups
William Byron

Could have A Great DFS Performance at Charlotte
Chase Briscoe

Is A Solid Tournament Option for Charlotte DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs

May not be Worth his Salary for Charlotte DFS Lineups
Chris Buescher

May be a Sneaky Tournament Option for Charlotte Lineups
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Has Favorable Upside for Charlotte DFS Lineups
Ross Chastain

Is A Strong Addition for DFS Lineups at Charlotte
Austin Dillon

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Austin Dillon for Charlotte DFS Lineups?
Chase Elliott

Should Be Strong at Charlotte
Carson Hocevar

Confident for Coca-Cola 600
Corey Heim

a Chalk DFS Pick at Charlotte
Michael McDowell

Is Michael McDowell A Tournament Option for Charlotte Lineups?
MLB

Orioles-Tigers Game Postponed on Saturday
MLB

Rays-Yankees Postponed on Saturday
Mickey Moniak

Heads to Injured List With Ankle Sprain
Jackson Merrill

has Sore Ribs, Expected to Avoid Injured List
CFB

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Looking to Take Sophomore Leap
CFB

Jadan Baugh Primed to Lead Florida Offense in 2026
CFB

LSU Hires Ed Orgeron As Special Assistant
CFB

North Carolina and South Carolina Cancel Home-And-Home Series
CFB

Confidence High in Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor
MLB

Reds-Cardinals Game Postponed on Friday
Trevor Story

has Hernia Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-10 Weeks
Roman Anthony

Dealing With Sprained Ligament in his Finger
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Exits Early, X-Rays Come Back Negative
Robby Snelling

Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery
RANKINGS
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SS
OF
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RP

RANKINGS

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