Fantasy Football Week 2 Winners, Losers: Tom Brady, Ezekiel Elliott Among Notable Performers
Fantasy football owners were happy to see some elite players bounce back in Week 2 after poor season-opening performances.
A couple of New England Patriots stars, including quarterback Tom Brady, were among that group. It wasn’t all rosy for fantasy’s biggest names, though, as Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was among those who fell well short of expectations.
Here are some fantasy football winners and losers through Sunday’s Week 2 games.
WINNERS
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
Brady bounced back from his lackluster Week 1 performance in a major way. He dominated the New Orleans Saints defense by completing 30 of 39 pass attempts for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He even set a personal best of 177 passing yards in the first quarter. Brady remains an elite fantasy and real-life QB.
Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Hyde doesn’t get a ton of chances to put up huge stats, because the 49ers so often are trailing early in games and thus forced to throw a lot. But he was impressive Sunday against a very good Seattle Seahawks defense, gaining 124 yards on just 15 carries. The former Ohio State star definitely is worth starting when facing a favorable matchup.
J.J. Nelson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Nelson will be a popular waiver-wire pickup this week after catching five passes for a career-high 126 yards and one touchdown. He now has back-to-back games with five receptions and one touchdown.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
Gronk woke up in a huge way against a bad Saints defense. He caught six passes for 116 yards and recorded his 69th career touchdown reception. A groin injury forced him out of the game, but it doesn’t sound too serious. Regardless, it was an encouraging performance for fantasy owners who might have been worried after Gronkowski’s Week 1 struggles.
Baltimore Ravens, Defense
The Ravens don’t have an offense that will excite you, but it might not matter if their defense continues to be dominant. Baltimore’s D tallied four interceptions, three sacks and allowed just 10 points to the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens haven’t yet faced a top-tier offense, but there’s still reasons to believe this defense is legit.
LOSERS
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has a bad offensive line, but leading Seattle to just 12 points, including only one offensive touchdown, versus a horrible 49ers team isn’t very encouraging. He completed 23 of 39 passes for only 198 yards and one touchdown.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
How bad was Elliott against the elite Broncos defense? Tom Brady (nine) finished the week with more rushing yards than the Cowboys star (eight).
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
Cooper tallied just four receptions for 33 yards. Raiders wideout Michael Crabtree caught all three of Oakland’s passing touchdowns versus the New York Jets.
Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Hooper was a popular waiver-wire pickup this week after racking up 128 receiving yards in Atlanta’s Week 1 victory. He wasn’t very productive Sunday, though, as he totaled only two receptions for seven yards.
Dallas Cowboys, Defense
The Cowboys surprisingly played very well on defense in Week 1. The opposite was the case Sunday, as the unit gave up 42 points to Denver, including four passing touchdowns by Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian.
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Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
