Just a week ago, it looked like the Chicago offense was headed to the moon. It turns out the moon is a harder commute than we realized.
Variance and weather can be major headaches in the fantasy football space, but injuries are without question the ultimate killjoy. The Minnesota at Chicago game was a cocktail of all three annoyances, a 9-3 win for the Vikings and a nightmare for fantasy managers.
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Bears offense does complete (ugly) 180
The Caleb Williams injury was the unquestionable Sunday headliner in Week 2. Williams suffered a non-contact right-leg injury in the fourth quarter and immediately we braced for the worst. The team eventually announced that Williams had a hamstring injury, and there were reports of Williams walking under his own power — albeit with a limp — after the game.
Williams isn’t out of the woods yet, but at least we can exhale. Nobody can adequately play doctor watching from a television, but it sure looked like Williams was dealing with a long-term injury — perhaps a season-ending injury — when the fateful play occurred. We’ll see what we learn when Williams goes through a battery of tests. Hopefully he can still play for a chunk of the 2026 season.
Even if Williams has to miss time, it’s possible that head coach Ben Johnson could cook up something interesting with backup Tyson Bagent. It’s also fairly likely that Bagent will be needed to make some starts, beginning with Week 3 against Philadelphia.
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No matter who the quarterback is, Johnson needs to get his passing game cooking. It was easy to write off last week’s curious production split (the signature pass catchers did almost nothing) as a fluke. But now Luther Burden III (3-32-0 Sunday), Rome Odunze (3-43-0) and Colston Loveland (1-3-0) are sitting on two straight washout games.
It’s fair to panic in Chicago.
Of course, the other teams get paid, too, and Brian Flores runs a potent, blitz-happy defense with Minnesota. And three hours of wind and rain put a damper on both teams. But this is not the Chicago offense we dreamt about all summer. Loveland was drafted to be a slam-dunk weekly starter, and Burden and Odunze were seen as ascending talents with high ceilings. And for the second straight week, the Big Three was outproduced by unheralded receiver Kalif Raymond (5-40-0).
Minnesota’s offense was stuck in the mud Sunday, too. The wind blows funny for everybody. Aaron Jones Sr. made 103 yards on 23 carries, handed the backfield to himself, and Justin Jefferson cobbled together a 3-55-0 line on six targets. It’s still possible this offense can be functional with Carson Wentz, but a bad-weather day in Chicago doesn’t offer a definitive conclusion.
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The upcoming schedule looks friendly enough. Minnesota takes on Tampa Bay, Miami and New Orleans the next three weeks.
Carolina home to the surprise fantasy carnival of 2026
How do we cleanse our fantasy palate? A trip to Carolina should turn the trick. The Panthers rolled over the moribund Falcons, a 34-3 laugher that was never competitive.
Could it be a breakout year for Bryce Young? He’s feasted on perfect matchups, but they don’t hand out 287 passing yards and three touchdowns at the airport. Young wasn’t intercepted and only took two sacks.
He’s got plenty of help downfield. Tetairoa McMillan (5-101-0, 10 targets) is a legitimate alpha and Jalen Coker (8-66-0, nine targets) an ascending secondary receiver. Darren Waller (3-33-2) popped in the red zone. Young also threw a touchdown to Chuba Hubbard, who did his normal thing — 64 somewhat boring yards, one score and a double-digit fantasy day.
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Carolina should find running room in Week 3 at Cleveland, and the leaky Lions defense visits in Week 4. Sounds good to me.
The Atlanta defense is a gigantic concern, of course. Michael Penix Jr. has never been a decent pro, but he’ll be needed as the eventual savior. Cooper Rush (32.6 rating, two picks) and Jack Strand (35.1 rating, one pick) were both awful Sunday.
Somehow Bijan Robinson was able to grind out 81 total yards, and Drake London‘s 4-51-0 line isn’t that bad given the circumstances. But this is a team with look-out-below potential. Kyle Pitts Sr. logged a 1-15-0 day on three targets. We’ll have a close look at the mess over the next three weeks, as the lovely schedule makers have Atlanta playing consecutive games in prime time. Green Bay (Thursday), New Orleans (Monday) and Baltimore (Sunday), come on down.
Other Fantasy Winners — Early Slate
— New Orleans is going to be a fun team this year. Last week’s overtime loss at Detroit stuffed the box score, and the passing game traveled to Baltimore, scoring an upset. Tyler Shough had 252 passing yards and two total touchdowns, and he kept the downfield concentration to three main targets (Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Devaughn Vele). I’d start any of these guys against anyone.
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The one buzzkill in New Orleans through two weeks is Travis Etienne Jr., who’s run nowhere and been forced to share (last week with Kendre Miller, this week with Alvin Kamara). Normally following the money will lead you to good fantasy decisions, but the big Etienne contract has not lead to the meaty role that many envisioned.
— The Patriots didn’t break records in a 20-3 win over Pittsburgh, but it was a nice bounce-back for several key players. Romeo Doubs got loose for 3-96-0 on four targets, Drake Maye averaged 9.5 YPA (though he had one bad pick), and TreVeyon Henderson (16-76-1) hit the ground running in his first 2026 action. Henderson’s role might have expanded after Rhamondre Stevenson (46 total yards) lost an early fumble. Challenging games at Jacksonville and Buffalo come next.
— We spend almost a week trying to find a breakout receiver in Houston, someone who could ascend in Nico Collins‘ absence. Turns out it was TE Dalton Schultz who fit the assignment. Schultz went bonkers (12-140-0, 14 targets) in the loss to Cincinnati, while no one else in the offense topped 37 receiving yards. Xavier Hutchinson at least was liberally targeted, drawing nine looks for the day (a 3-37-0) return. The slumping Texans head to Indianapolis next.
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— The Eagles had to be more aggressive after an early-game Saquon Barkley injury, and ultimately Jalen Hurts and friends did enough to hold off Tennessee. DeVonta Smith had the type of target-hog game we’ve been hoping for (10-117-1) and Dontayvion Wicks (5-74-0) was active for a second straight week. Hurts only ran for 16 yards on five attempts, but 264 passing yards and two scores validated the game. The Eagles should score liberally against Chicago next week.
Other Fantasy Losers — Early Slate
— Nobody stood out in the Green Bay backfield, but it’s interesting to note that MarShawn Lloyd barely saw the field after a second-half fumble. At least Lloyd already had a touchdown catch in the bank, saving his day. Kaleb Johnson (8-32-0) had the best foot of the three Green Bay runners, and it was frustrating to see the passing game struggle against an unheralded New York defense. Christian Watson only returned 4-41-1 on an 11-target game, but the touchdown saves the day. Tucker Kraft (2-15-0, three targets) isn’t up to speed yet, and Jayden Reed was carted off with an early-game neck injury.
— I don’t want to pile on Tony Pollard, because I think he’s still a decent back. But game script ruined his Week 1 story, and on Sunday he was held without a touchdown while Cam Ward stole a couple of short-yardage scores. Pollard ultimately ran 14 times for 64 yards, and had a short reception. Tyjae Spears and Nicholas Singleton combined for 11 carries in support, so this backfield might be more crowded than we anticipated a few weeks back.
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