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Justin Fields looks set for his first start this season against Cleveland with Andy Dalton out with a knee injury. He should spark the offense with his scrambling ability. He is a starter in SuperFlex leagues right away and can be immediately considered for QB-streaming teams. He has elite scrambling ability and a fine pair of WRs in Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Fields could be just what the doctor ordered to ignite the team and the fan base.

We discussed K.J. Osborn as a player dynasty managers should add. At this point, he should be added in all formats. Operating as the third option in the Minnesota passing attack, he followed up a seven-catch opener with five more catches this past weekend, including a 64-yard TD reception. Osborn could be the next in a long line of University of Miami WRs to have solid NFL careers. 

Week 2’s MNF game pits division rival Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers against one another. Both teams will look to avoid an 0-2 start to their season. Will the Lions shock public and win in Lambeau? Or should Packers fans R-E-L-A-X and know that their team will get back on course?

Divisional games are not my favorite types of games to bet on. Why? Because these teams are better prepared to play each other than they would be against teams they see less frequently. Detroit is a trap. Ask anyone that took the 49ers’ spread last week.

Give Saquon Barkley some holes and he’ll excite. Give him a bad o-line and a terrible rushing schedule, like he faces in 2021, and he’ll have an uphill battle this year. If you have him, field offers. If you don’t own him, don’t look to add him because the price will be too high. He’ll have have some highlight runs but, with that offensive line, not as many as his price would mandate.

If any pieces of this Raiders receiving group are still available, even a Hunter Renfrow or Henry Ruggs if another owner has tired of him, it’s worth getting a piece of this pie to see how it plays out. And, if someone has enough depth at QB, consider making an offer for Derek Carr or, if that owner is sold on him this year, see what other QBs you might be able to acquire off his/her roster.

While Christian Kirk’s not a full-time player, he’s manning the slot role (76.5-percent slot rate) in a high-powered offense. That means he’ll have a high floor. Also, the Cardinals-Vikings implied point total is one of 11 games to break the 50-point mark. While the Vikings’ DVOA is nothing to write home about – ranking No. 18, including No. 21 in pass DVOA. The Cardinals ranked sixth in situation-neutral pace last week as well. More plays = more fantasy points.

The downside for Jared Cook in a great matchup is that his Route Participation rate is a lowly 59.6-percent. That said, his Target Rate is an elite 28.6-percent, so the participation (and Snap Share) can just be the Chargers monitoring Cook’s snaps. Basically, when he is on the field, he is not running empty routes. The Chargers offense totaled 47 pass attempts last week as well. It’s time to smell what the Chargers offense is cooking.

The first week of the 2021 NFL season did not disappoint in many ways. From the opening game to the wild events of the Monday Nighter in Vegas, fans were treated to the usual week one madness and then some. Unfortunately, another aspect carried on like clockwork; injuries. Luckily, The Infirmary is here to keep fantasy managers up to speed. Week 2, bring it on.

As mentioned in Volume II of The Pareto Principals, this week’s lineups need to be constructed around whether this Cowboys-Chargers game will be the focus. A high projected point total, a top-10 Pace of Play after one week, and all of his pass-catchers enjoying favorable matchups makes Justin Herbert a worthwhile focal point in Week 2 lineups. Especially with more projected points than Dak Prescott at $100 cheaper on DraftKings.

Given the allure of sexier on-paper matchups, this Buffalo-Miami game represents an interesting pivot point for Week 2 DFS tournaments. And with both Stefon Diggs and Emmanuel Sanders locking up with top-15 cornerbacks, the stage is set for a vintage two-score Cole Beasley performance as he goes up against No. 47-ranked Nik Needham. At $4,600, he’s another potential naked, salary-saving play.

After missing the majority of the preseason with a hand injury, D.J. Chark appeared to be the Jaguars primary passing target in Week 1, seeing 12 targets. Unfortunately, he caught three of these targets for 86 receiving yards, leaving most of his Air Yards unrealized. As Chark and rookie Trevor Lawrence are likely working through some chemistry issues, Chark remains a intriguing DFS play as he is only $100 in price away from making the value list.

Anthony Schwartz split snaps with Donovan Peoples-Jones in his rookie debut, but the burner rookie out scored Peoples-Jones, amassing 11.6 fantasy points. Schwartz and his 4.32 Pro Day-adjusted 40-Yard Dash time, was the clear downfield downfield threat for the Browns last week posting a 25.2 Average Target Distance. With Odell Beckham out again this week, and Cleveland set to square off against an exploitable Houston Texans secondary, Schwartz makes for an ideal cost saving play in tournaments.

With Trey Sermon inactive and Raheem Mostert suffering a knee injury, Elijah Mitchell saw an 82.6-percent Opportunity Share. He produced a True Yards Per Carry Rate of 4.9 (No. 13 among qualified RBs) with 7 (No. 4) Evaded Tackles and a 36.8-percent (No. 5) Juke Rate. It’s fully expected that the 49ers will involve multiple RBs. However, Mitchell is the elite athlete of the group on a team that’s likely to face plenty of positive Game Script.

Those who tuned into NFL Top-10 (plus) Takeaways already know that The Podfather is worried about Tua Tagovailoa. Miami inched by the Patriots 17-16, but Tua was anything but sharp. Looking past the box score we find 4 (No. 3) Danger Plays and 4 (No. 4) Interceptable Passes. Tagovailoa had an abysmal 37.3 (No. 31) True Passer Rating and a 7.0 (No. 24) Accuracy Rating. He loses 10.23 Lifetime Value points and lands outside of the Top 20 QBs in our dynasty rankings.

Diontae Johnson was a top-10 WR in Week 1 in Target Share (31.3-percent), Hog Rate (25.0-percent), and Target Rate (37.0-percent). However, Johnson will face stiff coverage from Casey Hayward (No. 17-ranked CB) in a game that the Steelers are projected to handle with ease. Volume is key to fantasy points scored. In 2020, Johnson averaged 19.44 fantasy points in seven games he ran 40-plus routes. In six games (excluding injuries) that he ran under 40 routes, he averaged 14.0 fantasy points.

Has Ja’Marr Chase relegated Tee Higgins to the 1B passing option in Cincinnati with Tyler Boyd as a target-stealing No. 3? Possibly. Chase more than doubled Higgins’ 48 (No. 58) Air Yards, while Chase’s 26.9-percent (No. 12) Target Share dwarfed Higgins’ 19.2-percent (No. 41). Against a lesser cornerback in Bashaud Breeland last week, Higgins secured a 10.0-percent (No. 73) Hog Rate. Joe Burrow will not force-feed targets to him if he can’t beat Jaylon Johnson (No. 20-ranked CB).

Noah Fant’s advanced metrics make it impossible to resist the drool-worthy 50.5 receiving yards line on Underdog Fantasy. His opportunity metrics will continue to impress in Week 2 with the absence of Jerry Jeudy. Clearly, Fant’s 83.3-percent (No. 9 among qualified tight ends) Snap Share shows that he is always in the game, and his 28 (No. 7) Routes Run means that he is generating opportunity for targets. Moreover, he delivered with a 22.9-percent (No. 5) Target Share and a whopping 8 (No. 3) Targets!

The under feels so right when you consider Robby Anderson’s Week 1 results coupled with his matchup against the Saints. In the case of his Week 1 performance, he only mustered 3 Targets with a 9.1-percent (No. 84) Target Share last week against the lowly Jets secondary. Targets won’t come any easier this week against a Saints defense that only allowed 186 passing yards to the Packers.