Week 2 Stats & Finding League Winners

Oh boy.

We didn't even make it through two weeks of NFL action, and the quarterback position is basically the EverythingIsFine.GIF.

Cliff Notes: Joe Burrow, J.J. McCarthy, Justin Fields, Brock Purdy, and Jayden Daniels are all injured.

Burrow is the headliner here, as sources have indicated he will miss many months.

Jake Browning is the long-term substitute, and if the Bengals are a train wreck, maybe Cinci would hold Burrow out for the remainder of the season? You have to wonder…

If you're super desperate, I think you could stream Browning and Mac Jones in the deepest of deep leagues.

Browning has proven to be respectable (heck, Ja'Marr Chase went nuclear with him in Week 2), and the Kyle Shanahan system is good for everybody.

Anyway, best of luck to those starting their QB2s this week, but let's look at some other positions for waiver wire adds and key stat takeaways.

WEEK 2: WAIVER WIRE ADDS

Quinshon Judkins

If you can grab him, grab him – it's as simple as that. Judkins is only rostered in 57% of ESPN leagues as of Tuesday afternoon.

There is a significant risk here, as he could still face a suspension of multiple games, but if the NFL postpones any punishment to next season, his ceiling is enormous.

In his first-ever NFL game (after missing a lot of camp), Judkins already out-snapped Dylan Sampson and played 27% of the snaps.

He was a low-key beast, picking up 56 of his 61 rushing yards AFTER contact (via Fantasy Points) on Sunday.

We'll see how long it takes Judkins to get conditioned and how long they'll be stubborn and stick with veteran Jerome Ford.

But let's be real, Ford isn't the answer, and Judkins flashed on a few plays, proving why the Browns invested high draft stock into him.

Again, there is a lot of risk here, but he's one of the few (if there are any others) free agents still available in a ton of leagues that could be a true league winner – and that's not a term I like to throw out there lightly.

Just know the downside is as real as the upside, and the other shoe could drop at any moment.

Troy Franklin

Sean Payton reminds me of Mike Shanahan in a sense.

It's ironic that they both coached Denver, and you can't trust either one of them as far as you can throw them for fantasy purposes.

Troy Franklin is starting to look like the real deal. While I remain cautious, he is certainly worth a waiver wire add this week.

According to Fantasy Points, Franklin has run routes on 68% of drop-backs this season, trailing only Courtland Sutton (74%) on the team. The next closest WR is Marvin Mims at 42%.

Franklin leads Denver (by far) in air-yard share (41%) and target share. The camp buzz might have been for real, and with those kinds of numbers, he's a borderline flex play or WR3 option in deep leagues.

In fact, Franklin ranks 17th in the entire league in air yard share through two weeks. He's only owned in 2% of ESPN leagues, and I'd be thrilled if he landed on my team this week.

Jordan Mason

Somehow, some way, Jordan Mason is owned in about 74% of ESPN leagues. Are there really that many six or eight-person leagues? I don't get it.

Either way, Aaron Jones is doubtful this week, so no matter what size your league is, he's a no-brainer to add and start.

What if Jones' situation lingers?

The split is already about 50/50, and Mason should be starting in just about everyone's lineup this week.

Deeper Leagues

Elic Ayomanor

Cam Ward continues to flash despite having a mostly terrible offensive line and play-caller. They'll win a few games, and it'll be thanks to him and his rookie receiver Ayomanor.

Ayomanor owns a fair 21% target share (just 2% behind team leader Calvin Ridley) and a massive 41% air yard share. He's going to have a few splash plays sooner or later, and he's coming off his first career touchdown.

He could be a bye-week filler in deep 12 and 14-team leagues, and is a nice dynasty stash with upside to be WR1 in the Titans offense next season, which should be much improved overall as they lead the league in available 2026 cap space.

Chris Rodriguez

This is a wait-and-see stash. I was shocked that he was a healthy scratch in Week 1, and then Austin Ekeler was injured last week and is done for the year.

I'm assuming someone already has "Bill" in your league (if not, go grab him). Rodriguez was pretty good when he received the opportunity last year.

I just don't think JCM can handle workhorse-type volume, and I think Rodriguez could sneak back into the mix on a really good offense (when Daniels returns).

This is a punt play with a low floor and high ceiling if you are desperate in a massive league.

TARGET HOGS

Rome Odunze ranks 12th in the NFL with a 27% target share through two weeks - Chicago's alpha?

Davante Adams and Puka Nacua have nearly identical target shares through two weeks, while Adams has 10% more air yards.

Possible serious leverage play using Adams over Puka in large-field DFS tournaments, assuming Puka is generally chalk.

You can definitely stack both of them (depending on price) if they continue to rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NFL in target share.

Such a condensed target tree in LA for receiving volume and different ways to play it.

FREQUENT FLYERS

A quick look at some air yard share numbers (via Fantasy Points)

JSN and Malik Nabers continue to put up ridiculous numbers in both AY and target shares. It’s probably unsustainable, but they’re both over 57%.

How about Tyquan Thornton, though? I'm getting prime MVS vibes. Thornton has a 52% air yard share, ranking third in the league.

He has just a 13% target share, though, and only 100 total yards to show for it. He's the definition of low-owned, boom-or-bust large-field DFS tournament play.

The KC speedster has an absurd 30.4 aDOT (LOL) – sooner or later, he's going for like 3-102-1 at single-digit ownership.

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