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Superflex QB Rankings Week 3

Week 3 is going to be a tie-breaker data point in many of our most pressing QB questions. Is Jameis Winston a league-winner or about to be benched? Is Dak going to finish as a top 5 QB? Can Murray keep it up all year? Can Trevor Lawrence survive the incompetence of Urban Meyer? Let’s try and answer all these questions as we look at Superflex QB Rankings for Week 3.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Name	Opponent
1	Kyler Murray	Jaguars
2	Patrick Mahomes	Chargers
3	Lamar Jackson	Lions
4	Russell Wilson	Vikings
5	Jalen Hurts	Cowboys
6	Aaron Rodgers	49ers
7	Tom Brady	Rams
8	Daniel Jones	Falcons
9	Dak Prescott	Eagles
10	Josh Allen	WFT
11	Matt Stafford	Bucs
12	Derek Carr	Dolphins
13	Kirk Cousins	Seahawks
14	Joe Burrow	Steelers
15	Sam Darnold	Texans
16	Matt Ryan	Giants
17	Justin Herbert	Chiefs
18	Teddy Bridgewater	Jets
19	Mac Jones	Patriots
20	Baker Mayfield	Bears
21	Taylor Heinicke	Bills
22	Justin Fields	Browns
23	Jameis Winston	Patriots
24	Ryan Tannehill	Colts
25	Jared Goff	Ravens
26	Trevor Lawrence	Cardinals
27	Ben Roethlisberger	Bengals
28	Zach Wilson	Broncos
29	Carson Wentz	Titans
30	Jimmy Garroppolo	Packers
31	Jacoby Brissett	Raiders
32	Davis Mills	Panthers
33	Taysom Hill	Patriots

It’s hard not to put someone who has posted over 330 yards and 3 TDs his first two games, but Patrick Mahomes has to take a backseat to Kyler Murray getting the easily beatable Jags passing defense this week. Heaven help teams playing Kyler Murray this week.

Lamar Jackson HAS developed as a passer, or maybe with the running back situation he’s simply being asked to pass more. He looks better in every facet of the game this year and could make a serious run at MVP if he can carry this hobbled team into the playoffs on his back. He gets the Lions who are 21st against the pass after helping along Aaron Rodger’s return to the top five.

Speaking of which, it’s kind of pointless to try and put much separation between Rodgers, Brady, Wilson, and Hurts this week as all are great plays in plus matchups. Hurts gets to join this elite group in the rankings going against the Cowboy’s 31st ranked pass defense, and 20th ranked rush defense.

It feels like sacrilege to put Daniel Jones ahead of Dak Prescott, but Jones is using his legs to gain yards more consistently and more effectively so far this year, and I don’t expect that to change much against the Falcons in what should be a close game. Meanwhile, speculation that Dak may not be 100% is fueled by his lack of an efficient deep ball last week against the Chargers. His only pass of 25+ yards was his lone interception, and he was 1-4 beyond 15 yards.

Josh Allen just hasn’t been Josh Allen yet this year, though it must be acknowledged they could have just as easily beat the Dolphins last Sunday with Mitch Trubisky under center, or a fan from the crowd for that matter. More will be needed to beat WFT this week, but not much more as Washington is ranked 24th against the pass. Stafford and Carr are also great plays going against the Bucs and the Dolphins respectively.

Further down the rankings is where it gets interesting. Joe Burrow is openly advocating for more deep balls to Higgins and Chase, which their owners would love to see. Burrow was telgraphing his reads to the Bears on Sunday which led to three straight picks in three pass attempts. So it will be interesting to see if the former 1st overall pick can develop the finer parts of his game that will allow him to connect on more deep passes against the Steelers 29th ranked pass defense.

Matt Ryan and the entire Falcons offense woke up against the Bucs, and looked poised to make a game of hit before Ryan threw two pick sixes to give the game away. Does this cause Arthur Smith to go more conservative, or does he live and die by Matt Ryan and utilizing his weapons downfield. Ryan took only two shots of 20 yards or more, both incomplete.

Kirk Cousins isn now on a team that is no longer avoiding the pass. Minnesota ranks 9th in the league in pass attempts and he’s making the most of it, harnessing the deep ball well and being efficient with his passes. Of his seven longest passes, three were touchdowns.

I think Teddy Bridgewater continues his hot streak against the Jets this week, though I don’t see another 300+ yard effort as the Broncos will absolutely dismantle Zach Wilson and lean on their running backs to win the game. Something like 280 and 2, which is still great value for the investment.

Which brings us to Jameis Winston. He is such a puzzle that I devoted an entire article to his enigma. He was, in short, awful last week. Let’s take a look at just how awful.

It’s a rare situation where a player stands an equal chance of emerging as a hero that wins the game for his team and getting benched for the season, but that’s where we are. The Winston faithful (of which I am one) knew this was going to be a wild ride, but man, this is wild.

My favorite QB2 dart throws this week are Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Tannehill, and Trevor Lawrence. This is not the week to start Mac Jones as I expect the Pats to control the game and not throw much.

Tight End Rankings Week 2

QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

Update: Ertz on track to play, downgrade Goedert

Are people that took Kyle Pitts ahead of TJ Hockenson going to be regretting it all year? If the playcalling doesn’t change immediately in Atlanta, yes, and even if it does Hockenson could stay red hot.

The tight end position as a whole is looking up, but let’s drill in on these two for a look at where Pitts might be going.

First of all, let’s address Arthur Smith’s playcalling. I could write an entire article pointing just how predictable and chicken-shit Smith’s play calls were. Pitts was not in the game on the team’s first trip to the red zone (field goal), and Smith was either running on third and long or passing to the fullback behind the line of scrimmage late in the game down big. In other words, inscrutable, infuriating coaching from the beginning to the end of the Falcons’ humiliating defeat.

However, Pitts did tie for a team-high 8 targets, and was in for 68% of snaps and was usually lined up out wide. In other words, the snap-share aside, he was playing a role much closer to what Julio did for the Falcons than a traditional tight end. Hurst was in for 60%, meaning the Falcons are running a lot of two TE but Pitts was winning out on in 1 TE sets. Further, the game was an absolute embarrassment. It’s hard to believe that Smith sticks to what he did week 1 in week 2.

Let’s compare to TJ Hockenson, who was the best TE not named Kelce, Waller, and Kittle (and was arguably better than Kittle). Hockenson saw 11 targets, and was in on 85% of snaps. If we are taking TJ Hockenson as the goal for Kyle Pitts, given Pitts’s usage and overall game plan week 1, I think that’s attainable. Hock had 3 more targets, a 6.4 ADOT, and more reliance on passing for 1st downs. Pitts had a 7.5 ADOT in what should be the Falcon’s worst game of the season. Hold or buy low folks.

Tight End Rankings Week 2

Rank	Name	Opponent
	Darren Waller	Steelers
	Travis Kelce	Ravens
	George Kittle	Eagles
	TJ Hockenson	Packers
	Mark Andrews	Chiefs
	Rob Gronkowski	Falcons
	Kyle Pitts	Buccaneers
	Logan Thomas	Giants
	Tyler Higbee	Colts
	Noah Fant	Jaguars
	Jonnu Smith	Jets
	Jared Cook	Cowboys
	Pharoah Brown	Browns
	Dallas Goedert	49ers
	James O’Shaugnassey	Broncos
	Cole Kmet	Bengals
	David NJoku	Texans
	Adam Trautman	Panthers
	Gerald Everett	Titans
	Blake Jarwin	Chargers
	Dawson Knox	Dolphins
	Will Dissly	Titans
	Anthony Firkser	Seahawks

Darren Waller is on pace for 350 targets this year as Derek Carr just continues to ignore everyone else on the team. It worked, so don’t expect it to change. Mark Andrews absolutely has to step up against the Chiefs, and maybe watching Kelce do it better from the sidelines will inspire him more than his new contract.

Gronk is back until further notice, and Logan Thomas should be the lone bright spot for the WFT passing game once again with Bradberry blanketing McLaurin. The connection is already there, he’s as good a play as this game will offer. Watch the injury reports on Ertz, if he sits Goedert is a solid TE1 play against the 49ers who just gave up a huge game to Hockenson. Noah Fant should be great against the Jags who let Pharoah Brown (who?) have a big game. As long as Meyer is coach, the Jags will be an easy mark for all offensive playmakers.

Of the TE2 shots I like Cole Kmet against the Bengals, Jonnu Smith against the Jets, and Jared Cook against the paper-thin Cowboys defense. Adam Trautman got 6 targets and an 81% snap-share against the Packers, just the TDs went to the other guy. Of the dart throws he’s the best this week.

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 2

QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

I drafted Deebo Samuel basically by mistake in the ninth round in my money league…I mean I meant to take him, but I wasn’t really targeting him, and wasn’t that thrilled with the pick. What a difference a week makes:

Interesting comp: Eagles CB Darius Slay says 49ers WR Deebo Samuel is like Anquan Boldin, only faster. pic.twitter.com/Znqr6n1XuR
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 16, 2021

A faster Anquan Boldin? Those of us who drafted Deebo, meaning to or not, basically hit the lottery week 1 and could be looking at a season-long ride. He is for the time being the unquestioned number 1 wide receiver and if my theory on what is going on with both Sermon and Aiyuk is correct, could be for the whole season.

Other than Aiyuk going without any targets, there weren’t any earth-shaking surprises at wide receiver, so let’s get to the wide receiver rankings week 2.

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 2

Rank	Name	Opponent
1	Tyreek Hill	Ravens
2	Deebo Samuel	Eagles
3	Davante Adams	Lions
4	DeAndre Hopkins	Vikings
5	Chris Godwin	Falcons
6	Amari Cooper	Chargers
7	Justin Jefferson	Cardinals
8	DK Metcalf	Titans
9	Keenan Allen	Cowboys
10	CeeDee Lamb	Chargers
11	Antonio Brown	Falcons
12	Stefon Diggs	Dolphins
13	AJ Brown	Seahawks
14	Calvin Ridley	Buccaneers
15	Cooper Kupp	Colts
16	Jamaar Chase	Bears
17	Corey Davis	Patriots
18	Courtland Sutton	Jaguars
19	Mike Evans	Falcons
20	Tyler Lockett	Titans
21	Devonta Smith	49ers
22	Adam Thielen	Cardinals
23	Diontae Johnson	Raiders
24	Mike Williams	Cowboys
25	DJ Moore	Saints
26	Terry McLaurin	Giants
27	Sterling Shepard	WFT
28	Brandin Cooks	Browns
29	Laviska Shenault	Broncos
30	Tim Patrick	Jaguars
31	Marquez Callaway	Panthers
32	Robert Woods	Colts
33	Allen Robinson	Bengals
34	Tee Higgins	Bears
35	Jakobi Meyers	Jets
36	Jarvis Landry	Texans
37	Marquise Brown	Chiefs
38	Sammy Watkins	Chiefs
39	DJ Chark Jr	Broncos
40	Terrace Marshall	Saints
41	Rondale Moore	Vikings
42	Jaelen Raegor	49ers
43	Bryan Edwards	Steelers
44	Robby Anderson	Saints
45	Jaylen Waddle	Bills
46	Chase Claypool	Raiders

I’m fine counting on a major bounceback from Davante Adams this week but until I see it it’s not enough to unseat Hill who is already ballin. Deebo Samuel could be the real deal and I think Slay is serious when he compares him to Anquan Boldin. Without a challenger in the receiver room and no real pass-catcher at running back with Mostert out, he’s likely 1a to Kittle’s 1b in targets once again.

Godwin saw 14 targets week 1 against the Cowboys and think he will feast on the Falcons. Antonio Brown and Mike Evans should have good days as well, as I don’t expect their opponent to come close to stopping the Bucs passing game. Or anyone’s game for that matter.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen saw basically identical snap counts and targets, so I expect this to be a Jefferson game against the Cardinals, and I don’t expect a repeat of the Cardinals’ monstrous defensive performance against the Titans. Minnesota should have time to pass and I expect both to have good lines.

Miami’s Xavien Howard is just the type of challenge Stefon Diggs will rise to, and he got the targets (13) last week continuing last year’s trend. Expect over 100 and a touchdown.

As for AJ Brown, I need to see Taylor Lewan actually block someone before I can put him any higher, and I’m not ranking Julio on purpose. This is a team that is seriously struggling to protect the passer and I expect them to get slightly more creative in their run game and lean a little more on Firkser to help get the ball out quickly.

Similarly, Calvin Ridley and the entire Atlanta offense is in serious trouble. Whatever worked for Arthur Smith in Tennessee is not working in Atlanta, and Smith’s playcalling was absolutely horrific. He will either respond this week and start utilizing Atlanta’s strengths (hint: it’s not Mike Davis) or this will be a long season for Falcons fantasy owners.

I would not be afraid to bench McLaurin for better options: backup QB, Thursday night game, and he draws James Bradberry, #5 ranked corner according to PFF. I like Chase against the Bears but Tee Higgins not so much, as the Bengals have already broadcast a commitment to a conservative game plan against the Bears, and as long as Nagy starts Dalton, that’s all anyone needs to win.

Lockett, Devonta Smith, and Mike Evans are my favorite WR2s for the week as I think all will produce. Don’t overreact to any of their week 1 games in either direction. I do like Callaway as a WR3 despite being victim to poor game script last week, as well as Shepard, Cooks, and Shenault. I think Shenault stands the best chance of contributing because he will likely see fewer coverages from either Surtain or Fuller and should be able to get open underneath and use his quickness in space to get yards.

In terms of darts, I like Claypool in what should be a shootout, Waddle against suspect coverage from the Bills, and both Brown and Watkins against the Chiefs since I expect the Ravens to be down big in the second half.

Running Back Rankings Week 2

QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

Update: Josh Jacobs is out and Sermon will play Sunday

Raise your hand if you had both Detroit backs finishing in the top 5…yeah me neither. Week 1 had tons of surprises at the RB position, as presumed studs like Henry, Aaron Jones, and Antonio Gibson never really got going, and Trey Sermon was a surprise inactive. Below are my running back rankings week 2.

I’m not sure what Shanahan is doing with his backs and I don’t think he is either. The team signed Ravens castoff Trent Cannon this week, and owners of Sermon are just left scratching their heads. Will he be active this week? One would think that with Mostert now done for the year (something we frankly should have all seen coming) he would be, but would you put it past Shanahan to keep him inactive and instead play Hasty and Cannon? I wouldn’t.

There are also trends we know won’t continue, like Darrel Henderson’s near 100% snap rate (sell high folks), ones that we hope will but should know better, like Derek Henry being used in the passing game (4 targets and 3 receptions, all in the second half). I don’t expect Henry to be bottled up again as he was getting his trademark 6-9-yard chunk gains in the second half as Tennessee stuck with the run despite being down big. Both good signs for Henry going forward.

Running Back Rankings Week 2

Rank	Name	Opponent
1	Christian McCaffrey	Saints
2	Joe Mixon	Bears
3	Alvin Kamara	Panthers
4	Nick Chubb	Texans
5	Dalvin Cook	Cardinals
6	David Montgomery	Bengals
7	Derek Henry	Seahawks
8	Aaron Jones	Lions
9	Austin Ekeler	Cowboys
10	Jonathan Taylor	Colts
11	DeAndre Swift	Packers
12	Chris Carson	Titans
13	Ezekial Elliot	Chargers
14	Elijah Mitchell	Eagles
15	Antonio Gibson	Giants
16	Mark Ingram	Browns
17	Clyde Edwards Helaire	Ravens
18	Kareem Hunt	Texans
19	Melvin Gordon III	Jaguars
20	Miles Sanders	49ers
21	Kenyan Drake (Jacobs out)	Steelers
22	Chase Edmonds	Vikings
23	Jamaal Williams	49ers
24	Najee Harris	Raiders
25	Ty’Son Williams	Chiefs
26	Darrel Henderson	Colts
27	Nyheim Hines	Rams
28	James White	Jets
29	Rhamondre Stevenson	Jets
30	James Robinson	Broncos
31	Leonard Fournette	Falcons
32	Sony Michel	Colts
33	Tony Jones Jr	Panthers
34	Kenneth Gainwell	49ers
35	Saquon Barkley	WFT
36	Ronald Jones	Falcons
37	Cordarelle Patterson	Buccaneers
38	Latavius Murray	Chiefs
39	Phillip Lindsay	Browns
40	Trey Sermon	Eagles
41	Devin Singletary	Dolphins
42	Myles Gaskin	Bills
43	Damien Harris	Jets
44	Mike Davis	Buccaneers
45	Javonte Williams	Jaguars
46	James Connor	Vikings

I don’t really expect the Saints D to be the second coming of the ’85 Bears, but there’s no doubt they were good against the Packers. I think that whole Packers team was just off and lackluster, and Christian McCaffrey will continue his dominant streak of killing it when healthy.

Chubb and Hunt are going to absolutely murder the Texans. I firmly believe the Texans’ week 1 success was more about Urban Meyer’s incompetence than anything else. I really like Montgomery this week against the Bengals as the Bears seek to minimize Dalton’s glaring deficiencies and Nagy seeks to distract the Bears fanbase from doxing him and showing up at his house Monday. Mixon will again get a lot of run as the Bengals scale back their passing attack to limit hits on Burrow.

Will Austin Ekeler reward his believers this week? The complete lack of an already non-existent Cowboys pass rush could actually work against Ekeler as Herbert should have practically limitless time to throw downfield, but I still think Ekeler does much better this week. Ditto for Aaron Jones and Derek Henry just based on return to form. Week 1 is always weird, don’t overreact.

Do not panic bench Zeke. This may not be a great game but expect a much better stat line against the Chargers. The Cowboys will probably get down early as both starting defensive ends are out for this game, but expect about 75 yards rushing, 25 receiving and a shot at a TD.

The big questions at RB this week are the San Francisco, Baltimore, and New England backfields. Who will line up behind Elijah Mitchell? Honestly I think it will be Hasty with some Cannon sprinkled in. I think Shanahan is in the middle of a pretty intense culture transformation and he’s making examples of guys and showing that no one is above the team regardless of talent or draft capital. It’s worked for Saban and Belichik, why not him (I mean besides the lack of championships)?

Baltimore is sadly more predictable. A promising young back in Ty’Son Williams will be sacrificed on the altar of “experience” by way of giving useless carries to Latavius Murray, LeVeon Bell, and eventually Devonta Freeman. It is not 2018 and these guys just aren’t good anymore. Let it go Harbaugh.

New England is waaaaay more interesting. Both backs fumbled. Stevenson didn’t show enough “fight” tryin to recover his fumble according to coaches, but Damien Harris basically lost the game for his team with his fumble in the red zone. I think this is a Stevenson week, giving the rookie more of a shot to earn back his role.

Speaking of “just not that good anymore,” I’m pretty close to filing Saquon under that category. Not because he did essentially nothing with his carries week 1, but he’s had about the worst script a back could get. Multiple season ending injuries early in his career, stuck on a really, really bad team with a terrible QB and a coach that seems in completely over his head. Josh Jacobs was frankly never all that good. Najee Harris will get right but not this week. It’s going to take a while.

Superflex QB Rankings Week 2

QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

My first week of rankings did not go so badly. I had Russel Wilson ranked 8th and he finished 8th, Winston ranked 8th who finished, and Dak ranked 9th who finished 7th. Based on FantasyPros accuracy ranking system I will be changing my scoring system after this week, and grading myself on one positional ranking after every week. For week 2 I’ll be grading my running back picks.

Superflex and 2QB leagues of course require much more attention to the QB position. There are more starters every week, the waiver pool is either thin or non-existent depending on your league rules, and getting the right guy in at the Superflex or second QB spot can be key to winning your leagues.

One thing to remember is that putting in a QB at your Superflex spot isn’t always the right answer. Guys like Deebo Samuel, Adam Thielen, and Rob Gronkowski all outscored most starting QBs last week in standard PPR scoring.

Superflex QB Rankings Week 2

Rank	Name	Opponent
1	Patrick Mahomes	Ravens
2	Kyler Murray	Vikings
3	Russel Wilson	Titans
4	Dak Prescott	Chargers
5	Aaron Rodgers	Lions
6	Tom Brady	Falcons
7	Justin Herbert	Cowboys
8	Josh Allen	Dolphins
9	Jameis Winston	Panthers
10	Jared Goff	Packers
11	Jalen Hurts	49ers
12	Lamar Jackson	Chiefs
13	Derek Carr	Steelers
14	Joe Burrow	Bears
15	Kirk Cousins	Cardinals
16	Matt Stafford	Colts
17	Trevor Lawrence	Broncos
18	Ryan Tannehill	Seahawks
19	Mac Jones	Jets
20	Baker Mayfield	Texans
21	Carson Wentz	Rams
22	Matt Ryan	Buccaneers
23	Teddy Bridgewater	Jaguars
24	Tyrod Taylor	Browns
25	Ben Roethlisberger	Raiders
26	Zach Wilson	Patriots
27	Sam Darnold	Saints
28	Tua Tagavailoa	Bills
29	Jimmy Garroppolo	Eagles
30	Daniel Jones	WFT
31	Taylor Heinicke	Giants
32	Andy Dalton	Bengals
33	Justin Fields	Bengals

I added a final 33rd row to account for the fact that I think Nagy inserts Justin Fields at halftime of this game after the Bears find themselves getting embarrassed again by an inferior opponent.

The Ravens showed that their vaunted defense is scrambling to recover from the loss of Marcus Peters and Mahomes showed that he is still #1 in fantasy and our hearts. Kyler Murray is borderline unstoppable with his combination of running and passing skills, buying himself time with his feet and able to heave accurate throws with his arm.

I think Aaron Rodgers is bound for a big rebound game against the Lions who let the 49ers pretty much do what they wanted for the entirety of the game. Expect the Packers offense on the whole to get back to doing what they do best: murdering opponents with deep passes to Adams and occasionally MVS and then pounding play action with Aaron Jones.

Jalen Hurts is bumped down a little because he doesn’t get to face the Falcons again, and Lamar Jackson is also low because he simply can’t do this all by himself. One of Mark Andrews or Marquise Brown really needs to step up, and I don’t see the running game improving by inserting more washed-up vets into the mix over Ty’Son Williams who is probably the best runner they have.

Out of the QB2 pool I like Tannehill best for a rebound game against the Seahawks, as the Titans will surely perform better along the o-line, specifically Taylor Lewan who called himself out on twitter following his abysmal performance. I think Mac Jones builds on a really good performance against a great defense in Miami against the Jets, who seem to still be a year away from relevance. Joe Burrow had some troubling comments about ball and clock control, suggesting they don’t reverse their low passing rate this week against the Bears. I think we see a good-but-not-great performance similar to last week.

Obviously avoid the Thursday night game pitting a backup in Heinicke against a future backup in Daniel Jones. Just nothing good to see here on the offensive side of the ball in the passing game.