Sports
NFL Nation update: Answers to Week 2 questions
Our NFL Nation reporters answer key questions heading into the weekend's games, including what to expect from Garrett Wilson with Zach Wilson at QB.
We are only one week into the NFL season, and already there is plenty to discuss in fantasy football. Each Tuesday and Saturday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask our NFL Nation reporters the most pressing questions heading into the weekend and what to make of the fallout after games are played. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries, what roles might change? Here's what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines heading into the weekend of Week 2. How productive can Garrett Wilson be with Zach Wilson under center for the New York Jets? Not as productive as he would've been with Aaron Rodgers, that's for sure. Wilson had five catches on five targets in the opener, including a circus-catch touchdown, but he amassed only 34 receiving yards. Without Rodgers, the Jets will downshift into a run-oriented attack, hoping to take pressure off Zach Wilson. That might be good for Breece Hall's fantasy value, but it's bound to cut into Garrett Wilson's production. -- Rich Cimini What offensive adjustments will the Pittsburgh Steelers make for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns? Look for the Steelers to run the ball more than nine times. The team spent the offseason telling us they were building to be a ground-and-pound team, but after falling behind by 20 points to the 49ers early, they all but abandoned the run. Against a Cleveland Browns team with a fierce pass rush, the Steelers should lean more on the run game behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Though Warren is a complementary back, Harris will continue to have the bulk of the touches. -- Brooke Pryor In the event that DeAndre Hopkins is sidelined because of his ankle injury, who stands to benefit the most on the Tennessee Titans' offense? Hopkins was targeted 13 times last week against the Saints. Second-year receiver Treylon Burks didn't get a pass thrown his way until the third quarter. That will change this week regardless of whether Hopkins plays. But Burks' target share will be significantly more if the Titans are without Hopkins. Ryan Tannehill has raved about Burks, saying it's easy to throw to a big, fast and physical wideout like him. Tennessee will look to establish the run and work play-action passes off of that. Burks on the strike route is the top option for Tannehill on those play-action throws. -- Turron Davenport Will Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy play in Week 2, and if so, what can we expect from him on Sunday against the Commanders? He was a full participant in Wednesday's practice -- the first time he has been a full participant in a practice since he suffered his hamstring injury Aug. 24. If he continues on his current track, he will play Sunday against the Commanders. Jeudy, Broncos' coach Sean Payton said this week, was close to playing in the season opener, and the Broncos even worked Jeudy out just before last Sunday's game before deciding to give him one more week. He'll be in the rotation early and often, but there will likely be a bit of a pitch count, at least initially, since the team's depth chart at receiver has been eroded with a list of injuries and they aren't going to want to risk Jeudy having a setback because they let him go for 50, 60 plays. So, he'll play this week, he'll get some targets, but he may still be a couple weeks away from being the main target if the Broncos stick to their plan. -- Jeff Legwold What kind of workload can we expect from Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs moving forward? In his NFL debut, Gibbs split carries with veteran David Montgomery and logged 60 yards from scrimmage at Kansas City. Gibbs' versatility was certainly on display, but he only got seven carries for 42 rushing yards with two catches for 18 receiving yards. Lions head coach Dan Campbell says he wanted to see how the No. 12 overall pick would perform under the bright lights of his first NFL game, but now that he has one under his belt, "he'll begin to get more touches now." That could mean at least 10 carries and possibly 4-5 targets or more if he gets going, but the Lions like the one-two punch of him and Montgomery. "We will get Gibbs going as he gets more comfortable," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Thursday. -- Eric Woodyard How will the injuries to Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Aaron Jones affect the Green Bay Packers' offense in their upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons? Doubs is good to go and should see an increase in his snap counts from last week when he went into the game coming off limited practice. He still caught a pair of touchdown passes, thanks in large part to his strong chemistry with Jordan Love. Jones' injury causes more problems because of his dual threat as a running back and receiver. They will need more from AJ Dillon than the 13 carries for 19 yards and two catches for 17 yards he had in the opener. -- Rob Demovsky